The Blizzard Challenge by Bear Grylls

Bear Grylls Adventures. Bear Grylls, Bonnier Publishing Company, 2017. ISBN 9781786960122
(Age: 7-11) Bear Grylls is a well known adventurer and survival expert. He's had several TV programs and has written books for both adults and children. His Mission Survival books were targeted to older primary school students but this series Bear Grylls Adventures will appeal and be accessible to a younger reader.
The theme in The Blizzard Challenge is survival and being the best person you can. Physical struggle and adversity against nature teach lessons about both persistence and self belief. The first message on Bear's website is 'Life is an adventure. Live it'. This is something that Olly learns in this first book.
Olly is reluctantly on a camping trip and he lets down his friends during the activities. He doesn't want to put up the tent, build a den or be part of the team. While wandering in the woods he is given a compass by another child whom mysteriously comments, 'I think you need this'. This compass has a strange fifth direction which takes Olly straight to Bear Grylls on a high mountain range. Bear teaches Olly how to survive in sub zero temperatures and hazardous situations such as walking on a cracking frozen lake and enduring a blizzard.
Olly returns from his adventure having learnt important lessons about the environment and himself. He passes the compass onto the next adventurer who features in Desert Challenge book 2 of this series. There are 4 books available in this 12 book series.
Emma McCann is the illustrator and her drawings feature throughout the book. Colour is used only on the cover.
Bear Grylls appeals to children and this series will interest to 7 to 11 year olds.
Jane Moore