The Polar Bear Explorers' Club
ISBN13
9780571332540
Review published
02/11/2017
By Reviewer
Jacqueline
Star Rating
By Author / Illustrator
Alex Bell
Age range(s)
9+
Review
Stella Starflake Pearl has always wanted to be an explorer and travel alongside her adopted father Felix. Unfortunately, The Polar Bear Explorers' Club does not allow girls to be explorers. Things look up, however, when Felix persuades the club to take Stella along on an expedition. Stella travels with her friend Beanie and meets Shay and Ethan, the latter being part of the Ocean Squid Explorers' Club. Together they will roam the snow-covered lands and explore places where no-one has been before.
I have no idea why I haven't read this book sooner. It has everything I enjoy in a fantasy Middle Grade Novel. There is wonderful imagination at work with every detail and more than a touch of mystery and fright. The great thing is that all the magic is portrayed as everyday sort of stuff, with fairies and unicorns populating the story as if they were quite normal creatures, you might see every day.
There is a touch of Elsa from Frozen in there too, as well as a healthy dose of humour. If you are looking at world building, map making or exploration, then this book will work so well to capture the imagination and use as a starting point.
I even looked for a map as it seemed to lend itself to a really good map at the start. Tomislav Tomic has created wonderful pictures in double page spreads for the story which pop up every no and then and seem to fit the imagined world perfectly. They are like a treat to help the reader along. Children who love series will enjoy this as there are another four books in the series, and I for one cannot wait to read them.
352 Pages / Reviewed by Jacqueline, teacher
