Escape to the River Sea by Emma Carroll

Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books

Released: 9th June 

In 1946, Rosa Sweetman, a young Kindertransport girl, is longing for her family to claim her. The war in Europe is over and she is the only child left at Westwood, a rambling country estate in the north of England, where she'd taken refuge seven years earlier.

The arrival of a friend of the family, Yara Fielding, starts an adventure that will take Rosa deep into the lush beauty of the Amazon rainforest in search of jaguars, ancient giant sloths and somewhere to belong. What she finds is Yara’s lively, welcoming family on the banks of the river and, together, they face a danger greater than she could ever have imagined.

Featuring places and characters known and loved by fans of Journey to the River Sea (including, among others, Maia, Finn, Miss Minton and Clovis) this spectacular new chapter in the story tells of the next generation and the growing threats to the Amazon rainforest that continue to this day.

What I Have to Say 

I haven't read the original Eva Ibbotson, Journey to the River Sea, but I loved Escape all the same. It had all the beautiful characters and engaging storylines you would expect from an Emma Carroll book. It is a great example of a children's book that has danger, emotional themes and heartbreaking scenes, but is still the sort of book that makes you feel happy and comforted. 

There was as much adventure as is expected from a book about the amazon jungle with plenty of danger and excitement. You can really get lost in the main characters reactions to everything and feel just as excited as her about all the animals she catches sight of. 

I also liked that she brought up the idea that wild animals shouldn't be kept in captivity without making it sound too preachy. 

My thanks go to Macmillan and Netgalley for providing me with this copy for review. 

Into the Jungle by Katherine Rundell

Synopsis (from Goodreads and Netgalley) 

Pages: 240

Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books 

Released: 20th  of September 2018 

This wise and witty companion to Rudyard Kipling’s 1894 classic is likewise a series of connected stories about the man-cub Mowgli and his adventures among the animals in the Indian jungle. It includes all the original favorites like Baloo and Bagheera and gives female characters, like Mother Wolf, a more prominent role in Mowgli’s upbringing. The timely theme of the possibility of understanding and empathy across species, cultures, and genders will resonate with contemporary readers.

What I Have to Say 

This book was the best, not only were there several amazing short stories about the characters in the Jungle and their childhoods, there was also a main overarching plot that tied them all together and brought all the characters into play for the dramatic finale. It was wonderful exploring the world of the Jungle Book through new perspectives and seeing more of the characters that don't get so much attention. 

As always with short story collections, some of the stories stood out more than others. I loved the one about Kaa and the story of Mother Wolf's encounter with Shere Khan, but I also like the bits in between that showed Mowgli's character so beautifully. I loved the restlessness of him and the way he went around asking for stories from the animals around him. 

This wouldn't be a complete review without mentioning the beautiful illustrations by Kristjana S. Williams. The first picture took my breath away as I wasn't expecting such an amazing, detailed, full colour illustration. It became clear very quickly that I'm going to need to buy a finished copy of this absolutely beautiful book, which looks like it's going to be stunning. 

I'm not a massive fan of the Jungle Book. It was there in my childhood but it was never one of my favourites, but Into the Jungle really made me want to watch it again and read the book. I think it would be a great book for fans, but also for any reader who just wants to see Rundell's take on it. 

 

My thanks got to Netgalley and Macmillan for providing me with this copy for review.