Jake Atlas and the Quest for the Crystal Mountain

Jake Atlas #3

by Rob Lloyd Jones

Jake Atlas and his family are searching for the fifth emerald tablet that will reveal the secret to the history of humankind.
At China's Terracotta Army Museum, Jake retrieves a clue to a safe passage into a nearby tomb, where the tablet is believed to be hidden.
But when a helicopter appears and blows up the tomb, the Atlases know they are being pursued by the People of the Snake. They must decode the rescued tablet and journey to the Crystal Mountain in Tibet to discover its store of ancient knowledge. But the mountain is guarded by a spirit, never to be entered.
Not one to be deterred, Jake Atlas must overcome high altitudes, survive in a frozen landscape and drink far more yak butter tea than he'd ever imagined to discover the mountain's secrets.
Another heart-thumping Jake Atlas adventure from an award-winning author, full of laughs and high-tech gadgets.

Genres: Adventure, Middle Grade

315 pages, Paperback

Published April 4, 2019

About the author

Rob Lloyd Jones was born in San Francisco but grew up in London. He studied Egyptology at University where he learnt hieroglyphics, and often goes on digs with the Egypt Exploration Society. He is a senior editor at Usborne, for whom he has written over thirty books – mostly historical non-fiction, but also adaptations of classics such as JEKYLL AND HYDE and THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO. Rob is also a volunteer reading helper at a primary school in Clerkenwell and wrote episodes of the children’s TV show ‘Bernard’s Watch’ for Carlton Kids. He lives in south London with his wife Sally, and 14-month-old son Otis.

Reviews

[Cat Strawberry]

I can’t quite believe this is the last book in the series (I think?), I want there to be more stories of Jake Atlas and his family but this was a perfect way to end the story so far and I’ve loved every minute of this exciting adventure! ‘Jake Atlas and the Quest for the Crystal Mountain’ continues the story from where the second book ended. This time the family are in China, attempting to get hold of another of the emerald tablets before their enemies do.

I really enjoyed reading the first two books ‘Jake Atlas and the Tomb of the Emerald Snake’ and ‘Jake Atlas and the Hunt for the Feathered God’ and have been desperate to get my hands on the third book in the series to see what happens to Jake and his family after their adventure in South America. The previous book set up the expectation that the family were going to China but soon their travels take them to more sacred grounds as they enter Tibet. Just like in previous books it was easy to get into the action right away and within minutes I was engrossed in the story and unable to put the book down! As with the other books this one is filled with lots of funny moments as well as brilliant action scenes with a lot happening, especially to Jake.

I don’t want to give away what happens in the story but I really enjoyed the relationship between Jake and another boy called Tenzin, as well as Jake’s whole attitude to his surroundings especially the yak butter tea! There are also a few chapters that switch the viewpoint from Jake’s to someone else and I enjoyed the last few chapters where we see both character’s thoughts on each other. The ending is really good and I really like the way Jake matures. After everything that happens in the story it was a good and satisfying ending and probably the only good way to end the series but it still leaves you wondering what the Atlas family, and others might discover later (I really don’t want to give anything away so it’s hard to explain without explaining too much of the plot) But it’s still a very good ending and a brilliant book to finish off the series, although I’d love to read so many more adventures of Jake and his family.

I’ve really enjoyed reading all three Jake Atlas books and would recommend them all to everyone regardless of age. They are all very exciting, gripping, action packed adventures with the right amount of humour to make you laugh and yet still feel excited. And being aimed at older children (although I’d recommend it to any age) there’s nothing very dark or offensive in the books, just a brilliant adventure and in this third book in particular it’s just the perfect ending for the whole adventure that the Atlas family have been on and an especially good ending for Jake’s character.
-Thanks to Walker Books for free copy for review.

[Alison]

This is evolving to be an engaging and suspenseful series that has (so far) kept me interested throughout. Was it believable? No. Were there a few moments that had me rolling my eyes? Yes. But did I (mostly) enjoy it? Sure.
I was starting to get annoyed by Jake's disrespect of all the history surrounding him, but luckily Lloyd apparently was too! There was some good character development in this book.
This wasn't a perfect read, or one that I'll be raving about, but it achieved what the author wanted: Indiana Jones + James Bond. And it was fun enough to get away with it.
Perfect for middle grade adventure fans!

[Mike]

Slightly different from the two previous books, in that not everything is told from Jake's point of view, and that Jake himself undergoes quite a transformation of character from beginning to end. Perhaps a risky thing to bring into such an adventure series, but Lloyd Jones pulls it off and allows his reader to re-think some of the cavalier attitude Jake has taken to other people's treasures and beliefs in the past.
As always the book speeds along at a great rate, and there are big scenes of destruction, and hectic scenes of chase and escape. But there's more warmth at the heart of the book too, and this is a welcome addition to the series.

[Bethany Sawford]

This is a bold rating but this book is so special to us. I’ve been reading this series with my boys (10&8) for what feels like forever. We have laughed out loud, screamed and chatted about these books for hours. They love that every chapter ends on a cliffhanger and when the characters act like ninjas. They especially like Jake’s dry humour. I like putting on the voices and creating tension with my intonation. We love this series.

[annabel⭐️]

I really liked this series. I absolutely was obsessed with the jakes character development but was really annoyed with his character at the beginning. Yeah I loved the scene they set and the characters.
I also really enjoyed that Jake wasn't with his family as much. Overall it was great.

[Tim]

"The way out," I gasped. "It's not a way out anymore."

I'm less of a fan of this third book than the other two. Jake is acting more like an idiot criminal and treasure destroyer than a treasure hunter. He has - as he himself points out - become obsessed with the Snake Lady; too obsessed, that is. For a big part of the book, his sister and parents aren't present in the book either, which is a bit of a shame as well.
The chapters with Marjorie as the POV character were fun, and her character development is interesting, although I keep on hoping we'll get a Pan POV too.
It's a bit darker, this book, than the previous ones. There's also a lot of repetition in it. On the other hand, you don't always get to go to Tibet in a book.
6.9/10

[Peter]

After a brief sojourn with his family into the deep Himalayas, Jake goes it alone. He lies to a friend and cheats to get his way, yet expresses regret at what he is doing (which is the only redeeming feature of this aspect of the tale). Like the last book, Honduran Imbroglio (I kid), this tale packs sufficient punch to entertain two pre-pubescent boys, and chill them to anything less gripping.