The Valley of Secrets

by Charmian Hussey

For use in schools and libraries only. Having gone to a remote area outside the city to visit a house he has inherited, Stephen stumbles upon his great uncle's diary that talks about his incredible journey up the Amazon--inspiring him to look into his family's past, the history of his house, and a meeting with a special native guide who can provide answers to his many questions.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Mystery, Childrens, Historical Fiction, Adventure

382 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Born in London in 1939, Charmian Hussey's early years were shaped by the events of the war. A youthfull passion for Speech and Drama (her greatest inspiration was Shakespeare) led on to a lifetime interest in both the written and spoken word.

She began her career modelling clothes for top couture and fashion houses. Later she studied at the University of London, Institute of Archaeology. She worked on excavations in England and the Middle East.

A senior member of St Hugh's College, Oxford, her doctoral thesis was based on her work on Turkish pottery. On her return in 1965 from two years spent in Turkey, she imported an ancient breed of dogs, registering them with The Kennel Club and, in so doing, introducing them internationally. She is patron of the Anatolian Karabash Dog Club.

Her many interests and concerns include: wildlife and environmental issues; the plight of tribal peoples worldwide; the education of our young.

She has a special love for Cornwall, where she lives and farms with her husband John.

(Source: http://www.pfd.co.uk/client/charmian_...)

Reviews

[Joey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really wonderful children's novel that should one day be a classic. After finishing this book that was not tears, I just had something in my eye... in both of them. Save The Rain Forest.

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

What happened in this book? I can't tell. It had no plot, no character development and to add insult to injury, the prose is dull. I had to whip myself into finishing and only because I hate purchasing and then letting the book languish. After all, if I finish at least I have the pleasure of mocking it.

Ummm, Stephen has spots and inherits some property and there's some mystery surrounding it and weird animals (and you never quite figure out what they are) and in the end he has to stay on the property forever and ever or he loses the house. Except his lawyer's daughter shows up at the end and she's all cute or something and by then his spots have disappeared and he has long hair that's shiny blonde. I mean, seriously, WHAT THE *&^$^&&?? He has to stay in a house FOREVER or risk losing it. I mean, at that point I would have been like "See ya, Creepy Crypt Uncle, you can take your mansion and shove it!" And the part at the end where he sees the girl and it seems like he's going to drag her on to his gated estate and they'll live there forever and ever and never ever leave, not even for toilet paper is creepy as all hell.

If I am ever forced into a horrid winter situation where I have to burn my library to survive, this goes on top of the pile.

[Amanda Postma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my all time favorite books!

I bought a copy of it on my trip to Seattle. Within one day, my grandmother, who was on the trip with me, finished the book. The first chapter I didn't find interesting, so I put the book aside for a while. When I finally came around to reading it, and really got into the book, it was amazing! The facts about the Amazon in this book I absolutely loved, the gardens and forest around the house were absolutely beautiful to imagine, I loved every scene that was described. I recommended this book to all of my friends and my two BFF's loved it as well.

I'm really disappointed that so many people have said that this book is dull, boring, and plot less. Personally, I could tell the author had put a lot of effort into this book. Their is a lot of wit, humor, beauty and imagination in this book, from a simply bathroom scene, to a swim at the beech, I felt like I was there every step of Stephan's journey.

Once again, really loved this book and definitely recommend it to anyone!

The girl at the end... Although I doubt their will be a sequel, I'm dying to know what happens next. (:

[Lilian · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was initially drawn to the book because of the gorgeous cover. I also looked inside and liked the old-fashioned pen-and-ink illustrations. Seeing there was no reviews, I relied on the inside blurb claiming the book "returns readers to the art of true storytelling."

Unfortunately, halfway through the story, I still hadn't discovered what that art of storytelling was. I realized I had gone through half the book already and there was still no form or plot. It was mostly descriptions and repetitive actions of the protagonist. The story did try to pick up steam a bit, but it was already towards the end of the book and felt contrived. Was the writer hoping this would be the "next" Harry Potter with the open-ending?

For me, a good indication of a great story is when the writer is able to convince me that I'm actually an inhabitant of the fictional world they have created with words, that I'm actually there with the characters. This story wasn't that convincing, although very descriptive, it became tedious and boring eventually. I really felt like I was reading something required for school and not for leisure.

If people want to read a great story from a master storyteller, I highly suggest The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King. He is lesser known for fantasy, but this is my favorite work of his. There is a beginning, a middle, and an end, and the plot moves along quickly that there is not a dull moment. It is a hero's journey, and all other characters are thought out carefully as well. I believe the entire novel wasn't even as long as this one. So whenever I come across someone claiming to be a "storyteller", King's book is the one I gauge it against -- and that is a high bar.

I did want to like this book, especially agreeing with the topic on environmental awareness and conservation, but I just can't. Like other reviewers noted, it was too preachy. Dr Seuss' The Lorax is about the environment, too, but brings the message more vividly -- and in rhyme, too!

It also felt this book needed a heavier hand in editing. Part One was just descriptions. Part Two seemed rushed. It could have been better.

I only managed to finished it quickly because I wanted it to be over and done with.

...

Also, it left me wondering if the author was truly championing saving the Amazonian rainforests. If that was true, wouldn't it be more effective have her characters stay in the forest, rather than illegally smuggling flora, fauna and a native to another part of the world? I'm just not entirely convinced.

[Lotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as a child. It remains in my mind, my fondest book for and of imagination.

[Ashley Piekarski · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has the most beautiful cover of all my young adult fiction books... but you can't judge a book by its cover, right? Well this one was just not my cup of tea for the first 2/3 of the book. There's only one character, which is tough for keeping an audience's focus, but Hussey built an incredible storyworld so it should have been easy. However, the writing was just so mundane... until the last third of the book which got very political in a way that I found very engaging but also extremely random. I certainly agreed with the politics, but the execution of this story was lackluster overall.

Great world building, stale writing style.

[Chloe · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s always a risk, rereading a book you first read as a kid, and whilst this one didn’t totally hold up, it gets an extra star for pure nostalgia and making me want to live in a cottage in the Cornish countryside.

[Eliott · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Valley of Secrets
Overall Rating: ⭐ ⭐ (2/5) or 3.42/10 overall

Characters - 3
There was one main character and he was the focus for the majority of the book. Unfortunately, he was not relatable and I just could not empathize with him. :/

Atmosphere - 2
The first at least half of the book was 99% description and 1% action, I'm sure if I was looking for over-description this would have been great but no, I was not looking for that.

Writing - 4
Decent. The pace was wack but the imagery was there. The author tried to make it interesting and descriptive and just ended up making it even more confusing to me.

Plot - 3
Legit where was the plot. This story felt like it was going nowhere for the majority of the time and when it finally picked up, the plot made little sense.

Intrigue - 6
Somehow, amongst the lack of plot and dreadfully dull characters, I was still thoroughly intrigued and wanted to know how this trainwreck ended. :)

Logic - 3
The logic was not it. The new creatures were just not explained well, the message was convoluted, and the main character made stupid decisions.

Enjoyment - 3
Somewhere along the line I was enjoying it enough to get halfway through, but after a certain point the preachiness of the story just got to me and the enjoyment was little to none. I needed to know the ending, that was it. ... And the ending was trash, so :/

[Ѽ tazannah Ѽ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lol the cover of this book gives me dark academia vibes. But it was really, really good :)

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure about this one because the blurb on the back didn’t say much about the story other than that it involved an orphaned boy who suddenly finds out that he’s the only beneficiary in a never-before-seen great-uncle’s will. But it takes place in Cornwall, which is, as any folklore lover knows, one of the most mysterious places on earth. We first meet Stephen Lansbury as he’s just finished a course in botany and is fretting over whether to return to the children’s home where he grew up or set off on his own. An elegant letter from Postlethwaite and Postlethwaite arrives, which brings Stephen to an odd interview with an ancient lawyer nestled comfortably in an office overrun by a jungle of plants. Bertie Postlethwaite informs Stephen that his great-uncle Theodore Lansbury has left him an estate in Cornwall, and Stephen should be getting on there right away to “take care of things.”

With a train ticket and 100 pounds from Mr. Postlethwaite in his pocket, Stephen heads to the wilds of Cornwall. There he finds gates that mysteriously open, overgrown grounds, and an empty but spotless manor house. As he explores, Stephen begins to notice things. Like the strange “woomp, woomp” calls in the forest, the fact that the house has no electricity, that some of the rooms have thick layers of dust all over everything while others are spotless, the odd hammocks hung in the library and in a room upstairs, and the creepy feeling that he’s being watched. Eventually, Stephen finds his great-uncle’s journals and becomes privy to a grand adventure had by his uncle and his friend B. As the days and weeks pass, Stephen comes to realize that his uncle brought part of his adventure home with him, a revelation that solidifies when Stephen finds an injured animal of a type he’s never seen before. He nurses the animal back to health, and is eventually led by the animal to find the greatest secret of all.

I confess that I am a sucker for stories that involve mysterious houses, unexpected inheritances and great secrets, so this book captivated me immediately. As I read, I felt like I was gently being led down a path and at the end I would find a fabulous gift. And that’s just what I found at the end of this story. The events unfolded at exactly the right pace, and the characters were all wonderfully drawn. The only thing I didn’t appreciate was the author’s occasional tendency to preach about the destruction of the rainforest. Although the topic was certainly pertinent to the story, the facts were presented awkwardly and didn’t really fit into the narration. All in all, though, this was a lovely, gentle story…give it a try.

[Sula · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was initially attracted to the gorgeous illustrations in this book, but unfortunately the book itself wasn’t very enjoyable. I had high hopes for this as it seemed quite unusual and the potential to be interesting but it was disappointing. Generally I quite like descriptive writing and I'm not too bothered if a book hasn't got much action but this was too description-heavy and tedious for me. Every little thing he does and thought process he has is described and most of these descriptions do not move on the story!

Not much seems to happen for large chunks of the book and most of it is just him walking in the countryside and some diary entries about a jungle. I do feel the story could have been told much more effectively in half the number of pages, it was not worth the 430 it took up.

The odd bit of plot and characters (all extremely minor as they make up only a tiny part of the book) there were among this didn't really seem to hang together particularly well and it felt a bit random. The main character was neither particularly interesting or likeable. This book was overwritten and I have ever read a book which manages to have so little happen over so many pages as much as this one does. It’s a pity, if only it had been cut down then it might have been okay (but not amazing). Luckily it was brought cheap at a charity shop where someone else had also obviously found it uninspiring!

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, don't listen to the bad reviews. To get to the climax of the story, you're going to have to read for a while, and don't give up. Around the last quarter of the book is when the secrets come out, and the mystery and awe appears. As the main character starts to read the journal of his uncle(?) (It's been a while since I read it) be starts discovering secrets about the old house, and what really happened in the jungle.

I think this was a truly captivating read, and you will think so too, if you let yourself get into it.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Listened to this on audio and nearly dozed off...multiple times. Very little action, hardly any dialogue, lovely and LENGTHY descriptions... might have been nice to find in grandma's attic on a rainy afternoon and read snuggled up by the fire, but I couldn't get into it. Although I had to finish it to see what happened...and it was as I expected.

[Charlotte · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was so boring I almost didn't finish it. But, sadly, I did and made some of my brain cells die in the process.

[Harley Bennett · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well,that was a waste of time.

[João Teixeira · Rating 2 out of 5]

No geral, achei a história deste livro bem construída e cuidada. Vê-se que a autora teve uma preocupação em dar um ar de verosimilhança ao que está a narrar. No entanto, penso igualmente que esta tentativa de verosimilhança é exagerada, pois a verdade é que Charmian Hussey detém-se em descrições exaustivas que, a meu ver, não servem da melhor forma uma história que tinha até bastante potencial para ser apelativa a vários tipos de leitores.

E tendo em conta a natureza fantástica de parte da história (a qual só se vem a desvendar no capítulo 55 - até esse capítulo a autora detém-se em descrições que pouco ou nada acrescentam e que tornam o livro maçudo), não se compreende que a narração esteja tão preocupada em ser "coerente"... Aliás, nem são essas descrições minuciosas que salvam o enredo de falhas que são difíceis de compreender. A propósito de manter o mistério que a mansão de Lansbury Hall encerra, há certas atitudes de algumas personagens que não fazem sentido. Por exemplo: como é que um advogado comunica a Stephen que este recebeu uma herança sem lhe dar explicações, e até mesmo recusando-se a dá-las? E como é que Stephen, um pré-adolescente, tomaria posse de uma propriedade sem que lhe fosse entregue um registo dessa propriedade ou até mesmo sem que lhe fosse dado algo tão simples como a chave da casa que herdou?

Enfim, creio que o grande "pecado" de Charmian Hussey tenha sido o de inicialmente querer escrever um livro para o público infanto-juvenil, errando completamente o alvo, pois a única coisa que conseguiu foi dar-lhe um tom demasiado adulto, austero, prolixo, nada inovador, até mesmo escusadamente complexo (principalmente na parte em que Stephen começa a ler os diários de viagem que o seu tio-avô escreveu quando, no início do século XX, partiu numa aventura pela bacia do Amazonas).

Bastaria a Hussey que tivesse optado por um estilo narrativo mais de aventuras, em vez de se preocupar demasiado com descrições minuciosas que tornam o livro desinteressante. Ainda que a história inclua algumas mensagens ecológicas, tudo se perde em demasiadas páginas em que pouco ou nada acontece.

[Len · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a promising and moving story and then - well, it's a pity about the bugwomps. It is as if Jane Austen, instead of going on and on about achieving a judicious marriage, introduced an animated cuddly toy into the drawing room. It may look and move like a grotesque oversized caterpillar but it loves being stroked, is affectionate, cute, doesn't eat the furniture - or the cat - and has a strong enough sense of humour to suggest that, beneath its undulating ridges of hair and skin, there is a lively and mischievous intelligence. It proves to be an ideal pet for an English gentlewoman of property: it knows its place and has an uncanny respect for the boundaries of one's landed estate.

For a novel heavy on environmentalism, the whole bugwomp thing seems out of place, as it celebrates the introduction of an invasive alien species into the fair landscape of Cornwall - and it is not only invasive but clearly highly adaptive. Any creature capable of moving from the sweaty humidity of the Amazon forest to a tingling frost of an English winter and surviving is ready to take over the world.

The story is progressing so well as Stephen works his way around the mysteries of Lansbury Hall and its grounds and then, a lovely touch, he finds and begins reading the Amazon diaries of his Great Uncle Theodore. While he is reading them the novel becomes more and more interesting, and then, one day when he is out walking, he comes across his first bugwomp and the house of cards begins to tumble. Later he meets Murra-yari, an Amazon Indian brought back by Theodore as a boy. That is fine and the story could have continued very happily to its conclusion. But it's those bugwomps turning an intelligent YA novel in the direction of a lightweight children's fantasy with fluffy, playful cuteness which get in the way of everything. Their only saving grace is their inability to speak. Talking bugwomps would have sunk the book without trace.

The book goes two-thirds of the way to being memorable and then hits the penultimate hurdle. Even so, it is still worth reading.

[Sathya Readalot · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is magical.

[Makenzie Muñoz]

DnF

I've had this book on my shelf for MANY years!! Finally picked it up, and it just wasn't for me. After nearly 200 pages, I gave up. Maybe I would have had a different outcome if I'd read this when I got it.

