De verdwaalde walvissen

The Secret Explorers #1

by S.J. King

In ‘De verdwaalde walvissen’ moet zeelevenexpert Connor zijn onderwaterexpertise gebruiken om een groep bultruggen te redden die de weg kwijt zijn. Samen met ruimte-expert Roshni vertrekt hij in een onderzeeër om te zoeken naar een manier om de walvissen weer op het goede spoor te krijgen. Onderweg komen ze echter onverwachte problemen tegen, waaronder verloren babywalvissen en een vloot boten. Zat het de acht avonturiers lukken om in hun missie te slagen?

Duik mee in de wereld van de avonturiers en leer van alles over het oceaanleven en walvissen.

In de kinderboekenserie ‘De acht avonturiers’ komen kinderen uit alle hoeken van de wereld samen om problemen op te lossen, mysteries te ontrafelen en kennis te verzamelen over de planeet – en de wereld daarbuiten. Van dinosaurussen tot ruimtevaart en van geschiedenis tot natuur: elk lid van de acht avonturiers heeft zijn eigen expertise. Maak kennis met de hele club kinderen en kom meer te weten over wat elk van hen speciaal maakt! Het perfecte boek voor leergierige kinderen vanaf 7 jaar.

Genres: Childrens, Animals, Adventure, Chapter Books, Middle Grade, Stem, Science

128 pages, Hardcover

Published July 10, 2023

Reviews

[Chloe (Always Booked) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This is the start of a new series where a group of kids magically turn into secret explorers to go solve problems. In this one, the marine specialist and the space specialist are called to help a group of whales who are migrating east instead of south! There is some good information about whales and marine life, but some of the details of the story were a little under explained and convenient. The writing style wasn't my favorite (it felt a little clunky to read aloud) but I'm really hopeful about the rest of the series and will continue to read it!

[Tori · Rating 1 out of 5]

Picked this up to read to my son since he's way into ocean animals and just started reading chapter books. The set up is very "Captain Planet", a group of diverse kids are part of a (magical? scientific?) group that helps others and the planet. Neat concept but pretty bad execution. For starters, there is no explanation for how these kids came together or who's running the Secret Explorers group. Halfway though the book, I had to double check that I had indeed checkout out book one of the series from the library, because I figured that surely I had accidentally checked out book five or something, because the author just throws you into this group of kids that can somehow (through advanced technology? magic? I'm still not sure) transport themselves around the world with no explanation or backstory given, at all. It's very confusing. The second problem I had is that the characters had no personality. You could have switched the dialogue for the two main characters and it wouldn't have made a bit of difference. They didn't even have cliche/trope personalities such as "the funny one" or "the competitive one". Just completely flat, blank slates. Then there was the actual plot of the book (a pod of whales goes off course and need to be herded back in the right direction) which just turned out the be pretty "meh". By the last third, my son was asking when we could read the next Princess in Black book (since that series has things like humor and action and charming characters).

[Ula · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 out of 5 🌟 Learning if fun!

'Secret Explorers' is a new series about a group of children from around the world with scientific expertise in various topics from space through dinosaurs to volcanos. Each volume brings a new mission to resolve with the help of the most knowledgeable explorers in a particular topic. 'The Lost Whales' book takes place in the South Pacific Ocean and the chosen explorers for that mission are Connor the marine expert, and Roshni the space explorer. As always, the role of sidekick will be revealed during the mission.

'The Secret Explorers' are packed with action and useful information about the given topic. At the end of each book, there are a few pages with iconographic and schemas to sum and explain all the scientific data used in the story, the glossary, and a quiz to test the knowledge. In 'The Lost Whales' readers get to know about... yes, whales but also the ocean's ecology and global warming that poses a real danger to the whole ecosystem. The characters are funny and likable although they're also flat and without any special personality traits. The story itself was fast and packed with action, I liked it better than 'The Comet Collision'.

Overall, it's a great read for storytime or to read by kids themselves as a perfect mixture of an action story, science, and friendly, diverse characters. 'The Secret Explorers' series puts an end to gender diverse children's books and can be enjoyed by everyone.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher DK for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and feelings are my own.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute little book that packs a punch. It's jam packed with information about the ocean and covers important themes like pollution, teamwork, and even star navigation. These Explorers know their stuff and all scientific information can be verified (I checked it all haha). Wide range for children's interest levels. Great for grades 2-3 or co-reading with younger children who love science. Also good for older ESL learners that have reading Lexiles between 500-600L.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute, quick little chapter book about whales. I loved that it was highly informative (I didn't even realize how harmful red algae was!) and had a diverse cast of characters. It jumped a little too quickly into the mission without much of a transition/explanation. So kids who haven't read the other Secret Explorers books (are there others? This honestly was never made clear) may be a little lost because of this. But I think it would be perfect for third graders and I loved how it included additional information about ocean life in the back of the book.

