Sabotage on the Solar Express (Adventures on Trains Book 5)

Product Information

Each book in the series dabbles in a different genre alongside the discovery of a new train and country. Where book 4, ‘Danger at Dead Man’s Pass’, follows a steam train on a haunting journey of traditions and superstition, ‘Sabotage on the Solar Express’ carves a more modern route through book 5. Echoing the fast-paced adventure of an action film, the story jets through Australia’s sacred lands while Harrison and the reader are enlightened by scientific knowledge and ground-breaking advancements in transport technology. The first train they travel on though is the very luxurious "The Ghan"; the longest passenger train in the world. Hal isn't too keen on August's daughter, Marianne. He'd met her in California and thought she was somewhat spoilt. He hoped that she wasn't coming too. Sam Sedgman is a bestselling author and presenter. Before writing stories for children, he worked as a playwright, journalist, and digital producer, and founded a company making murder mystery treasure hunts for adventurous Londoners. Written with his friend, M. G. Leonard, The Highland Falcon Thief was Sam’s first book for young readers. A lifelong fan of puzzles, games, and detective fiction, he grew up with a railway at the bottom of his garden and has been mad about trains ever since. He lives in London.

As well as making for a super-addictive read, it also helps to keep these books feeling new and fresh. The authors are not letting these books fall into a pattern, but finding new ways for Hal to have adventures on trains (Uncle Nat is clearly a very good at persuading people given Hal's parents are still letting him go on train holidays with his uncle!) A thrilling and hugely entertaining adventure story’ – David Walliams on The Highland Falcon Thief, the first book in the series. Sabotage on the Solar Express is set in Australia and concerns a train driven by hydrogen and solar power, an invention from the mind of a brilliant child genius. But not everybody is happy with this and, as the journey unfolds, so does the sabotage. Accompanied by Elisa Paganelli's delicious artwork, so precise and clean with detail, Sabotage on the Solar Express rolls on with utter aplomb.

About M. G. Leonard, Sam Sedgman

The setting was so enjoyable too. Both the train itself, and Australia. I loved the descriptions of the landscape and so on, it really made me feel like I was there, without in any way interrupting the flow of the story.

I love this series so much! Always full of action, each book is fast paced and absorbing from the off and Solar Express is no exception. Hal and Nate continue to be excellent lead characters. It's also lovely to see how their relationship has evolved and how much Nate trusts Hal, both as a person but also as a detective. Hal is brilliantly smart, and continues to show how his talent for noticing things is the key to solving the crime - normally aided by his excellent drawing skills! And it really is hard to talk about these books without mentioning the fantastic illustrations by Elisa Paganelli - they help set the scene. Also, Hal's habit of drawing everyone is very helpful in keeping all the characters straight ;) We also got a revisit from a past character in Marianne (well, and August, but I'm not counting him!) and it was great to see the relationship between her and Hal as a result of the events of the second book.

But she is....and she's worried about something. She tries to tell Hal why she is worried but he thinks it is nothing. When they meet Boaz they are surprised to find he's a 14 year old Aboriginal boy who is concerned about Australia and it's environment. Hence his design... All-aboard for the fourth amazing journey in the bestselling Adventures on Trains series from M. G. Leonard and Sam Sedgman, illustrated throughout by Elisa Paganelli. The authors have given so much adventure and so many twists to support the very likeable characters, and yes, that includes Marianne. Boaz comes across as a down to earth young man who is very aware of the eco message that all young children are aware of. Can Uncle Nat keep Hal safe? He doesn't seem to have much choice but to go along with teh children's adventures! Epic Adventures is a short, non-fiction book that explores twelve great train journeys you can take from across the world. Nearly every continent is featured (unsurprisingly, there are no railways in Antarctica just yet) with fascinating facts shared about the countries and cultures, flora, and fauna that surrounds these journeys.