[Evie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am so very torn about this one. Hussey's language is very vivid and illustrative, bringing the reader right into the scenes she sets. It's impossible for you to not come away fully understanding the landscapes, or the structure of Lansbury Hall. You know just what the kitchen looks like, know just what the bedrooms look like, and can almost breath in their musty mysterious air. But, here's what I've had to conclude: the wonderful descriptions do not make up for the fact that you go nearly 250 pages without anything truly exciting happening.

I mean, of course things happen, but nothing gripping. Very patient readers who want a relaxing mystery will enjoy this. Anyone else will grow frustrated before the "mystery" is revealed. The botanical descriptions are interesting, and there is an underlying call for advocacy and action to protect the rainforests. But, again, that doesn't make up for the fact that your protagonist largely interacts with about three people in very brief episodes, and is largely plodding about the Cornish countryside talking to himself and reading journals for the entire book. He eats, he explores, he copes without electricity, and he reads. Stephen doesn't say anything interesting past little interjections when alone. He cares for wounded animals, meets a very important human at the end... Again, I emphasize, at the end. Everything noteworthy happens during the last 100 pages.

There's also the matter of how she puts things in quotations when Stephen refers to something using words that don't actually describe what they are, like the "hanging bat" of the hammock or the "odd collection" of fire-starting things on the table. I was extremely irked every time this happened. The "dancing eyes" he saw through the window, too. Like there's this little ironic voice in my head every time this happens, and I have to act like I'm partaking in some little joke.

When I look at who Hussey is, though, I understand why she writes the way she does-- most likely drawing upon her archaeological experiences and relating a tale from a very academic standpoint where these small details make up a larger fascinating picture. But, oh, that doesn't make it exciting. If this is indeed for children or even young adults, I just don't know how you could get them reading until the end. Looking at reviews on here, many seem to be adults (I'm in my twenties), but where are the younger readers? What do they think?

So, I think this novel is beautiful in its own way… but was very tedious to get through. I lost patience around page 200 and began speed-reading past that.

[Anthony Burt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh I so much loved the beginning of this gorgeously described novel. It had a fairytale, innocent and light quality that skipped along. But, that quality actually started to become very grating by around page 130 - there was just no confrontation, no real "darkness" and, importantly, the main character spent so much time on his own in the house he had no one to play off of and it became dull. Worse than that, it started turning into a sappy version of a Famous Five novel, but without much adventure.

Aaargh, Charmian can REALLY WRITE very well and I'm actually not happy with giving this one a bit of a pasting here as it could have been so much better. And I actually think this opeinion is very subjective because there just wasn't enough dark intrigue for me, which is ironic as it's called The Valley of Secrets. It was just too much of a lame version of the VERY good Spiderwick Chronicles.

If you're into sweetness and light stuff you'll probably like this. I, however, gave up on page 150. Sorry Charmian...as I said, some beautiful language just not enough impetus in the story.

[Linden · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Valley of Secrets by Charmian Hussey tells the story of an orphaned boy, Stephen, who inherits an estate from a distant and unknown uncle. When he arrives he finds a mystery about the estate and its grounds as well as one about his uncle. Stephen teases out his answers by exploring the grounds and by reading his uncle's diary about his explorations in the rainforest.

I enjoyed the somewhat classical form of writing: descriptions that set the scene, and the premise of a protagonist who longs for--and discovers--family. A pleasant surprise was that the book included an environmental flavor. Despite the fact that portions were the text of a diary, I didn't find reading a book about a boy who was reading a book to be tedious. In particular, I liked the gradual revelation of creatures and plants that helped advance Stephen's understanding about his uncle and the mystery of Lansbury Hall.

