Escape to the River Sea

by Emma Carroll

Beautiful and full of adventure, Escape to the River Sea is Emma Carroll's compelling novel inspired by Eva Ibbotson's bestselling, classic masterpiece, Journey to the River Sea.

Genres: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Adventure, Historical, Childrens, British Literature

288 pages, Paperback

First published June 9, 2022

About the author

After years of teaching English to secondary school students, Emma now writes full time. She graduated with distinction from Bath Spa University’s MA in Writing For Young People. In another life Emma wishes she’d written ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne Du Maurier. She lives in the Somerset hills with her husband and three terriers.

Reviews

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolute delight of a book.

I read Eva Ibbotson's original tale #JourneyToTheRiverSea last year to celebrate its 20th anniversary and I adored it. It took me right back to a childhood of adventure stories. So when I saw there was to be a sequel written by Emma Carroll I knew I wanted to pick it up.

The original is full of charm and this is absolutely a fitting tribute. This captured the same warm, comforting feeling that I got from Ibbotson's original tale, whilst bringing us a completely fresh and new story to enjoy. This second novel can be read as a standalone, or as a companion to the original, it works equally well as both.

What an honour Emma Carroll had to continue Eva Ibbotson's legacy, and she ABSOLUTELY did it justice.

If you're a fan of the original then please pick this up, it's precisely what you want it to be. And for those that haven't read the original, then give them both a try, you won't be disappointed.

Thanks so much to the publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Due to the nature of the book this has to be a review of two halves! As a standalone work of fiction it's fine, enjoyable even. Fabulous setting, adventure, mild peril, happy endings for those who deserve them, punishment for those that don't.

But this isn't a standalone work of fiction, it stands on the shoulders of a giant! The ingredients may be the same as in Journey to the River Sea but the results are quite different. The sprinkling of magic that Eva Ibbotson brought to everything she wrote is missing. It's the difference between expecting a gourmet meal and being given a Big Mac. A Big Mac hits the spot if it's what you're craving, but if you expected something more you'd be sorely disappointed.

*ARC from Netgalley for an honest opinion*

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been about 20 years since I read Journey to the River Sea. I'll always remember the blue butterflies on the canopy, which I will never see. There were lots of memorable animals and beautiful bits in this book. I liked all the characters.

[Dannii Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an incredible follow on of one of my favourite childhood reads. Review to follow.

[EM WATSON · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a huge privilege to be allowed to review this adventure. Thank you to Emma Carroll, MacMillan Children's Books, and NetGalley.

Plot summary.

The Nazi occupation Vienna finds eleven-year-old Rosa Sweetman separated from her mother and elder sister, and evacuated to the crumbling stately home of Westwood, in the north of England.

Seemingly deserted by her father, and separated from her mother and elder sister, she makes the most of her time under the guiding hand and watchful eyes of Lady Prue and Sir Clovis, owners of Westwood. Ever hopeful of news of her family that never comes, she is soon joined by other evacuees from all over the country.

Along with the children comes a rather more unusual set of evacuees – the residents of a nearby zoo. Rosa soon takes on the role of helping Billy, the zoo owners son, look after a puma called Opal. But seven years on, when the war ends, both children and creatures return to their parents and homes, leaving Rosa once more alone. When Rosa accidentally lets Opal escape, her life seems to become even more unbearable than the scratchy tweed clothes Lady Prue has her wear.

When Westwood's driver is sent to collect a foreign lady from the station, Rosa thinks her mother has come for her. From the disappointment of discovering the lady isn't her mother, but a family friend of Sir Clovis comes an adventure that takes Rosa across the ocean and to places beyond her wildest hopes and imagination and to a land where wild pumas roam free. More than that, what should have been a break away from Westwood, turns into a highly dangerous adventure that will surely captivate young readers everywhere.

*****
My thoughts.

Escape to the River Sea is quite probably the best, most captivating, informative, beautiful and thoroughly entertaining period adventure I have had the pleasure to read in many, many years. Never for a minute did I not feel a part of the people of the world we are transported to and travel through. It held my attention with the elegance of the scene-setting, the strength of the characters, the plight of the forests, and of course the carefully unfolding adventure. All of which left me unashamedly crying at the end.

This is a story that is truly as powerful, beautiful and big as the mighty River Sea — the Amazon, in which it is set. Thoroughly recommend for all young readers and their parents.

My father travelled the Amazon in ships, not unlike those featured in this book. The black and white photographs that we keep have been given an extra dimension through this story. Emma Carroll surely is at her best with tales such as this!

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Escape To The River Sea by Emma Carroll is an exciting children’s historical novel that is guaranteed to entertain all those aged eight years and over.
The novel is set at the end of World War II as we follow a young girl who was sent to England from Austria before war started as she was Jewish. Her mother and sister were left behind. Now war is over, and she is looking and waiting for the post with a letter to say her mum and sister survived. The reader can ‘feel’ the tension and disappointment as each day passes with no news. However, she still clings to hope.
There was another search running parallel. This takes the characters and the reader to the Amazon to look for the famed Giant Sloth. We are treated to the sights and sounds of the jungle under the skillful pen of Emma Carroll.
The author portrays the bond between the young girl and a magnificent jaguar, who along with other zoo animals was also evacuated to the crumbling mansion in the countryside. This is to be a bond that will forever remain and is beautiful to see. All the pent-up love finds a release as the young girls pours her love into the big cat.
Family is important. We all want to belong. Family may not be perfect but it is where we long to be.
Escape To The River Sea was a very entertaining read. I was enthralled from the start. Emma Carroll captures and fires up the reader’s imagination with her stories.
I received a free copy via Net Galley. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

[Fi's Journey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely and sad story. I remember enjoying Eva Ibbotson's Journey to the River Sea and when I saw this book in a charity shop, -I picked it up. I also thought this might be a good summer's read.

This makes me want to read Eva Ibbotson’s book this year before the summer is over.

Loved the characters, the lush Amazon setting and the journey from England to South America and the travels through the jungle. I love adventure/journey stories with good characters.

[Anna Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slow start, but some sustained reading sessions got me hooked on this story. I haven’t read Journey to the River Sea, but this book has inspired me to do so. As always, Emma Carroll’s writing is superb.

[Lana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a darling little story for young readers and old alike. Twists and turns we never saw coming, with a perfect ending. The author used beautiful word imagery to truly paint the scene of the Amazon and of broken life in Europe after the war.

[Haleena Hussain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review incoming, huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC,

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to MacMillan for the ARC to review.

I was so desperate to read this “sequel” because I absolutely love Journey to the River Sea and I knew it would be safe in the hands of Emma Carroll. It was all I could have hoped for and more! A fantastically exciting adventure through the luscious green Amazon once again, meeting some wonderful new characters and saying hello again to the old. The storyline was intriguing and mysterious and kept me gripped throughout, and, whilst set in the past, there were also aspects that are particularly relevant still even in today’s world. Just brilliant!

[Naomi F · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely story, made me nostalgic for Journey to the River Sea, thoroughly enjoyed it!

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I was so excited to read this book. Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson was one of my favourite books as a child (and is one that I need to re-read sometime soon); it's imagery has stuck with me throughout the years. I also recently read The Week At World's End by Emma Carroll and absolutely adored it, I immediately knew I had to read more of her work. So imagine my sheer excitement finding out that she was writing a follow up to one of my childhood favourites! I was over the moon with the news and now, having read the book, I am thrilled to say it did not disappoint.

I loved how intricately tied together Rosa was with Maia and Finn's family from the beginning due to her staying at Westwood with Clovis. It was such a natural starting point to propel her into a journey that would take her through to the Amazon where she'd adventure, make friends, create a new family and rediscover her biological one.

But before that even happened, she was an immediately strong and endearing character. The compassion she had for the animals that had been hosted at Westwood throughout the moor was just wonderful; I loved how much she loved Opal. She was also greatly endeared by how pervasive her loneliness was, her feelings surrounding how empty the house and grounds were without the animals or the evacuees was so striking and pervasive. I also loved the little details about her like her dislike of the clothes Lady Prue made her way, it all built her up into a realistic character. I could picture this girl and feel for her so easily.

