The Polar Bear Explorers' Club: Alex Bell: 1 (The Explorers' Clubs)

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A year ago, I fell in love with the first volume of The Polar Bear Explorer's Club and its enchanting world. This second book is sadly a bit of a disappointment: the story is not bad, far from it, the world is still interesting but the book has nothing really new to offer. Jennifer Bell has built a wonderful new world in which readers can immerse themselves, in this pacey, magical adventure. There are twists and turns, new creatures and strange, 'uncommon' objects to discover around every street corner. If I had to define this book in just one word it would be this: ADORABLE! The characters from the first book return, with their adventures this time taking them to the infamous Witch Mountain, where few explorers dare to tread. These intrepid mini explorers learn more about their moral compass as they navigate the skies and the lands for justice. And as they expand upon their maps of the world they discover they have much to learn about themselves and what is far closer to home in the process.

Then the vulture breaks through a window in the Club and Felix springs into action, jumping onto it and getting the cuff around a leg. He's off to Witch Mountain, and of course, Stella and Ethan aren't far behind. Trotz dem empfohlenen Lesealter fand ich es anspruchsvoll, auf englisch zu lesen, und ich hab doch immer wieder einige Wörter nachschlagen müssen. Was mit dem Reader tatsächlich sehr praktisch ist, weil man das Wort markieren kann und direkt eine englische Beschreibung davon angezeigt bekommt :) Even when he is adopted by the loving Tom, it all goes south. Middle-years books are an excellent place to introduce the idea that life can be quite barbaric; Mulligan piles on the peril. Ultimately, though, this is a thoroughly gripping buddy movie begging to be made, in which the underdogs – canine, human, insectoid and otherwise – school everyone in true grit and loyalty. Stella’s adoptive father, Felix, is a member of The Polar Bear Explorers’ Club, and Stella has always wanted to be an explorer as well. Technically girls aren’t allowed to join The Club, but when the chance arises to join Felix, Stella is determined to prove she can be as good an explorer as anyone. Without her ice tiara she's powerless, but her guardian Felix and polar bear Gruff save the day -- and her. She makes it inside the Club and Felix won't let her out again, not until he can bring the witch that killed Stella's parents to justice.I thought the Polar Bear Explorers Club was great. It was filled with magic and fun and was always exciting! The witch is probably living on Witch Mountain, from which no explorer has ever returned. So Felix works through officials channels first -- but official channels move ex-tr-em-el-y s-l-o-w-l-y and his requests for justice get bandied from one bureaucrat to another. See Faber authors in conversation and hear readings from their work at Faber Members events, literary festivals and at book shops across the UK.

She soon finds herself on an expedition to find the coldest part of the Icelands. But it doesn’t go to plan, as she and her fellow junior adventurers get separated from the group and have to find their way across the Icelands together. While the Icelands is full of incredible places and creatures to discover, it’s equally full of danger.

There was nothing I wanted to change about the book; however I would like it if there was a sequel! Ethan, der junge Zauberer, ist aufbrausend wie eh und je und sorgt mit seiner vorlauten Art öfters für Unruhe und Auseinandersetzungen. Gut, dass auch Shay, der Wolfsflüsterer, wieder mit dabei ist. Er ist ein sehr ruhiger Junge, weiß sich aber durchaus auch durchzusetzen.

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It sounded like a respectable and worthy enough death for an explorer – tumbling from an ice bridge to be impaled upon a mammoth tusk – but Stella really, really didn’t want that to happen, just the same… Stella and the gang travel to Witch Mountain to save Felix and what they find along the way could change the course of their adventures forever in this second novel in the whimsical Polar Bear Explorers’ Club series. To that end she eagerly started a Law Degree only to find it so boring that she was at a very real risk of going completely insane. To mitigate this she started writing again. The second book got her an agent with Carolyn Whitaker of London Independent Books but, unfortunately, not a publisher. The third book, written during her first summer holidays off from university, found a home with Gollancz. The Ninth Circle came out in April 2008 with possibly the most beautiful cover ever created (matched only by her second book, Jasmyn).

I enjoyed the first installment immensely (Krysta did not, and you can read her review here), and my assessment of The Forbidden Expedition is nearly the same. The premises are actually somewhat similar, in that protagonist Stella and company go on a journey in icy unexplored territory that many people think they should not go on because it’s too dangerous. This book, however, introduces witches, which were not prominent in book one.

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