[Aukse Gudauskaite · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could barely read it. There were times when the books felt a bit interesting, but it was very boring. No character development, no actual story. The book was a waste of time, since it it pretty thick.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[DaniLanglie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of the weirder books that I've hung onto from childhood; it's not some big popular series or a well-beloved children's classic. I remain completely mystified as to when I got this book, or who would have given it to me. One of the reasons I think I held onto it all these years is that I remembered it scaring the HELL out of me when I was little. Like, I read this and was really, really spooked by it. Which means hopefully I read this when it first came out in 2003, when I would have been 10 or so? lol. But honestly, even as an adult, the scenario at the core of this book, the way it operates for the first, like, 60% of the run time, is honestly still scary to me today.

Big, old, creaky empty house, mysterious noises, you know somebody is coming into the house when you're not there, you're on your own without electricity... all the times Stephen is like creeping through the empty dark dusty rooms, rushing to use the bathroom before returning to the haven of the library, I was like... yeah. This would be scary for any kid, I would think! There's ghostly panpipe music coming out of the unexplored wilderness! Somebody's stealing his bananas! He's all on his own!

That, honestly, was the big thing I remembered from this book. I had vague memories that there were made up critters but I had sort of misremembered it as that the made up animals were pseudo-sentient and were the ones helping him around the house and doing the gardening and stuff, and he just didn't know it. But no, there's a whole-ass other human living on his property the whole time that he doesn't know about, which gives me shivers just thinking about. Murra-yari's very nice and all, but he could have like... introduced himself, I think.

The way the Amazonian tribe and those characters are talked about in this book is interesting. I don't think it's a horrifically racist portrayal or anything; in fact, it seems to be a text intent on gently educating young white people on how just because something is unfamiliar to you, doesn't mean it's any less worthy of respect and interest. I liked that Theodore and Bertie actually get adopted into the tribe, learn the language, and learn all sorts of cool new science from the indigenous people they've befriended. I like that Stephen as an amateur botanist himself is determined to find ways in the future to save the Amazon however he can, and that he wants to keep the bugwomps safe moving forward.

Buuuuut... on the other hand, there's something a little dicey about two white men sneaking a kid they found in the Amazon back into England with them and then keeping him hidden in Cornwall for his whole life until he dies of old age, like, it feels a little kidnappy, and the optics of: "the way to save this grand old English house is to sell the priceless artifact passed down from father to son for generations in my tribe" is also like... yikes? I guess? And the idea of making up fun and whimsical species of animals for the white explorers to "discover" and then save from being destroyed in the Amazon by other white people... eh, I mean... it's just a little messy, yeah? It felt like everything was extremely well-meaning and the lessons were very much about how colonialism is bad and we need to protect the planet etc. etc., but perhaps there's a hint of "this was written by an old white lady" about it at times.

I honestly had fun revisiting this, but it's not one of those children's books that I would make it a priority to share with kids in my life when they're old enough, there's just nothing about it that really makes it shine. Cute story, genuinely kinda spooky vibes for a lot of the run time, and a surprisingly melancholy ending that was a little touching, I must admit.

[AquaMoon]

Sigh.... another for the DNF pile.

I actually started reading this book almost 15 years ago while still taking classes for my Library degree. I didn't recall much about it, just that it was really atmospheric and I never finished it. And now I know why that was so.

The premise seems interesting: A orphaned teen, Stephen, inherits an estate from a distant relative he didn't know he had. The house, although large, is pretty rustic. No electricity or any of the comforts and conveniences of home most of us would expect from such a place. The grounds are expansive, populated by odd plants and animals, and full of possibility. However, there are some odd stipulations for Stephen, should accept this inheritance. And if he doesn't follow these rules, he loses everything. Plus there's a mystery: From the moment he steps into the grounds, he feels like something is watching him.

This sounded awesome before...and the small bits that stuck with me were enough to make me want to give the book another go.

