The Door in the Alley

The Explorers #1

by Adrienne Kress

From Book 1: Featuring a mysterious society, a secretive past, and a pig in a teeny hat, The Explorers: The Door in the Alley is the first book in a new series for fans of The Name of This Book Is a Secret and The Mysterious Benedict Society. Knock once if you can find it—but only members are allowed inside.
 
   This is one of those stories that start with a pig in a teeny hat. It’s not the one you’re thinking about. (This story is way better than that one.)
   This pig-in-a-teeny-hat story starts when a very uninquisitive boy stumbles upon a very mysterious society. After that, there is danger and adventure; there are missing persons, hired thugs, a hidden box, a lost map, and famous explorers; and there is a girl looking for help that only uninquisitive boys can offer.
   The Explorers: The Door in the Alley is the first book in a series that is sure to hit young readers right in the funny bone.
 
"[A] wildly funny adventure....Animals in teeny hats, Wonderland-style logic, and loads of wordplay and sarcasm will keep readers giggling all the way through."-Kirkus Reviews

"Exhilarating....Fans of a Series of Unfortunate Events will be drawn to this."— Booklist

“A rollicking read, full of derring-do and old-fashioned villainy.”— School Library Journal
 
"Funny, offbeat, and subversive...occasional footnotes and other humorous asides from the omniscient narrator break the fourth wall and ramp up the playfulness."—The Horn Book

"Narrated with a smart, brisk tone and plenty of snark...The Door in the Alley packs plenty of twists, turns and danger."— Shelf Awareness

" The Explorers: The Door in the Alley is a rollicking and clever adventure! Chock full of brilliant plot twists, pitch-perfect humor, and non-stop action. Kress has kicked off this series with a bang!"—Arthur Slade, author of The Hunchback Assignments

Genres: Middle Grade, Mystery, Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Audiobook, Humor

320 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 25, 2017

About the author

Adrienne Kress is a Toronto born actor and author who loves to play make-believe. She also loves hot chocolate. And cheese. Not necessarily together.

2016 saw the release of HATTER MADIGAN: Ghost in the H.A.T.B.O.X., an exciting collaboration with NY Times bestselling author Frank Beddor (set in the same world as his Looking Glass Wars YA books). And April 2017 she releases the first book in her new Middle Grade series: THE EXPLORERS - The Door in the Alley (Delacorte, Random House).

October 2016 her essay appeared alongside work by the likes of Margaret Atwood and Mariko Tamaki in the non-fiction anthology THE SECRET LOVES OF GEEK GIRLS (Dark Horse).

She is also the author of two other children's novels: ALEX AND THE IRONIC GENTLEMAN and TIMOTHY AND THE DRAGON'S GATE (Scholastic). And also the YA novels, THE FRIDAY SOCIETY (Steampunk Adventure from Dial Penguin, 2012) and OUTCAST (a quirky YA paranormal romance from Diversion Books, 2013).


Some more info about Adrienne: she is a theatre graduate of the Univeristy of Toronto and London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts in the UK. Published around the world, ALEX was featured in the New York Post as a "Post Potter Pick," as well as on the CBS early show. It won the Heart of Hawick Children's Book Award in the UK and was nominated for the Red Cedar. The sequel, TIMOTHY, was nominated for the Audie, Red Cedar and Manitoba Young Readers Choice Awards, and was recently optioned for film. THE FRIDAY SOCIETY was nominated for a Quill Award, and has been optioned for television.

Oh, and the German title for ALEX is:
DIE HALSUBERKOPFUNDKRAGENDRAMATISCHABENTEUERLICHE KATASTROPHENEXPEDITION DER ALEX MORNINGSIDE.

No.

Seriously.

Find her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AdrienneKress

On Instagram:
https://instagram.com/AdrienneKress

And on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Adrien...

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book.

*Ahem

Non-Spoiler review below.

Ok, I have finally worked up the courage to post my first review on Good Reads. Go easy on me, folks.

I was lucky enough to be given an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of this book. Don't tell anyone, but I didn't read it for weeks. What can I say? Life was busy, and I have a long reading list. Then I got dumped. (It's cool. He was awful.) So I needed a distraction. That night I picked up "The Explorers" thinking I could read a few chapters between ugly cries and then forget it by the next day.

To my horror, the book was amazing. I panicked. No, I Don't. Have. Time. For. Another. Book. And as I grieved for my failing romantic life, I somehow, at the same time, spent the rest of the night howling with laughter as I followed the two main characters on their adventure.

