The Explorer's Code
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-12-03 06:56:46
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Allison K. Hymas
- ISBN：1250802784
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Three kids have everything they need to solve the decades-old mystery of Idlewood Manor， in this middle grade novel full of real ciphers， puzzles， riddles， and codes that
Kirkus Reviews
calls "a worthy call to unravel a mystery。”
Idlewood Manor has been uninhabited for decades， until now 。 。 。
Math whiz Charlie won admission in a puzzle contest—and he’s intrigued by the strange numbers he finds on Idlewood’s walls。 His restless sister Anna had to be dragged to the house—but then she discovers its hidden floor。 Emily’s parents brought her to the mansion on a secret mission—and she’s determined to prove herself to them。
All three kids soon unlock clues to Idlewood’s mysterious past and the famous female explorer who’s connected to it—and the secret treasure she left behind。 But the adults around them are also hunting for the treasure。 Charlie， Anna， and Emily will have to overcome their differences and work as a team to solve Idlewood’s puzzles before it’s too late， in Allison K。 Hymas's The Explorer's Code。
An Imprint Book
Idlewood Manor has been uninhabited for decades， until now 。 。 。
Math whiz Charlie won admission in a puzzle contest—and he’s intrigued by the strange numbers he finds on Idlewood’s walls。 His restless sister Anna had to be dragged to the house—but then she discovers its hidden floor。 Emily’s parents brought her to the mansion on a secret mission—and she’s determined to prove herself to them。
All three kids soon unlock clues to Idlewood’s mysterious past and the famous female explorer who’s connected to it—and the secret treasure she left behind。 But the adults around them are also hunting for the treasure。 Charlie， Anna， and Emily will have to overcome their differences and work as a team to solve Idlewood’s puzzles before it’s too late， in Allison K。 Hymas's The Explorer's Code。
An Imprint Book
Reviews
Georgann
，
meh
Jessica
，
Interesting premise but underwhelming overall。Good for 3-5 gradeLots of stereotypes， and unrealistic dialog as well as drawn out ending。Nice starter mystery for kids， but almost overwhelmed with code styles。 I think a few drawings in text would have cleared up some of our confusion。
Brenda Hymas
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I love how kids with different talents and interests can come。together to do great things！
Sofie van Thienen
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3，5
Aamina
，
3。5
Wendy Baker
，
Allison K。 Hymas weaves an inviting tale of three kids each spending a weekend at Idlewood Manor， a mysterious estate turned hotel。 With alternating POVs， Anna， Emily， and Charlie are each discovering the hidden secrets of Idlewood。 Of course each of the kids has their own strengths enabling them to solve portions of the mystery， but when fate throws them all together they are able to combine their talents and discoveries into an interesting solution。Hymas's storytelling had me wishing I was spe Allison K。 Hymas weaves an inviting tale of three kids each spending a weekend at Idlewood Manor， a mysterious estate turned hotel。 With alternating POVs， Anna， Emily， and Charlie are each discovering the hidden secrets of Idlewood。 Of course each of the kids has their own strengths enabling them to solve portions of the mystery， but when fate throws them all together they are able to combine their talents and discoveries into an interesting solution。Hymas's storytelling had me wishing I was spending the weekend at Idlewood， especially in the spot that Anna seems to spend most of her time。 I enjoyed each of the characters in different ways， but especially liked the way that Charlie and Anna （brother and sister） had some very real sibling tensions to overcome。I borrowed this book from my public library， however， I will be purchasing it for my classroom library。 I have several students asking to read it。 。。。more
Belles Middle Grade Library
，
This was such a fantastic mystery， full of puzzle solving & great characters！ The whole backstory of this house turned hotel， the people who used to live there & that set the rules that everything has to stay the same， to the female explorer we learn about-FASCINATING！ SO atmospheric as well。 This huge house/hotel with all of its history， secrets， & puzzles was so intriguing & just gave me all the cozy， mysterious vibes。 Add in all the eccentric hotel guests staying the weekend-incredible！ These This was such a fantastic mystery， full of puzzle solving & great characters！ The whole backstory of this house turned hotel， the people who used to live there & that set the rules that everything has to stay the same， to the female explorer we learn about-FASCINATING！ SO atmospheric as well。 This huge house/hotel with all of its history， secrets， & puzzles was so intriguing & just gave me all the cozy， mysterious vibes。 Add in all the eccentric hotel guests staying the weekend-incredible！ These 3 kids are all amazing， each in their own right。 They each bring something crucial to the table to solving this mystery。 POV go back & forth between the 3， so you get to see the weekends from each of their POVs & how different each experience is， & what each is doing to solve this mystery of this house。 The codes & puzzles were so great！ I loved that。 I hate math， lol but I love codes & puzzles apparently。 Anna is my favorite， because I would have been doing what she did。 Exploring！ Seeing things people hadn’t seen in many years…。Such an amazing feeling that would be。 I love history。 The way the whole story/mystery came together & what all we find out was superb。 There were twists， & I never guessed the ending。 Such a heartwarming， book hug ending。 What Anna did with what she found at the very end， & why-melted my heart。 Goosebumps。 Highly recommend this。 Full of family， friendship， mystery， puzzles， codes， history， amazing characters， & great writing。 Beautiful cover by Kat Lyons too！💜 。。。more