Unfortunately, I didn't make it very far. Again. The truth is the book bored me. Because almost 100 pages in, nothing was happening. Sure, the descriptions were detailed and really set the scene, but there was no action, no suspense (other than the "something is watching me" mystery...which I quit caring about because it got old pretty quickly), and there were no other characters for Stephen to interact with. And Stephen himself was a dull character. Quite honestly, I think the story could have been paired down to the length of a novella and been far better for it.

[Tristan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do have to agree with some of the reviews that say there was no action in the plot or anywhere, but I find this book quite intriguing. The start of the book pulled me in and made me feel like something big and exciting was coming. I can't say that the whole book was incredibly exciting, but most of the journal parts were linked deeply to the plot and many exciting things happened. Did none of you feel scared or sad when they were attacked and the little kid had to hide in his treehouse? (I haven't read this book in quite some time I don't remember the names) Or when he was rushing to carefully strip the bark from the tree to save him from the disease? I agree that some parts of it were boring and tedious, but mostly there was a lot of action in my opinion. The ending wasn't as satisfying as I thought, but it didn't leave me screaming "I hate this book". This book was different from a lot of books I read, (I read mostly young adult, fantasy, LGBTQ) but I still really enjoyed it. I agree with the negative and positive reviews. In conclusion, some parts of this book are boring, but most of the time there is lots of action. The ending was not very satisfying, but I still remember and like this book nonetheless.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

"It was Ok" is an apt reaction. I loved the cover and thought, okay, sure, an orphan inherits an estate, but there is a secret and a mystery and it's an ecologist fantasy mystery adventure - yep, I'm in. I thought this was a YA book, but I think perhaps part of the problem is that it falls somewhere in between - in that it's sort of written for a teen reader and it's got a simplistic quality, but it's also long and vague and I'm not sure it (not it would not) would hold the attention of at least my tween.

Anyway - there is a mystery, there is a house, there is a secret estate, there is an adventure of the great uncle exploring the amazon and the plants and animals that he brought back to his estate are hidden and cultivated and protected. And now Stephen has inherited the legacy.

I think that this could have been condensed to a much stronger story. It's long winded and lacking in many ways, almost like each short chapter was a tease for something that never came. It makes sense to me that there are very mixed reviews to this -- one star or 5 star -- love or hate -- I liked it, but sadly, it was just OK because it was lacking. For me.

[Macie · Rating 3 out of 5]

An orphan coming from who knows where, Stephen Lansbury has struggled with many things over his lifetime. Academically treading water and dreading the return to normalcy after his foster parents send him to a special school to learn about things he actually likes Stephen is pleased to receive a summons to a property he has supposedly inherited from a relative. Upon his arrival to the strange estate he is alone surrounded by nothing but rumors and mystery as he makes a way for himself to survive. Later though, he realizes this journey is not just about him, and an adventure lived vicariously through his great uncles journals leads him to a discovery that promises him all he's ever wanted; the opportunity to belong.
I had a hard time getting into The Valley of Secrets. It wasn't until the second half of the book that I really was interested in what happens next because the book seems to go pretty slow and even the climax of the book seemed a little on the boring side. BUT it was a good bookend a great vocabulary extender (I looked up a lot of words). I recommend it to anyone looking for a slow read that provokes thought of a greater picture.

warnings: none.

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Valley of Secrets. The story of Stephen, an orphan boy who inherits a large estate in Cornwall after his great uncle passes away. The book is based upon the mystery of the estate known as Lansbury Hall of which Stephen must discover via researching his uncles past and adventures in the Amazon. This book was very slow paced. For me it’s amount of description regarding plants became quite repetitive and unengaging, having to read about 250 pages before actually beginning to uncover or learn about the mystery. Although the mystery itself is very interesting and engaging, the slog to actually get to that section of the book was not fun. I wish the author cut to the chase a little bit more and had a better balance of the use of description rather than over using it. Overall the book was a decent read. I probably wouldn’t pick it up again to reread due to the beginning just dragging on a to long. I also think young readers to whom the book is targeted for may struggle to stick with the book as the mystery does not unfold until much later.