Sabotage on the Solar Express

Adventures on Trains #5

by M.G. Leonard, Sam Sedgman

Miljardären och tågentusiasten August Reza har bjudit in Hal och Nat på invigningen av det prisvinnande tåget Solar Express i Australien. Underbarnet Boaz har konstruerat ett hybridlokomotiv som drivs av vätgas och solenergi och nu är det dags att visa upp det för världen. Men strax efter avgång från stationen i Alice Springs inser Hal att någon har saboterat tåget, och snart inleds en hisnande kamp mot klockan. Kommer Hal kunna lista ut vem sabotören är innan katastrofen är ett faktum?

Genres: Middle Grade, Mystery, Adventure, Fiction, Crime, Childrens, Audiobook

245 pages, Paperback

Published February 17, 2022

About the author

M. G. Leonard is a writer of books, poems and screenplays. She has a first-class honours degree in English literature and an MA in Shakespeare Studies from Kings College London. She works as a freelance Digital Media Producer for clients such as the National Theatre, and Harry Potter West End, and previously worked as a Senior Digital Producer at the National Theatre, the Royal Opera House and Shakespeare’s Globe. She spent her early career in the music industry running Setanta Records, an independent record label, and managing bands, most notably The Divine Comedy. After leaving the music industry, she trained as an actor, dabbling in directing and producing as well as performing, before deciding to write her stories down. Maya lives in Brighton with her husband and two sons.
You can visit her online at www.mgleonard.com. Follow her on Twitter @MGLnrd.

Reviews

[Gavin Hetherington · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEST ONE SO FAR!! Honestly so exciting, I was gripped all the way through.

[megs_bookrack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sabotage on the Solar Express is the 5th-book in my favorite Middle Grade series, Adventures on Trains.

If you haven't seen me gush about this series before, let me just give you are brief overview of what it is about.



This series follows Hal, a talented young artist with a penchant for solving mysteries. Hal's Uncle Nat is a travel writer, who specializes in trains, and he takes Hal along with him on some of his journeys.

Hence the name of the series.



In this installment, we travel to Australia, where billionaire tech mogul and train enthusiast, August Reza, is set to run the maiden voyage of the winning design of his Reza's Rocket competition.

We first met August Reza, and his daughter, Marianne, in the second-book of the series, Kidnap on the California Comet. Having made friendships over the course of that journey, Nat and Hal are graciously invited onto this test run for the new train, dubbed the Solar Express.



A child from Australia, Boaz, designed the winning train with his hybrid locomotive, driven by hydrogen fuel cells and solar power. Reza believes this design has the potential to change the future of train travel.

But during the journey from Alice Springs to Darwin, the train is sabotaged and soon they are running out of control through the vast expanse of the Australian Outback.

Will Hal and friends be able to discover the saboteur and stop the runaway train before it runs off the tracks, no doubt with disastrous, and maybe deadly, results?



As usual, this story was such a delight to read. I loved being back with Hal and Nat. We kick off rather quickly with them already being in Australia, and before you know it, the Solar Express has started her journey.

There are a couple of different mysteries tossed our way before we even discover the sabotage. I liked how intriguing all the elements were together. Were they related, were they not? It was really well plotted.

This is definitely the biggest thrill ride of series thus far. At times this felt like a version of the movie Speed reimagined for kids. There were some real pulse-pounding moments. Through it all, Hal stayed true to his character with a cool head and analytical mind.



We had a nice set-up for the next book, which it sounds like takes place over Christmas holiday for Hal. I can't wait to pick it up. It sounds like a perfect Winter read.

I definitely recommend this series to anyone who enjoys a solid, heart-warming, engaging Children's Mystery. This can honestly be enjoyed by Readers of all ages!

[Steph ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just adore this series and being with these characters. So much fun!

[Pris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best in the series so far! 🚂

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the fifth book in the Adventures on Trains series. I absolutely loved this book from start to finish, I read this book on the edge of my seat and I didn't want to put it down. I couldn't tell what was going to happen next, the plot kept me guessing and there was a great twist at the end. I loved how this book also had an green theme, for example the train was powered by an environmentally friendly power source.

I would recommend this book for children aged 9 plus.

[kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Speed' meets 'Scooby Doo' in another super fun, fast paced instalment in the fantastic 'Adventures on Trains' series.

(but also, how are these children so smart. who is their science teacher???????)

[Dinnu Reads Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

As fun as the previous books in the series. 😊

[Ellie (bookmadbarlow) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hal and his Uncle Nat are back and this time there is a race against time, action file style and let me tell you it was TENSE!
I flew through this one as I just had to know what happened.
Lots of science and a slightly different style of illustration made this action adventure fun too.
Highly recommend this series.

[Les Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This may be a book for young people, but as an older person coming up to 79 I’m finding this an excellent series.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dit boek is enigszins gelinkt aan Boek 2 - De Ontvoerde Schat, in de zin dat Hélène en haar vader opnieuw hun opwachting maken. Ondertussen is het al ruim twee jaar geleden sinds ik dat boek nog gelezen heb, dus ik heb even naar mijn bespreking van dat deel gekeken en blijkbaar was ik, net als Alex zelf, niet onverdeeld enthousiast over haar manier van doen. Nu, in Boek 5 - De Verborgen Verrader, maakt ze een veel betere indruk. Ik ergerde me totaal niet aan haar, integendeel zelfs: Hélène is een geweldig personage - aangenaam, dapper, een doorzetter, iemand waarop je kunt rekenen. Boaz was ook een mooie aanwinst, en Alex en zijn nonkel zijn natuurlijk ook nog altijd goeie hoofdpersonages.

Dit verhaal speelt zich in Australië en is weer deels gebaseerd op echte treinreizen, met name die van The Ghan, door het hart van de Australische outback. Op een snelle trip naar Uluru zien we deze keer echter niet veel van de omgeving: alles staat in het teken van hoe het op de Solar Express (met één S in het Nederlands) volledig misloopt.
Want ik moet toegeven: in het begin was ik niet volledig enthousiast en kon de plot me niet ontzettend boeien, maar op een gegeven moment komt er absoluut vaart in (en, eh, niet enkel figuurlijk). En vanaf dan gaat het als een HST vooruit, de klok tikt letterlijk af en ik zat op het puntje van mijn stoel - in een trein dan nog wel, passender kan het niet!
Het was leuk dat er ook nog wat chemielessen in het boek verstopt zaten, alleen was het verhaal zo spannend dat ik die informatie maar nauwelijks opnam. Dat noemen ze nu een slachtoffer van je eigen succes worden.

De tekeningen evolueren mee met het verhaal: Paganelli voegt tekstballonnen toe, zodat het wat meer op een strip gaat lijken. Gezien de personages past dat hier goed, al ben ik nog steeds meer fan van haar tekeningen in de Groenwoud-reeks.

De vertaling is weer van Anne Douqué. Ik denk dat ik ergens een keer 'groter (...) als' heb zien staan, dus daar gaan bij sommige mensen vast de haren van overeind staan, maar persoonlijk heb ik me daar nooit iets van aangetrokken. Verder is er mij niks negatiefs opgevallen, wat dus betekent dat alles positief is: vlot, normaal Nederlands, met hier en daar een Australisch-Engelse term om wat couleur locale toe te voegen. En voor zover ik kan beoordelen, klopt de specifieke terminologie ook. Mooi zo!

7,8/10

[Charissa Guy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fifth book in this fantastic series is a humdinger. It flies along at a cracking pace just like the Solar Express in the story and just like the other four makes me long for an epic railway adventure.

[KW · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, as always! And as always, best read on a train :)

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

The way I love this series. It is just PERFECT. This latest instalment is no different. Despite the gimmick of solving crimes on (or around) train journeys, this is not yet old hat - far from it, in fact.

Hal and Nate continue to be excellent lead characters. It's also lovely to see how their relationship has evolved and how much Nate trusts Hal, both as a person but also as a detective. Hal is brilliantly smart, and continues to show how his talent for noticing things is the key to solving the crime - normally aided by his excellent drawing skills! And it really is hard to talk about these books without mentioning the fantastic illustrations by Elisa Paganelli - they help set the scene. Also, Hal's habit of drawing everyone is very helpful in keeping all the characters straight ;)

This mystery had a nice amount of fun science to it, which I really enjoyed. While the science is a small stretch at the moment (especially at the invention of a kid) it's also not unrealistic for this to have evolved that way, and I would love to see something like this be possible in the future. It was a nice moment to have the consideration of climate change in the book. Boaz is really a fantastic character too, I loved him, and his family :D

We also got a revisit from a past character in Marianne (well, and August, but I'm not counting him!) and it was great to see the relationship between her and Hal as a result of the events of the second book.

