Welcome to the Explorer Academy: The Forbidden Island Blog Tour!
Today I’m featuring the final book in the Explorer Academy series. I really enjoyed the first book, THE NEBULA SECRET (you can click on the link to check out my review of that one), so when I found out that this tour would include a giveaway of the entire series, I definitely wanted to give you all a chance to win! Plus, I love the guest post topic for this one–it’s always interesting to see what covers around the world look like for a particular book. Make sure you check it out!
Follow along all week as we celebrate the release of The Forbidden Island — the heart-pounding final adventure in the hit Explorer Academy series — with behind-the-scenes looks from author Trudi Trueit, plus 5 chances to win the complete 7-book series and an Explorer Academy map!
Global Covers
by Trudi Trueit
Seeing Explorer Academy be embraced by readers around the world is one of the highlights of my writing career. So far, the series has been translated into about twenty languages, including Chinese, Dutch, Ukrainian, Hebrew, Vietnamese, and Turkish. I always enjoy getting a peek at the covers from various translations. You might think that every country would simply use the one designed for the American version by incredible illustrator Antonio Javier Caparo, and most do. But some don’t. Often, foreign publishers will tweak the art to better suit their readership. Here’s a look at a few of my favorite global covers. See which ones you like best!
Notice how the Spanish edition of the first Explorer Academy book, The Nebula Secret, uses the same cover art as the United States, but they added something, too. Can you spot it? Check the top left corner. I like it!
The French cover of Book 2: The Falcon’s Feather went a step further, including National Geographic’s iconic golden yellow picture frame around the entire border. As a lifelong reader of the magazine, I LOVED this. The minute you see this cover there isn’t any doubt in your mind who’s behind it.
The Vietnamese translation of Book 5: The Tiger’s Nest looks identical to the American version, except for one detail. Look beneath my name and you’ll see the name of the person who translated the book. I wish more publishers did this. Translators work hard to ensure they accurately interpret the text. Some will even contact me with questions, which I am always happy to answer. Explorer Academy, with its puzzles, ciphers, and text clues, can’t be easy to translate and I am grateful for those who take on the challenge.
Sometimes, a country takes a completely different route! For the Portuguese edition of The Nebula Secret, Brazil favored this early cover created by the wonderfully talented Scott Plumbe, who does all the interior art for the series. I do like seeing Mell and the characters’ faces, but for me, Cruz and Sailor jumping into the waterfall was a more action-packed scene and I’m glad it’s the one our U.S. editors chose for the American edition.
Now that you’ve seen some of Explorer Academy covers from around the world, do have a favorite? I can’t wait to see what our international publishing partners will do with The Forbidden Island!
Here’s Explorer Academy in Estonian!
About the Book
A heart-pounding final showdown changes the life of Cruz Coronado forever in the seventh and final book in this thrilling fact-based fiction series.
Amid assignments that take the Explorer Academy recruits from the iceberg-filled waters of Antarctica to the bone-dry deserts of Argentina, Cruz Coronado is scrambling to complete the last piece of the cipher. With Nebula agents and the elusive explorer spy still out there, his opportunity to recover his mother’s world-changing formula is slipping away. But as Cruz has learned from his time aboard Orion, true explorers must never give up.
Even after completing dozens of high-risk missions and traveling to all seven continents, Cruz could never prepare himself for one ultimate surprise.
Explorer Academy features: Gripping fact-based fiction plot that inspires curiosity with new technology and innovations; amazing inventions and gadgets; a cast of diverse, relatable characters; secret clues, codes, and ciphers to track down within the text; vibrant illustrations; elements of STEAM; National Geographic explorer profiles in the “Truth Behind” section.
Check out the Explorer Academy website featuring videos, comic shorts, games, profiles of real-life National Geographic Explorers, chapter excerpts and more.
Praise:
“Sure to appeal to kids who love code cracking and mysteries with cutting-edge technology.”
—Booklist
“A perfect blend of adventure with real science and technology!”
—New York Times #1 best-selling author Rick Riordan
“A fun, exciting, and action-packed ride that kids will love.”
—J.J. Abrams, director and screenwriter of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Lost, Alias
“Inspires the next generation of curious kids to go out into our world and discover something unexpected.”
—James Cameron, National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence and acclaimed film-maker
About the Author
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
TRUDI TRUEIT has written more than 100 books for young readers, both fiction and nonfiction. Her love of writing began in fourth grade, when she wrote, directed, and starred in her first play. She went on to be a TV news reporter and weather forecaster, but she knew her calling was in writing. Trueit is a gifted storyteller for middle-grade audiences, and her fiction novels include The Sister Solution, Stealing Popular, and the Secrets of a Lab Rat series. Her expertise in kids nonfiction encompasses books on history, weather, wildlife, and earth science. She is the author of all the narratives in the Explorer Academy series, beginning with Explorer Academy: The Nebula Secret. Trueit was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, and lives in Everett, Washington.
GIVEAWAY
- Five (5) winners will receive the COMPLETE 7-book Explorer Academy series and an Explorer Academy map, showing all the places around the world that Cruz and his classmates visit over the course of the series!
- US/Canada only
- Ends 10/23 at 11:59pm ET
- Enter via the Rafflecopter below
- Visit the other stops on the tour for more chances to win!
Blog Tour Schedule:
October 10th — Mama Likes This
October 11th — Feed Your Fiction Addiction
October 12th — Pragmatic Mom
October 13th — YA Books Central
October 14th — YA Book Nerd
If I were an explorer, I’d travel to Antarctica.
What a terrific series for kids!
[…] EXPLORER ACADEMY: THE FORBIDDEN ISLAND BY TRUDI TRUEIT – GLOBAL COVERS GUEST POST & ENTIRE SER… […]