The Adventurers and the City of Secrets is the third book in Jemma Hatt’s The Adventurers series for readers aged 8-12 (and book lovers who are kids at heart). I have been in love with this series since Book 1 so was excited to dive into the next adventure!
Title: The Adventurers and the City of Secrets
Author: Jemma Hatt
Series: The Adventurers #3
First Published: April 7, 2020
Publisher: Elmside Publishing
Categories: Children’s Fiction
Acquired: from the author
*** Thank you to the author, Jemma Hatt, for providing me with an advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. ***
Two master criminals are on the run with ancient treasure, using London’s web of hidden trails and passages to conceal their loot. The Adventurers must track them down using their wits, Uncle Logan… and a stolen red bus.
Join Lara, Rufus, Tom, Daisy and Barney as they race to uncover the City of Secrets!
Jumping right into the next adventure
The story starts with our intrepid Adventurers – Lara, Rufus, Tom and Barney – attending a large ceremony in their honour at the London Society of Egyptologists. Lara’s mother, Mrs. Jacobs, is in attendance, as well as Lara’s friend and neighbour, Daisy. As the group are receiving a special recognition for discovering a huge cache of Egyptian treasure (which was detailed in the previous book, The Adventurers and the Temple of Treasure), Lara and Rufus’ uncle Logan shows up to steal the spotlight.
During the ceremony, Lara’s attention is drawn to a woman speaking into a wire – Frances Battenbridge. Before she can investigate, everything is thrown into chaos when a security guard discovers that the Egyptian artifacts are gone.
Lara immediately suspects Frances, but is told by her mother that it couldn’t be possible. Frances is a very well-known art dealer from an established family who owns one of the most exclusive galleries in London and donates lots of money to the London Society of Egyptologists. Lara is not appeased and stubbornly sticks to the idea that Frances is behind the thefts.
Lara’s instincts are proven true when The Adventurers (with the addition of Daisy) find out the truth – Frances and her brother, Sebastian, did steal the treasure! In fact, they’re behind a huge string of thefts that have baffled the police. But how will the kids (and Uncle Logan) prove it? More importantly, how can they catch the bad guys without Mrs. Jacobs finding out their plans?
A fun adventure through a hidden London
London is revealed to be the ‘city of secrets’ in this adventure. What follows is a fun, action-packed chase through the city of London. Trust me, the twists and turns are fast and twisty as The Adventurers discover secret after secret.
The group manage to steal a red antique double-decker bus (the one pictured on the cover) – how successful do you think they will be trying to sneak around in that thing?
I love the sense of adventure and craziness that is present throughout The Adventurers books. But behind the shenanigans, there are some really fun characters making up this book series.
From responsible Lara (and her loyal dog Barney) to prankster Rufus, from steady Tom to love-struck Daisy, I think many children will see a bit of themselves in these characters.
The stories are the perfect length for kids and the book is quick-paced so no one will get bored. But there is still enough time for character development and growth. Both Rufus and Daisy go through their own character growth and are both different from the start of the story to the end, but in a completely believable way. Children grow and change and it’s fun to see this progression.
I have all the ebooks in this series (thanks Jemma!) but I’m still buying a printed set for my shelves. I’m looking forward to when my nephew is old enough to enjoy this series with me (he’s only two right now) – storytime is going to be full of adventures!
Read The Adventurers and the City of Secrets for yourself
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