I am a huge Potter fan, and this could have been written by J.K herself. The character's friendship makes my heart swell, and the writer is so funny.

To break the book down, a male Hermione and a female (slightly more wily) Harry get involved with a secret society and have to locate a bunch of Indiana Jones types. There are also animals in teeny hats. Don't ask.

I loved it.

[Aeicha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sebastian, a studious; no nonsense; all logic kind of boy, and Evie, an orphan who doesn’t mind a bit of nonsense and illogical adventure, are about to have their worlds collide. And it all starts with a pig in a teeny hat, a door in an alley, and a secret society full of explorers. The middle is full of nasty thugs, puzzles to solve, and adventure to be had. While the ending is all startling revelations, mysteries solved, and cliffhangers to dangle from...it’s safe to say that Sebastian and Evie’s lives will never, ever, no-way, no-how, cannot be the same!

Adrienne Kress’ The Door In The Alley is a delightful and rollicking romp of a story! Sparkling with adventure, mystery, humor, likable characters, and zany fun, I found myself smiling the whole way through this middle-grade.

The Door In The Alley is funny...like, giggle-snort inducing, actually lol’ing kind of funny. With a charmingly cheeky and whimsically wacky voice and witty footnotes, this story is seriously amusing, entertaining, and clever. The mysterious society Sebastian finds himself employed at (via punishment) is a wondrous, topsy-turvy place, full of the unexpected, incredible bits and bobbles, and sometimes the downright weird and creepy...and young readers will love every nook and cranny of the wack-a-doodle place!

Kress takes Sebastian, Evie, and readers on a thrilling and unforgettable adventure, full of melted men, crabby TAs, giant snakes, helpful llamas, plane crashes, and yes, animals in teeny hats! Sebastian, Evie, and the grown-up explorers we meet, are likable, engaging characters that make wonderful adventure companions for readers.

The Door In The Alley has so much fun, laughs, and imagination bubbling out of it, making it such an irresistible and impossible to put down read!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much fun! That was the first coherent thought that raced through my brain as I crossed the finish line of The Door in the Alley. Everyone knows that I love a good middle grade book. Coincidentally, my favorite type of middle grade book though, is the kind that doesn't talk down to its readers. The kind that is smart, funny, and filled with adventure. That, my friends, is exactly what The Door in the Alley is. It is a wonderful ride!

Our story begins with Sebastian, a studious and mild mannered boy who loves to stick to the rules. So, of course, when his path is crossed by a pig in a teeny hat, he's not sure what to make of it. When that same pig then leads him into an adventure that he never expected, that's where things really take off! I loved watching poor Sebastian, with his rigid ideas of the way the world worked, suddenly thrown into the madness that was The Explorer's Society. His personality was the perfect contrast to such an imaginative place, and looking at this new world through his eyes was fascinating.

Then Evie entered the picture, and things got even more exciting. Imagine finding out that you've actually been part of a grand cover up your entire life. That you've always felt that you were ignored, and are now the most important person in the story! That's exactly what happened to Evie, and I warmed to her instantly. She's the type of character who I love, because she isn't quite sure of herself and yet does what needs to be done anyway.

Oh, and the adventure! If you have a young reader (or, like me, are just a young reader at heart) who loves books like A Series of Unfortunate Events, this is the book for you. It's funny, a bit worrisome at times, and full to the brim with courageousness and growth. Both Evie and Sebastian, although completely different in personalities, were absolute perfection in this story. You'll giggle, you'll gasp, and you'll love every minute of it. Pick this up! It's well worth your time. Meanwhile I'll be sitting here, eagerly awaiting their next adventure.

[Pop Bop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Way Better Than the Blurbs Might Lead You to Suspect

The reference in the blurb/summary to the pig-in-the-teeny-hat makes this book sound awfully twee. The gushing references to Trenton Stewart's "Mysterious Benedict Society" and Pseudonymous Bosch's "Secret Series" may grab one's attention, but to me they also make the book sound derivative. Well guess what? Across the board - characters, plot, humor, writing quality - this is a superior, more entertaining, and more rewarding book.

Brief summary - Sebastian is careful and cautious. Evie is highly motivated, resourceful and action oriented. They end up together on a sort of rescue quest. This first book in the series sets up the characters, sets up a larger series story arc, and concludes a first step in the adventure. The first step is completed, but we end with a cliff hanger in the sense that one kid is in peril and there's a lot more questing to do before the larger arc is resolved.

