Quick Summary: A wit and get children's fiction read

My Review: The Explorers: The Reckless Rescue by Adrienne Kress is installment #2 in The Explorers series.

About the Book: In this exciting book, readers get to tag along on a rescue mission of sorts. They get to travel to different destinations in the world and ponder a mystery. With intriguing characters and rich plot points, this book will lure young readers in without fail.

My Final Say: The book was easy to pick up on and follow, but I wish I had started with book 1. I felt like I started behind and tried to catch up (that's totally on me). It promises to be a good series.

Other: I would love to listen to an audio version of this book.

Rating: 4/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: Y
Series: Yes
Status: Upper ES to MS
Level: G

Sincere appreciation is extended to the author, to publishers (Random House, Children's, Delacorte Books for Young Readers), and to NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to review this work.

Great book, love this author and how they can keep my attention to the end! The plot is well developed, characters are believable and they obviously paid attention to detail to make the story worth your time to read.

This was a weird and fun romp, pretty scattered but I think that's the charm. And the long diversion into the adventures of a k-pop boyband was honestly ahead of its time, zeitgeist-wise.

FIVE THINGS I LIKED ABOUT:
THE EXPLORERS: THE RECKLESS RESCUE by Adrienne Kress

1. The chapter titles are unlike any you’ll ever come across. Sometimes revealing and sometimes laugh out loud. One even becomes the chapter.
2. I was a little bummed to have Sebastian and Evie so far apart for most of the book. Then again you begin to see more of their inner personalities surface when they are on their own.
3. My head is spinning with what fun and adventure Adrienne Kress will have in store for readers with the third book. The set-up is perfect and you’ll feel less of a jolt with the ending of book two.
4. The chapters focus on either Sebastian (The kidnapped boy) or Evie (His hopeful rescuer). It’s easy to spot them both on the cover. The technique of two POV’s is a perfect way to provide page turning suspense.
5. The series is exactly what young readers love: goofy silliness, mystery, and superb characters.

(The full review is available at https://gpattridge.com/2018/04/25/the-explorers-the-reckless-rescue/)

I was totally left hanging after the first, but the second installment did not disappoint. Another fun mystery that is full of suspense, readers will enjoy being back with Sebastian and Evie! I highly recommend to any adventure reader lovers!

A fun and feisty adventure. This story picks up right at the end of the cliffhanger from the first, so readers who have been waiting will be grabbing this book off the shelf. A great read for young adventurers not quite ready for scarier or more dastardly fare.

This is not exactly a standard middle grade adventure. In fact, it's rather absurd what with the K-Pop band, sharks in backyard pools, multiple chase scenes, and a rather tongue in cheek sense of humor. Kress is dancing a very fine line between spoof and simple absurdity. It's not my favorite thing but ultimately is quite readable.

Huzzah! Another excellent installment in The Explorers series! To say that I've been waiting eagerly for this book is an understatement. When last we left Evie and Sebastian, they had both grown so much as characters. They had struggled with their views of the world being thrown in chaos, come out the other side, and found themselves in situations that they never could have expected. If you missed my review of the first book, I'll quickly tell you that I loved it. I've been so ready for more, for so long.

This book did not disappoint! It starts with a bang as we find our characters on separate, but equally harrowing, journeys. I have to say, the amount of character growth that Adrienne Kress manages to fit into this second installment is admirable. Instead of leaving Sebastian and Evie at the level of that they achieved at the end of the last book, she pushes their limits even further. I loved watching Evie, our brave but still nervous heroine, learn to believe in her abilities. Equally so, watching Sebastian overcome his fear of being in the spotlight made me grin from ear to ear. There are so many lessons to be had in this story, but they never overpower the action and adventure on the pages. In fact, this book is beautifully balanced. I loved it for that.

As for the plot, there's a ton of forward movement in this story. We meet a new member of the Filipendulous Five, and find new clues in the mystery surrounding Evie's missing grandfather. We visit strange new lands, and dive further into the imaginative world that Kress has built. I'll admit, since I wasn't sure how many books will be in this series, I was worried that this story might suffer from middle book syndrome. It did not. It was fun, fast-paced, and full of wonder. As an adult reader, I was enhanted. I can only imagine how much fun the age group this book is aimed at will have!

Long story short, this book is wonderful. It's an excellent second installment to this series and, once again, I can't wait to see what happens next! If you haven't started adventuring with Evie and Sebastian yet, please do! There's a pig in a teeny hat waiting for you, and so much more.

This book starts RIGHT up where the first left off–like, actually! Mid-sentence! And I’m so glad because the cliffhanger in the first one was so intense! But here we are, right where we left off: Sebastian is kidnapped, and Evie has to figure out how to save him (hence the title…). Like the first book, I found that the snarky narrator, silly footnotes, and ridiculous situations was humor that is right up my alley, causing many laugh out loud moments, but let’s not forget that the story is also a nerve-racking adventure story also! Other than the humor and adventure, I also really like the characters in this story. Evie and Sebastian complement each other so well, and we really get to see them shine in this book as individuals since they are separated.

