The Expeditioners and the Treasure of Drowned Man's Canyon

by S S Taylor, Katherine Roy (Illustrator)

Overview

Famed Explorer of the Realm Alexander West is presumed dead in the Fazian rainforest when a mysterious man with a clockwork hand leads Alexander's son Kit to half of a strange map. Soon Kit, his brother, Zander, and his sister, M.K., are on their way to a remote canyon in the Arizona desert, pursued by government agents and on the trail of a fabled treasure in gold. As danger of all kinds closes in on them, the Expeditioners must use all of their smarts and talents to follow their father's map, no matter where it leads them.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780960083503
Publisher:	Harlow Brook Books
Publication date:	07/23/2019
Series:	Expeditioners , #1
Edition description:	2nd This Includes Selected Illustrations by Katherine Roy ed.
Pages:	364
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.81(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

S. S. Taylor writes tales of adventure and mystery for kids and grown-ups. She is the author of The Expeditioners series, as well as the graphic novel Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean. You can find out more about her and her work at SSTaylorBooks.com.

Katherine Roy is the award-winning author and illustrator of Neighborhood Sharks and How to Be an Elephant. She is also the illustrator of Otis and Will Discover the Deep by Barb Rosenstock and The Expeditioners Series by S. S. Taylor. To learn more about her work and research go to katherineroy.com or follow her on Twitter at @KRoyStudio.

Editorial Reviews

"A wonderful example of steampunk done well, this thoroughly satisfying adventure contains enough danger and suspense to keep even reluctant readers turning the pages." -- School Library Journal

"The Expeditioners rollicks, twists, turns and chases through canyons and arroyos, along airships and gliders, through boxcars and crumbling mansions, and on the way the heroes uncover all sorts of fabulous mysteries through their own cunning and bravery. It is a thoroughly smashing read." -- Boing Boing

"Full of kid power, clues, codes and maps, this will appeal to sophisticated readers who appreciate their adventure served with heaping helpings of cleverness." -- Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

Can three orphaned siblings with half a map beat an oppressive government to a secret, gold-filled canyon? Set in a future where the hacking of computers and depletion of natural resources has caused a return to steam and clockwork engines, Taylor's novel crosses dystopian and steampunk genres in this fast-paced, plot-driven tale. An Explorer with a clockwork hand smuggles an old book to Kit, the book's narrator. With his two siblings, brave Zander and preteen inventor M.K., he forms the Expeditioners, breaking the code hidden in the book and finding half a map from their late father, Alexander West, an Explorer of the Realm. Off they go to find the other half of the map and follow it, facing giant green slugs, huge birds and evil government agents. The black-and-white cartoon-style illustrations and the portrayal of wrench-wielding, smart-mouthed, fearless M.K. lighten the tone of the lengthy text and its underlying message of mistreatment of natural resources and indigenous peoples. The premise that there are undiscovered places, that "[a] map of the world isn't a fixed thing. We know only what we can see," is an intriguing one. Full of kid power, clues, codes and maps, this will appeal to sophisticated readers who appreciate their adventure served with heaping helpings of cleverness. (Fantasy. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews