The Nebula Secret Book Review

Book Review
The Nebula Secret (Explorer Academy #1)
Written by Trudi Trueit
Published August 28, 2018

Why I chose this book:
An adventure novel for middle grade students from National Geographic? I miss reading all my students' book selections, I want to expand my coverage on this blog, and I'm a big fan of National Geographic. How could I resist the offer of a review copy from a representative of National Geographic?

Review:

The Nebula Secret follows twelve-year-old Cruz as he enters his first year at the Explorer Academy. He is excited and nervous to train as an explorer; he will live on campus in Washington, D.C., and study a range of topics from anthropology to journalism to survival training. After several weeks, he is supposed to set sail with his classmates on the Orion, where they will spend at least a semester at sea. Of course, things do not go as expected — this is an adventure novel, after all.

Cool tech, close friendships, and a school bully punctuate this heart-pounding adventure-mystery. The twelve-year-olds are completely believable, and the sci-fi aspect is more "just around the corner" than fiction (the series is put out by National Geographic, so that's not surprising). The entire premise of an Academy that trains young explorers to understand the world, conserve resources and cultures, and inform the public is fascinating and appealing. I've no doubt that being accepted at the Academy would be a dream come true (I'm not sure if I'd have rather received my Hogwarts letter or my Explorer Academy letter). Back matter presents a "Truth behind the Fiction" section, introducing real explorers and explaining some of the inspiration for developments in the novel. And finally, Trudi Trueit's writing itself captivates, drawing one so fully into Cruz's first year that you'll feel like you're right there on his team the whole time (and that you hate Nebula with a passion).

Nebula is the mysterious and powerful villain out to get Cruz, though it's not initially clear why (it's related to his mother's medical research at the Academy). At first Cruz doesn't even know if Nebula is a person or a group or what (it's a pharmaceutical company). With help from a couple close classmates and his best friend back home in Hawaii, he is able to successfully navigate the first few weeks of the term. Just before he is to set sail, however, he is expelled and attacked. I will leave it at that, so as not to spoil the whole thing. But I will say that this is a top-notch middle-grade novel. If you know someone who is into exploring, cool advanced tech, and adventure stories — this is a stellar read! I am about to start the next book, which comes out later this month. You can expect a follow-up review soon.

I don't want T to grow up too fast, but this is totally one I'd want to read with him! And if this means anything to you, it reminds me of the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz.