The Polar Bear Explorers' Club (1)

This was a magically enchanting read! It may not have been quite a 5 star read for me, but I give it a solid 4.5. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a fun adventure in a middle grade. Alex Bell has created such a wonderful world and injected it with lovable characters.

Our main character, Stella, is such a strong young female. The way she is written makes her someone I think young girls could easily see themselves in. Our group of characters accepts her as she is and they have a great dynamic between them.

The only complaint I may have in this book was that the ending just felt a little rushed. I realize it's a middle grade so it may not be as in depth as a fantasy written for an older audience, but I still feel like the things that happened in the last 1/3 of the book blew by with little focus on things.

Overall I loved this book and will definitely be picking up the next book in this series.

This is a fun adventure story, especially for those who love mythology books like the Kane Chronicles, Theodosia and Percy Jackson. I loved the beautiful illustrations and the animal characters. I also like that this book is set in the arctic because it is a departure from the usual jungle faire that most adventure tales occur in. The story was fun to read but like another reviewer said, it was missing some humor. There were some missed opportunities to be funny. Other than that, the story is fun to follow and not too scary for a younger audience. Budding explorers will love tromping through the snow with Stella Starflake and her band of junior explorers.

A fun fantasy type read for young kids. The illustrations were a nice touch. I like the writing style and the characters (for the most part) are likable. A good adventure story, although for the age group, it seems a little long.