In the third of Kim’s Adventures, Sam is faced with a moral dilemma, one that uses her family loyalty to persuade her to be involved in deception and theft. Peter Stephenson continues in a similar strain to his other Adventure Travels, detailing the cities and food, historical information and elements of cultural practices as he weaves a fanciful tale of the Cook family adventures.
This adventure starts with an accident in the tunnel between England and France. The initial portion of the story deals with the family’s problems getting from the tunnel through Paris to Venice, discussing the well-known tourist attractions and the hazards of travelling in heavily populated areas of the great city.
The villain in this story introduces himself as Mr Big, which almost gives a comical tilt to the story. The story differs from previous patterns as it does not involve the torment of other characters but highlights Sam, the young female character who, in past books, has basically been a follower, travelling with the stories as they develop. This tale sees her being coerced into becoming an art thief as the family travels via river cruise boat through Venice, Croatia and Greece, culminating on the island of Santorini where the clever Kim uses her cunning to help bring the truth to the fore.
Stephenson, cleverly allows the young reader to think about what is a safe secret and when you should tell of people trying to influence your decisions or threatening either yourself or your family. He places emphasis on how dealing with these decisions can affect your health and happiness. He also provides a strong message of the importance of telling the truth and how lies can cloud even a mind that knows what is right and wrong.
The art displays and museums from the area traversed in this tale are described in a manner that encourages the reader to want to also explore these venues. The hospitality of the people and the crew on the cruise ship are described in a way that also encourages a wish to travel and further explore the world.
This set of books provides adventure within a travelogue for young people. The third book continues to provided information and attempts to build the bonds of friendship across cultures and continents, once again providing a good reading experience for the 8 – 11 year old reader.
Reviewed by Leanne Caune
Rating out of 10: 7
Kim’s Adventure Travels Book 3: Eureka in Europe! is out now in paperback and eBook, available through Amazon.
- Read our review of Kim’s Adventure Travels Book 1: Punch-up in the Punjab!
- Read our review of Kim’s Adventure Travels Book 2: Rumble in Rajasthan!
- Kim’s Adventure Travels website
- Kim’s Adventure Travels on Facebook
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