And there's already a hint of another book, yay! Honestly, I could happily keep reading new books in this series forever. 5 stars!

[Belles Middle Grade Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This one was soooooo good! I absolutely loved the direction they took with this one. This gave me Speed(the movie)vibes but On a train, MG style lol. We get to meet all new characters/friends in this like usual, but we also got to see ones from another book which I really enjoyed. There’s so much adventure, mystery, danger, & so much science in this one! I loved it! And of course trains! Lol Learned so much about a particular kind of energy source & so much more. Of course a new location, & I’m just loving traveling al over the world on different trains with Hal & Uncle Nat who are just the absolute best. I was so happy to see the title for the next one at the end of the book-because the title alone sounds amazing, & mainly because I’m just so happy this series is continuing! Highly recommend! As usual stunning cover & stunning illustrations throughout the book by Elisa Paganelli too!💜

[Grace (irisroman & evajacks' version) ✧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun read! I was a little hesitant after being disappointed by the previous book (Danger at Dead Man's Pass) but I ended up really enjoying this. :)

The stakes were much higher than the previous books as Hal & his friends were constantly in danger as they raced to stop the sabotaged train AND identify the saboteur. The mystery was also great- very intriguing, with a well-thought out solution. I also really loved the Australian setting and the fun science facts peppered throughout the book.

Overall, this series is middle grade gold. I had a great time with Sabotage on the Solar Express and look forward to the next book in the series!

*3.5 stars rounded up*

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gosh, this is a total page turner! This is full to the brim of brilliant science, some things that go bang and some familiar faces. I thoroughly loved this! Being back with characters I know and love, with an interesting train journey and of course a mystery to solve… you can’t go wrong! This definitely is one of my faves in the series. I loved Hal’s message about children being brilliant! I can’t wait to read the next!

[Matteo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the much-anticipated, amazing fifth book of the spectacular Adventures on Trains series. Thirteen year-old Harrison Beck embarks on a heart-stopping journey with his Uncle Nat, a travel journalist, across Australia on a completely new, revolutionary hydrogen-powered train of the future.

My favourite character is child genius Boaz Tudawali, the fourteen year-old inventor of the Solar Express. He lives on the one million acre cattle ranch, Uterne Homestead, two hours away from Alice Springs in Central Australia. The action takes off at the station when they realise that Reza Tech, the owners of the train, are missing their Chief Technical Officer, Francisco Silva. This discovery is followed by a more eye-opening one - they have lost all control of the train, which is now rocketing over the sleepers at 150 km/h. The saboteur has given them 40 minutes to work out his identity and bring the Solar Express to a stop before it blows up, scarring sacred Aboriginal land in the national park of Karlu Karlu.

Can Harrison, Uncle Nat and Boaz keep them on track, and catch the culprit before they leave the rails entirely in an adventurous mystery race across the outback?

By Matteo, 11y old.

[Nicola Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t think I’ve ever read a series so quickly and absolutely annihilated the pages because I just love them so much. Going on these train adventures with Hal has honestly been a highlight and I look forward to joining him again each time I have to rip myself away from the book.

Book 5 and we’ve come to get to know Hal and his uncle Nat fairly well. They make an amazing team and solve a fair few mysteries (and a murder) along the way as well as making their way around some amazing places and experiencing some awesome train journies.

And wow, the story in this one! May be the most exciting one yet and truly has just on the edge of your seat. I won’t spoil anything but woah, a lot at stake here and plenty on the line (train pun intended).

Really well written as always and as there is only one left now, I’m savouring the last one and will wait until Christmas to read it!

[Tamsin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this brilliant series of adventures all set on trains and I think this is the best one yet!

This is the fifth in the series and Hal and his Uncle Nat are invited as special guests aboard the Solar Express in Australia: a train powered entirely by hydrogen cells and the winning entry from Reza's Rocket competition. The winner is a young boy, not much older than Hal, who has a flair for science and engineering. From the start it is clear that not everyone likes the design and even before the train departs from the station, you get the sense the journey is doomed.

