The Secret Explorers and the Tomb Robbers

The Secret Explorers #3

by D.K. Publishing, S.J. King

Join The Secret Explorers as they go up against thieves in ancient Egypt in the third installment of this action-packed, fact-filled book series.The Secret Explorers come together from all four corners of the globe to fix problems, solve mysteries, and gather knowledge all over the planet - and beyond. Whenever their help is needed, a special sign will appear on a door. They step through to the Exploration Station and receive their mission...In The Secret Explorers and the Tomb Robbers, Gustavo (history expert) and Kiki (engineering expert) are set the mission of stopping the Cairo Museum from closing down. They travel back in time to ancient Egypt and are soon drawn into a tense, thrilling adventure that involves breaking into pyramids, learning ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, and stopping thieves hoping to rob all the treasure from the Pharaoh's tomb. Packed with fun illustrations and facts about the real-life Pharaoh Khufu and his treasures, ancient Egyptian religion, and how mummies were made, this thrilling adventure is perfect for young readers.Also available as an audiobook, narrated by actor Alfred Enoch.

Genres: Childrens, Adventure, Middle Grade, Fiction, Audiobook, Chapter Books, Historical Fiction

130 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 6, 2020

About the author

Dorling Kindersley (DK) is a British multinational publishing company specializing in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 62 languages. It is part of Penguin Random House, a consumer publishing company jointly owned by Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA and Pearson PLC. Bertelsmann owns 53% of the company and Pearson owns 47%.

Established in 1974, DK publishes a range of titles in genres including travel (including Eyewitness Travel Guides), arts and crafts, business, history, cooking, gaming, gardening, health and fitness, natural history, parenting, science and reference. They also publish books for children, toddlers and babies, covering such topics as history, the human body, animals and activities, as well as licensed properties such as LEGO, Disney and DeLiSo, licensor of the toy Sophie la Girafe. DK has offices in New York, London, Munich, New Delhi, Toronto and Melbourne.

Source: Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Marijt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zoonlief van 8 ontdekte dit boek op de ‘nieuwe boeken display’ in de bieb. De kaft leek hem wel wat, maar ook de themacirkel die uitgeverij Kosmos toegevoegd had op de achterkant (In dit boek: wetenschap - avontuur - geschiedenis) was voor hem de doorslag dat dit boek uitermate geschikt zou zijn voor hem. En dat klopte!

Al een tijdje worstelen we met het maken van een goede keuze van zelfleesboeken; maar we zijn ervaren, want dat hadden we met de oudste ook in deze leesperiode. Wel ‘op AVI’ zijn, meer dan genoeg woordenschat, hoge scores op begrijpend lezen-toetsen, thuis meer dan genoeg voorgelezen worden, veel boeken thuis en geregeld naar de bieb… en toch! Op school schijnt hij Geronimo Stilton te lezen, thuis heeft hij moeite met Dolfje Weerwolfje en nam zelfs E3 boeken van Agent en Boef mee. Misschien iets met zelfvertrouwen en leeskilometers?!

Ondanks dat elke zin op een nieuwe regel begon en grote letters heeft, durfde zoonlief niet alleen te starten, want hij was bang dat het te moeilijk zou zijn. Dus bouwen aan dat zelfvertrouwen, dacht ik en samen het boek lezen: om de beurt een hoofdstuk. Ik (en hij misschien ook een beetje) werd bevestigd: Lezen kan hij prima, begrijpen ook. Ja er kwamen pittige woorden, zowel qua betekenis als technisch Leesniveau, in voor als ‘mummificeren, communicatiescherm, papyrusrol’, maar wat genoot zoonlief ervan: “Wat leer ik veel van dit verhaal!” En dan help ik een beetje als hij vastloopt, niet gek met AVI M4 op zijn rapport.
Tof dat dit een serie is en er dus doorgelezen kan worden. Misschien niet direct zelfstandig door onze zoon , maar wel met iets meer leesvertrouwen en leeservaring.

Ik geloof ik deze serie, juist voor qua leesniveau lekker uitdagend, maar ook weer niet thuis horen bij de reflectieve dimensie. Wat wel jammer is: het goedkope, bruinige papier; hoe lang zal het meegaan?

Explorerende dimensie - groep 5/6 (en eventueel een zeer goede lezer in groep 4)

[Sierra Dertinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fantastic installment in The Secret Explorers series. Readers will enjoy this mission as Gustavo and Kiki are tasked to stop the Cairo Museum from closing down. They have to travel back in time to ancient Egypt and stop the tomb robbers before it is too late. Young readers will enjoy this adventure as this duo learn a lot about ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, the late Pharaoh and his tomb of treasures, and how mummies were made back in time!

[Ellen Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and intriguing as a read-aloud! Great premise and characters!

