Trudi Trueit’s The Falcon’s Feather is the second Explorer Academy book, a high-seas adventure for 8 year olds about a boy who won’t let his mum’s secrets out of his sight.<\/p>\n
Cruz Coronado and his classmates have swapped the school building for Orion, the Academy’s own ship. There’s a mini submarine on board. Even Hubbard the dog has a bright yellow life vest.<\/p>\n
Then the new uniforms arrive, and it’s like something out of a spy film. One pin translates more than six thousand languages. Another throws a glowing map of the ship into the air. Their coats glow in the dark at the touch of a button (the tech chief explains all this while munching pink jelly beans).<\/p>\n
Cruz has bigger things on his mind than gadgets, though. His mum, who died when he was small, left him a trail of clues to pieces of a stone puzzle she hid around the world. The next clue talks about Odin and Thor, heather and a fish called skrei. Cue a very funny argument about whether Greenland counts as Nordic!<\/p>\n
He’s not the only one hunting. Short chapters slip away to the baddies, who’ll do almost anything to stop him. Then Cruz and Emmett open their cabin door to find everything ripped apart.<\/p>\n
It’s worth knowing that the danger feels very real in this one. The villains talk about dealing with Cruz once and for all, and his pillow has been slashed to shreds. Nobody is hurt in the opening chapters, but a child who worries about someone getting into their bedroom might find that scene sits with them. One who loves a thriller will be gripped.<\/p>\n
There’s a quieter side too. Cruz keeps the stone piece on a cord round his neck because it feels like his last link to his mum. He fibs to his aunt to keep it there, and then fibs again (second lies are easier, he thinks). Lots of parents will recognise that one!<\/p>\n
The friendships are a joy. Emmett’s glasses swirl with colour when he’s excited. Sailor cracks a coded postcard from Cruz’s aunt with the help of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Best friend Lani joins on a video call from Hawaii and winds Cruz up about a tattoo she hasn’t got.<\/p>\n
This picks up right where the first book stops. So start with The Nebula Secret if you can.<\/p>\n
For another hero who sees a secret message in everything, try The Explorer’s Code. Charlie turns Idlewood Manor’s name into a cipher before he’s out of the car. His big sister Anna just wants to explore the old place, tucked away in the Virginia woods with no guests for years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Trudi Trueit’s The Falcon’s Feather is the second Explorer Academy book, a high-seas adventure for 8 year olds about a boy who won’t let his mum’s secrets out of his sight. Cruz Coronado and his classmates have swapped the school building for Orion, the Academy’s own ship. There’s a mini submarine on board. Even Hubbard […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":14461,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"lr_next_read_post_id":9021,"lr_next_read_anchor":"The Explorer's Code","lr_seo_hook":"Gadget uniforms, a school ship at sea and a clue about Norse gods.","lr_series_id":506,"lr_series_name":"Explorer Academy","lr_series_position":2,"lr_series_label":"","lr_author_order":"1000"},"book_tag":[1045],"age_group":[26],"book_type":[1044],"book_author":[1000],"class_list":["post-14462","our-books","type-our-books","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","book_tag-adventure-books","age_group-books-for-8-year-olds","book_type-paid","book_author-trudi-trueit"],"yoast_title":"Explorer Academy – The Falcon’s Feather by Trudi Trueit | Little Reads","yoast_metadesc":"Gadget uniforms, a school ship at sea and a clue about Norse gods. For ages 8+. 3,000+ books in the Little Reads app. 7-day free trial.","acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n