Find out what Mumsnetters thought of Bear Grylls Adventure series for children

Thank you for our copy of The Deset Challenge. I read it with my 6 year old daughter. She was very excited to have a book by Bear Grylls because she knows that her Dad is a fan. We got off to a very good start because she has a friend called Sophie and thought it was brilliant to have a girl like herself as a main character. She could also sympathise with Sophie's dislike of creepy crawlies. The story is very good and kept her attention. She loved learning new things too. It's not pure fiction and the survival skill facts added a great dimension to the story. The book is at a level that she can read herself with minimal supervision, but we enjoyed sharing it. My daughter read some chapters to me and I read others to her at bedtime. I like that it's part of a series and I think we will try more of the books. The only downside for me was that Sophie just magically transported back to reality and it reminded me of the ORT magic key books with its abrupt cop-out.
Overall though, a book we would both recommend.

My daughter who is 8 years old does not usually enjoy reading.She was excited to receive a copy of this book in the post though and did take it on holiday with us. She has heard of Bear Grylls but hasnt watched any programmes on tv. The story seemed to keep her attention reasonably well although some if it we read together. She liked the mixture of fact and fiction in the book as well as the fact that the chapters were quite short and the book had a fast moving storyline.

We received a copy of the Blizzard Challenge to read.

Though the premise is engaging, a magic compass to take you on an adventure, I think there wasn't enough to keep my 5 yo interested over the 4 nights it took to read it.

Before I started reading each night I recapped what we had read previously as my DC aren't used used to books that get read in more than 1 sitting.

I think the series is okay but I wouldn't go out of m way to buy the other books. If my DC wanted them from the library then I would be fine to read them the future installations.

The transition from books with lots of pictures and a story you can read in one sitting to an occasional black and white photo and a story with chapters is tricky, this book was a somewhat awkward attempt.

We received the book and DS wasn't that keen on reading it. I decided to read it together and then he really got into it. He now doesn't want me to read it with him. So I'm waiting for him to finish reading it to tell you what he thinks about it.

My six year old received the blizzard challenge to read. First impressions were that it looked really exciting, and he was most interested that someone could be called 'Bear' as there name! We read the first chapter together. The words are just the right size for my reader to read really well and clearly. My son then sped ahead and read the rest of the chapters himself. He couldn't put it down, which for me is the first sign of a really good book.
He really enjoyed the story, and found it really exciting that Olly got whisked away for an adventure. He said he would like to tell all his friends about the story and could I get the next book for him please.
I really liked the content of the story that it was also about finding courage, facing our fears and keeping going even when we are finding it tough, a lesson that we have talked about applying since reading the book back into my son's own situations.
I really liked that it was in chapters that weren't too long and that it was perfect for my son to read on his own. More like this please with adventure, excitement and independent reading!

My daughter loved the book, and read it right through , kept her quite for a morning , then sat and read it to her cousins, her cousin Tommy was enthralled with the book. My daughter really enjoyed the book and didn't seem to mind that is was a bit boyish.

My five year old daughter and I enjoyed The Desert Challenge - we read it over three nights as a bedtime story. Her verdict was that it was good, and the best bit was the trick about holding water it your mouth - she was practising it the other day. I asked whether she'd want to read other stories like that one and she said yes as long as they were about girls, stories about boys have no appeal at all at the moment! At least this one wasn't about princesses....

I wasn't blown away by it but didn't object either. I liked the survival skills woven through the story so we were both learning new things, but it seemed a bit of a cop out that Sophie was just magically back where she started without having to actually escape the desert. I liked the empathy of seeing another child who needed an adventure and passing the compass on, and I'd happily read the next one to find out what happens to Omar, but as he's a boy I suspect I won't get to!

BEAR GRYLLS- Is their no end to this person's talent. From Adventurer, Chief Scout etc-etc. " WHAT NEXT" -- His books are not bad either ?

Words spoken by my son after reading the book.

My 8 yr old son received Blizzard Challenge. He was very excited to receive it (he LOVES Bear grylls) and dived straight in. He'd finished it in less than an hour though so he wishes it could have been longer .
He thoroughly enjoyed it though and would like to read the others . He said he loved the characters and the format.

When the book first arrived I read the first 2 chapters to C(9) and L (6). C was hooked and continued to read the rest of the book herself. She enjoyed the tips about surviving in the desert, although having now tried to hold onto a mouthful of water while breathing through her nose and moving around , she realises how difficult this is. She enjoyed the ending which implies that another child will be helped to get over their fears.

I think the book is well written, in a style which is appropriate to young readers. Well done Bear.

I have now have been asked to buy the Blizzard Challenge.

Sorry but I'm not a fan so far (3 chapters in). I was reading it as bedtime story. There seemed to be a lot of stretched out detail in parts that could have been tightened up so the story moved very, very slowly. I was getting bored myself reading it but my 5 yr old did ask for one more chapter when I was ready to finish. We'll see how it goes for the rest of the book and report back.

My 9 year old son was very excited to receive this book in the post. He is a cub scout and very aware of Bear Grylls and thinks he's very cool. The book is well written and well laid out. I think 9 is the perfect age to read it too!

My daughter who is 6 years old received the copy of bear grylls the blizzard challenge she immediately started to read it and is currently about half way through. The cover appealed to her straight away and the book has plenty of pictures too. She is enjoying reading the book and thinks it's an exciting story.
Thank you for the book!

