The Explorer: From the author of the internationally bestselling phenomenon Impossible Creatures

This is one beautiful book about an English boy Fred,an English girl Con and a Brazilian girl Lila and her little brother Max who find themselves lost in the Amazon rainforest after a plane crash. Each one is a complex character Fred is a wannabe explorer who has read a few books and is desperate to impress his father, Con has lived a prim and proper life where you sit still and everything is clean, and Lila is filled with the most powerful protective love towards her brother, whilst Max is a lovely young boy with so much to live for. Watching these characters grow and come together is amazing. To see them grow emotionally is incredible. Each character is lovable in their own way.The story has several unexpected twists and turns. It builds and builds, and gets better and better. I made a lot of highlights during the second half of the book. There are several unexpected moments.The writing in incredible. The description of the location puts you in the amazon rainforest and you see it for the beauty and the danger its offers. But, you see it as something to love as something worth protecting.There are many messages in this book and its hard to say what they are without spoiling the book, but there is the message of love being important, the important of caring for people, and the message that you are perfect just the way you are - never let anyone change you.There are many, many quotes I love from this book. My favourite though is this"You don't have to be in a jungle to be an explorer"For me this book touched my heart. It made me think about things, and it changed my way of thinking about things. This is a very beautiful storyHaving previously read Rooftoppers and Wolf Wilder by the same author as I have to say I love how different each of her books are and yet they are all brilliant..

Oh. My. Goodness. I love this book. If you want a fast-paced, action-packed story to share with your class or read to yourself, I highly recommend this one by Katherine Rundell. Author of other critically acclaimed books such as Rooftoppers and The Wolf Wilder, she delivers another fantastic story that will delight audiences everywhere.Set in the Amazon jungle, The Explorer tells the story of four children who are stranded in the rainforest following a plane crash. Fred, Lila, Con and Max find themselves forced to adapt to their new, dangerous surroundings quickly, in order to stay alive. Faced with everything the jungle can throw at them, including an encounter with piranha and a forest fire, the children begin to realise that they need to get home and fast. The only question is, how are they going to get there?The story is full of wonderful characters, but my personal favourite is Con. First impressions count, but Con tries to convince the reader that she doesn't care what you think about her - she does really, but is too stubborn to admit it. Her character gradually softens as the story goes on and you realise why her personality is the way it is - my most favourite bit is when she finally volunteers for a job within the group and she struggles to hide the pride she feels, much to the amusement of Lila and Fred.As well as a superb storyline and brilliant characters, The Explorer is full of the most wonderful descriptions of the Amazon rainforest itself. From ants that can stop you from being stung by bees to the caiman keeping a watchful eye on the children from afar, you are immersed in jungle life from the very first page. Clearly I wouldn't want to be stranded there in the same manner the children are in this story, but a visit has now been added to the good ol' bucket list.If you are studying the Amazon with your class, this is a must-read. If you love children's literature, this is a must-read. Whatever the reason you have for picking up this book, just read it. You can thank me later.

I read this - or rather listened to this book on the advice of my daughter. Who is 28... but had read it to her younger brother and loved it so much she asked me to read it too.Now, I appreciate that as an old bloke it's not the usual fare but, as a father it's nice to share in the life of your children too and to be able to indulge in their likes as well.So, I downloaded this and listened to it whilst working overseas in a shipyard dealing with offshore construction vessels... If only some of the gorillas I deal with knew what I was listening too....And I loved it too.It is at it's heart a wonderful child's adventure probably aimed at those around the late singles, early double figure years. There is an acknowledgement of death - after all the pilot of the small plane died in the early pages that was transporting the small group of young children - but it is fundamentally an uplifting tale.Naturally there are plenty of plot holes but perhaps less than most in books aimed at children.Bit of yukiness to give a bit of a boost to a child's imagination as you read this and plenty of action to keep them entertained.Well written and even as an adult it was enjoyable to read/listen too. The audible version I had was very well narrated and thoroughly engaging. Funny how half way up a steel scaffold in a shipyard you can smile at the thought of children cooking tarantulas.Overall a very well deserved lauded book for children.