Twelve-year-old Cruz Coronado leaves his home in Hawaii to study and travel with other young people invited to attend the elite Explorer Academy in Washington, D.C., but a family connection to the organization could jeopardize his future.

Unlock ancient puzzles and secrets introduced via supercool codes and ciphers in this companion book to the new Explorer Academy series by Trudi Strain Trueit. Crack the code, find the clues, get the inside scoop on the Academy and more! --

"Solve puzzles -- Travel the world -- Uncover mysteries to complete your mission!" - cover.

Unleash your inner adventurer in your very own Explorer Academy field journal as you undertake missions to explore your favorite spots, boldly plot future world travels, and record your innermost thoughts and feelings along the way. You've read along as Cruz Coronado and his fellow explorers travel the globe. Now let National Geographic Kids help YOU explore and chronicle your own adventures Go on cool training missions in your backyard, draw your own pair of emotoglasses, plan out your future world travels, learn the tips and tricks that real National Geographic explorers use in the field, and plot where you would hide your cipher pieces in your own mission-saving scavenger hunt These and many more exciting prompts will help you discover your inner explorer and determine if you have what it takes to be a part of the Explorer Academy

"Cruz Coronado sets sail for the shores of Iceland and Norway aboard the Explorer Academy ship to continue his studies at sea. But, things take a turn while exploring the icy north, when he embarks on a dangerous mission to uncover the first piece of an important puzzle his mother left behind"--

A heart-pounding final showdown changes the life of Cruz Coronado forever in the seventh and final book in this thrilling fact-based fiction series. Amid assignments that take the Explorer Academy recruits from the iceberg-filled waters of Antarctica to the bone-dry deserts of Argentina, Cruz Coronado is scrambling to complete the last piece of the cipher. With Nebula agents and the elusive explorer spy still out there, his opportunity to recover his mother's world-changing formula is slipping away. But as Cruz has learned from his time aboard Orion, true explorers must never give up. Even after completing dozens of high-risk missions and traveling to all seven continents, Cruz could never prepare himself for one ultimate surprise. Explorer Academy features: Gripping fact-based fiction plot that inspires curiosity with new technology and innovations; amazing inventions and gadgets; a cast of diverse, relatable characters; secret clues, codes, and ciphers to track down within the text; vibrant illustrations; elements of STEAM; National Geographic explorer profiles in the "Truth Behind" section. Complete your collection with: The Nebula Secret (1) The Falcon's Feather (2) The Double Helix (3) The Star Dunes (4) The Tiger's Nest (5) The Dragon's Blood (6) Explorer Academy Codebreaking Activity Adventure Explorer Academy Ultimate Activity Challenge Explorer Academy Field Journal Explorer Academy Future Tech

"Cruz and his fellow recruits tackle challenging missions to dispense life-saving medication to gorillas, thwart pangolin poachers, and capture images of the last known cheetahs in Namibia--all the while discovering that protecting the world's threatened species is a dangerous business. Things turn deadly for Lani, Sailor, Emmett, and Cruz as they search for the fourth piece of Cruz's mom's cipher. Cruz knows it's not going to be easy, but will an unexpected guest bring a disastrous end to the search? In this global game of cat and mouse, one mistake may cost you the ultimate price"--