The Explorer
by Katherine Rundell
A gripping adventure for older children, this is an exciting survival story set in the Amazon jungle. This author has an ability to create an incredibly vivid landscape without apparent effort, and there are many moments when you wonder if this book could possibly have a happy ending.
Four children are sole survivors of an air crash which has left them in a remote and wild part of the Amazon, and they need to not only escape unharmed but also learn how to get on together. Their relationships and very individual characters are what makes the novel really appealing, interwoven with the steamy dangers and wild beauty of the jungle. The book was the worthy winner of the Costa 2017 Children’s Book award and it’s brilliant.
Submitted by Janet Holden, Head of Libraries and Information, Norfolk County Council