The Desert Challenge

Sophie loves camp – except for all the creepy crawlies. Getting trapped in the tent with a Daddy Long Legs is terrifying, and spiders make her scream. It’s so embarrassing. But then a mysterious compass transports her to a fiercely hot desert, where Bear Grylls, her guide, is waiting. The sun is beating down, and together they must trek to find water and overcome the dangers of lurking in the dunes.

Sophie’s fear of all bugs is extreme. When she sees a bug in her tent, she thinks, “Insects just made her feel sick, and there was nothing she could do about it. She hated them all. Spiders, wasps, bees, beetles, caterpillars, earwigs. . .” While readers may not relate to her fear of bugs, she remains a likable character because she openly admits to her fear and never complains about it. When Sophie is transported to the desert, she eagerly learns about the dangers lurking in the desert as well as how to survive.

During her adventure, Bear shows her how to survive, including how the desert provides food. Sophie discovers that eating a scorpion isn’t as disgusting as expected, and she overcomes her fear when she sees “an enormous snake, coiled, and staring right at her.” Instead of panicking, she is “strangely calm. [The desert] was changing her for the better, making her tougher. She was learning to deal with shock and trauma like someone who could handle the pressure of the desert.”

The Desert Challenge has large text and illustrations that will appeal to readers and help readers visualize the story’s events. Because the book is written in the UK, some of the terms will be unfamiliar. For example, the zipline is referred to as a zipwire, and a flashlight is called a torch. Additionally, some of the desert terms may be new to readers, but the context clues make it easy to understand the meaning of unfamiliar words. For example, Bear explains that a wadi is “a dry riverbed.”

The Bear Grylls Adventure Series books can be read as a standalone and do not need to be read in order. Each book focuses on a different child at the outdoor activity camp. Once the camper is given the magical compass, they meet the adventurer, Bear, in an amazing place and learn new skills and facts they can take with them back to their real life. Each book aligns with Common Core Standards, making it suitable for educational purposes. Plus, the book is printed “in a reader-friendly font and design” to help those with dyslexia. Three pages of additional information about deserts are included at the end of the book.

The story’s conclusion is abrupt, making it feel as if Sophie’s journey was cut off too quickly. However, readers familiar with the Bear Grylls Adventure Series will enjoy the familiar format and the easy-to-understand plot. The Desert Challenge teaches important lessons about overcoming your fears. The engaging format, the simple plot, and the encouraging message make The Desert Challenge a good choice for readers who aren’t ready to tackle longer, more complex books.

Sexual Content  

• None 

Violence  

• Bear kills a scorpion in order to eat it. “He pulled out his knife and killed it calmly and quickly, then cut off the stinger on its tail and put the scorpion in his pocket.” 

Drugs and Alcohol  

• None 

Language  

• When Sophie falls off a zipline, she thinks, “What kind of idiot can’t even sit on a zipwire?” 

Supernatural 

• None 

Spiritual Content  

• None