Lynn
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Anna， her brother， Charlie， and Emily have all come to Idlewood Manor for the weekend to see its themed rooms and amazing landscapes。 Anna is feeling unloved as Charlie and their parents seem to believe that she always finds trouble， while Charlie， the quiet one in the family， loves numbers。 It was his math skills that won a contest that allowed them to come to Idlewood。 Emily has come with her parents to prove that Idlewood needs to be saved as an historic landmark。 Several other guests have al Anna， her brother， Charlie， and Emily have all come to Idlewood Manor for the weekend to see its themed rooms and amazing landscapes。 Anna is feeling unloved as Charlie and their parents seem to believe that she always finds trouble， while Charlie， the quiet one in the family， loves numbers。 It was his math skills that won a contest that allowed them to come to Idlewood。 Emily has come with her parents to prove that Idlewood needs to be saved as an historic landmark。 Several other guests have also been invited to spend the weekend at Idlewood， each with their own motives for being there。 Anna， Charlie， and Emily each find their own clues to the secrets of Idlewood， but it will take all three of them to reveal what the secrets really mean。The Explorer's Code is a wonderful book about family relationships interwoven with a dandy mystery involving codes and clues。 Each of the three main characters individually find their own set of clues， and that is entertaining enough as the story moves forward， but when they finally get together， it is difficult to read quickly enough to get to the end and find out what is really going on。 Each of the three characters is well developed， especially Anna， who we learn is filled with insecurities about herself and her place in her family。 Anyone who likes mysteries， especially those with codes， hidden rooms， and secrets will love this middle grade novel。 Overall， this is an exceptional story that is enjoyable from beginning to end。 。。。more
Amanda
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3 1/2 stars fun book
Virginia
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I listened to the audiobook of this with my daughter on a road trip and we both enjoyed it a lot。 It's a very low stakes mystery that was still intriguing enough to keep us both entertained。 My daughter was delighted with the story and even though I was able to figure out everything well in advance （except the actual codes since we were listening to the audiobook in the car and I had no way to write them out） I think that's perfectly normal for a middle grade story to an adult reader， and I stil I listened to the audiobook of this with my daughter on a road trip and we both enjoyed it a lot。 It's a very low stakes mystery that was still intriguing enough to keep us both entertained。 My daughter was delighted with the story and even though I was able to figure out everything well in advance （except the actual codes since we were listening to the audiobook in the car and I had no way to write them out） I think that's perfectly normal for a middle grade story to an adult reader， and I still enjoyed listening to the whole thing unfold！ A well written story that's well narrated， I recommend this for young readers and parents who are reading along。 。。。more
Galion Public Library Teens
，
Review by E。B。 : "There's drama between the characters。 Great mystery。 When you read it in your mind， you're like， "Go to this person！" Cliffhangers between chapters。 When you're reading at 1 a。m。， and you need to go to bed， and you keep telling yourself on more chapter。" Review by E。B。 : "There's drama between the characters。 Great mystery。 When you read it in your mind， you're like， "Go to this person！" Cliffhangers between chapters。 When you're reading at 1 a。m。， and you need to go to bed， and you keep telling yourself on more chapter。" 。。。more
Eram Hussain
，
The Explorer's code is a fast paced middle-grade mystery。 The three kids in the story are Charlie who is a math wizard because of whom the family has won the stay at the mansion where the story is based， Anna the elder sister who is always breaking rules and Emily who wants to save the mansion as a historical monument。These three kids put together their strengths to decode the mystery of the mansion The Explorer's code is a fast paced middle-grade mystery。 The three kids in the story are Charlie who is a math wizard because of whom the family has won the stay at the mansion where the story is based， Anna the elder sister who is always breaking rules and Emily who wants to save the mansion as a historical monument。These three kids put together their strengths to decode the mystery of the mansion 。。。more
Chris
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Another one I might have liked better if I were the target age。 Or not。 There were some neat aspects to the story， but I'm not sure 10 year old me wouldn't have felt like the book was a little too messagey。 Hard to say。 Another one I might have liked better if I were the target age。 Or not。 There were some neat aspects to the story， but I'm not sure 10 year old me wouldn't have felt like the book was a little too messagey。 Hard to say。 。。。more
Susan
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Audiobook provided by NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio in exchange for an honest review。This was such a fun Middle Grade mystery！ And while there are parts that don't lend well to the audiobook format （mainly when the codes are being listed/noted it gets tedious to listen to a string of letters and numbers being read out loud） overall I think this a great mix of daring adventure and using your brain to solve clues。 Maybe it'll even encourage kids to learn how to write and read coded messages！Laci M Audiobook provided by NetGalley and OrangeSky Audio in exchange for an honest review。This was such a fun Middle Grade mystery！ And while there are parts that don't lend well to the audiobook format （mainly when the codes are being listed/noted it gets tedious to listen to a string of letters and numbers being read out loud） overall I think this a great mix of daring adventure and using your brain to solve clues。 Maybe it'll even encourage kids to learn how to write and read coded messages！Laci Morgan does a good job with the audiobook and Hymas made me jealous that as a reader， I couldn't explore Idlewood Manor myself！ 。。。more
Emilee （emileereadsbooks）
，
Thank you NetGalley and Orange Sky Audio for the gifted book！If you want the National Treasure of middle grade books， look no further。 The Explorers Code follows 3 kids as they each independently discover the secrets that Idlewood Manor has in store。 The puzzles require knowledge of history， math， and code breaking。 Plus they may have to have a little physical daring as well。 I enjoyed how each of the 3 kids had to embrace who they are， as well trust themselves to get to the bottom of the myster Thank you NetGalley and Orange Sky Audio for the gifted book！If you want the National Treasure of middle grade books， look no further。 The Explorers Code follows 3 kids as they each independently discover the secrets that Idlewood Manor has in store。 The puzzles require knowledge of history， math， and code breaking。 Plus they may have to have a little physical daring as well。 I enjoyed how each of the 3 kids had to embrace who they are， as well trust themselves to get to the bottom of the mystery。 。。。more
Amber
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This was a really fun mystery。 Kids and puzzles in an old manor？ You got to expect shenanigans。 The audiobook was also nicely narrated which added to my enjoyment。 I received an ecopy of this book through Netgalley; however， my opinions are my own。
Rune
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I got this an audio book early review copy。 Just reading the teaser Blurb was enough to get me excited about this read/listen。I loved getting to know Anna， Charlie and Emily 。 Three amazing kids with their own personality quirks over the course of this amazing story。I also loved hearing about the Brave woman explorer and her sister。 It was brilliant and well paced adventure :）
Cara
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I loved the last third of the book， but the first 2/3 was slow。 I enjoyed the codes and the historical mystery。 I know I'm not the target audience and I really felt it in this book。 I think that kids that like codes and code breaking will enjoy this。 I loved the last third of the book， but the first 2/3 was slow。 I enjoyed the codes and the historical mystery。 I know I'm not the target audience and I really felt it in this book。 I think that kids that like codes and code breaking will enjoy this。 。。。more
Rebecca
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Charlie， Emily and Anna all ended up at Idlewood Manor for the weekend， a formerly glorious house of wealth and intrigue plagued by scandal。 Each of them goes about uncovering clues in the house’s remnants， though in their own way。 It isn’t until they come together that they are able to truly understand the mystery left behind in a series of codes， paintings， journals， hidden doorways and preserved artifacts。 The Explorer’s Code is a bit predictable， but still a good story for kids about how muc Charlie， Emily and Anna all ended up at Idlewood Manor for the weekend， a formerly glorious house of wealth and intrigue plagued by scandal。 Each of them goes about uncovering clues in the house’s remnants， though in their own way。 It isn’t until they come together that they are able to truly understand the mystery left behind in a series of codes， paintings， journals， hidden doorways and preserved artifacts。 The Explorer’s Code is a bit predictable， but still a good story for kids about how much we can accomplish when we work together。 。。。more
Jovana （NovelOnMyMind）
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The premise of this book sounded so promising。 The mysterious old manor， the riddles and the puzzles and a bunch of kids trying to figure it all out。It reminded me of some of my favorite middle grades when I was growing up。 If nothing else， I wanted to give it a chance for the nostalgia's sake。And for the most part， this book was exactly what I was hoping for。 It reminded me a lot of Enid Blyton， only with riddles。 Just a bunch of kids solving mysteries。 Maybe a little naive， but still cute and The premise of this book sounded so promising。 The mysterious old manor， the riddles and the puzzles and a bunch of kids trying to figure it all out。It reminded me of some of my favorite middle grades when I was growing up。 If nothing else， I wanted to give it a chance for the nostalgia's sake。And for the most part， this book was exactly what I was hoping for。 It reminded me a lot of Enid Blyton， only with riddles。 Just a bunch of kids solving mysteries。 Maybe a little naive， but still cute and fun。Speaking of riddles and equations， I think it was a mistake to listen this book as an audiobook。 Even though I really liked the narrator， because of all the letters and numbers， I think it would have been better if I just read it physically and had the codes in front of my eyes。But I enjoyed it this way too。 I loved how distinctive the characters were， each's strengths nicely complemented the others' weaknesses。 I just wished they'd joined forces a bit earlier into the book， as I really liked their dynamic and wanted to see more of it。Also， the mystery was better than what I usually get in middle grades。 Maybe not as heart-quickening as thriller murder mysteries， but still exciting and fun to unravel。Honestly， I thought this book was great。 I don't think it's for everyone。 But if you read the blurb， saw middle grade， old manor， mystery and secret codes and ciphers， and still wanted to read it， I think you would really enjoy it。 The story is exactly what it sounds like， and it was pretty well written。Thank you to the #NetGalley and to the author and publisher for providing me with an audiobook version of The Explorer's Code by Allison K。 Hymas in exchange for an honest review。❤️️❤️️❤️️ 。。。more
Bayan Sh
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I received an audiobook copy from NetGalley in exchange for a review！Cover: The cover was the first thing to pull me into the book so it's safe to say I quite like it！Narration/writing style: I enjoyed the narration very much and found it super enticing and somewhat exiting！ The writing was really enjoyable and well done。Characters: From the very first parts of the book， I was invested in the characters and waiting to discover more of them， they were really interesting characters and easily love I received an audiobook copy from NetGalley in exchange for a review！Cover: The cover was the first thing to pull me into the book so it's safe to say I quite like it！Narration/writing style: I enjoyed the narration very much and found it super enticing and somewhat exiting！ The writing was really enjoyable and well done。Characters: From the very first parts of the book， I was invested in the characters and waiting to discover more of them， they were really interesting characters and easily loveable ones as well。Plot: The plot was super interesting， and so well written I was a little shocked， I didn't expect a children's/middle grade book to be written this well， it somewhat intrigued me about children's books。Events/pace: The events were perfectly paced， drowning me in them almost completely， they were so exciting， and kept me on the edge of the seat。Favorite part: My absolute favorite part was definitely （view spoiler）[the part they all climbed up the tower， Anna was so happy she was with Charlie and following the leads of her favorite explorer！ Charlie was the bravest child ever！ Emily was just as excited， brave and friendly！ （hide spoiler）]Favorite Character: My favorite character was Anna， she was so strong willed and her spirit was so strong and loving and brave and alive！Things I didn't like: I hate being that person， but nothing！ Lol xDGeneral Rating: 5 beautiful stars！ 。。。more
Serena Blackter
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It's intresting but predictable！！ It's intresting but predictable！！ 。。。more
Colleen
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 As much as I love audiobooks， this one contained cyphers and code-breaking。 I think that reading it visually would be more fun to participate in figuring out the puzzles。 That being said， the audiobook was well done and Laci Morgan did a great job narrating。Idlewood Manor invites several guests。 I don't want to divulge any spoilers and the author does a great job revealing clues slowly throughout the book。 I really love how the author describes the details of the rooms and the Manor。 I also love As much as I love audiobooks， this one contained cyphers and code-breaking。 I think that reading it visually would be more fun to participate in figuring out the puzzles。 That being said， the audiobook was well done and Laci Morgan did a great job narrating。Idlewood Manor invites several guests。 I don't want to divulge any spoilers and the author does a great job revealing clues slowly throughout the book。 I really love how the author describes the details of the rooms and the Manor。 I also love how there are ties to a female explorer who disappeared decades ago。 This children's audiobook held my attention。Thank you to NetGalley， the publisher OrangeSky Audio and the author Allison K。 Hymas for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review。 Publication date is right around the corner on 15 June 2021！ 。。。more
Lokiess Nyx
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Nice for middle graders。 I found the main character just a tad bit annoying and selfish and most of the characters were stereotypes。 But the mystery makes up for the characters even though some reveals were predictable。I recommend it if you are just looking for something to pass the time and not for anything serious。I received an audiobook from the publisher and netgalley for an honest review。
Mortisha Cassavetes
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I really enjoyed this puzzle solving book！ It is definitely a fun read。 Inglewood Manor is a place that is said to hold treasures and due to it being left just as the original owner left it， many would love to explore the mansion for it's secret mysteries。 The story follows Charlie， his sister Anna and Emily a friend they meet as they try to solve the mysterious history behind the house。 Charlie， the math wiz， won a family package at the Manor and Emily's parents are there to prove the Manor is I really enjoyed this puzzle solving book！ It is definitely a fun read。 Inglewood Manor is a place that is said to hold treasures and due to it being left just as the original owner left it， many would love to explore the mansion for it's secret mysteries。 The story follows Charlie， his sister Anna and Emily a friend they meet as they try to solve the mysterious history behind the house。 Charlie， the math wiz， won a family package at the Manor and Emily's parents are there to prove the Manor is a Historical Monument and if the new owner is going to sell to get out of the owner's wishes to leave the house as is。 No spoilers but I highly recommend it。 Thanks to #netgalley for the advanced reader copy。 I loved it！ 。。。more
Jeff
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I am reviewing this javing been given early access to the audiobook by Net Galley。My review is my own。This was a fun and light hearted mystery that did not have over the top evil bad guys but instead had a conundrum that needed to be resolved so that a historic site could be maintained and saved。I really liked the characters and found their exploits to be fun and consistent with their character。 An enjoyable read！
courtney
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thank you netgalley for providing me with the arc for this book。i didn't enjoy this book at all。 i usually like this type of mystery book but here are a few issues i had with it:1。 the chapters are LOOONG。 its probably just me but i hate books with long chapters2。 the "twists" in this book were kinda predictable3。 the plot was confusing at some points4。 the characters barely went through any sort of development5。 the ending just kept going on and on and on。i think the only upside is i think the thank you netgalley for providing me with the arc for this book。i didn't enjoy this book at all。 i usually like this type of mystery book but here are a few issues i had with it:1。 the chapters are LOOONG。 its probably just me but i hate books with long chapters2。 the "twists" in this book were kinda predictable3。 the plot was confusing at some points4。 the characters barely went through any sort of development5。 the ending just kept going on and on and on。i think the only upside is i think the cover is cute。 。。。more
Aly
，
What a fun mystery！ I really enjoyed this book， the characters were well developed and the puzzle was interesting。 This was a fast paced story and perfect for readers looking for a middle grade mystery。 There are three main characters， each with their own strengths。 Anna is the explorer， always getting into places she shouldn't。 She idolizes Ginny， a famous female explorer who traveled the world before disappearing。 Charlie is Anna's brother and a young genius。 He's great at codes and math and b What a fun mystery！ I really enjoyed this book， the characters were well developed and the puzzle was interesting。 This was a fast paced story and perfect for readers looking for a middle grade mystery。 There are three main characters， each with their own strengths。 Anna is the explorer， always getting into places she shouldn't。 She idolizes Ginny， a famous female explorer who traveled the world before disappearing。 Charlie is Anna's brother and a young genius。 He's great at codes and math and begins to put together hidden messages left in books and paintings。 Finally we have Emily， the daughter of historians who knows the Idlewood house is being sold and is determined to save it。 The best part of this was seeing the strengths of each kid and watching them come together to figure out what really happened to Virginia and the treasure。 There are also quirky side characters staying in the hotel and I enjoyed guessing which of them were up to no good。 I needed a light read and this was perfect。 The narrator did a good job with the characters and I was absorbed right away。 I voluntarily read and reviewed this book。 Thank you to OrangeSky Audio and NetGalley for the copy。 。。。more
Soelo
，
Puzzles， friendship， minor family squabbles， matching T-Shirts， and mysterious giant handbags！ Anna， Charlie， and Emily are all staying in Idlewood Manor when they find clues to the history of the estate。 This is a fun middle grade mystery！
Catherine Craig （Angelic Light）
，
I loved this audiobook！ I love children's mystery stories and this one was fantastic， especially when it was expressed through audio。 The story is about three children called Charlie， Anna and Emily， who try to solve the mystery of Idlewood Manor。 The mystery is decades old。 Will the children be able to solve the puzzles and clues to solve the mystery and find the secret treasure？ This is a great book and the narrator， Laci Morgan was very good at the different voices。Many thanks to the author， I loved this audiobook！ I love children's mystery stories and this one was fantastic， especially when it was expressed through audio。 The story is about three children called Charlie， Anna and Emily， who try to solve the mystery of Idlewood Manor。 The mystery is decades old。 Will the children be able to solve the puzzles and clues to solve the mystery and find the secret treasure？ This is a great book and the narrator， Laci Morgan was very good at the different voices。Many thanks to the author， publisher and Net Galley for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Explorer's Code
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Explorer's Code&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Explorer's Code&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0