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

I received a copy of The Desert Challenge. Understand (from Amazon!) that it is the second in a series of twelve books, but I think only the first two are available so far. I didn't think it mattered that I hadn't read the first in the series when reading this one.

As others have said, the book is about Sophie, who is at a summer camp and terrified by any insects she comes across. A boy gives her a magic compass which transports her to the desert where she meets Bear, and goes on an adventure with him. Along the way, she learns all sorts of things about desert life, and how to survive, and does eventually overcome her fear of the wildlife.

I would say the book is aimed at the 6 - 9 years age range, and would be excellent for those children who don't particularly enjoy reading stories, but like non fiction, because whilst this is obviously a story there are lots of facts and survival tips which would make it appealing.

Overall, a good read.

Thank you for Megan's copy of Bear Grylls Adventures- The Blizzard Challenge. It arrived Saturday and she read it within half an hour! She's already asked me for some more!

What Megan has said:

I found this quite a surprising read. I opted to give this book and Bear Grylls a go because my Uncle is a big fan of his television programme and after attending some bush craft sessions myself i thought i'd quite like to see what his writing is like.

It turns out, it's actually quite good! I like facts mingled in with my story telling and i have to say the Bear put in the right amount of facts, in the right places- where most kids would forget that they're learning at the same time! I kept reading them out to my mummy and thought that they were very interesting and of course good to know!

I've read some other things said about this book and i would like to say that this book is most definitely not just for boys! I really enjoyed it and read it in one go. It is recommended for children aged between 5-7 but i would say that can go either way as i'm sure younger and older kids would enjoy it too.

The Reader:

Megan is a 9 year old bookaholic, she's well known at her local library (and a few more around the city) and is a big advocate for literacy, books and authors. Megan attends a regular Chatterbooks group where she borrows and reviews books for the library.

My Thoughts:

I was surprised that Megan was so keen to read the book, while she has attended some bush craft events she's never really watched Bear of tv- having only seen the one with Barrack Obama. I think it had more to do with the challenge aspect of the book and the series than who had written the book.

Megan follows a lot of authors online and her interest has always stemmed from what she likes to read and not any 'celebrity' status. So while it may be Bear's fame that sells his books, Megan has enjoyed them for what they are- an adventure filled with survival tips.

I hope this review was informative and if you have any follow up questions please feel free to ask.

Thank you for our copy of the desert adventures, I have read it to my son and he loved it, though it is a bit long for bedtime reading! We've been pacing it out over a few nights.

As op had said the cover isn't very enticing and I'm not sure he would have picked it up off a shelf in a bookstore or library.

Thank you for the copy of The Desert Challenge that we received yesterday. DS2 (7) and I read the first couple of chapters together. He wasn't that keen initially - he said the cover didn't look very exciting and he would have preferred some brighter colours (the cover is in desert yellows and browns). However, after an hour or so, he had picked the book up to read by himself, and he'd finished it by lunchtime. He said that he wanted to keep it to read again rather than pass it on to someone else, so I think it's a hit.

This is his review:

This story is about a young girl called Sophie, who has two kind and helpful friends. Sophie is petrified of all insects, even though she is about a thousand times bigger than them. Magically, after falling into a sandpit, Sophie finds herself in a desert. She meets someone called Bear, who helps her to try and be calm even though things can be really frightening.

I like that in the end Sophie finally isn't scared of bugs any more. I think that Bear is very kind to Sophie and helps her get used to the desert.

I would recommend this book for children my age (7).

I was excited to give the Bear Grylls book to my 7 year old daughter this morning when it arrived- she was delighted as she'd seen it advertised and began reading immediately. I'm awaiting feedback eagerly!