The second book in the series picks up where the previous left off with the brothers being awarded a trip to the South Seas after their successful Amazon venture. This time they are tasked with capturing such sea curiosities as the giant octopus, manta ray, and absurdly, a giant squid. They are also enlisted for a mission involving gathering pearl samples from a top secret coral atoll. However, like all the books, there is a dastardly villain eager to get his hands on their treasure. Interestingly, this villain is the only one to make a reappearance in later books.
In the story's second half, the tone becomes a lot darker as the boys and their Polynesian friend, Omo, are marooned on the inhospitable pearl island. With their survival skills pushed to the limit, they must scrape together shelter, food and water. The sheer luck with which they manage to pull through against all the odds requires great suspension of disbelief, especially when a 20 foot long giant squid turns up to menace them. There are also some bogus animal facts, where their size and ferocity are greatly exaggerated. This book has more of a castaway focus than animal wrangling, yet it's still an exciting, if improbable story.
Rating: 4/5
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