Thanks mumsnet, we got the blizzard book and I've been reading it to dd for bedtime story. She's really enjoying it and I like the morals behind it (perseverance and teamwork).

Dd isn't overly aware of who Bear is so his name didn't overly sell the book to her and she wasn't overly keen on the front cover, but is enjoying the story and it's easy for her to get in to. She particularly likes the magical element of the compass and you never know, she may well have picked up some survival skills about freezing temperatures. It's nice to read a book to her that is a story but that is useful in imparting things, ahem, unlike those pesky rainbow fairies!

Thank you for our copy of The Blizzard Challenge. Our boys are big BIG Bear Grylls fans, and their little sister (5) has been learning from them. I read the book to her over a few evenings (a chapter or two each night worked well for her).

She (and I) loved this book. I could hear Bear's voice as he led Olly through the mountains (although I doubt my daughter would recognise his voice from my impersonation!) She and I learned a lot about the dangers of the cold as Olly went on his adventure, and she commented on how he had learned his lesson from his time with Bear, becoming a different person by the end of the story.

The quick pace of the book kept her interested, and the friendly and helpful voice of Bear helped explain everything along the way.

We particularly liked the way this book links to the next in the series - and she is already asking for the next story!

Certainly suitable for boys and girls (my daughter's big brother has borrowed it, and loved it too), and surely this book will be joined by others by Bear in the series on our bookshelves!

Thank you for our copy of The Desert Challenge. As other reviewers have said, if it didn't have Bear's name on the cover, I'm not sure it would have attracted us to it, however my children have seen the books advertised in several places so were very excited when it arrived in the post. My 7 year old read it in two sittings and enjoyed the combination of story and facts. I think most children (and adults!) can understand the fear of insects. The fast-paced story kept him interested and I could imagine it appealing to boys and girls. When I asked for his review, he said that he'd like to read other books in the series - always a good sign! He was worried at first that it wouldn't be interesting to him because the main character is a girl, but didn't think about it after the first couple of pages. Thanks again for the chance to read it and send in our feedback.

My daughter was very excited to receive her copy. She is taking it with her on the Easter holiday and is very much looking forward to reading it.

We received the Blizzard Challenge and it looked fun from the cover. The story is easy to follow, has a good combination of narrative to take the story forward and also facts about survival skills. It is so refreshing to find a book that is meant to appeal to boys - I'm sure girls will read and enjoy it also but it's more of a challenge to get a book that will interest boys. I enjoyed reading it out loud but it's also one that could be read alone by any newly competent and confident reader. Well done and good that there is a series to keep up the interest.

My eldest who is 8 is already a big fan on bear so he couldnt wait to get his hands on the book. He's tearing through it and loving every minute.

My seven year old was delighted to receive something in the post for her! She read the book in bed that very night, then asked the next day if she could pack it for an upcoming flight. Really pleased 😁

My daughter's been learning about survival as a topic at school so she was familiar with Bear Grylls from that and was very excited to receive this book. It has a fun cover and looks like an achievable book for a 7 year old in terms of content and length.

Im loving this book. So glad that someone other than Frank Lampard has done of one easy chapter series for boys. This is great for those boys who love non fiction as a way of getting them into fiction reading and once they are hooked there are more stories. My daughter loved the Rainbow Fairies when she started reading and she thinks that the boys will love it for the same reason. Definitely for buys ages 5-7.

Thank you for the chance to read Bear Grills Blizzard challenge to my 5 year old nephew.
He was excited by the cover, which is always a good start. He enjoyed the story. Though I think the pictured did help keep him interested .
By the end he remained interested and was excited by the story of the whole. He now wants to read more Bear books and also go on his own adventures.

The book looks great and both my boys (5 and 6) are super excited about being read the story. The 6 year old has started reading it himself and seems very keen to know what happens.....which is unheard of. Love that story books are being focused on rather than just more and more TV!

Thanks so much for our copy of Bear Grylls Adventures - The Blizzard Challenge. My son (5 years old) was really excited on receiving it and said "Wow, that looks really cool", so the cover obviously appealed to him. He's not at the stage of being able to read a book of this length and complexity independently, but he was keen to listen to me read it to him. There are illustrations throughout the book, which he also enjoyed and added to his comprehension (he often commented on how the characters looked - serious, worried etc).
We finished the book over the course of three nights, mostly because he kept on insisting on one more chapter before bed, so clearly he was caught up in the story and very much engaged with it. When we finished, he asked if we could get the next one too! All in all, a complete hit with him.
My 8 year old daughter, who is a real bookaholic, was quite upset the book wasn't for her and listened in at bedtime too. I was quite surprised, as I had thought that she would find this book a little too 'babyish' for her tastes (she loves Harry Potter and any Jaqueline Wilson books, to give some idea of her usual tastes). She really enjoyed the story and seemed equally caught up in the plot. She is familiar with Bear Grylls and enjoys nature and the great outdoors, so the subject matter appealed to her.
Personally, I hadn't expected much from this book - another 'celebrity' turning their hand to children's fiction, seems to be par for the course these days - but I was pleasantly surprised. The plot is enticing, even thrilling at times, especially for my 5 year old who was really in suspense when Olly fell through the ice. It's fun and somewhat educational, with a good moral. I would definitely recommend it and would say it's suitable for quite a wide age range - 5-9 years if my children are anything to go by and definitely suitable for both boys and girls. Well done Bear Grylls!