The Secret Explorers and the Lost Whales

The Secret Explorers and the Lost Whales is one of the coolest books I’ve read in awhile. This edutaining story is perfect for any 8-11 year old who loves the ocean. Not only will they enjoy cruising through a fast paced story they can read by themselves (or listen to on Audible!), but they can also continue to independently dive deeper into its bigger topics like humpback whales and ocean pollution with the help of the useful notes, quiz, and glossary included at the end of the book. This story melds fact and fiction so flawlessly that it’s super easy to learn as you read, even if you’re not quite so curious. Let’s look at the reasons SJ King has a new fan in me. For the short version, just check out my totally biased TL;DR ratings, conveniently located just below! ^^THOUGHTS ON THE LOST WHALESCharacters: 10/10 (A cute, kind, and diverse group of kids both in ethnicity and interest-- there will be someone in this series every kid will eventually be able to relate to or find fascinating, and I love who we start with in Book 1)Plot: 9/10 (Magic School Bus meets Bear Grylls Adventures for slightly younger readers. Great for the adventurous and lovers of simple and cheesy fun.)Setting: 10/10 (for the wondrous ocean! Rating also based in part on the FABULOUS illustrations by Ellie O’Shea. Find her on Insta)Favorite Thing About the Story: Learning so much as I read that I wanted to learn MORE STUFF.With a go-kart that can transform into any vehicle like the Magic School Bus and an adventure which explores the natural wonders (and waters) of the world, The Secret Explorers and the Lost Whales was the perfect blend of magic and reality for me. The kids in this story are brilliant but cheesy, hardworking and kind, and they’re persistent problem solvers. Even though Lost Whales has a slightly younger feel, I was reminded of the Bear Grylls Adventures in the way we’re magically transported to a different part of the world to overcome a difficulty of some sort. In this case, rather than surviving the outside world to work through something within the characters themselves, we have a real-world emergency to address which sort of brings out questions the characters have to work through both externally and internally. I think kids will enjoy seeing these awesome explorers work through problems both big and small in their own unique (and fun) ways. I sure did! There are only good things, really, to say about this book.For starters, I love that it’s super readable. My 7 and 8 year old nieces were able to read a lot of it on their own, but they liked listening to the audiobook even more. The narrator, Alfred Enoch (not the actor as far as I know XD), had a nice tone and they loved his accent ^^. The simplicity of the story is truly to its credit. My nieces never really asked “What’s that word mean?” so much as they’d ask, “What’s that?” out of curiosity. SJ King provides just enough details to paint a picture, and I enjoyed watching the Girls ooh and ah-ha as they followed everything (from the magic of the Exploration Station to the description of the monster-like algae) supremely well. Things move quickly enough to keep readers attentive and curious. Each scene is also clear enough for readers to be able to follow the swift sequence of events without feeling like lost whales themselves!And I loved the illustrations. I’d be remiss to exclude the impact of Ellie O’Shea’s work on my reading experience! With an illustration on every page, you couldn’t help but see the story unfold as it happened. Picture book illustrations usually explain (or add more details to) the text, but chapter book illustrations aim to illuminate what’s been written and jumpstart a reader’s imagination. So it was great to be able to have my nieces point out “Oh yeah, that’s a submarine! And THAT’S a hammerhead shark! And that’s Roshni!” We could see this series being an animated show like "The Octonauts" (which apparently has an episode on algae according to the Girls)-- a show we felt like we’d already “seen” after reading!With a pod of humpback whales in need of the Explorers’ help, Connor, our marine biology whiz kid, and Roshni, the space ace, use teamwork to face facts and save the day. The fact is, I love that these brilliant kids have something to teach every reader. Truly! To avoid spoilers, I won’t go into too many details, but you will become a junior expert yourself on the topic of the day (humpback whales) and along the way, you’ll be surprised at the little things that come across your radar. You can’t read this story without learning something.I’d wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who wants to gobble up a story which will take them across (and under) the Pacific Ocean for a little bit. The characters earn their “Job well done!” and you’ll feel like you earned something, too: a reason to look up cool animal videos, to go outside and thank your lucky stars, or to clean up the ocean, one conversation at a time. If you’re anything like me, you’ll fall in love with these characters and you’ll be ready for the next adventure. Lucky for us, a whole bunch came out late last year! ^^ On your marks, get set, explore!* * *This review was written for Rivers Learning Academy (https://ko-fi.com/rla). Visit to find 20 lesson and project ideas to pair with this unique and fun-filled book!

Brilliant series, we have listened to all the audiobooks, well loved, and wanted to see what they were like as a book. This didn't disapoint. Brillaint story with loads of facts, lovely pictures and a quiz and glossary at the back. Loved by my 7 and 5 year olds.

This book engaged my grandson to read more fiction. The topic is perfect for him.

My daughters and I love this book series. It is very informative with word definitions at the back of the book. It gives young readers (including me) a light and entertaining way to learn about the specific topic that the book is about. I would recommend this over and over again not just for little boys but to girls as well.

Perfect for my 7 yr old grandson who loves everything Space. He loves the Series, and he can read most by himself as well. Very nice artistry as well, and encourages reading overall.