Common Sense Media Review
By Mary Eisenhart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Pirates, eels, and intrigue in exciting steampunk sequel.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
As THE EXPEDITIONERS AND THE SECRET OF KING TRITON'S LAIR opens, narrator Kit West, along with older brother Zander and younger sister M.K. are settling into their new lives at the Academy after their adventures in Book 1, when Kit finds another map left behind by their father, who's presumed dead on a recent expedition. Meanwhile, international unrest is building in the Middle East, with oil at the bottom of it all. Strange goings-on, including an apparent attempt on an adult's life, feed paranoia and suspicion, especially against foreign-born students. The West kids, along with friends Sukey, Joyce, and Kemal as well as some enemies, are off on a Caribbean adventure, trying to find -- and explore -- a mysterious spot from which no ship has ever returned.
Is It Any Good?
Kids (and many parents) will find plenty to love as the exciting Expeditioners series continues. Appealing characters! Undersea adventure! Pirates! Exotic creatures! Unimagined perils! Ethical quandaries! Also, unrequited love. Author S.S. Taylor tells a lively, heartfelt tale in the voice of Kit. And Katherine Roy's illustrations capture the characters' personalities and surroundings as they pursue their quest.
With much of the adventure taking place under the sea amid gorgeous locations and colorful creatures, there's more than a hint of other 19th-century adventure tales. Readers may want to explore those after reading this, which is considerably more accessible to 21st-century readers.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about steampunk. What's the appeal of stories set in a world where electricity, for all practical purposes, never happened? Are there any devices from the Expeditioners' world that you'd like to see in ours?
Have you ever had your work stolen by someone who tried to pass it off as his or her own? How did you feel? What did you do about it?
Does this story make you want to learn more about the Caribbean and maybe see it for yourself? Have you heard other stories of strange disappearances of ships and airplanes in that area?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Katherine Roy
- Genre : Adventure
- Topics : Adventures , Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Friendship , Animals ( Ocean Creatures , Wild Animals ) , STEM
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : McSweeney's McMullens
- Publication date : September 23, 2014
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 10 - 14
- Number of pages : 320
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
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