Illustrated by Ellie O’Shea.

Published by Dorling Kindersley, 2020.

The Secret Explorers is a brilliant new series of illustrated chapter books, starring a culturally diverse group of eight children from all around the world. Four books have been published so far. Each book sees two children pair up for an adventure. Join them as they journey to the bottom of the ocean or into outer space. Two of the books even involve time travel – one to the Jurassic era, and another to Ancient Egypt.

On their exciting secret missions, the children must solve problems, crack mysteries, outsmart their enemies, and learn new skills.

I can see this series being a huge hit with reluctant or struggling readers, helping to build their reading confidence and engage them with books. The format is accessible and really appealing: playful black and white illustrations, and pages that are not too text-heavy. The content of the books will also be familiar to UK primary school children as the subjects covered reflect topics from the National Curriculum.

Another great feature of the books is all the extra content at the end. There’s a quiz, a glossary, and secret mission notes: additional factual information, diagrams and timelines.

The Secret Explorers series is a terrific way for children to discover more about a range of non-fiction topics while getting caught up in an exciting adventure.

Rating: 💙💙💙💙

Suitable for children aged 7+

Thank you to Dorling Kindersley for sending me these books to review.