Explorer Academy: The Nebula Secret (Book 1) Hardcover – Illustrated, September 4, 2018

Wow. Explorer Academy is my favorite new kids' series this year, and I am recommending it to everyone. Parents, this is a series that will keep kids completely engaged and on the edge of their seats, and you can rest assured that the messages in the book are 100% kid appropriate. Here are a few things I love about this series:1- The places in the adventures are real. The young explorers visit the seed vault, an amazing ice cave in Iceland, and they go to archeological digs. And it's exciting because they are running from the evil Nebula and trying to solve a 3D hologram puzzle that could cure all illness in the world... My 10-year-old has enjoyed looking up the real places and learning more about them along the way.2- The kids who attend Explorer Academy are from all over the world. Cruz, the main character, is from Hawaii. His best friends are from all over the world, giving readers more of a worldwide view of things.3- Cruz has a wonderful family. His mother died as a scientist at Explorer Academy, which was tragic and as the story unfolds we learn not actually accidental. His dad, who runs a surf shop in Hawaii, is loving and supportive. Cruz' Aunt Marisol is a professor at Explorer Academy, and watches out for him. I see this as a significant plus because so many kids' books for middle grades wind up either killing off all of the responsible adults or the kids are members of terribly dysfunctional families. It's nice to have a true adventure book with a happy and healthy family at the center of it, even if that family has experienced tragedy.4- The science behind the fiction - This section at the end of each book profiles National Geographic scientists from all over the world and does a compare and contrast with the science fiction in the book and the real science. For example, when Cruz wore this amazing device that allowed him to talk with whales so that the Explorers could cut them out of fishing nets, that was fiction. But at the end of the book, National Geographic profiles a scientists who studies whale language and gives a bunch of super interesting information about it.I hope that this series goes on forever. I will be purchasing every book and making sure my kids enjoy reading them. I'll probably get them for every classroom in the school too!Highly Recommend!!!

Grandson liked this a lot!

From very early on the book is keeping you continue to read. Every explorer would want to be a student at an academy like that.

This is was a great series for adults and kids alike. Very entertaining with facts behind the fiction at the end of each storyline. No less than I would have expected from Nat Geo. Trudi Trueit is an amazing author and made this so intresting that I didn't want it to end. This will definitely remain a part of my collection and is well worth a re-read. Cruz and friends are the Ron, Hermione, and Harry of science and exploration.

Cause it good r3eeeee reeeeee reeeeee reeeeee and and and and and and and and and xd got em ha

The Explorer Academy is a special training school for elite explorers who are also somewhat special agents.....The Nebula Secret is perfectly written for its intended age group. My 10 year old grandson loves to read, but never came across this book in the library. I found this series by accident, and he simply enjoys them. The words are easy to understand, everything is clearly explained, and there's all the action and adventure that a middle-grader would want to enjoy.This book is a wild action-packed adventure that kids (and parents) will love. It has secret codes, action, adventure and danger around every corner.I also loved the art in the book which is very captivating and draws you right into the story itself. My kids also love the end notes that feature real science and real scientists doing cutting-edge work today. This series is a must for your middle grade list!

From a island to a school to explore and learn cutting edge ways to survive and find and lead new ways to use technology for the world ...5 of 5 Stars ***** !!!!!

Review by my nine-year-old daughter:"It's a super good book. I give it a thumbs up! The paperback book smells good (like a new book). The cover feels good, and I like the pictures in the book. The words are not super small. I like that the main character has two adventures, and he has a remote control bee. His friend has cool glasses that change. The book has a secret message that the character has to figure out. I think this book should be made into a movie!"The book also has interesting bios of real people in it. I'm planning to buy the other books in the series for my kids. I like that they're adventure stories with a bit of educational info thrown in and that the characters travel around the world.