Explorer Academy

Adventure, danger, and a thrilling global mission await 12-year-old Cruz Coronado as he joins an elite school for explorers. Cruz leaves his tranquil home in Hawaii to join 23 talented kids from around the globe to train at the Explorer Academy with the world's leading scientists to become the next generation of great explorers. But for Cruz, there's more at stake. No sooner has he arrived at the Academy than he discovers that his family has a mysterious past with the organization that could jeopardize his future. In the midst of codebreaking and cool classes, new friends and augmented reality expeditions, Cruz must tackle the biggest question of all: Who is out to get him, and why? Readers can get in on the excitement with puzzles and codes embedded throughout.

It's an adventure of a lifetime when Cruz Coronado sets sail for the shores of Iceland and Norway aboard the Explorer Academy ship to continue his studies at sea. But, things take a turn while exploring the icy north, when he embarks on a dangerous mission to uncover the first piece of an important puzzle his mother left behind. In the exciting follow-up to The Nebula Secret in the 7-book Explorer Academy series, Cruz, Sailor, and Emmett, along with their new ally Bryndis, embark on their first globe-trotting mission aboard the ship Orion. Cruz jumps right back into school and starts using the latest technology in submersible underwater dives, but is soon reminded of the dangers of exploration when his equipment fails and he almost drowns. Determined to keep his eyes on the prize, Cruz sneaks away to try to find answers, but unknowingly lures his friends into bigger trouble. When a friend of Cruz's mom meets an untimely end, Cruz's luck really seems about to run out and the questions multiply. What does the message mean? Where will it lead? Who is following him? And why? This captivating book is the sequel every Explorer Academy fan is waiting to read!

The mystery deepens and the action intensifies for 12-year-old Cruz Coronado and friends in the exciting third book in the Explorer Academy series. The adventure continues for Cruz, Emmett, Sailor, and Bryndis as they continue their studies at sea and travel to exotic locations around the world. A mysterious person alerts Cruz to impending danger while he and a few trusted pals explore ancient ruins in Petra, Jordan, and search for another piece of the puzzle his mother left behind. Worst of all, now his father has gone missing, which prompts Aunt Marisol, his number one protector, to leave the ship in search of him. Who is the new professor who takes her place? How does the new technology he introduces help or hurt Cruz's quest? Why is Nebula determined to stop Cruz before he turns 13? The clock is ticking as his first teen birthday draws near ... a milestone that will change his life forever, one way or another.

LUSH JUNGLES AND SWEEPING SAVANNAS, HOME TO ELUSIVE MOUNTAIN GORILLAS AND FIERCE BIG CATS. Unforgiving, endless deserts that may be hiding more than meets the eye. An adventurers dream come true for the students aboard the Explorer Academy ship Orion. But no sooner do they arrive than danger strikes again, and this time, one of Cruz’s closest friends becomes the unintended victim. In The Star Dunes, the nail-biting fourth book in the Explorer Academy series, Cruz and his fellow recruits tackle challenging missions to dispense life-saving medication to gorillas, thwart pangolin poachers, and capture images of the last known cheetahs in Namibiaall the while discovering that protecting the worlds threatened species is a dangerous business. Things turn deadly for Lani, Sailor, Emmett, and Cruz as they search for the fourth piece of Cruz’s moms cipher. Cruz knows it’s not going to be easy, but will an unexpected guest bring a disastrous end to the search? After all, in this global game of cat and mouse, one mistake may cost you the ultimate price.

On an island nation in the Indian Ocean, the explorers venture through a vast underwater world and take part in a friendly robotics competition. But the tides of good fortune change quickly. Suddenly, Team Cousteau jumps into action to rescue a faculty member from the brink of death. Meanwhile, the team follows the Cruz's mother's clues to a magnificent tomb and center of spirituality precariously perched on the side of a cliff. There, Cruz is confronted by a familiar foe who's determined to stop him from completing his most important mission of all: Retrieving the final pieces of his mother's cipher. In this life-or-death showdown, Cruz witnesses the ultimate sacrifice and uncovers a hidden message that makes him question his own mortality.

An explosive revelation and a familiar face in the sixth book in this adventure-packed series. Still reeling from the life-changing discovery he found buried in the mysterious archive, Cruz Coronado grapples with an important secret as the gang heads to China in search of the second-to-last piece of the cipher. Under the watchful eye of a new adviser, life on the ship returns to almost normal... almost. Just as things seem to be going smoothly, a familiar face shocks Cruz back into reality, and the final piece in this life-and-death scavenger hunt veers toward a dead end.

The frigid swells off the coast of Antarctica buffer Team Cousteau’s kayaks as they weave through the icy water. They’re losing daylight, and at risk of failing their fieldwork assignment. But Cruz Coronado’s thoughts are elsewhere. Nebula is closing in, and time is running out. The evasive explorer spy is still out there. And in his gut, Cruz knows his final mission will have deadly consequences. In The Forbidden Island, the electrifying seventh and final book in the Explorer Academy series, Cruz wonders if fortune really does favor the brave. After all, his mother’s hologram rejected the latest piece of the cipher, grinding his progress to a dismal halt. On top of that, terrifying truths keep bubbling to the surface. But in a journey that has taken him to all seven continents, Cruz isn’t ready to give up, and neither are his closest friends, Lani, Emmett, and Sailor. In fact, Cruz is prepared to risk everything he loves to recover the cell-regeneration formula and continue his mother’s legacy. As Cruz follows his path to the most otherworldly destination yet, a final showdown erupts when a familiar face appears, changing his life forever.