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Find out moreTREASURE HUNTER, TOMB ROBBER, TROUBLEMAKER Jake Atlas and his family are searching for the fifth emerald tablet that will reveal the secret to the history of humankind. At China's Terracotta Army Museum, Jake retrieves a clue to a safe passage into a nearby tomb, where the tablet is believed to be hidden. But when a helicopter appears and blows up the tomb, the Atlases know they are being pursued by the People of the Snake. They must decode the rescued tablet and journey to the Crystal Mountain in Tibet to discover its store of ancient knowledge. But the mountain is guarded by a spirit, never to be entered. Not one to be deterred, Jake Atlas must overcome high altitudes, survive in a frozen landscape and drink far more yak butter tea than he'd ever imagined to discover the mountain's secrets. Another heart-thumping Jake Atlas adventure from an award-winning author, full of laughs and high-tech gadgets.
In a nutshell: page-turning, explosive treasure-hunting adventures | Indiana Jones meets Alex Rider in this excellent series. The Atlases are just like any other family, bickering away, with parents generally on one side against Jake and his teenage sister Pandora. There’s one big difference though: Mr and Mrs Atlas are super-tech treasure hunters, tomb robbers with a conscience if you like, and after years keeping this a secret, they’ve reluctantly recruited their children to join the family firm. This episode pits the Atlases against the mysterious People of the Snake again, and the ruthless Snake Lady, and takes them to South America for adventures in ancient Aztec ruins. It’s a treat for anyone who likes their reading fast-paced and their gadgets hi-tech, and there’s humour too – Jake’s voice is spot on – while Lloyd Jones slips in lots of accurate and fascinating historical detail.
Adventure stories don’t come more action-packed than the exploits of Jake Atlas. As the book opens, the Atlas family are about to fly off to Egypt on a working holiday (Mum and Dad are Egyptologists) and the family tension is so strong you can almost hear it twang; tension of a different kind quickly racks up when Jake’s parents are kidnapped. To save them he and his twin sister Pandora team up with a couple of unscrupulous if well-equipped tomb robbers. After years of academic failure Jake can finally use his true talents, dodging explosions, outthinking the bad guys, even wrestling a giant snake. It’s great fun, the Egyptian settings giving it an extra edge and the developing relationship between Jake and Pan (and latterly their parents who’ve been keeping secrets of their own) gives it a cool credibility too. This is definitely one to recommend to fans of the Alex Rider books, and readers would also enjoy Defender of the Realm by Nick Ostler and Mark Huckerby.