The Polar Bear Explorers' Club

A review I wrote in 2020:

The Polar Bear Explorers’ Club by Alex Bell (4.5 stars)

Numerous young bookshop customers have recommended this series to me recently when we’ve
swapped notes about fantastic middle grade adventure stories, so when lockdown hit, I did a bit
of personal shopping of my own in the bookshop and this is one of the books I brought home with
me.

They were right; I loved it! When Stella Starflake Pearl becomes the first girl to join the Polar Bear
and Ocean Squid Explorers on an expedition, little do she and the other explorers know quite
what an exciting and trailblazing first expedition it’s going to be. Stella was orphaned in the
Icelands as a toddler and adopted by the explorer who found her, Felix. Stella adores show more Felix and is
upset when they are accidentally separated at the start of the expedition, especially so when she
finds that although she’s with her best friend, Beanie and new friend, the wolf-whisperer Shay,
they also have the unpleasant, selfish Ethan stuck with them. First they have to try and find food
and shelter…

This is so good I can’t wait to get the next in the series, Explorers on Witch Mountain. Especially
recommended for 8-12s but also for anyone who loves middle grade fiction (like me!) show less

between 2 and 2.5 stars. it's a fun adventure with a few lessons along the way and trouble to escape from that i'm sure the kids would find exciting. i liked the feminist aspect of it, the found family aspect of it, and the friendship aspects of it. i wasn't as into the fantasy creatures, the out-group fighting (although that turned into a good collaboration-of-sorts), or the constant danger to keep the tension up. (all things my kid thought were great.)

Cover was gorgeous, the story was kind of average.
Stella is not like other girls but she still dislikes her rare weird pale skin and hair. Girls are not supposed to be explorers but she goes anyway.
She gets separated from the adults and jas a fantasy adventire with various obstacles.
The antagonists felt like caricatures sometimes, just like the nice adults were very much perfect.

I did like the emphasis on how “odd” children do not need to change. Beanie and Shay are both perfectly fine as they are, regardless what anyone says. Among each other they are perfectly fine with each others oddities while the adults make a fuss.

A fast paced, yet highly engaging and entertaining read with incredible variations on magical creatures we think we know. Full of action adventure, friendship and a hint of magic. if I had one criticism of the book it would be that the four children went from not liking everyone to becoming very close friends quite quickly. But it's still a book I would have no problem recommending to anyone.

A charming read-aloud, funny and basically kind.