This story was set over a much shorter period of time than the other books and is constant action. The suspects aboard the train were all introduced early, but you got to know them as the journey progressed - there was the clever inclusion of a journalist and film maker on the trip meaning their interviews were a subtle but important way of learning backstories and views of the new technology.

The science and engineering aspect of this book were fascinating and there was much to be learnt from the young designer Boaz. There were lots of aspects of the book that any child who loves science could research more about and the setting of the Australian outback was the perfect reason for the eco-friendly fuel.

An excellent book; highly recommended!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shared the reading with my 10 year old. We both love these books and always eagerly anticipate the next in the series. My son said the only drawback for him was that he didn’t get to know the extra characters as well as in the previous books. He said it seemed a bit quick and that they didn’t seem to be in the train for as long.

[Marloes | Subtlebookish · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

[Amélie Boucher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one! I read this in a train and it a MARVELOUS experience, I would highly recommend.

The science stuff got a little heavy for me, but the ending was fantastic.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It doesn't take much detective work to realise that I am really enjoying this series of books. Another great plot, plenty to learn for those interested in learning things, and I'm not sure if I have previously mentioned them, but wonderful illustrations by Elisa Paganelli.

[Ginny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whenever anyone asks for chapter book recommendations for independent readers, M.G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman’s marvellous ‘Adventures on Trains’ series is my absolute list topper. I love that this winning team of authors have created exciting, accessible and non-gender divisive reads for the next generation of bookworms who are hungry for compelling reads but not quite ready for the darkness of the later Harry Potter or Nevermoor books.

The first book in this series even took non-readers under its wing as young protagonist, Harrison Beck, explains that he processes his thoughts and emotions through drawing rather than words. Indeed, like Rowling’s incredible journey with Potter, we’ve seen clever Leonard and Sedgman gradually forging their way into deeper and more complex adventures for Harrison and his Uncle Nat, who are now beginning to embrace their detective roles with increasing confidence and attack.

Each book in the series dabbles in a different genre alongside the discovery of a new train and country. Where book 4, ‘Danger at Dead Man’s Pass’, follows a steam train on a haunting journey of traditions and superstition, ‘Sabotage on the Solar Express’ carves a more modern route through book 5. Echoing the fast-paced adventure of an action film, the story jets through Australia’s sacred lands while Harrison and the reader are enlightened by scientific knowledge and ground-breaking advancements in transport technology.

Elisa Paganelli’s illustrations are always a wonderful highlight for me. Knowing Hal’s fervent for crime-solving detail, I love to study them for clues that will no doubt crop up later in the stories. This episode did not disappoint. I loved how our young hero dipped his nib in the cartoon strip genre this time, adding boxing and speech bubbles to increase the drama in line with the fast-paced action of the adventure.

Although, like Harrison, I prefer the gentle puff of a steam engine, there’s no question that when this dare-devil story got going, I was compelled to keep reading. Very suddenly the train takes you hurtling at break-neck speed towards a conclusion that you’re desperate to reach in a book that you simply don’t want to end. Thank goodness for Uncle Nat’s promise of another trip to continue the series… because, after reading what he gets up to in this one, I’m not sure Hal’s mum will ever let him out the house again!

If you haven’t yet hopped onto this train ride, I urge you to do so. These are brilliant adventures for readers young and old.

Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Books and NetGalley for sharing an ARC copy in return for an honest review.

[Tadhg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it good book.

[Ijke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deze boeken worden gewoon spannender en gevaarlijker! 🫨

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adore these books! Yet another triumphant addition to the Adventures On Trains series and this one was the most action packed yet!

Hal and his Uncle Nat are back, this time in Australia to board the Prize Winning entry from Reza's Rocket competition (from back in book 2). A few familiar faces are back; August Reza, his daughter Marianne and their bodyguard Woody, and plenty of new faces too - Boaz in particular was just wonderful!

I thoroughly enjoyed the plot in this one; the stakes are higher than ever, the plot had me flying through this at breakneck speed and the action sequences were pitch perfect. I think this may be the most accomplished one yet.

It took me an embarrassingly long time to realise that all the chapter titles are names of movies, which added to the fun.

For everybody who enjoy middle grade mysteries, or middle grade adventures then please pick up this series. It keeps going from strength to strength and I CANNOT WAIT for the next one which promises Arctic Railways and an Assassin!!!!

Thanks so much to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

[Lucy Brittain · Rating 5 out of 5]

🦚Honestly this is incredible, it's probably my favourite book of this year so far and that's tough to get that as there has been some particular good ones.

Hal and his uncle Nat go on another adventure where everything seems to be perfect but of course that isnt how things go because it's an adventures on trains book.This seemed to have high stakes and could have potentially affected a whole entire of the Australian outback. Billion train enthusiast August Reza had invited them both on the winning design in the Reza's rocket competition. It almost felt like a thriller and it's one I wont forget for a long time. It's my favourite from the whole series, I wanted more pictures in the last one and this one really did bring that to this story as it had beautiful illustrations all throughout.

absolutely incredible

[Sifa Poulton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The latest Adventures on Trains book! As you might be able to guess, I dropped my current read (and all evening plans) to consume this when I got my hands on it.

SABOTAGE ON THE SOLAR EXPRESS is the most thriller-leaning of the books so far. It's certainly got a mystery (who sabotaged the train and why?) but the focus of the action is stopping the train from causing damage. There's a much more present ticking clock because of it. Before, the stakes were that the culprit would get away with the crime, but here it's literally life or death.

As well as making for a super-addictive read, it also helps to keep these books feeling new and fresh. The authors are not letting these books fall into a pattern, but finding new ways for Hal to have adventures on trains (Uncle Nat is clearly a very good at persuading people given Hal's parents are still letting him go on train holidays with his uncle!)

Like with DANGER AT DEAD MAN'S PASS, we get to spend more time with characters we've seen previously. However, this time it's far more major characters coming back - August Reza, his daughter Marianne (the girl kidnapped in KIDNAP ON THE CALIFORNIA COMET), and bodyguard Woody.

I really liked spending time with them, particularly with Marianne. KIDNAP makes you think of her a certain way, and this book changes your opinion. She's clearly learnt since then (and because of that book.) The spark of her is still the same, but it was nice to see that change.

There are new characters, of course. The best is Boaz. A science-whizz-kid is always a win in my book (I am a Physicist, after all!) But a whizz-kid with a green invention and the ability to invent from limited supplies under stress?! (Big DO NOT DO WHAT THEY DO IN THE BOOK warnings here!)

I raved about the new art style in DANGER, how it reflected the book, and it happens here too! It's a more comic-like style, with boxes and insets and comments. Hal remembers Marianne likes creating comics, so decides to give it a try. It's just another way these books are keeping that fresh, exciting feel.

I'm so excited for the next book, THE ARCTIC RAILWAY ASSASSIN, coming in October!

[Tracy Lander]

Hal and Uncle Nat are in Australia to travel on the first voyage of the Solar Express. The Solar Express is billed as teh train of the future, a train to save the planet from our reliance on fossil fuels. They are to be guests of the man that has bankrolled the train (and the competition to design it) August Reza. Nobody has met the designer, Boaz Tudawali yet but he'd designed a hybrid train to protect Australia.
The first train they travel on though is the very luxurious "The Ghan"; the longest passenger train in the world. Hal isn't too keen on August's daughter, Marianne. He'd met her in California and thought she was somewhat spoilt. He hoped that she wasn't coming too.
But she is....and she's worried about something. She tries to tell Hal why she is worried but he thinks it is nothing. When they meet Boaz they are surprised to find he's a 14 year old Aboriginal boy who is concerned about Australia and it's environment. Hence his design...
Is Marianne worried about nothing? Where did the beautiful "Rocket" model come from?
The authors have given so much adventure and so many twists to support the very likeable characters, and yes, that includes Marianne. Boaz comes across as a down to earth young man who is very aware of the eco message that all young children are aware of. Can Uncle Nat keep Hal safe? He doesn't seem to have much choice but to go along with teh children's adventures!
I have not read any of the other 'Adventures on Trains' books but I know the children at school love them but this wow, I really am going to find the time to read the others now. And I'm pretty sure Sam Sedgman's new non fiction trains book will be landing in the school library.