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. a b "And the winner is ...: ... a book that lasts. Kevin Crossley-Holland's The Seeing Stone creates a real world whose people you will remember a lifetime, says Anne Fine, introducing our recommendations for young readers". [Anne Fine]. The Guardian 9 October 2001. Retrieved 2012-06-19. 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. It’s another Bookwagon day in our house. The kids were so excited to get their latest books in the post.

Each setting is vividly described with the beauty of the rainforest and its creatures celebrated whilst highlighting the threats it is facing. Emma Carroll also broadens the story, developing a new thread and mystery to solve, but I don’t wish to give any spoilers..! 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. I have even talked the head into a little revamp of the library so that we can display them properly!

The heroine of this story is Rosa Sweetman, after the war ended, and seven years after arriving, she was the only child left at Westwood longing to see her family again. 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. 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. 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.

All the magic, heart and scope of Ibbotson's classic adventure - I read it in one breathless sitting -- Natasha Farrant, Costa Award-winning author of Voyage of the Sparrowhawk A collection of eighteen romantic short stories that blend great passions with shrewd observations on everyday life. Great Uncle Max is paralysed with indecision between the captivating glove shop assistant Susie and his devoted opera-singing wife, Miss Bennet organises the nativity play at a quiet primary school and makes a miraculous discovery in the search for a baby Jesus, and the lonely dreamer Edwin finds cast-out ballerina Kira on the winter streets of St. Petersburg. Characters in Journey to The River Sea [ edit ] Maia Fielding - An orphan (Main Character) [ edit ]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. Finn Taverner is the son of Bernard Taverner. Finn is the real heir of Westwood. Sir Aubrey sent the crows to find Finn as he needed the son of Bernard Taverner to inherit Westwood. He was really adventurous and loved to spend time with the nature. He wanted to become a doctor who used many natural medicines and herbal cures. He had two personalities; one was the Indian side and the other was the European side. His main goal was to reach to the Xanti who were his mother's relatives. He was a true and good friend to Maia and Clovis. He had a boat named Arabella, on which he travelled and collected the medicinal plants of which he was so fond.