This series would be a perfect mentor text when teaching dramatic irony, breaking the 4th wall, and footnotes. Even reading the first chapter will cover these three literary elements and will also get a lot of kids excited to read the story. Because the other place this book belongs is in libraries and classrooms–it is going to be a big hit with adventure and humor fans!

I'm always hesitant to read a middle-grade novel, as I find many of them hard to read as they are geared toward a younger audience, but then there are those that out-shine the rest. This is one such book! I loved the story and characters in this one, and enjoyed the adventure! I felt it was suitable to all ages, and is something I"d gladly recommend.

THE RECKLESS RESCUE is the second book in the Explorers series. It begins with Sebastian in the hands of his kidnappers while Evie is trying to convince the Explorers Society to mount a rescue. She and Catherine Lind are authorized to rescue Sebastian while trying to locate Evie's grandfather.

Sebastian has been kidnapped because he has a photographic memory and has memorized the key to a map that Sebastian burned to keep it out of the enemy's hands. The Filipendulous Five made an amazing discovery that the enemies want to find and exploit. Evie's grandfather was the leader of the Five. He sent letters to other four which give clues to his location. But he really, really liked riddles and so the clues are obscure.

Evie and Catherine have Catherine's letter but have to track down Benedict Barnes - another of the Five - who is currently exploring the Vertiginous Volcano off the coast of Australia to get his clue. However, the location of the volcano is secret and Evie and Catherine have to reunite a couple of Great White Sharks before they can convince a guide to take them there.

Meanwhile, Sebastian escapes from his kidnappers in Seoul and falls in with a K-Pop band named the Lost Boys to get away from them. He wants to contact his parents but the band's manager doesn't believe that he is not a runaway boy and thwarts him. The manager wants Sebastian to stay with the band so that he can take care of him. Sebastian and the band come up with a plan but it requires him to learn to play the drums and perform at one of the Lost Boys' concerts. He gets away from the Lost Boys but is recaptured by his kidnappers.

Evie and Sebastian reunite at the Vertiginous Volcano where they have a hair-raising adventure crawling through the volcano to get away from the kidnappers. When the story ends they have two pieces of the clues needed to find Evie's grandfather and two of the Filipendulous Five to help them track down more members.

This story had a cliffhanger beginning and a cliffhanger ending and lots of adventure in between. I loved the footnotes and the general writing style and can't wait for more adventures.

This was an extremely delightful read. Highly recommend to our patrons.

This book was absolutely fantastic!
I loved the story behind it, the characters were so well done. Can't wait to read more by this author

I really found this book to be alot of fun, and it was a good read along to do with my 6 year old who also enjoyed it

Kress, Adrienne The Reckless Rescue (The Explorer’s #2), 384 pages. Delacorte (Random), APRIL 2018. Content: G (some mild danger).

Just as Sebastien thought he was safe, he has been kidnapped by Mr. M. and Mr. I and swept away in pursuit of their nefarious plans. Evie is left behind at the Explorers’ Society, trying vainly to get someone to help her rescue Sebastien. Only Catherine, one of the original Filipendulous Five will help her. Cue rescue by Korean boy band and plunging into an active volcano.

Unfortunately, while full of weirdness and action, this book books epitomizes the perils of the middle book of a trilogy – all action that does absolutely nothing to forward the plot. I hate to tell anyone they will have to wait for the next book in the series, but what can you do. I wish Kress would write another Friday Society bok instead.

EL, MS – OPTIONAL. Cindy, Library Teacher

What a fun book! I think my students would enjoy this adventure. It would be a great read aloud with younger students (2nd -4th graders). The plot is exciting and sure to engage young readers.

What a great read. Lovers of adventure will enjoy this tale that pits the wits of a couple of 12 year olds against some mysterious men. Particularly liked the international aspect of the story that traveled from a k-pop concert in Korea to the beach front and an extinct volcano in Australia.

A cute book for tweens and parents! I read this with my daughter and we both loved it! It is adventurous and exciting and I saw her love for adventure books spark!! A must read!!

This was a very interesting and enjoyable read. It kept me interested the whole time. I wanted to see how the story will evolve for our heroes. I also really liked that we were watching the story simultaneously from the eyes of two characters (Sebastian and Evie). The story was funny and the characters were well developed. A very good feature are the illustrations.
In general I really enjoyed this book and it made me curious to read also the first book of the series and the ones that will come

I love this series! When I received the advanced copy for this book, I realized that it was book 2. I was able to get my hands on the audiobook for book 1 and really enjoyed listening to it (please, please have the same person narrate all of the book in this series!--She was awesome!). I love how it's the same mystery throughout these books (trying to help the same person). They are funny and the writer's style flows very nice. Can't wait to see what happens next!

I did not enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed the first one. This could have been 3 separate stories. 1 with Evie, 1 with Sabastian and 1 that was relevant to the series. Only the last 25% seemed like it belonged to the series. Maybe Evie and Sabastians separate adventures come together in the 3rd book.