Explorer Academy: The Nebula Secret by Trudi Trueit is the first book in a new juvenile adventure series.
Cruz is one of 24 kids across the globe that has been chosen to attend the elite Explorers Academy. Taught by leading researchers, wildlife experts, survivalists and conservationists, Cruz and his fellow explorers are training to become the next generation of great explorers.
But for Cruz this is more than just a dream, this is his legacy. When his mom died when Cruz was just a boy, he knew he would follow in her footsteps at the academy. But no sooner then he receives his acceptance letter, do weird and dangerous “coincidences” seem to dog him.
Can Cruz handle the pressures of Explorer Academy and can he find out who is out to get him and why?
This is a new juvenile book to our library and one I thought would work nicely for my STEM book club. The writing style was fun and the book has some nice graphics and the adventure aspect will work out nicely for my kids. I enjoyed this book but it is definitely the first in a series. There is a lot of build up that sets the stage for what’s to come.
The series itself looks like it is going to follow a fairly popular set up… a school for kids that teaches them something awesome; a student in trouble/needs to fight the bad guy… The whole school thing is very familiar and relatable for children, so we see it a lot. BUT this story feels unique in that it is about explorers and the kids are getting training and are going on missions to explore, understand and preserve our world.
There is so much here that could be used as a STEM activity but there is one point where Cruz and his friend decode a cipher and I think creating or even decoding our own ciphers, could be a neat activity. But we will see.
A neat read but definitely in need of a sequel to do any more solid judging. This one gets 3.5-4 stars from me. Probably a solid 5th grade read.
That’s all for now!
-M-
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