With regards to other characters, I absolutely loved Maia and Finn's children: Yara, Enzo and Vita.
Yara, the first one introduced to the reader, was such a wonderful character. I loved her initial introduction as following up on her grandfather's work to discover the Giant Sloth; it showed a sense of dedication, determination and loyalty to her family. It was something that I absolutely loved because, following the reveal towards the end of the story that she was actually an agent working to hunt down Nazis (specifically one who is likely responsible for the death of Finn's parents due to this individual's past as an artefact smuggler) all of her pre-established characteristics still held firm. The reveal didn't change the core of her character and I loved that, she was still the character we'd grown to know and the fact that both the lie and truth revealed the same core facets of her character just shows how coherent her characterisation was.
I also loved Enzo and Vita; I really appreciated how Enzo was the slightly more cautious of the two of them as well as how Vita looked up to Yara. The three had a really well-crafted sibling dynamic.
Their relationship with Orinti, their cousin, was also great (and he was such a GOOD character - his intelligence and storytelling ability was just phenomenal). Additionally, Vita's initial hesitance around Rosa was such a great and realistic detail about someone who's always lived in a very tight-knit, family set-up.

Moving onto the plot, I thought this was just so brilliantly executed. The setting and timing of the story were utilised in such an effective manner to set up the post-reveal plot whilst not overshadowing the initial perception of the story. The original quest to find the Giant Sloth had all the charm, danger and excitement of so many kids' adventure stories I read growing up. It was engrossing and enthralling. The reveal of the search really being for an escaped Nazi only served to heighten the sense of danger and bring this story back down to a crushing sense of reality. With regards to both the crimes of the Nazis and the injustice of how Europeans have treated the Amazon (destroying it for cattle farming and digging for oil), this book didn't shy away from realities. It handled everything in what seemed like an effective way for this story and the target audience.
The reveal also worked to bring in the 'new' character of Rosa's uncle - previously known as 'panama hat man' - and then the return of her mother and sister, Liesel. I'll confess, their return felt a little sudden and awfully plot-convenient since they arrived just before Rosa was set to return to England. But, it was a happy ending that Rosa deserved and that I wasn't sure she'd get so I'm tempted to let any criticism of that slide. It was so lovely to end this story with Rosa reuniting with her old family having found a new one.

All in all, I loved this book. It was just the kind of thing I'd have devoured as a child (and can still, of course, enjoy as an adult).

[Vonprice · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Queen of Historical fiction remains firmly on the throne!

I was very grateful to be granted access to the eARC by NetGalley, you can read my full review here: http://vsviewfromthebookshelves.home....

[Amy (Golden Books Girl) · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I got the DM asking if I wanted a copy of this book, I honestly thought I might be dreaming, and it’s still kind of mind blowing that I wasn’t, because not only has Emma been one of my favourite authors since I was about 12, but I also adore the original River Sea story by Eva Ibbotson. I think the first thing to say is that this does a beautiful job of honouring Journey to the River Sea while also being something you could very much enjoy as a standalone. It’s the story of Rosa Sweetman, a Kindertransport child who has been raised in a crumbling English country house, and her journey to the Amazon after a family friend visits and invites her along to go in search of the giant sloth. This family friend is in fact one of Maia and Finn’s children, Yara, and so when Rosa arrives at the family age meets twins Vita and Enzo, as well as Maia’s former governess Minty who now looks after the new River Sea generation. I have always been fascinated by what life would have been like for Jewish children, or in this case the daughter of a Jewish man, during the war, and it’s probably a silly little thing to comment on but the fact that Rosa is from Vienna rather than Germany made me really happy given that the significance of Vienna to Eva Ibbotson. Rosa is a wonderfully rich and well developed character with flaws but also an inherently likable quality. And I loved all three friends she makes- Enzo, Vita and Orinti- but I have to give a special mention to Vita because she is so feisty and kind hearted and I just loved her a whole lot. The adventure they go on is a bit different to the one mentioned in the blurb, but I loved the historical details of it and I thought the ending was just the most perfect, happy thing possible. I am so beyond thrilled I got the chance to read this early, and ridiculously excited that Emma Carroll has another 2022 release in September for me to look forward to!

[Tracy Lander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rosa has been sent on the kinder transport from Austria to England by her Mother and older sister Liesel just as the war was starting. She was not picked up by her sponsor than was seen by Sir Clovis and he offered to take her home to Westwood. The house was a large sprawling country house, which needed a lot of work. But Rosa wasn't the only one, Sir Clovis and Lady Prue took 20 school girls, evacuees from towns. Even better for Rosa they took animals from the local zoo which was bombed. Rosa loved one animal the most, a jaguar called Opal. She lived in the stable!
But the girls left and so did the animals from the zoo, well most of them Rosa was in a hurry to see Billy; the boy who had taught her to look after Opal, that she didn't shut teh door properly and when Opal pounced the door opened and Opal ran into the moor. Billy's dad was very unhappy, they all had to search. Billy's dad told Sir Clovis he would have to pay them for her escape.
Then there was a visitor to to Westwood, Dr Yara Fielding. She is looking for details about her grandfathers search for the mythical Giant Sloth of the Amazon where she lives with her family. Yara's mother is Maia, the girl from Eva Ibbotson's Journey to the River Sea (which I last read about 15 years ago). Rosa finds herself returning to the Amazon with Yara. She isn't welcomed by her family at first, but then odd things start happening. Does the Giant Sloth really exist? After all no one has sighted it for years.
Yara becomes ore secretive and disappears early one morning, her twin siblings are not happy and with Rosa they go after her. The adventure starts here.
You definitely don't need to have read Journey to the River Sea to read this book, but it would fill in Maia's story.
The story is suitable for possibly y3 (depending on reading competence) onwards. It contains quite enough adventures to keep any child happy. This is the first Emma Carroll story I've read (despite buying in others for school) and I will definitely be looking out some more.
Along with the story of Rosa's friendships, first with Billy, then with Yara's family that, until she gets on a boat to Panama with Yara, she has never met, is the story of her parents and where they are, no one has heard from anyone from the time Rosa arrived in 1938.
Read it you won't regret it.

[Stephen the Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Journey to the river sea has become a children ‘s classic and to produce a sequel would always a tall order but Emma Carroll has suceeded. This is a deliciously enticing adventure mixing history,adventure and life in the Amazon. Rosa has been living in England during and following WWII having escaped the nazis but with no knowledge of her family’s whereabouts. She has a fascination with wildlife having lived in a home that sheltered zoo animals in the war; the opportunity arises for her to go to South America with Yara a supposed hunter of rare animals and in this case The Giant Sloth and so begins the adventure. Mixing an adventure tale on the search for the sloth and understanding of life for communities within the Amazon, Emma Carroll has written a fast paced tale that draws us in and builds to its final reveal…..The characters are fully formed with sparks of humour and pathos. This is an ideal book for upper KS 2 and one I will be recommending highly as a great sequel or a stand alone novel . A winner

[Coco :P · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book so much :( I think, because the original was more around Maia's story, I wanted to only read about her 😂😂 so it's more of a dislike with preference than anything wrong with the actual book. I'm giving it to my cousin, and I know she'll love it!

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely and entertaining read of historical fiction.

Set around the end of WW2 we follow the main character, a young Jewish Austrian girl who has been sent to England, leaving behind her mother and sister. She’s now awaiting to hear from her family, obviously, we all know about what happened to Jewish women captured by the German’s but as this is aimed for children, there is no mention. However, there is tension from the lack of news which we can all feel in the book as there is no news.

Rosa is a lovely character, strong willed but also with flaws which is what makes her character so realistic and rich, she’s also very likeable.
The book also focuses on another story as well as Rosa’s and this is of the great and famed Giant Sloth, we are treated to the Amazon, sounds of the jungle and all the sights too.
Caroll’s amazing writing shows us the importance of animals when we are stripped back from all that we know and are familiar with and how even though we cannot be close to our loved ones in terrible situations, we can use all the love we have and invest in a bond that last’s a lifetime, regardless of it being with an animal that is supposed to be in the wild jungle or in captivity and that is how a young girl who is evacuated befriends characters that we would only find in a zoo.


I have never read the first book that this book is sequel to – Journey to River Sea but I’m feeling I should have a read of it. I’m guessing any book by another author is a tall order to right a secondary book too, but I know if anyone can do it, it’s definitely Emma Carroll, who’s books I love even at my age and I’m far older than a ten year old!


ARC from netgalley in return for honest review!

[James Brydon-Dickenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read ‘Escape To The River Sea’ on a whim given that I have not (yet) read ‘Journey To The River Sea’, it came up as an audiobook available from my library and had skipped through a few audiobooks that I just couldn’t get into. This was a welcome relief.
I love finding children’s books with such a complex plot that unfolds steadily the further you read. It was one of those rare period fiction books that feels fully seated in the context and facts of the time in which it was set. The main character is a young girl who at first seems to have a really odd and confusing storyline, but this is something that is used as a jumping off point to talking about the complexities of her past and present. It does impress upon you the awful number of displaced adults and children that war creates and that just disappear, never. to be found again.
A large portion of the book speaks about colonisation and the destuction of habitats with the impact on both native peoples and the local wildlife.
I would have liked to hear more about the ‘bad guy’ of the story, we do have some fleshing out of his story, but it is in the style of detectives explaining the plot to the audience once they have rumbled the nefarious ways of the villains.
Overall, a great action and adventure book twined with historical context and environmental themes.

Content notes: death, abandonment, kidnap. Nazi, WWII, antisemitism

[Jane Sandell · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's always risky to touch a classic book and Macmillan and Emma Carroll have been brave in the extreme to revisit the world created by the late, great storyteller Eva Ibbotson in Journey to the River Sea. But here's the good news: it works!

The novel features Finn and Maia's children and is set largely in the Amazon rainforest. But the central character is a creation of Emma Carroll's own, Rosa Sweetman, a half-Jewish Austrian sent to England on the Kindertransport in 1938 at the age of three. The book is set in 1946 and she is still living in the north of England with Sir Clovis and Lady Prue at Westwood. She has been protected from the Nazi atrocities and is deeply concerned that her family has not reclaimed her.

Yara Fielding, a connection of the family at Westwood, arrives for a visit en route to her Amazon home and invites Rosa to accompany her. It turns out that Yara is going on a hunt for the giant sloth - or at least a monster of some kind. And Rosa, and Yara's twin siblings get involved.

This is a splendid novel. I loved it. The characters are living breathing people. Emma Carroll does not try to write like Eva Ibbotson (thankfully) but her characters are very reminiscent of Eva's in their strength and bravery. Of course, Emma is a successful, award-winning author so it is no surprise that she has written an excellent book. What I did find surprising, though is the way in which she has evoked Eva in her writing without ever tipping over into pastiche.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

With thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for the digital ARC.

I’ve been a fan of Eva Ibbotson for as long as I can remember, so I approached this with trepidation. I need not have worried. Emma Carroll picks up Ibbotson’s style and world with aplomb.
Set about 30 years after Journey to the River Sea, Maia is now grown up and has an older daughter and boy/girl twin’s of her own. Rosa, this novel’s main character, is an Austrian Jewish evacuee living with the assumed Sir Clovis in England and waiting for her family to come now the war is long over. When Yara, Maia’s elder daughter, turns up Rosa is given the opportunity to travel with her to Brazil and then the adventure begins.
The pace is perfect - like Ibbotson it’s never overwhelming and never dull.
Rosa and Yara’s journey across the ocean felt real and cast the change in setting just right. Old character’s appear but have evolved as they would over the course of 30 years while still feeling true to the original.
I would happily recommend this to fans of Ibbotson, and hope it also opens up her readership more widely.
Carroll has been an author to follow for a while but this book cements her essential place on every shelf for 8-10 years olds.

