The Explorer
by Katherine Rundell
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Description
Left stranded in the Amazon jungle when their plane crashes on their way back to England from Manaus, Brazil, four children struggle to survive for days until one of them finds a map that leads them to a ruined city and a secret hidden among the vines.Tags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
Here's overall a very good adventure book, which is as much about adventure in the jungle, away from civilisation, as it is a voyage of discovery for the four kids involved.
The story is kind of slow to start, and I felt that the first half of the book was as much about 'educating' children about the Amazon (the species of animals living there, the lost cities of the Mayas, basic survival tricks which were used by past explorers...) as it was to introduce the characters. By the middle, though, it truly picks up; yet be warned: if you are an adult, of course, the ending will feel rushed and completely unbelievable (I let you find out what Fred, one of the children, has to do to rescue them all...). But, who cares? It's a book for kids, show more and, had I read this as a child I am pretty sure I would have loved it!
There's enough suspense to keep going, it's a good adventure full of enough thrills and danger, and, inspired in part by what had happened to Percy Fawcett, it will surely have children's imagination to fire up! It's not so easy to read, though. My son found it 'ok, because too long' (he is only 10, and the length, with not much happening in the first half, can indeed be a bit daunting) but it remains enthralling.
On the minus side, I will be a bit controversial, but... Is it a book for boys only? I don't believe for a second that girls can't be adventurous, courageous, risk-taking, ambitious and self-reliant (Mary Kingsley was a case in point...) yet... In here, in a group of four kids and where three of them have the same age, what I found striking, especially given that the author is a woman, is how sexist tropes are being played. The girls are scared and voice it, whereas the boy, despite being fearful too, just bottle up and get on. One of the girl is quite whingy all throughout, the other is nurturing, and act as a mum (despite her young age) to care for her little brother, who is barely five. It's not that the boy is the main leader per se. In fact, the whole group would not survive were it not for the individual strengths displayed by each and every one of them! It's the fact that their individual skills are very gendered indeed: the boy is the brave and go-get it type of guy, 'the doer' that everyone rely upon (he can build a raft, use a knife, go hunting, and, well, I let you find out about the ending...) while, on the other hand, it's one of the girl who is the bookish one, the 'intellectual' who loves animals, and so knows a great deal about their surrounding environment. I had no issue with my son reading it -it's about the real meaning of adventure, being self-reliant, trusting yourself, adapt. But, I also have a daughter; and I am not sure that it's the type of book I would put into her hands. What would she get from it?
Maybe such tropes were unconscious (which I find dubious -a lot of books out there have powerful girls as main characters); or, maybe, it is, very simply, because the story takes place at a time when such sexism was expected (in the late 1920s, I assume...), and I am the one reading too much into it. Regardless, as an adult I found it too predictable.
A very good adventure, exciting enough for boys (?), but, that some grown ups may find a bit too traditional and outdated when it comes to characterisation, and far stretched as to the ending. My son (again: 10 at the time of reading) loved it without finding it that great. Depending on the age of your child, though, I recommend reading this with adult support. show less
The story is kind of slow to start, and I felt that the first half of the book was as much about 'educating' children about the Amazon (the species of animals living there, the lost cities of the Mayas, basic survival tricks which were used by past explorers...) as it was to introduce the characters. By the middle, though, it truly picks up; yet be warned: if you are an adult, of course, the ending will feel rushed and completely unbelievable (I let you find out what Fred, one of the children, has to do to rescue them all...). But, who cares? It's a book for kids, show more and, had I read this as a child I am pretty sure I would have loved it!
There's enough suspense to keep going, it's a good adventure full of enough thrills and danger, and, inspired in part by what had happened to Percy Fawcett, it will surely have children's imagination to fire up! It's not so easy to read, though. My son found it 'ok, because too long' (he is only 10, and the length, with not much happening in the first half, can indeed be a bit daunting) but it remains enthralling.
On the minus side, I will be a bit controversial, but... Is it a book for boys only? I don't believe for a second that girls can't be adventurous, courageous, risk-taking, ambitious and self-reliant (Mary Kingsley was a case in point...) yet... In here, in a group of four kids and where three of them have the same age, what I found striking, especially given that the author is a woman, is how sexist tropes are being played. The girls are scared and voice it, whereas the boy, despite being fearful too, just bottle up and get on. One of the girl is quite whingy all throughout, the other is nurturing, and act as a mum (despite her young age) to care for her little brother, who is barely five. It's not that the boy is the main leader per se. In fact, the whole group would not survive were it not for the individual strengths displayed by each and every one of them! It's the fact that their individual skills are very gendered indeed: the boy is the brave and go-get it type of guy, 'the doer' that everyone rely upon (he can build a raft, use a knife, go hunting, and, well, I let you find out about the ending...) while, on the other hand, it's one of the girl who is the bookish one, the 'intellectual' who loves animals, and so knows a great deal about their surrounding environment. I had no issue with my son reading it -it's about the real meaning of adventure, being self-reliant, trusting yourself, adapt. But, I also have a daughter; and I am not sure that it's the type of book I would put into her hands. What would she get from it?
