When I was a kid, I loved world history....ancient Greece, the Roman Empire... it was all so exciting, but Canadian history? Not so exciting. Of course, I think differently now, and I wished I had this book when I was in school. Then, learning about Samuel de Champlain's expeditions and colonies in Quebec may have been more intriguing.

Wishinsky introduces us to twelve courageous and intrepid explorers in a fun and interactive way. Each explorer is introduced with a chapter that opens up with a small pop quiz (one question) followed by lively text divided by subheadings interspersed with illustrations, maps, and boxes with a True of False question and/or a “Would you...” question to get readers thinking. Each chapter then ends with a report card noting how the explorer would be marked on Daring, Persistence and Getting Along With Others. For example, Marco Polo got an A for all three, whereas Henry Hudson got D for Getting Along With Others and this is clear from his many troubles with his sailing crew.

This book sure makes it fun to learn about explorers for young middle-graders, especially to open up their minds about men who risked much and left a contribution to our world. I learned quite a few things. This book can be used for parents homeschooling their kids and would make a great addition to any home and school library.   

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