Disclosure: I received this book free as part of the book tour. Opinions shared are mine.

The first line of this book is inspiring and hopeful:

“When the Iron Glory’s engines rumbled to life for its journey to the uncharted lands, it marked a new future for the world of Solace.”

As you might imagine, fantasy abounds in The Quest to the Uncharted Lands.  Alchemy, magic, and all things steampunk find refuge in these pages. 

Stella, our book’s heroine, was charming and spunky. Her experiences, while unconventional, are not unlike the teens of today who want to flex their wings.  One thing I liked about The Quest to Uncharted Lands was that there were limited characters.  Some middle grades books have so many characters to keep up with, leaving readers confused and unsure about the story. By narrowing down the characters, author Jaleigh Johnson was able to focus on developing Stella and Cyrus, making them seem 3-dimensional and robust.

Students in my 6th grade class would love The Quest to Uncharted Lands.  A lesson plan using this book might include a study of The Age of Exploration, or a strong look at modern space exploration.  One interesting line from the book was, “History may say what it likes about this encounter between our peoples….”  That line points a significant finger at the way that history books interpret the past. Students could research explorers of the past and determine how they impacted history.  Advanced students could analyze how point-of-view affects the way history is remembered.  Consider adding The Quest to Uncharted Lands to your classroom or personal library!

About the Book:

Title: THE QUEST TO THE UNCHARTED LANDS

Author: Jaleigh Johnson

Pub. Date: June 13, 2017

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 352

Find it: Amazon, B&N, iBooks, TBD, Goodreads

From the acclaimed author of the New York Times bestseller The Mark of the Dragonfly comes another magical and thrilling story that takes readers on an exciting new adventure.

Stella Glass dreams of exploring worlds beyond her home of Solace, but when her famous parents are sent on a historic mission to the Uncharted Lands, it’s simply too dangerous for her to join them. By order of the king, she is left behind.

Missing out on the excitement is one thing, but Stella is devastated at the thought of her parents flying into the unknown. So she takes matters into her own hands. Instead of staying with family as planned, she steals away and–right before takeoff–sneaks aboard the airship.

But Stella isn’t the only stowaway. In the cargo bay is a boy who is also desperate to get to the Uncharted Lands. And someone else who’s determined to keep the ship from making it there at all. . . .

Other books by this author:

Title: THE MARK OF THE DRAGONFLY

Author: Jaleigh Johnson

Pub. Date: March 25, 2014

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Formats: Hardcover, paperback, eBook, audiobook

Pages: 400

Find it: Amazon, B&N, iBooks, TBD, Audible,  Goodreads

Piper has never seen the Mark of the Dragonfly until she finds the girl amid the wreckage of a caravan in the Meteor Fields. The girl doesn’t remember a thing about her life, but the intricate tattoo on her arm is proof that she’s from the Dragonfly Territories and that she’s protected by the king. Which means a reward for Piper if she can get the girl home. The one sure way to the Territories is the 401, a great old beauty of a train. But a ticket costs more coin than Piper could make in a year. And stowing away is a difficult prospect–everyone knows that getting past the peculiar green-eyed boy who stands guard is nearly impossible. Life for Piper just turned dangerous. A little bit magical. And very exciting, if she can manage to survive the journey.

Title: THE SECRETS OF SOLACE

Author: Jaleigh Johnson

Pub. Date: March 8, 2016

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Formats: Hardcover, paperback, eBook, audibook

Pages: 384

Find it: Amazon, B&N, iBooks, TBD, Audible, Goodreads

From Jaleigh Johnson, the acclaimed author of the New York Times bestseller The Mark of the Dragonfly, comes another thrilling adventure in the magical world of Solace.
Lina Winterbock lives in the mountain strongholds of Solace. She’s an apprentice to the archivists, the wise men and women whose lives are dedicated to cataloging, studying, and preserving the objects that mysteriously fall from the sky in the scrap towns.
Lina should be spending her days with books, but the Iron War has changed everything. The strongholds are now a refuge, and the people Lina once counted on no longer have time for her, so she spends her days exploring the hidden tunnels and passages of her home. The strongholds are vast and old, with twisting paths, forgotten rooms, and collapsed chambers, some of them containing objects that have been lost and forgotten even by the archivists.
And in one of the forgotten chambers, Lina discovers a secret.
Hidden deep in a cavern is a half-buried airship like nothing she has ever seen before. She’s determined to dig it out and restore it. But Lina needs help, and she doesn’t know anyone she can trust with her secret.
Then she meets Ozben, a mysterious boy who has a secret of his own—a secret that’s so dangerous it could change the course of the Iron War and the world of Solace forever.

Praise for The Secrets of Solace: 

“An engaging world rich in detail, mayhem, and adventure…All aboard for fantasy lovers with a dual penchant for girl power and keeping up with the Indiana Joneses.”—Kirkus Reviews

Praise for The Mark of the Dragonfly: 

[STAR] “This magnetic middle-grade debut . . . [is] a page-turner that defies easy categorization and ought to have broad appeal.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred

[STAR] “Heart, brains, and courage find a home in a steampunk fantasy worthy of a nod from Baum.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred

[STAR] “A fantastic and original tale of adventure and magic. . . . Piper is a heroine to fall in love with: smart, brave, kind, and mechanically inclined to boot.”—School Library Journal, Starred

“A complex and impeccably developed plot—there is plenty to recommend in this novel.”—The Bulletin

“Appealing characters and lots of action make it a good choice for young adventure readers.”—Booklist

About Jaleigh:

Jaleigh Johnson is a fantasy novelist living and writing in the wilds of the Midwest.  Her middle grade debut novel The Mark of the Dragonfly is a New York Times bestseller, was chosen for the ABA 2014 Spring Indie Next list, and was named one of Amazon’s Top 20 Children’s Books of 2014.  Her other books in the Solace series from Delacorte Press include The Secrets of Solace and The Quest to the Uncharted Lands.  She has also written several novels and short stories for the Dungeons and Dragons Forgotten Realms fiction line published by Wizards of the Coast.  Johnson is an avid gamer and lifelong geek, and in her spare time she also enjoys traveling, reading, baking, and going to movies with her husband.  Visit her online at www.jaleighjohnson.com.  Photo credit: Mark Jones.  

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Thanks to Rockstar Tours for sending me a copy of the book.