I love when narrators break the fourth wall if it is done well, and you’ll learn really early on that it is done well in The Explorers. This hilarious narrator takes us on this adventure with Sebastian, a character that very logical people will relate to, and Evie, a character that people who are bored unless they are on an adventure, will relate to that is filled with more action, adventure, and danger than I thought would come out of this little book. But don’t worry, the narrator keeps it light with funny chapter titles and footnotes. All of this combines to make a book that I loved quite a bit because it is just the perfect balance of adventure, humor, friendship, and mystery. Although, I must warn you about the cliffhanger–WHOA! I’m still recovering.

In this fun to read first book in a new adventure series, eleven year olds Sebastian and Evie have their worlds drawn together when he takes a job at The Explorers Society and she has to escape from the home where she is eating dinner when it is attacked. Sebastian is a very intelligent, logical boy and Evie is an orphan who is living at a state school since her parents passed away two years before. Together, they search for clues to find Evie's grandfather, who she had never met and though was dead, but who had been a past member of the Explorers Society. The book is totally fun and silly and magical and adventurous as the kids escape from the bad guys repeatedly in their search. I highly recommend this fun new book and I look forward to the next ones!

I loved the way this book started out - quirky chapter titles, a quirky character, and asides to the reader. The problem was that the quirkiness wasn't consistent all the way through. The book starts with Sebastian coming upon a mysterious door in an alley and discovering the Explorer's Society. He soon begins to "work" for them. Meanwhile, there is Evie, an orphan who finds herself in a dangerous situation and discovers that her grandfather is alive.

At that point the two begin to look for a group of 5 explorer's, including Evie's grandfather, and a mysterious key. There was some good action and a bit of mystery but... the book ended with a cliffhanger (and the cliffhanger taunted about cliffhangers). I think once more of the books are out the series might catch on but it wasn't my favorite.

List of food in this book:
http://sam-can-shout.blogspot.com/2017/06/Food-in-Books-The-Door-in-the-Alley.html

It's by no means bad imo, but it felt pretty average to me. It was fun, but not exactly outstanding. I had a hard time determining whether this book's setting was realistic but just over-the-top adventurous, or actually containing fantasy-ish elements (like I was confused if all the animals featured had human intelligence lmao; cuz that would mean it's NOT going for realistic xP).

I do however commend on the craftsmanship of Sebastian's character. For some reason he felt very vivid, even though his idiosyncrasies... well, his straight-laced attitude may be a little too much for some people. I'm fond of him. I think Evie's likable as well, her inner monologues are pretty awesome.

Even at 98% of the book, I was like "well, yeah, if they provide the ARC for the next book, sure I'll read it". As in, I did not feel like I necessarily have to read the sequel... Then I finished the book. Let's just say the cliffhanger was pretty well-placed.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1956106538

THE DOOR IN THE ALLEY is the first in a middle grade series starring logical, responsible Sebastian and brave, bold Evie. When Sebastian encounters a pig in a teeny hat, his life is forever changed, because Evie comes into his orbit after that, on an impossible quest to save her grandfather.

Sebastian isn’t the typical hero of an adventure book like this. He has panic attacks at the thought of skipping school. He’s very rule-oriented and honest, sometimes to the detriment of his relationships with others (though he always tries to explain his point of view). Even when he stumbles onto The Explorers Society, full of older adventurers who have done outlandish things, he’s still Sebastian, the logical rule-follower. Sadly, the pig in a teeny hat was a minor part of the book, but still an important one.

I liked the writing style of THE DOOR IN THE ALLEY. It reminded me of Lemony Snicket and the like; I particularly enjoyed the funny footnotes from the author. The book itself reads quickly, with Sebastian and Evie bonding through their adventures and mishaps to find the Filipendulous Five, the truth of what happened to Evie’s grandfather, and a mysterious key. I liked how Sebastian and Evie recognized each other’s strengths and complimented each other, as well as tried to save each other when they got into danger. I also liked that an important character is an older woman; I won’t say which to avoid spoilers, but it was good to see.

I was disappointed by the cliffhanger ending; I’d hoped for a bit more closure. But as the pages trickled down, it was apparent that Big Important Things would happen in the next book. The Explorers is a series I would continue, as I liked the interplay between Sebastian and Evie, as well as the utterly fantastic Explorers Society the author created.

