Mission: Manta Ray – at a glance
The School Reading Lists’ five word review: secret agents, survival, friendship, confidence.
Children’s book title: Mission: Manta Ray.
Children’s author: Philip Kavvadias.
Children’s illustrator: Euan Cook.
Genre: Children’s fiction.
Published by: Chicken House.
ISBN: 9781915026958.
Recommended for children aged: 9-12 year-olds.
First published: Paperback January 2025.
This children’s book is ideal for: those who like an adventure story which is humorous, fast moving, and full of surprises.
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Our review:
Finn, Milo, and Artemis the microraptor are now official secret agents for RAPTOR (Response Against Physical and Technological Offensive Raids) – well, sort of! Sent to a research ship in the Pacific Ocean, the two school friends are about to begin an investigation into unusual activities in and around the Mariana Trench.
They are joined by a third young agent, Tasi, from Micronesia. However, when their ship is attacked, they must not only fight to survive but also figure out who is trying to sabotage their mission. The culprit, when revealed, is both surprising and unwelcome!
Our verdict:
Book two picks up where book one ends, and they work best when read in order. Although there is a brief recap, key plot points such as Finn and Milo’s personalities, their unlikely friendship, and how they come to own Artemis are central to Mission: Microraptor.
The adventure unfolds across various ocean-going vessels and a volcanic island, where the characters’ ingenuity, relationships, and survival skills are thoroughly tested. The story is informative, funny, and exciting. Each of the three protagonists has their own weaknesses, which are explored and addressed in a satisfying manner.
This is a storyline filled with positivity, and even when uncertainty looms, there is always someone to offer a kind word or a helping hand. It’s a great book for readers who need to see the good in others. Finn, in particular, learns to accept his mistakes and apologises for them, which is an important and heartening aspect of the story.
Teaching points and book club discussion ideas:
- If you were a secret agent, what would you want your organisation to be called? Would it be an acronym? If so, how difficult was it to find the right words to fit your chosen name?
- What code name would you choose? Do you think Finn’s name is less cool than Milo’s and Tasi’s?
- In a cross-curricular activity with science, research what makes the Mariana Trench and its creatures so special. Why do you think the author chose it as the setting for this story?
- In a cross-curricular activity with art, imagine and draw the types of creatures that might live in the Mariana Trench. What special adaptations might they have?
- Admitting we are wrong or apologising for mistakes isn’t always easy. In the book, Finn has to apologise even when he doesn’t want to. What might have happened to the mission if he had refused?
- The ending of this book is known as a cliffhanger. Why do you think it is called that? There is going to be at least one more book in the series – what do you think might happen next?
- There’s a free extract to read here.
- Dive under the sea into the Mariana Trench with this interactive “Deep Sea” explorer webpage. It’s ideal for big screens.
Many thanks to Chicken House for the review copy.
To order a class set of this book, please click below to order via uk.bookshop.org, an organisation that supports local bookshops, or Amazon.co.uk.
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