[Dontreadlikethem · Rating 4 out of 5]

A diverse cast of kids knowledgeable in all things STEM that should find its way into every second grade class library.

[Javad Aliyev · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was super interesting

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the book a lot and had fun reading it. I also like how there was a quiz at the end. I think the book was fun and unique.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

King makes learning fun as science facts are seamlessly woven in the story. This group of young people have been chosen for their knowledge of science areas. They balance each other and work together to solve various problems. This time they need to redirect a pod of humpback whales who have become disoriented by a red algae bloom in the ocean.
Mid-elementary readers will appreciate the simple to follow text. King melds science, adventure and humor. Looking forward to this series.

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the diverse characters and the environmental themes. However, this book just dragged on & on. I read it out loud to my 3 kids and every time there was another layer added to the story I groaned internally.

I also had to re-read the first couple pages more than once. The book just started. No explanation as to why or how these children are going through portals in pantries to a secret exploration station and saving the world, without time passing while they’re away. So many questions. And one of my favorite books is about faeries so my problems with this book have nothing to do with the fantastical nature of it. More the complete lack of explanation. With a book appearing to be so based in knowledge, at least attempt to have some answers for why we’re following these kids in the first place. There is so much potential with this, and I’m interested to read further into the series to see if my issues with it are addressed.

[Heidi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I kept checking to see if this was the first book in the series, as it jumped into the story with no explanation for who the secret explorers were, how they were grouped together, how they knew to go on missions, etc. There were even previous explorations mentioned as if the reader knew about them already. This will confuse young readers. The vocabulary is also much more advanced for the target audience. I found the story slow moving and a bit boring in places. I hope the other books in the series are better!

[Deserae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review written for Rivers Learning Academy .

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 WHALES

Characters: 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!

[Pop Bop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Successfully Walks the Line

This is an ambitious book. On the one hand we want to have a thrilling undersea adventure; on the other hand we see an honest effort to include substantial educational content. I was impressed, and thought the book worked well on both levels.

Wisely, the whole "Secret Explorers" angle is set up quickly. Whenever there's a science emergency a call goes out to the "Secret Explorers", who then drop whatever they're doing and gather at an Exploration Station. From there a team of kids with appropriate skills is selected and sent out with necessary tools and equipment. So, by chapter Two Connor and Roshni have been kitted out, briefed, and sent off on their mission.

The particular mission here is to head to the South Pacific and reorient a lost pod of humpback whales. Of course, nothing is ever that easy, so we have lost whales, a misplaced whale calf, some collisions with shipping, and so on. The kids are in a submarine that has cool sciencey stuff and have to do a lot of figuring out and problem solving. What we end up with is a tour of various deep sea and open ocean life, a lot of facts about whales, and an honest shot of wonder about these neat mammals. We also get some reasonable discussions of things like sonar and sat-nav and even star navigation. The kids have to make a lot of decisions and have to mostly reason their way out of or around problems, so the scientific method angle is mostly legit, even if some of the solutions are a bit unrealistic.

This isn't at a "Paw Patrol" level. There is decent information here. It's all a little cartoony and unbelievable, but it seems to fit in that sweet spot where you have a reader who's too old for fuzzy bunnies but not really ready for the harder stuff. And by gosh it's all very cheerful, energetic, upbeat, and gee-whiz, which seems to me like the right way to go with early STEM stories. I was impressed by the project, and delighted to see this is the first in a planned series.

(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

[Sabrina P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Things I liked about this book: diverse cast of characters! The group is made up of children from all over the world. Accurate facts about history and science. The fact pages and quiz at the end of the book were fun! The story itself is fine, minor conflict, enough to worry my 4y, but it gets resolved fairly quickly and with ease. Loved the team work and how they celebrate each other’s strengths and knowledge

Things I disliked about this book: absolutely no introduction or explanation about how these kids became the secret explorers, nothing to talk about the magic of the book, nothing to indicate that these children would all speak different languages and would need translators or some cool tech or fun magic to make it so they all understand each other (and in other books, people they interact with). I think it’s interesting that there are some illustrations on almost every page, but there are times where the drawings don’t match the text descriptions and I think that’s lazy and unhelpful.

The series is fun and I will continue to read them aloud to my son, but after buying the first four, I will probably just get them from the library. I don’t think they need to be in our personal collection.

Kind of a mix between the Magic Tree House and maybe the Magic School Bus but without an adult (bummer!). There’s also no through line story to follow, so you can pick up any of these books and don’t have to worry about missing anything.

[joyce w. laudon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This title finds the sweet spot between a fiction adventure and a science book for kids.  It is an illustrated chapter book for elementary school aged children that features a diverse group of explorers. 