But here's the really good part. Both Sebastian and Evie are engaging and appealing characters. Unlike the kids in a lot of these adventure books, (including the ones in the blurbs), these two have real chemistry, play off each other nicely, and continue to develop a strong friendship during the course of the tale. Sebastian is precise, buttoned-down, literal minded and logical. He starts out as a bit of a priss. Evie, an orphan thanks to the suspicious disappearance of her parents, starts out as a mopey sad sack, and a bit of an angsty pill. Sebastian accidentally finds the Explorers Club. Evie gets chased to the Club. They find each other. Evie draws Sebastian into her adventure and then we are off to the races. So, they meet cute, they have trust issues, there's a lot of eyebrow raising, teasing and bonding. They both start to grow up and grow together. This is wildly beyond the usual fare, which often just begins and ends with the pig-in-a-hat joke.

The quest, as you might suspect, is fairly predictable, (find stuff, solve a puzzle, get a little villain monologuing, find more stuff, and so on), but it's perfectly fine as a frame for the action and it isn't antic crazy or desperately cute or manic. The first few chapters are a little cute and everything at the Club goes right up to the edge on the precious/quirky scale, but that all calms down once Seb and Evie meet and the real book begins. The pig goes away.

And get this. It's funny. Not whoopee cushion funny or snarky-narrator funny. It's witty and clever. The dialogue has some snap and crackle. Sebastian has great deadpan lines and Evie is a pip. Plus, the supporting characters and even the minor characters get lots of funny throwaway lines and bits of business. The narration is dry and just a bit arch, which serves the characters well and keeps the action on the rails. Pacing is excellent, with a nice action/reflection balance that keeps the book from getting too overheated and manic. Heck, even the author seemed to loosen up a little as the book progressed, and it just felt more unforced and more natural, and funner, as we went on. (Even the chapter headings started to get better.)

So, the upshot for me is that this just seemed to be an excellent and very entertaining adventure lark with rewards well above the usual. A nice find and the beginning of what looks likely to be a solid middle grade series. (Please note that I received a free advance ecopy 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.)

[ck]

Advance copy courtesy Delacorte Press via Amazon Vine program

Needs A New Ending
spoiler-free review

I am incredibly conflicted about this book.

Right from the start, I loved the smart, bright wittiness Adrienne Kress brought to the page. Plays on words, a protagonist who wasn't a cardboard cutout, and an incredibly spiffy locale where much of the story unfolded? Great, I thought. A tale that eager readers could buzz through, with enough tendrils and scaffolds to support those for whom reading is less pleasure and more effort.

Unfortunately, the storyline began to unravel and the plot pacing got increasingly frenetic in the last third of the book. Kress shifted away from an effective voice and progression and began tying her characters -- and her readers -- into knots. I suspect that this bogging-down will not stop readers who are either fluent or who are extremely intrigued by the progression of events. However, I think there is a very real likelihood that a number of the young people who might start out by loving this book will end up frustrated well before the last page.

As for that last page? Again, I am anti-spoiler, so that keeps me from dissecting what a betrayal it is to the young readers who are the target audience of this book. I am almost incandescent on their behalf, especially because Kress uses her wit in a way that is incredibly tone-deaf.

Librarians, think long and hard before picking this up for your shelves. If your decision-making time is short, do your young patrons a favor and be sure to read the last 5-10 pages, even if that means skipping parts of the middle.

[☘Tara Sheehan☘ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with my young daughter and she loved it. When it comes to these kinds of books I defer to her opinion since they’re written for her audience and not mine. I was happy we could find a new series to read together. She thought it was funny but still had moments that gave her the creeps, the good kind, as she enjoyed this new adventure.

You’ll want to make sure to continue with the series because there’s no good closure in this book as the writing makes it clear it’s intended to melt into the second. Aside from that little negative the plot and characters were fun. My daughter is a lot like Sebastian as she can be much more straightforward than her friends which causes its own share of struggles so she enjoyed having a character she could relate to since he seemed to have similar problems with the quirky personalities in the Explorer’s Society.

I think this is good for kids and it’s the decent kind of series parents don’t have to worry about.