Adrienne Kress takes readers on new adventures with Explorers series

Adrienne Kress has been telling stories her entire life. Before she could write, her father would write them down for her. Now, the author of The Explorers: The Door in the Alley writes them down herself.

“Telling stories just feels like it’s always been a part of who I am,” Adrienne told Cracking the Cover. “I suppose I love adventure and escaping into other worlds, I love humor and absurdity. It’s all very exciting, and I like to create all that for both myself and others.”

Adrienne’s stories thus far have been for young people, though she says that’s not really who she’s writing for. Instead, she’s writing the kinds of books she loves.

“These kinds of books allow for so much fun, whimsy and absurdity, and those are three of my favorite things,” Adrienne said. “That said, I absolutely adore kids, and feel very much like I am still 10 years old. I get on great with that age range and enjoy spending time with them. So it makes sense, too, that I should therefore want to write for them.”

The Explorers The Door in the Alley Adrienne KressAdrienne’s latest novel, The Explorers: The Door in the Alley, is the first book in a planned middle-grade series. The story follows Sebastian, a boy who loves order. When Sebastian stumbles upon a mysterious society, his world gets turned upside down. It’s a mystery and adventure featuring missing people, a hidden box, a lost map and famous explorers.

The Explorers series was born out of an idea Adrienne had about the concept of an explorers’ society. “There are actual places around the world that are similar, and I find them fascinating — the idea of these buildings where explorers come and hang out, share stories of their adventures, where items from their explorations are displayed as in museum. I love all that.

“I wanted to create a fantastical version, a version that could never really exist in real life. Of course, in order to do that I needed more than just a setting, I needed characters and a plot. But the setting was very much the catalyst.”

In addition to Sebastian, a young girl named Evie also takes center stage in The Door in the Alley. As much as Sebastian likes things to be well ordered, stable and predictable, Evie is the opposite. That push and pull provides humor and a good balance.

“You could say they are the two parts of my personality, really,” Adrienne said. “I definitely have a lot of Sebastian when it comes to my general approach to life. I’m quite careful. I like routine and predictability. But I’m also an artist, and I also take big risks that way. I throw myself into things and just ‘go for it.’”

The humor also comes from the tongue-in-cheek tone of Adrienne’s prose. “I enjoy humor. I think it has this remarkable ability to shine light on sometimes more complicated and even painful subjects while at the same time protecting you a bit as well from getting too stressed or too upset,” Adrienne said. “I also find the world an absurd place, so, in general, I find it difficult to take things too seriously for too long.”

Adrienne is currently finishing up edits on the second book in The Explorers series. She’ll begin work on the third this summer.

A nice introductory novel. The scenario is easy enough to understand right from the start but clearly has complexity on the way. These complications are added organically. Characters are unique and imperfect. So while they may not be 100% relatable they are very likeable. The humor tends to be of the absurd variety, which won't work for everyone but I thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact I'd say that those absurd moments were my favorite. It's not a must read, nail-biting adventure but is thoroughly enjoyable book with the potential to become even better with future volumes.

This really sets the stage for true adventure series. I enjoyed meeting the characters and having the plot set. I enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next one.

I received this for my honest review from NetGalley.com.

Engaging and appealing characters all mixed in with a fantastic plot full of adventure. Perfect middle grade adventure full of intrigue and quirkiness.

Way Better Than the Blurbs Might Lead You to Suspect

The reference in the blurb/summary to the pig-in-the-teeny-hat makes this book sound awfully twee. The gushing references to Trenton Stewart's "Mysterious Benedict Society" and Pseudonymous Bosch's "Secret Series" may grab one's attention, but to me they also make the book sound derivative. Well guess what? Across the board - characters, plot, humor, writing quality - this is a superior, more entertaining, and more rewarding book.

Brief summary - Sebastian is careful and cautious. Evie is highly motivated, resourceful and action oriented. They end up together on a sort of rescue quest. This first book in the series sets up the characters, sets up a larger series story arc, and concludes a first step in the adventure. The first step is completed, but we end with a cliff hanger in the sense that one kid is in peril and there's a lot more questing to do before the larger arc is resolved.

But here's the really good part. Both Sebastian and Evie are engaging and appealing characters. Unlike the kids in a lot of these adventure books, (including the ones in the blurbs), these two have real chemistry, play off each other nicely, and continue to develop a strong friendship during the course of the tale. Sebastian is precise, buttoned-down, literal minded and logical. He starts out as a bit of a priss. Evie, an orphan thanks to the suspicious disappearance of her parents, starts out as a mopey sad sack, and a bit of an angsty pill. Sebastian accidentally finds the Explorers Club. Evie gets chased to the Club. They find each other. Evie draws Sebastian into her adventure and then we are off to the races. So, they meet cute, they have trust issues, there's a lot of eyebrow raising, teasing and bonding. They both start to grow up and grow together. This is wildly beyond the usual fare, which often just begins and ends with the pig-in-a-hat joke.

The quest, as you might suspect, is fairly predictable, (find stuff, solve a puzzle, get a little villain monologuing, find more stuff, and so on), but it's perfectly fine as a frame for the action and it isn't antic crazy or desperately cute or manic. The first few chapters are a little cute and everything at the Club goes right up to the edge on the precious/quirky scale, but that all calms down once Seb and Evie meet and the real book begins. The pig goes away.

And get this. It's funny. Not whoopee cushion funny or snarky-narrator funny. It's witty and clever. The dialogue has some snap and crackle. Sebastian has great deadpan lines and Evie is a pip. Plus, the supporting characters and even the minor characters get lots of funny throwaway lines and bits of business. The narration is dry and just a bit arch, which serves the characters well and keeps the action on the rails. Pacing is excellent, with a nice action/reflection balance that keeps the book from getting too overheated and manic. Heck, even the author seemed to loosen up a little as the book progressed, and it just felt more unforced and more natural, and funner, as we went on. (Even the chapter headings started to get better.)

So, the upshot for me is that this just seemed to be an excellent and very entertaining adventure lark with rewards well above the usual. A nice find and the beginning of what looks likely to be a solid middle grade series. (Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

I read this with my young daughter and she loved it. When it comes to these kinds of books I defer to her opinion since they’re written for her audience and not mine. I was happy we could find a new series to read together. She thought it was funny but still had moments that gave her the creeps, the good kind, as she enjoyed this new adventure.

You’ll want to make sure to continue with the series because there’s no good closure in this book as the writing makes it clear it’s intended to melt into the second. Aside from that little negative the plot and characters were fun. My daughter is a lot like Sebastian as she can be much more straightforward than her friends which causes its own share of struggles so she enjoyed having a character she could relate to since he seemed to have similar problems with the quirky personalities in the Explorer’s Society.

I think this is good for kids and it’s the decent kind of series parents don’t have to worry about.

Sebastian lives a well ordered existence with his staid, science loving family, and he is rather annoyed when his cousin Hubert takes him down an unexplored alleyway on their way home from school one day, making him five minutes late getting home. They see a sign in the alley for "The Explorers' Society", and this intrigues Sebastian, although he knows better than to act on just any stray impulse. When he intercepts a pig in a tiny hat and is ordered by a man in a rumpled suit to bring it into the Society, he is concerned, especially when the director tells him he is trespassing and must be punished! The punishment ends up being much to Sebastian's liking, and he cleans and set the Society to rights. It is the assignment to do something out of his comfort zone that perplexes him, until he uncovers a mysterious box and sneaks it home with him.

Evie is still mourning the death of her parents in a car accident, mainly because she is living in an orphanage and has to have boring dinners every week with the bland Andersons. She doesn't understand why until a mysterious man shows up one week and plunges everything into chaos. SHe manages to escape, and finds that her grandfather, Alistair Drake, is still alive.

Eventually, the two children meet up and try to locate the five members of the defunct and not-talked-about Filipendulous Society, since the most famous member of the group was Evie's gradnfather. This course of action is fraught with peril, and the children find themselves rappelling from clock towers, meeting up with boa constrictors, and being madly pursued by a man whose mouth is wired shut. Will Evie be able to locate her grandfather, and will Sebastian be able to come to grips with a wildly unorganized life? This ends in a cliffhanger, so perhaps we will find out in book two.

Perfect for more advanced, younger readers who enjoyed Beha's The Secrets of Eastcliff-by-the-Sea, Milford's The Greenglass House, or Primavera's Ms. Rapscott's Girls, The Door in the Alley is a quirky, action packed mystery filled with puzzles, snarky footnotes, and pigs in hats.

This is very different from Kress' Young Adult titles such as The Friday Society or Hatter Mattigan. I'm not entirely sure that middle school students will go for it, but elementary students should love it.