The Secret Explorers and the Lost Whales
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-07-03 06:54:15
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：S.J. King
- ISBN：0744021057
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Dive into the world of
The Secret Explorers
and learn about ocean life in this action-packed first installment in a brand-new fiction series。
Meet The Secret Explorers！ This group of brilliant kids comes 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 Lost Whales， marine life expert Connor needs to use his underwater expertise to help save a pod of humpback whales that have lost their way。 Along with space expert Roshni， he sets out in a submarine to search for a way to steer the whales back on track， but encounters unexpected problems along the way， including lost baby whales and a fleet of boats。 Will The Secret Explorers manage to succeed in their mission？
Packed with fun illustrations and facts about humpback whales， marine life， and how climate change is affecting the oceans， this thrilling adventure is perfect for emerging readers。 The action-packed narrative keeps kids engaged and makes learning about the natural world fun。
Meet The Secret Explorers！ This group of brilliant kids comes 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 Lost Whales， marine life expert Connor needs to use his underwater expertise to help save a pod of humpback whales that have lost their way。 Along with space expert Roshni， he sets out in a submarine to search for a way to steer the whales back on track， but encounters unexpected problems along the way， including lost baby whales and a fleet of boats。 Will The Secret Explorers manage to succeed in their mission？
Packed with fun illustrations and facts about humpback whales， marine life， and how climate change is affecting the oceans， this thrilling adventure is perfect for emerging readers。 The action-packed narrative keeps kids engaged and makes learning about the natural world fun。
Reviews
Kelly Magro
，
This series features a diverse crew of kid explorers with different specialties （space， oceans， dinosaurs， etc。） who work together on various missions - this one being to save a pod of humpbacks who have strayed from their migration route。 This book was packed full of facts and featured a bit of a magical element （the main character's kitchen pantry is actually a portal to the top-secret exploration station）。 The end of the book included a diagram of the humpback whale with information about the This series features a diverse crew of kid explorers with different specialties （space， oceans， dinosaurs， etc。） who work together on various missions - this one being to save a pod of humpbacks who have strayed from their migration route。 This book was packed full of facts and featured a bit of a magical element （the main character's kitchen pantry is actually a portal to the top-secret exploration station）。 The end of the book included a diagram of the humpback whale with information about the animal， a diagram of the different levels of the ocean and the sea life that can be found there， a quiz， and a glossary。 Each chapter ends on a cliffhanger and my kiddo wanted to keep reading every night。 Highly recommend for big non-fiction readers who may be reluctant fiction readers。 。。。more
EY
，
*Adventure， *Learning +Overall Series introduces kids to discover the world through adventures+BIPOC characters+Early Reader Chapter Books +Illustrations
Kristin DeGarmo
，
Cute chapter book like story。 A good adventure that shares facts about whales。 Great for kids just getting into longer books。
Cleo Joyce
，
This would have been kid Cleo's favorite series！ Kids asked to go on secret missions to save the world？ Plus， this volume had whales which was cool。 Fun new series！ This would have been kid Cleo's favorite series！ Kids asked to go on secret missions to save the world？ Plus， this volume had whales which was cool。 Fun new series！ 。。。more
Jenna
，
It was pretty informative。 My science loving kid really enjoyed it
Julie
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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。
Jane
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A bit like EJ Girl Hero， but with more characters。 Recommend for Year 1s to 3s who are reading fluently。
Kathleen Dixon
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This is the first in a delightful series for junior readers。 A group of children have been selected for their skills and their dedication to helping right ecological wrongs and rescue endangered animals。 They are whisked from their homes to a secret base where they're given their mission， and the two most suited to be on-site take off in their fabulous vehicle。 The others remain in contact， ready to assist with information and ideas。 In this book they need to get a pod of whales back on track， b This is the first in a delightful series for junior readers。 A group of children have been selected for their skills and their dedication to helping right ecological wrongs and rescue endangered animals。 They are whisked from their homes to a secret base where they're given their mission， and the two most suited to be on-site take off in their fabulous vehicle。 The others remain in contact， ready to assist with information and ideas。 In this book they need to get a pod of whales back on track， but various things conspire to make it extremely difficult。Nice pace， lots of lovely science wending through the story。 It's a winner。 。。。more
Ahaan
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I liked the mystery and the various characters a lot！
Marie
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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。
Deserae
，
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 gloss 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 WHALESCharacters: 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！ 。。。more
PottWab Regional Library
，
A
Heather
，
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 ill 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。 。。。more
Andréa
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Note: I received an ARC of this book at ALA Midwinter 2020。
Adam
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I liked it when Connor said Roshini was a genius。
JLynn
，
Super fun children's book that my daughter loved and cannot wait to read again。 She is hoping SJ King writes a lot more books and has already requested that I buy them all。 Super fun children's book that my daughter loved and cannot wait to read again。 She is hoping SJ King writes a lot more books and has already requested that I buy them all。 。。。more
Jess
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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。
Sarah
，
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！
Pam
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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。
Phoebe
，
Read aloud to a 3-year-old。 We loved the fact-based and scientifically accurate story， along with characters that weren't all white boys。 Read aloud to a 3-year-old。 We loved the fact-based and scientifically accurate story， along with characters that weren't all white boys。 。。。more
Lisa D
，
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！
Dontreadlikethem
，
A diverse cast of kids knowledgeable in all things STEM that should find its way into every second grade class library。
joyce w。 laudon
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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 sec 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。 。。。more
Jessica
，
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 inclu 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。 。。。more
Sierra Dertinger
，
The Secret Explorers consists of 7 kids who each are an expert on a certain topic。 When the kids' compass badge glows they know they have a special Secret Explorers Mission！ In The Lost Whales， marine life expert Connor and space expert Roshni are called to the mission。 The other kids stay and have access to the control monitors to monitor the special mission and provide communications。 For each mission two kids are chosen based on their expert topics， sometimes it is obvious why one is chosen b The Secret Explorers consists of 7 kids who each are an expert on a certain topic。 When the kids' compass badge glows they know they have a special Secret Explorers Mission！ In The Lost Whales， marine life expert Connor and space expert Roshni are called to the mission。 The other kids stay and have access to the control monitors to monitor the special mission and provide communications。 For each mission two kids are chosen based on their expert topics， sometimes it is obvious why one is chosen but not so obvious the other until the connection is made during the mission。 Connor and Roshni are sent deep into the ocean in a submarine。 They soon find out they are in search of a pod of whales to keep them back on track to where they need to go。 But， of course， this wouldn't be a mission if there weren't some obstacles in the way。 There are a ton of boats out in the ocean and whales need to get air every 45 minutes， if the boats are in the way chaos could break loose。 One other small thing， one of the whales goes missing。。。This series is so much fun！ It has gorgeous cartoon-based illustrations embedded every page or two and you learn some heavy facts about marine life， climate change， and how to protect ocean creatures。 I love that there's a twist in the story that you can't necessarily predict。 This will keep readers on the edge of their seats。 What's also so different about this series is that toward the end of the story the book contains factual diagrams like you would see in an expository nonfiction book and a quiz for the kids to take。 I think this series will be a hit for reluctant readers and students who love a good story but also want to learn some cool facts too！ I would suggest this book for emerging readers and those transitioning to chapter books/novels。 。。。more
Ula
，
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 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。 。。。more
Jennifer Georges
，
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。 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。 。。。more
Pop Bop
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