Meet Connor and his friends who are excited to have a new mission.  Watch as Connor magically arrives at the exploration station to find out what his next task will be.  Readers will discover that they are to help some whales.


This book appeals to its readers who are at the age when clubs and secrets are intriguing.  I think that kids will learn a lot while following the protagonists' adventures.  Hopefully, a love of science will be introduced or reinforced.


At the end of the book are a quiz and a glossary.  These both help to reinforce the learning that the text provided. 


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

The secret explorers and the lost whales by SJ King. I love the cover, it caught my eye and just drew us in to the story. We join Connor and Roshni on their adventure to help a pod of hatchback whales. Each book features different members of The Secret Explorers and their adventure. There's lots of fun facts throughout the book interwoven into the story, I never knew a whale couldn't smile, the words are easy to read and some sounds and their thoughts are written in a bold font. We loved the illustrations in the book and the mission notes at the back, the quiz at the end was good and there's a glossary of words at the back like Algae and what it is. We can't wait to read the next book.

[Jenn Georges · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book i have read in this serie. The book was excellent! I have many students who don't enjoy informational text. I think this is an excellent mix of fiction and nonfiction and can easily engage a fiction reader. Students can learn a lot from this series of books. I will be getting a copy once it is published. This is a great book for students or children ages 8 and up. I would include this in a classroom library for 3-6 graders.

[Lisa D · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book! A group of kids called secret explorers help a group of humpback whales & learn about whales, marine life& how climate change effects our ocean. What a great book for beginning readers ! A great way for kids to learn in a fun way! Full of great illustrations , a quiz & lots of facts! Highly recommended! Can’t wait to read the rest of this series! Loved it! This is a great series for beginning readers!

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny how this starts with kids who travel through portals In order to meet up and get chosen to travel through space and time to assist in an environmental rescue operation and I was fine with that, but as soon as those kids drive a submarine and go scuba diving with no apparent training, I think “Nuh-uh. No way.” This was fine, with lots of science facts throughout and at the end. Diverse characters.

[Beth Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent early chapter read aloud! We were introduced to the whole team of kid secret explorers, but this story featured just two main kids. This book had tons of science, information about conservation and taking care of the environment, and a great lesson on teamwork. It reminded me a lot of Wild Kratts and a younger version of Explorer Academy. Looking forward to more of the series.

[Angela]

A diverse group of kids go on various save-the-day adventures in different times and places. Illustrations are on every page and additional facts on the subjects are available at the end. Great for kids who like STEM or the Magic Tree House series.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished reading this with my 6yr old son and we had so much fun. Really loved the thoughts that came out of it. Was fun for us to read and he enjoyed what he learned. Good use of words as well for him as he is picking up quite a few now. Loved the diversity of the characters and we’re looking forward to our next one.

At the end we saw there was some additional information about whales and keeping the oceans clean.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this to my 2nd grader. This is a great little chapter book (book 1 of a series) with diverse young scientists who each have specialties. Filled with information on sea life, the ocean, and teaches kids to care for the environment. My little scientist enjoyed it and we finished it in a week. I recommend.

[Nessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun chapter book about kids who are secret explorers going on environmental saving missions. In this book, we meet everyone for the first time but only two explorers get to go on this mission. One marine biologist and one astronaut! See how they use their skills and knowledge to save a pod of humpback whales and solves interesting issues that arise.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute beginner chapter book with diverse set of characters (at least by name - Roshni, Cheng, etc., anyway...which is about the extent of their description besides their STEM expertise hence the knock on the rating) with adventure and STEM and problem solving. Enjoyed as a read aloud to my curious 4.5 year old.

[Lauren Millard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really great adventure books for early readers. Interesting enough for us to read aloud. But great for 3rd graders (probably) on up to read independently.

I liked that they had diverse characters, working together to solve problems on these adventures. Looking forward to reading more of this series

[Rebecca Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the concept of this series and the amount of STEM facts makes it a great choice for kids who usually enjoy nonfiction reads. For me it jumped too quickly into the action without setting up any context around the team or how it came to be. I kept checking to see if this was really the first book. I would recommend it to fans of the magic school bus! Best for grades 2-3!

[Aubrey DeJesus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for 3rd-4th grade. I loved that it included a lot of science terms (animal names and facts) very naturally. I didn’t like the references to global warming, but I still think it’s a great book. I especially liked the “Mission Notes” at the end, along with the glossary and the quiz. Will definitely read the others in the series.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful middle-grade series about exploring the world around us, from nature to history. This book features a secret mission to save a pod of whales. Have fun travelling alone with the Secret Explorers as you learn about the ocean!

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ben enjoyed listening to this one. Lots of science information, a fun adventure, plenty of illustrations, and a fairly controlled vocabulary. Worked well as a read-aloud. Similar appeals/complexity as Magic Tree House, and Ben is looking forward to the second book.