This book was so funny! The author talks to you (like CS Lewis does and I think it's the best) with clever halrious remarks, there are random, funny little footnotes and the chapters start with "In Which"... I think this is one of the funniest book I've ever read and I reccomend it! ( )

So much fun! That was the first coherent thought that raced through my brain as I crossed the finish line of The Door in the Alley. Everyone knows that I love a good middle grade book. Coincidentally, my favorite type of middle grade book though, is the kind that doesn't talk down to its readers. The kind that is smart, funny, and filled with adventure. That, my friends, is exactly what The Door in the Alley is. It is a wonderful ride!

Our story begins with Sebastian, a studious and mild mannered boy who loves to stick to the rules. So, of course, when his path is crossed by a pig in a teeny hat, he's not sure what to make of it. When that same pig then leads him into an adventure that he never expected, that's where things really take off! I loved watching poor Sebastian, with his rigid ideas of the way the world worked, suddenly thrown into the madness that was The Explorer's Society. His personality was the perfect contrast to such an imaginative place, and looking at this new world through his eyes was fascinating.

Then Evie entered the picture, and things got even more exciting. Imagine finding out that you've actually been part of a grand cover up your entire life. That you've always felt that you were ignored, and are now the most important person in the story! That's exactly what happened to Evie, and I warmed to her instantly. She's the type of character who I love, because she isn't quite sure of herself and yet does what needs to be done anyway.

Oh, and the adventure! If you have a young reader (or, like me, are just a young reader at heart) who loves books like A Series of Unfortunate Events, this is the book for you. It's funny, a bit worrisome at times, and full to the brim with courageousness and growth. Both Evie and Sebastian, although completely different in personalities, were absolute perfection in this story. You'll giggle, you'll gasp, and you'll love every minute of it. Pick this up! It's well worth your time. Meanwhile I'll be sitting here, eagerly awaiting their next adventure. ( )

Barely have I finished giving up on reading and reviewing all the fantasy picks for my second Book Explosion meeting, when it's time to tackle adventure! Nonfiction I've got covered, no problem. But the fiction... I started with this new title which I've seen promoted in several places.

Sebastian lives a life of order, math, and logic. He does precisely the right thing at the right time all the time. Until one day he has an argument with his not-so-logical cousin and finds something unexpected - a pig in a tiny hat. Sebastian's orderly life is disrupted as he's drawn into the weird and unpredictable Explorers Society. Meanwhile, a lonely girl named Evie is going out for her weekly dinner with the boring Andersons. It's the only time she gets out of the orphans home she lives in, but she's not sure it's any better. Until their boring dinner is interrupted by two terrifying men, one with half his face melted off, the other with horrible wires poking through his jaw. The next thing she knows, Evie is fleeing for her life through a secret tunnel, the Anderson's house is on fire, and her only hope is to contact the Explorers Society and find her missing grandfather, the last family she has.

Once they meet up, the two are off on a wild adventure to find the companions of Evie's grandfather and solve the mystery of his disappearance and last letter. Along the way they will get shot at, climb towers, encounter many animals with hats, and break all the rules.

The tone of this book is definitely in the flavor of Lemony Snicket. There are frequent asides from the narrator, rather rambling digressions into the meaning of words and encounters, and lots of tongue-in-cheek descriptions. There's also rather an overkill of quirkiness, from Sebastian's job of disorganizing things to long, prattling conversations with no meaning, to the adorning of small animals with hats. This is in rather odd juxtaposition to the very real danger the children face, including men with guns, and the tragic backstory of Evie's grandfather's disappearance, involving the entire destruction of an island.

Of course, both Sebastian and Evie are white, as almost all the other characters appear to be. The vocabulary is often advanced and, while Sebastian is supposed to be a genius at math and science only his photographic memory is really called upon. Evie has no especial talents, other than her desperate wish to once again have a family and a place to belong and her recklessness.

Verdict: Fans of Lemony Snicket will devour this, moan in anguish over the abrupt cliffhanger at the end, and wait desperately for another installment. However, it offers little new in the way of middle grade adventure and fantasy, neither in plot nor in characters. An additional purchase where Lemony Snicket is popular.

ISBN: 9781101940051; Published 2017 by Delacorte; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

I read this with my young daughter and she loved it. When it comes to these kinds of books I defer to her opinion since they’re written for her audience and not mine. I was happy we could find a new series to read together. She thought it was funny but still had moments that gave her the creeps, the good kind, as she enjoyed this new adventure.

You’ll want to make sure to continue with the series because there’s no good closure in this book as the writing makes it clear it’s intended to melt into the second. Aside from that little negative the plot and characters were fun. My daughter is a lot like Sebastian as she can be much more straightforward than her friends which causes its own share of struggles so she enjoyed having a character she could relate to since he seemed to have similar problems with the quirky personalities in the Explorer’s Society.

I think this is good for kids and it’s the decent kind of series parents don’t have to worry about. ( )

he Explorers: The Door in the Alley is the newest release from Canadian author Adrienne Kress. There are certain things that always grab my attention when reading a book and animals in tiny hats is certainly one of them. Because you know something unusual is about to happen. The Explorers: The Door in the Alley is the first book in what looks to be an epic series.

The book begins with Sebastian, a boy with a very structured life that doesn't waver, who happens upon a door he's never noticed that sets his whole world ablaze. Sebastian can't stop thinking about this door and as happenstance would allow, he meets a man with a pig wearing a tiny hat. The mystery man leads him to the mysterious door where Sebastian meets the most curious people and comes across an interesting mystery. Then he meets a girl of intrigue, Evie, who had a hard-knock life. Meeting Evie sets his structured world into a whirlwind filled with bad guys, chases, and daring feats.

You'll find it hard to put this book down once you get started. If you're a fan of The Name of This Book Is Secret, The Mysterious Benedict Society, and Series of Unfortunate Events, you're going to want to check this book out.

Read more at http://www.toreadornottoread.net/2017/05/review-explorers.html#7hzoBf0ytprMWTsy.... ( )