[Katie Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a rollicking, delightful read! I loved every second of this book and its quirky characters. Aspects of this reminded me of the more unique details of Series of Unfortunate Events (without the darkness those books tend to exude) while other aspects had the humor of Adam Gidwitz's titles mixed with the joyous madcap adventure feel you get from Lemoncello's Library. I loved this book very much and cannot wait to share it during future school visits! Incredibly fun to read with endearing characters and a truly unique concept with the mysterious Explorer's Society that Sebastian stumbles upon. I also loved that Sebastian was so logical and struggled so much with accepting the peculiarities and whimsy of the Explorer's Society. His struggle was really believable and written quite well. The pig in the teeny hat was a great, ridiculous addition too.

ARC received from Random House at the ALA Midwinter Meeting. Thank you for the delightful read!

[Marcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

he Explorers: The Door in the Alley is the newest release from Canadian author Adrienne Kress. There are certain things that always grab my attention when reading a book and animals in tiny hats is certainly one of them. Because you know something unusual is about to happen. The Explorers: The Door in the Alley is the first book in what looks to be an epic series.

The book begins with Sebastian, a boy with a very structured life that doesn't waver, who happens upon a door he's never noticed that sets his whole world ablaze. Sebastian can't stop thinking about this door and as happenstance would allow, he meets a man with a pig wearing a tiny hat. The mystery man leads him to the mysterious door where Sebastian meets the most curious people and comes across an interesting mystery. Then he meets a girl of intrigue, Evie, who had a hard-knock life. Meeting Evie sets his structured world into a whirlwind filled with bad guys, chases, and daring feats.

You'll find it hard to put this book down once you get started. If you're a fan of The Name of This Book Is Secret, The Mysterious Benedict Society, and Series of Unfortunate Events, you're going to want to check this book out.

Read more at http://www.toreadornottoread.net/2017...

[Jaclyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Door in the Alley was an utter delight! This adventurous tale featuring an adventurous girl and an unadventurous boy was full of whimsy and the unexpected. I was charmed! Not all authors can create a world and characters like Sebastian and Evie and still remain authentic - The Door in the Alley does just that.

[Mir]

I wouldn't have picked this up from the blurb, but the art looks fun.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted at Log Cabin Library

12 yo Sebastian is literal, logical, and practical. Each day he follows the same routine and likes it that way. That is until he and his cousin Arthur get into a fight and Arthur huff's off, leading Sebastian to follow him down an alley with a mysterious sign for The Explorers Society. Once Sebastian's home, he can't help thinking about the sign and his curiosity takes him past the alley again. This time he rescues a pig wearing a hat, which he tries to return to the Explorers Society. Once inside, he is questioned by the director and is sentenced for trespassing, despite being invited in. His punishment, minding the society and cleaning. Sebastian tries to set a good example, do all the right things because he feels like he's finally found a place that he fits in, but in order to stay, he's been tasked with breaking a rule. Still eager to please, Sebastian tries to break a rule and finds a box with pictures of people referred to as the Fillipendulous Society, members who were thrown out of The Explorers Society. Meanwhile, Evie"s across town attending another dinner away from the orphanage at the meek, boring Anderson's House, until some men barge in and demand that the Anderson's turn over a key. Evie barely escapes with a letter from Mrs. Anderson and a request to find the Explorers Society, which is where she runs into Sebastian. The two team up using the mysterious box of Sebastian's and the letter from Evie's grandfather, the infamous Alistair Drake of the Fillipendulous Society. What ensues is an adventure to locate the remaining members of the Fillipendulous Society and rescue Evie's grandfather.

The Explorers is similar to The Name of This Book Is A Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch, with both books being filled with humor, adventure and a narrator that sneaks into the dialogue from time to time. The Explorers has plenty of excitement, mystery and two likable characters who learn a lot from one another, despite being somewhat opposites in their personalities. It's refreshing to have a character like Sebastian who enjoys education so much. So much so that when Evie suggests that he skip school to help her track down the Fillipendulous Society members, he almost has a panic attack. It actually weighs on his conscience. Evie does help him tremendously in loosening up and seeing that sometimes logic can't answer all of your question's and you're left with taking a risk. Well, in Sebastian's case a calculated risk. Evie and Sebastian also develop this sweet friendship, and how cute is Sebastian when "Evie looked at him with one of her totally unreadable expressions. And then suddenly she smiled, and it felt like the sun breaking through dark stormy clouds, and Sebastian felt a wave of relief wash over him." Adorable. There's also a hint of magic with one of the members of the Fillipendulous Society seeming to control animals or communicate with them somehow, but it isn't really clear yet. Overall, lots of adventure and perilous situations as the two try to outwit the bad guys who are after the key as well.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

First sentence: This story begins, like most stories do, with a pig wearing a teeny hat. And I'm sure right now you're thinking to yourself, I've read this story before. But please let me assure you that this isn't that pig in a teeny hat story you're reading, but the other one. The one you haven't read. Yet. Unless you've read this story before.

Premise/plot: Sebastian is NOT looking for adventure...or excitement. And he's especially not looking for DANGER and INTRIGUE. He likes things just-so; he has a precise way of living. Everything in his world belongs in a perfectly-perfect logical way. But he stumbles into an adventure, and that stumbling begins--you guessed it--with a pig wearing a teeny hat. There are other things that coax him into a BIG, DANGEROUS adventure. Including a girl named Evie.

Evie is not looking exactly for ADVENTURE. But she is tired of her incredibly boring and predictable existence. It wouldn't be so bad if she felt loved, wanted, accepted. But since her parents death, she's had no one. She lives at a boarding school, I believe. And she's not friends with the other boarders or the other students. Her teachers have tried coaxing her out of self-pity and into a friendship with her peers. But, alas, Evie sees no way out of her despair. But when her oh-so-ordinary weekly dinner ends in a FIRE and men chasing her... well...she finds herself in the middle of a huge adventure. Sebastian joins her on this adventure. She talks him into it. He is still most reluctant.

This is an action-packed adventure story with DRAMA and DANGER. It does end in a cliff hanger.

My thoughts: I liked it. I probably will read the second book in the series. Sebastian and Evie are pleasant to spend time with. And the Explorers Club sounds intriguing.

[Amy (I'd Rather Be Sleeping) · Rating 2 out of 5]

You ever read a book that tries so hard to be cute and quirky and it just fails miserably for you? Yeah, that was this one for me. I love the idea of the book, I adored a previous book by this author that I read - but this book just doesn't work for me. Really, more than anything, it's the writing style that I had a problem with. It shatters the fourth-wall (which, in and of itself, isn't something I find funny) and the narrator is a character (no, I don't mean that the narrator is one of the characters, I mean the narrator is a separate and removed entity from the rest of the book that narrates things and pretty much drags me out of the story). (And there's footnotes - over half in the first forty pages and that kept pulling me away from the story.) And, honestly, some of the wording choices sounded odd (like a child using big words to sound 'all grown up'). That's not to say this is a bad book - because it's not - but it definitely wasn't the book for me.

(This is one of the few times I wish I gave out half stars, because I could see rating it 2 1/2 stars but it's not as good as my other 3 star books. So I rounded down.)

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

My seven-year-old daughter and I enjoyed the audio version of this book, though we have some complaints. The plot was interesting, and the writing was enjoyable and occasionally funny. The adult characters are cartoonish and the children quite intelligent and capable. My daughter found a few of the action sequences scary, but never stopped listening. She had to ask a few questions about what was happening along the way, expressing some frustration that the movements of the villains was underdeveloped. Despite the title, my daughter was not bothered by the lack of any major exploration activity in the story, though this is my primary complaint. I was expecting the characters to leave their home city and go explore a new land, which would lead to learning some interesting things. Instead, the characters spend about a third of the narrative moving through action-oriented chase sequences in which nothing new is revealed. My daughter was mildly disappointed by the incomplete ending, but immediately requested I purchase the sequel. I give a 3/5 star average, as my daughter enjoyed it more than I.

[Christina (A Reader of Fictions)]

Pages read: 56

The Door in the Alley is a victim of the fact that I'm not super into any of my current reads, so one of them had to go. This book is cute and funny, and I'd have loved it as a wee thing, but I'm not invested as an adult.

[Raven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun book! Can't wait for book #2!

[Scott Fillner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ss are going to ❤️this book! It has mystery, action, adv, strong chars & is the beginning of what seems to be a great series @AdrienneKress

[Suzanne Maley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can’t wait for #2! How can you go wrong with a pig in a hat. This one ends with a cliffhanger.

[Eliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Door in the Alley
Overall Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (3/5) or 6.14/10 overall

Characters - 6

Atmosphere - 7

Writing - 7

Plot - 6

Intrigue - 6

Logic - 6

Enjoyment - 5

[Natalie Kemp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook. 3.5. Pretty cute!

[Niki · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first book in The Explorers series, The Door in the Alley introduces readers to Sebastian, a young rule-following, very smart young boy, and Evie, an orphaned young girl with great determination, as well as a number of other colourful and interesting characters. In addition to making sense of the mysterious organization and clubhouse they have stumbled upon, Sebastian and Evie are suddenly tasked with finding and protecting special treasures.