[Isobel Gilbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson so I was intrigued by this sequel written by Emma Carroll. Although I know she is an excellent childrens' author I was unsure what to expect of a follow-up of what is a fabulous book. I need not have worried. Emma Carroll takes us on a new adventure in the Amazon with a new generation of children. The old favourites are there Miss Minton, Maia, Finn and Clovis but they are the foundation of the tale and are not at the forefront. So Eva Ibbotson's original characters, drawn with her words and our imaginations, are not spoiled by Carroll and her tale: they are there as adults and she has not tried to develop them further or add to them she has just told a new story to add to theirs. I enjoyed reading it (once again the Amazon, with its flora and fauna, is beautifully described, we also learn about separation and a little about the evacuation of Jewish children from Europe in WW2) and I will happily recommend it to our young readers at school. I am not sure I was quite as transported by it as I was with Journey to the River Sea but that was, in my opinion, wonderful.

[Denise Forrest · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rosa has been sent to England at the beginning of the war as part of the kinder transport. Born to an English mum and Jewish Austrian father, she is hoping that now the war is over she will be reunited with her family.

Meanwhile a strange young woman called Yarra visits the home where she has been staying. Yarra is heading home to the Amazon and Rosa begs to go with her. Yarra reluctantly agrees and this begins Rosa’s adventure.

I normally enjoy Emma Carroll’s books but I couldn’t get into this one. I haven’t read Journey to the River Sea so I don’t know whether this would have made a difference but having read this it doesn’t inspire me to read the original.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Eva Ibbotson's original book and this is an excellent sequel to that story. It was lovely to revisit those characters, now older, alongside some great new ones. Emma Carroll perfectly evokes the Brazilian rainforest, it's wonders and dangers, alongside the new threats facing it. I also loved the way the story develops. With the backdrop of the end of World War II, this takes us on a hunt for a mythical monster that has been sighted deep in the Amazon. As this develops we discover different monsters which prove far more dangerous, involving ratlines, escaping Nazis etc. Overall this was a wonderful read and I really enjoyed it.
My thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Books for the ARC in return for an honest review.

[Helen Kingsley Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining, if rather short, sequel to Journey to the River Sea. Emma Carroll hasn’t tried to copy Eva Ibbotson’s style and has made it her own but has still managed to maintain the integrity of the much loved original characters. The only character I wasn’t so sure about was Finn.
The book deals with rainforest destruction as well as the events that happened at the end of WW2 in a way that largely worked with the overall plot.
Fans of the original novel will no doubt delight in meeting Maia and Minty once again although they do not take centre stage in this novel. Rosa, Vita, Enzo, Orintini and to some extent, Yara shift the adventure to a new generation and I enjoyed their characters and adventures.

[Izzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Escape to the river sea follows a young kinder transport girl called Rosa who is staying in England waiting for her family to come. She currently lives with Clovis (seen in journey to the river sea) and his wife. When a young woman called Yara offers to bring her along to the Amazon where she lives Rosa can’t refuse exited at the concept of seeing a Jaguar in the wild.

Re meet all the original characters (now grown up) and a whole host of new ones as Rosa explores and thrives in her new life on the river sea all the while hoping her mum and sister ( who she had to leave behind) will find her.

[Tammie Groeneman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had all the makings of a fun part 2 to the original (and much better) book by Eva Ibbotson. It really needed editing; not just because of typos and left out words, but because there are too many elements trying to be fleshed out. There are too many characters that act oddly. Too many storylines and antagonists. Is this a book about the rape of the rain forest or WW2? There are points that could have been made without being so obvious. There were soooo many times while reading this that something would happen I would think “why?”
It, honestly, just could have been so much better if an editor would have brought this book into a sharper focus.

[Emily Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of a young girl who is lucky enough to travel to Brazil and go on an adventure into the rainforest, where she meets new friends very different to herself. They go on the hunt for a giant sloth but the story takes an interesting twist and nothing turns out quite like you expect, which I loved and didn't see coming at all!
The beauty of the Amazon is brilliantly put across and the characters are relatable and fun, making this a great story to captivate young readers. I really enjoyed it and will be buying copies for my school when it is released (9th June).

[Georgie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eva Ibbotson was one of my favourite childhood authors, so I was very intrigued to see how this book would compare. This book was respectful to Ibbotson's original work, and developed the characters in a way which felt natural and expected. The descriptions of the Brazilian rainforest were amazing, and the story would be just as enchanting for a child today as Ibbotson's Journey to the River Sea was for me.

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for sending me this arc.