The Tiger’s Nest

On an island nation in the Indian Ocean, the explorers venture through a vast underwater world and take part in a friendly robotics competition. But the tides of good fortune change quickly.

Suddenly, Team Cousteau jumps into action to rescue a faculty member from the brink of disaster. Meanwhile, the team follows Cruz’s mother’s clues to a magnificent tomb and center of spirituality that is precariously perched on the side of a cliff. There, Cruz is confronted by a familiar foe who is determined to stop him from completing his most important mission of all: retrieving the final pieces of his mother’s cipher. In this life-and-death showdown, Cruz witnesses the ultimate sacrifice and uncovers a hidden message that makes him question his own mortality.  

The Tiger’s Nest continues to teach readers about nature in a fun and exciting way. As the explorers head to their next destination, Morne Seychellois National Park in Seychelles, they learn about the dangers that sea turtles face and make a fake egg that can help protect sea turtles’ nests. The egg is based on real technology that conservationists use to protect hatchlings. Helping sea turtles is essential because “only about one in a thousand sea turtles survives to adulthood.” The explorers also travel to a coral reef where they learn about symbiotic relationships between algae and coral, as well as the reasons the coral is dying.  

The Tiger’s Nest has plenty of suspense, action, and adventure for science and technology-loving readers. Unfortunately, each book has a similar pattern where Cruz tries to protect his friends by ditching them. In this installment, Cruz’s actions lead to the death of a beloved teacher. Instead of exploring the unintended consequences of Cruz’s actions, he is absolved of any responsibility and underlying guilt. While Cruz claims he is concerned about others, his risky behavior puts others in danger. It has become apparent that his only concern is finding the cipher that his mother left behind. 

Readers will have to suspend their disbelief because many of the events are farfetched. Despite this, The Tiger’s Nest has positive aspects such as introducing readers to conservation efforts and technology. Readers will enjoy the illustrations which are a mix of photographs and drawings, giving the pictures a touch of realism. Plus, the book includes a section titled The Truth Behind the Fiction; these pages combine pictures and short blurbs on professions mentioned in the book. 

The Tiger’s Nest has a diverse cast of characters who are smart, capable, and willing to work as a team. However, they are not expected to be perfect and often make mistakes. The explorers’ friendship and adventures will keep readers engaged in the series despite its flaws. Readers eager for more books filled with action, adventure, and mystery can find all three in both the Charlie Thorn Series by Stuart Gibbs and the City Spies Series by James Ponti.  

Sexual Content  

• Cruz tells a girl in his class that he’s not romantically interested in someone else. “Suddenly, her lips were touching his. He tasted coconut lip balm. Softness. Warmth. Cruz felt dizzy, but not like any dizzy he’d ever known. . . He was a jumbled mess of terror and joy.”

Violence  

• While flying to Bjitam, the plane Cruz and his friends are on begins to jerk uncontrollably. “Suddenly, Condor rolled sharply to the left. Cruz’s shoulder smashed into the fuselage wall. He heard the overhead bins popping open. Out the window, Cruz saw the green and white snow-tipped trees coming up to meet them.” Eventually, the pilot is able to land safely, and no one is injured. The book implies that Nebula, a pharmaceutical company who doesn’t want Cruz to find the ciphers, tampered with the plane. The scene is described over two pages.  
• After Cruz finds another piece of the cipher, Mr. Rook corners Cruz outside the monastery. Mr. Rook “was holding his arm straight out in front of him. A gun was pointed directly at Cruz.” When Cruz refuses to give him the cipher, “something whizzed past his nose. Cruz jumped back.” Mr. Rook threatens to kill Cruz. 
• In order to save Cruz, one of the instructors, named Taryn, jumps in. “Mr. Rook and Taryn were locked in battle. . . As the two struggled, their thrashing kicked up a dust cloud.” Taryn pushes Mr. Rook over a cliff. Taryn slumps to the ground. “Blood was seeping through her shirt.” Taryn dies from her wound. The entire fight scene is described over four pages.  

Drugs and Alcohol  

• None 

Language    

• One of the explorers, Sailor, uses “bloody” as a curse word several times. 

Supernatural 

• None 

Spiritual Content  

• Cruz goes to a monastery, where he “said a quick prayer of thanks.”