The Door in the Alley was one of those books that I had to remind myself that I am not actually the intended audience. I found the manner of storytelling slightly annoying and hard to lose myself in. However, as we have The Door in the Alley in my school libraries as part of our MYRCA collection, I look forward to talking about this book with our students to hear their take on it.

Short-listed for the 2019 MYRCA Sundogs.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Main Reasons I LOVED This Book:

-THE FREAKING COVER (look at it, tell me that isn't awesome)
-ASOUE style writing
-BEAUTIFUL ILLUSTRATIONS
-The footnotes
-SEBASTIAN AND EVIE'S ADORABLE FRIENDSHIP (they are too pure for this world)
-ANIMALS IN TEENY HATS
-THE CHAPTER TITLES (In which there is a Conversation and Also Llamas)
-FREAKING CATHERINE (she's literally a female Indiana Jones)

It's beautiful and glorious and wonderful and adorable and pure and hilarious and just- read this book, okay?

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't going to do any re-reading this year because I wanted my reading challenge to be all new-to-me books, but I found it impossible to get into the second book in this series (The Reckless Rescue) without reading this one again. This is in part due to the fact that there are a lot of small details I had forgotten, and also because this book ends literally in the middle of a sentence. Coincidentally, it's right where the second book picks up. :) Off to read The Reckless Rescue now!

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was a good, not great book until the end. There was no ending. The book just sort of ended in mid-thought. Tacky.

[Dorine White · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sebastian is a very straight cut twelve-year-old. He does everything he's supposed to do and follows all the rules. A wrong turn one day leads him into an alley where he sees a lonely door with a sign that reads, "The Explorers Society."

Inside the building he finds a bizarre landscape of odd rooms and a giant tree that grows straight up the middle of the building with a tree house at the top. He is caught immediately and as punishment for being where he is not supposed to be, is asked to spend his free-time as an errand boy for the society.

Evie is a twelve-year-old orphan who wishes for family. Once a month she has dinner with a kind old couple, the Anderson's. During dinner they are attacked and only Evie escapes. She flees with the last word's of Mrs. Anderson ringing in her mind, find the Explorers Society. When she finds it and asks for help, she is kicked out.

Sebastian finds Evie and she explains her troubles. The Anderson's had a letter from her grandfather, whom she never knew about, and he is in trouble. The letter asks for the Anderson's to guard the key and then send help for him. Evie's grandfather was once a member of the Society and went on incredible adventures with a group of colleagues, but that all ended twenty years ago, and now every member of the group has disappeared. It is up to Sebastian and Evie to find the missing members so they can learn about the key, protect it, and then rescue her grandfather.

My Thoughts-
I have mixed thoughts on this one. First off, the premise is great and I knew I wanted to read the book just based on the description. A secret society of explorers whose most famous members have gone missing are a great hook and throw mystery right into the mix. Sebastian and Evie having to uncover clues and find people, while being chased by bad guys, is exciting. The weird rooms and odd behaviors of the society members are just funny. Overall, great ideas and plot.

The unrolling of these ideas however, are rough. The author uses very long and wordy paragraphs full of details and very few dialogue breaks to ease things up. The story takes a long time to get into, and we don't even get to the main plot until about a quarter of the way in. There is a lot of telling, not showing. Perhaps this is because the author uses a narrator to interject comments and elaborate descriptions? The comments are often funny, and the use of foot notes are cool, but the clunky paragraphs were a pill.

Now, the main character is Sebastian, and even though he is a character that definitely changes over the story, he is still a bit boring. I really loved Evie. She comes in about a quarter of the way through and is full of excitement, courage and wit. The whole reason the plot happens is because of her connection to her grand father and the explorer group he belonged to. Sebastian seems to just be along for the ride. I personally would have flipped flopped the main character and supporting character.

The end of the story leaves us with the promise of a sequel and more fun explorer related stuff to delve into. There are continual hints throughout the story of somewhat magical occurrences and I hope the next book brings these more into the main story. So, I'm giving this one 3 stars! It is definitely worth looking at just for the fun premise and quirky characters.

[Ila Bartholomew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't been this delighted with a book in a LONG TIME. I've started at least five or six books in the last month and haven't finished any of them. It's not that they were bad - I just didn't want to keep going. This one though - I found myself laughing out loud at the CHAPTER TITLES. And that's not even the characters. This books combines the whimsical adventuring spirit of the Mysterious Benedict Society with the adorableness of Greenglass House.

First and foremost, Sebastian and Evie are our determined, yet woefully unprepared heroes. Best of all, they actually act like KIDS. Clever enough to figure everything out, yet also hopeful enough to think, "Maybe adults think all kids look alike." They're individual, and not superhumanly smart and mature. Sebastian, little sweetheart, I want to take him home. Completely logical, with a photographic memory, and unable to understand sarcasm, almost has a meltdown when Evie suggests skipping school (I've been there bud, it's okay!!!). And Evie alternates between overconfidence and massive guilt about said overconfidence. Neither dominates the other, they work well together, but they're also almost completely opposite, and the differences in their worldviews are hilarious to watch play out. In short, it's been a long time since I've read such a refreshing book about fully fleshed out characters in a fantastical world.

Additionally, there isn't a lot going on. The plot is simple and straightforward, and you really don't have to remember too many details (in all fairness, I might be enjoying that so much because I'm in the middle of finals and don't have a spare memory cell) to keep up with what's happening. But in spite of that, the stakes still feel high, the plot still feels all-important and it doesn't drag. Things move from moment to moment, and it's not hard to keep up with it.

My favorite part, probably above everything else, is how FUNNY it is. The narrator, while not overbearing, does comment on the story, but she does so subtly. In the chapter titles, in completely unnecessary footnotes, very quickly in small descriptions. Not only that, but the way in which she describes the characters. Pretty much, everywhere there could be a place for the narrator to comment, there is one. And it's not only funny, but it actually contributes to the whole feeling of the book. It lets the book poke fun at itself, while still taking itself seriously. It's a paradox, but somehow, she completely made it work. I was thoroughly impressed and enjoyed reading it way more than I was expecting to.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

With school winding down things at school have been really crazy. So I haven't managed to finish this book yet. But the part I have read is definitely amusing and strange. Sebastian stumbles upon the door in an alley near his home with a sign about the Explorer's Society, but he doesn't feel like it is something it is appropriate for him to be interested in as a logical thinking person. But when he crosses paths with a pig-in-a-teeny-hat he gets drawn into the society despite himself. That's as far as I've gotten but I have a feeling that whatever is coming next is bound to be surprising.


To be continued:



Well, the book definitely took off in a rather unexpected direction. I really had to suspend disbelief to make it through the rest of the book. When Sebastian is told by members of the Explorer's Society to 'break' a rule, he can't believe it. But while he's cleaning the archives room, he stumbles across a hidden door behind which he finds a rather plain, ordinary wooden box. But after taking it home and figuring out how to open it, he discovers information about the Filipendulous Five, including the leader Alstair Drake. While Sebastian is puzzling over this group that has never been mentioned during his time at the Explorer's Society, the other main character Evie is having her life shaken up, literally.


Evie is an orphan, living at a state-sponsored boarding school that she hates. Each week she goes to have dinner with an older couple, the Andersons. Unfortunately, the Andersons seem like the most boring couple on the planet, that is until one dinner party is joined by two thugs armed with guns and daggers, one of whom has a badly burned face. What they are after, Evie has no idea, but it's clear they are after something. Evie manages to escape with a letter Mrs. Anderson gives her and makes her way to the Explorer's Society where she teams up with Sebastian.

From here the story leaps into full gear as Evie and Sebastian look for members of the Filipendulous Five in order to seek help finding and saving Evie's grandfather. But the thugs are still on the loose and more than ready to complicate everything even if it means invading the Explorer's Society. Once I let go of the more absurd parts of the story, I actually enjoyed it quite a bit. This is a great book for those who enjoy a mad-cap ride with a strong dose of the absurd.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sebastian's life has always been as logical as he, until some completely unexpected events (involving a pig in a teeny hat) lead him to the enigmatic but amazing Explorer's Society, whose headquarters could have been designed by Mr. Lemoncello. Even more unexpectedly, he gets a job there, which leads to him (again unexpectedly) to finding a hidden puzzle box that covers the fabulous exploits of the Filipendulous Five. Who are they? Why was the box hidden?

Meanwhile, orphaned Evie is a ward of the state and lives at a cheerless school where she's regularly bullied. Once a month (I think) she goes to dinner with a bland couple called the Andersons, though she doesn't understand why. She's therefore mightily surprised when one dinner turns into a harrowing adventure when the Andersons' home is invaded by two terrifying men who want "The key," which the Andersons claim they don't have. The Andersons help Evie to escape and tell her to go to the Explorer's Society, which promptly throws her out when she mentions the Key--and a relative she hadn't known existed before that night. Sebastian finds Evie outside the Society, and unexpectedly decides to help her. Little does he know what that will involve, and beware...there's a cliffhanger ending.