Maybe such tropes were unconscious (which I find dubious -a lot of books out there have powerful girls as main characters); or, maybe, it is, very simply, because the story takes place at a time when such sexism was expected (in the late 1920s, I assume...), and I am the one reading too much into it. Regardless, as an adult I found it too predictable.
A very good adventure, exciting enough for boys (?), but, that some grown ups may find a bit too traditional and outdated when it comes to characterisation, and far stretched as to the ending. My son (again: 10 at the time of reading) loved it without finding it that great. Depending on the age of your child, though, I recommend reading this with adult support. show less
I loved this book. And I really wasn't expecting too, WH Smith had a 3 books for the price of two offer on, so I bought it as the random third book. It is the story of four children forced to survive in the Amazon jungle when their plane crashes. So it is everything you would expect from a learning / growing / coming of age adventure story. But I just really loved it. The character of the explorer, so cynical and defensive and convinced children are annoying, but mellowing and showing his care in his own quirky ways. The gloriously exciting flight over the rain forest. And... some of the speechifying near the end might have been a bit heavy handed and clunky in another author's hands, but it really clicked for me, and made me well up, show more thinking of Love, and the Beauty of the World. show less
I really enjoyed this adventure/survival story. At first the action was moving along so quickly that I worried the book would never really dig into the characters or the incredible place they were stranded in, but I found myself getting to know the characters and I can completely picture where they were. The cool and gross tidbits of information were a huge bonus.
Just the book for fans of My Side of the Mountain and Hatchet. I am glad I have read the Lost City of Z: I still have a bit of Amazonia in my mind. It's such a thrilling adventure with just enough humor, and I love the way Rundell has with description. She managed to convey quite a bit of what bugs and spiders taste like.
Library copy
Library copy
Wonderful! Characters who grow and love. The Amazon rainforest and all its wonders! Adventure, the good kind. Sparkling writing and wit. This is one I will read again and recommend.
The Explorer is the story of four children who are on a plane leaving Brazil and bound for England. Reminiscent of the novel, Hatchet, the pilot has an attack and dies while trying to save the plane from crashing. After the plane explodes, the four are on their own in the Amazon Jungle. They survive for several days using their wits and their knowledge but have no idea how they will get home. The longer they are in the jungle, the more evidence they find that someone has been there before them. Their only hope is to find someone who can help them get to the nearest city so that they can get home.
The Explorer isn't all that unique as a survival story, but backstories of the main characters are well-developed. There is some humor and lots show more of adventure making this story an enjoyable read. Overall, a good book for middle grade readers. show less
The Explorer isn't all that unique as a survival story, but backstories of the main characters are well-developed. There is some humor and lots show more of adventure making this story an enjoyable read. Overall, a good book for middle grade readers. show less
Well I can absolutely see why this has been so popular.
It's a great lost in the jungle adventure story. I just couldn't warm to some of the characters. In fact a couple got on my nerves. I know I know! They are kids lost in the jungle and they are scared and upset so they are bound to get a bit whiny. Lastly, 'The Explorer' annoyed me to no end. A case of not for me.
It's a great lost in the jungle adventure story. I just couldn't warm to some of the characters. In fact a couple got on my nerves. I know I know! They are kids lost in the jungle and they are scared and upset so they are bound to get a bit whiny. Lastly, 'The Explorer' annoyed me to no end. A case of not for me.
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Author Information
25+ Works 5,907 Members
Katherine Rundell was born in 1987. She is a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford. Her books include The Girl Savage and The Wolf Wilder. She received several awards including the Waterstones Children's Book Prize and the Blue Peter Award in 2014 for Rooftoppers, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms, and the Costa show more Award for Children's book in 2017 for The Explorers. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Awards
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Explorer
- Original title
- The Explorer
- Original publication date
- 2017 (1e édition originale anglaise, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, Londres) (1e édition originale anglaise, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, Londres); 2019-05-16 (1e traduction et édition française, Gallimard jeunesse) (1e traduction et édition française, Gallimard jeunesse)
- People/Characters
- Fred; Lila; Con; Max
- Important places
- Amazon Rainforest, Amazon Basin, South America
- Dedication
- To Charles
- First words
- Like a man-mad magic wish, the airplane began to rise.
- Quotations
- Inside, Fred was hunger and hope and wire. It was just that there had never yet been a chance to prove it; his father had always insisted so unswervingly on clean shoes and unrebellious eyebrows. But Fred's mind was quick, wi... (show all)th sharp edges. He wanted more from the world than it had yet given. (p. 30)
"This is not how I pictured fishing," said Con. "I thought it was all old men sitting around on riverbanks telling people to be quiet. Live river librarians." - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Just to say we kept exploring.
- Blurbers
- Wilson, Jacqueline
- Original language
- English
Classifications
- Genres
- Kids, Fiction and Literature, Tween, Children's Books
- DDC/MDS
- 823.92 — Literature & rhetoric English & Old English literatures English fiction 1900- 2000-
- LCC
- PZ7 .R88827 .E — Language and Literature Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Fiction and juvenile belles lettres Juvenile belles lettres
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 643
- Popularity
- 44,977
- Reviews
- 15
- Rating
- (3.96)
- Languages
- 6 — Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 32
- ASINs
- 4