[Beth Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

We’ve really been enjoying this series as read alouds. There is a nice mix of science and facts with a fun story along the way. Each book has two children main characters who are part of the Secret Explorers team. These remind me a lot of Magic Treehouse, but much better written and interesting to read. My kids love the hidden pictures to find in each book as we read and then the quiz at the end to see what they’ve learned. My main complaint with these books is the far-fetched nature of their adventures. In this book specifically it’s sneaking into Khufu’s tomb. It’s fun and adventurous, but not very realistic.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

The secret explorers and the Tomb Robbers by SJ King. In the third book we join Gustavo and Kiki in the museam, Gustavo loves history and the museam, they get sent on an adventure to save the museam, they travel back in time to see ancient egypt. Can the secret explorers save the museum in time! Each book features different members of The Secret Explorers and their adventure. The books are well thought out with the adventure story and fun facts, there's mission notes at the end and a fun quiz also a glossary of words and the meanings at the back. The words are easy to read and some sounds and their thoughts are written in a bold font, there's great illustrations throughout the book and in the mission notes at the end it tells us all about how they made mummies. The books are rich with the story and rich with the interesting facts. Would highly recommend this series of books.

[Sabrina P · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was excited about this one because I think Ancient Egypt is so fascinating! These books are short, very fast paced. Do not need to be read in order. Leave things unanswered about how the group came to be and where the Exploration Station came from, but my 4y doesn’t notice that these details are lacking. I wish that the language issue would also be explained. How can a kid from Brazil and another from Kenya (? I may be misremembering where Kiki is from) be able to understand each other and also communicate with people from Ancient Egypt. There are some fun facts thrown in and my son did learn a few things as this was potentially his first introduction to the subject. He really enjoys the fact pages and the quiz at the end of the book.

[Jes Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun and informative book, perfect for readers who enjoy the Magic Treehouse series. Each member of the Secret Explorers club has a unique ability. For this adventure, Gustavo and Kiki will use their knowledge of history and engineering to keep tomb robbers from stealing artifacts from the Great Pyramid.

The kids solve their own problems and work together to find solutions. During the story, the reader learns life in Egypt. The end has a section that describes the mummification process, contains a glossary and a quiz.

A great addition to any school and public library for the early chapter book collection. The characters are diverse and have a focus on STEAM.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gustavo and Kiki are tasked to stop the Cairo Museum from closing down. They travel back in time to ancient Egypt and stop the tomb robbers before it is too late. Readers learn about ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, the late Pharaoh and his tomb of treasures, and how mummies were made. At end there is "field notes," glossary and quiz.

Part of the The Secret Explorers series - each book features different members and their adventure. Features culturally diverse group of children. Short chapters, easy to read text, looks of illustrations. Great for fans of the Magic Treehouse. Might be good for reluctant readers?

[Cris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in a series but the first I have read. I take it from reading the book that there a multiple children from all over the world that help out at different times. In this storyline Gustava and Kiki come together to help save a museum! It’s a cute story that helps to teach in the process about ancient Egypt.

[Alyssa]

Read this before realizing it’s a series. It would help to start from the beginning to get what’s going on. Graphics are good; easy reading for young person. Storyline keeps you interested (not dragged out). There are things that can be learned in addition to a quiz (with answers) at the end if you want.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exciting addition to the series. Less repetitive than Magic Tree House, with a lot of the same appeals (different time/place in each book, quick pace, some educational components that don’t overwhelm the story).

[jahki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the kid experts of different fields. This time Gustavo and Kiki head back in time to Ancient Egypt. How exciting! Love the kid group, interests, time travel and with some science thrown in (levers). Brilliant!

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book and kept my 5 and 4 year old interested. Pictures were great and helped add illustration to historical references that they did not understand. Loved the history that went into the book and felt like it was a great education for myself!

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was a little too much spook for the little guy.

[Ahaan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was very scary but very good too!

[Lisa D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!

[Kathryn Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely interested in reading more from the series. I love the team of characters, illustrations, and the boys ask to read more.

[Sin Wai · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the book because they tells people knowledge of the pyramid correctly and taught us tons of morals in the story. I would want to see more of this series!

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun book in the series, this time with time travel. Engaged my kids.

[Maggie Chen]

Read for year 4 students

[Megan Herold · Rating 5 out of 5]

We love this book series. Diverse characters, fun historical fictions and actual science and history facts in the back of the book plus reading comprehension questions.

[Lauren Millard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this series for kids

[Mark Harwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume is heavier on plot, less force-feeding factoids, and I liked it. The story isn't original, but my son didn't know that and he loved this entry more than the others we've read.

[PottWab Regional Library]

O

[Lisa D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! Another great book in this series! This one is all about ancient Egypt!

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Secret Explorers head to ancient Egypt to protect a Pharaoh's tomb in this installment. Gustavo and Kiki go back in time to thwart tomb robbers and preserve history for coming generations. The blend of fun and informative text works well for mid to upper elementary readers.