The Star Dunes is the fourth installment of Explorer Academy, the fact-based fiction series deemed “captivating” by the editors at Parenting.com. This series features even more thrilling adventures, complete with science, technology, culture and code breaking, and will have kids on the edge of their seats as the action-packed plot intensifies. Follow 12-year-old Cruz Coronado during his time at the prestigious Explorer Academy, where he and 23 kids from around the globe are training to become the next generation of great explorers. In addition to making new friends and attending cool classes, Cruz must also work to unlock clues to his family’s shadowy past if he is to solve the mystery of his mother’s untimely death.

About The Star Dunes: In this exciting follow-up to The Double Helix, a major discovery catapults Cruz and the Explorer Academy team into the limelight and they head off to Africa. After yet another strike from Nebula, someone close to Cruz ends up on the brink of death, leaving the ship in turmoil and Cruz and his team down a major player. The discovery of his mom’s next clue leads Cruz to a vast desert — and just when he thinks he’s run out of leads for solving the mystery of her tragic disappearance, an unlikely ally helps him pursue another piece of the ongoing puzzle. Can Cruz and his team stay one step ahead of Nebula and find the next piece of the hidden cipher?

About Explorer Academy series: The Star Dunes is the fourth book published under the National Geographic Kids Books fiction imprint, Under the Stars. For more adventures with Cruz and his fellow explorers, fans can head to ExplorerAcademy.com to watch the Explorer Academy animated series “Brain Freeze,” play Explorer Academy-inspired games, find the latest updates on The Star Dunes and more! The release of Explorer Academy: The Star Dunes follows on the heels of National Geographic’s successful first annual Recruitment Day — a global tour designed to inspire kids to think big, stay curious and keep exploring the world around them. Armed with a team of powerful female explorers, the worldwide tour reached more than 13,000 students via 30 educational and inspiring events — and generated nearly 9 million media impressions via notable national, local and trade publications in support of The Double Helix.