This was great fun and I think kids will love it, even if the Explorer's Society does feel like Mr. Lemoncello's Library (or perhaps because of that). Although the adventures were suspenseful and action-packed and plentiful, what I liked most (after the imagination that created all the scenes and scenarios) were the characters. I liked that it really went against Sebastian's character to have adventures and that he really wasn't comfortable with the whole idea, but that he also did go of his own volition and tried his best to fight his fears and panic over missing a day of school (among other things). I think a lot of kids who read these books don't see themselves reflected, and Sebastian might show them that even if they're scared of something, it doesn't mean they have to give into that fear. Granted, it's not smart to do most of the things that Sebastian does (it is an adventure, after all, and he's being pursued by bloodthirsty men), but the lesson could apply to real life as well! And Evie was just kick-butt, and surprises herself with it. So, a fun one for kids, though I think we'd better buy the sequel soon...

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Knock once if you can find it but only members are allowed inside. This is one of those stories that start with a pig in a teeny hat. It's not the one you're thinking about. (This story is way better than that one.) This pig-in-a-teeny-hat story starts when a very uninquisitive boy stumbles upon a very mysterious society. After that, there is danger and adventure; there are missing persons, hired thugs, a hidden box, a lost map, and famous explorers; and there is a girl looking for help that only uninquisitive boys can offer.

The Door in the Alley is humourous and exciting, a journey It's a curious mystery surrounding a secret society and their mission to explore, and a small group that was once cast out.

Sebastian is a very smart young man. He's studious, logical, and loves to have everything planned out. Because logic is the way to go. But then a little pig in a teeny hat wanders into his life and he discovers The Explorers Society. And it unnerves him in a way. It makes him want to know more, know what they explore and what lies beyond their front door. Even though it doesn't quite make sense to him. Logically. Evie is a lonely young girl. Orphaned because of a terrible accident, she's left without anyone to care about her, to love her and support her. She just wants somewhere to belong. One night, after a sudden attack and narrow escape, she's given a letter and sent to a place that might be able to help her. A place called The Explorers Society. It's there she's ignored, there she meets Sebastian, and there she learns she might still have family somewhere. And so the two of them join together to uncover their whereabouts, but they're not the only ones looking.

This was part adventure, part puzzle-solving, and part kids figuring out the world around them. I found myself laughing so much, at the introduction of the pig in the teeny hat, at so many things Sebastian discovers while tidying the inside of the Society building. It reminded me of books like Chasing Vermeer and The Shadow Cipher but faster paced and a little more light-hearted. I would definitely recommend this to those looking for adventurous middle grade books like the ones previously mentioned.

(I borrowed an e-book copy of this title from the library.)

[Kathy Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Middle schoolers looking for action, adventure and footnotes won't want to miss THE DOOR IN THE ALLEY. Sebastian is a serious twelve-year-old attending a science and math magnet school. He is a rule follower. One day he discovers a sign on a door in an alley (that he only went down because his cousin took a wrong turn) that said The Explorers Society. He couldn't help but be curious about what the society did but was almost able to put it out of his mind until the day he rescued a little pig in a teeny hat who owner was a member of the society.

Sebastian helped him take his pig home, had tea with the leader of the society, and began to work at the Society to avoid being arrested for trespass. I loved his descriptions of the many strange rooms in the Society and the many strange people who visited there. Most strange of all were the Filipendulous Five that Sebastian learns about when he discovers a hidden wooden box filled with information about them.

Evie is an eleven-year-old orphan who is living at the Wayward School and attending weekly dinner parties with the Andersons who have befriended her. She finds the dinner parties very awkward and the Andersons very boring. At least, they were boring until one evening when two men broke in and threatened them all with guns if the Andersons didn't turn over some sort of mysterious key. Mrs. Anderson sent Evie out through a small tunnel with a letter and directions to go to the Explorers Society for help. The letter was from a grandfather that she thought was dead. The Explorers Society won't help Evie but Sebastian will. Rule-following Sebastian steps way out of his comfort zone when he offers Evie his help.

The two of them have lots of adventures as they try to find the missing key and the missing grandfather while avoiding dastardly villains. The story ends on a cliffhanger and will be continued in THE RECKLESS RESCUE which will be published in April 2018.