When the Mountains Roared

Product Information

Jess’ books are fast becoming favourites for many and she is ensuring that she is seen as a stand-out talent with her incredibly original style of writing. Culturally enriching, she really imbues her story writing with her own life experiences as somebody who’s been brought up in the UK but is still very much rooted in the Himalayas as well. I really gain the sense that writing a book – particularly this one – for Jess is increasingly more than just writing a book. Not only is it a way of highlighting a vitally important issue or a message but it is also about reliving the magic of moments that have become memories, of which I think your grandmother would be immensely proud, Jess. When the Mountains Roared is the much anticipated second novel from Jess Butterworth after her first book, Running on the Roof of the World went down a storm in Key Stage 2 classrooms.

Buy from our bookstore and 25% of the cover price will be given to a school of your choice to buy more books. *15% of eBooks. Home > Nan’s afraid of flying so they board a cruise ship bound for India. Their tiring journey finally brings them to the bottom of the Himachal Pradesh and a haunted mountain. Life for the family is confronting, their new hotel needs a large amount of work, with the owners e involved in wildlife poaching. Ruby captures photos of the beautiful world around the hotel, she is an observer, listening to secret conversations and trailing her father’s employers. There are moments of fun and laughter, the colourful Holi festival, caring for Joey, watching Bollywood films, making friends with Praveen and dancing to Bollywood music with Dad and Nan. Rahul is the secretive father who drags his family out of their home in the middle of the night and takes them all the way from Australia to India. Although he always shows his affection for Ruby, he sometimes hides the truth. He has his own reasons for being scared, for being ashamed. Ruby, her grandmother and her father have to leave their home in Australia and move to a hotel at the foot of the Himalayas. They arrive in India with their pet dog Polly and an orphaned joey. When they arrive at the hotel they realise what a job they have in front of them to get it up and running and ready to welcome their first guests. All the while Ruby uncovers a poaching ring and vows to save the mountain leopards.

But despite this new found love of the mountains she soon discovers a dark secret that it hides - poachers. These poachers are on the hunt for endangered leopards and will do anything to hide what they are up to. Okay, maybe it’s just me being a fan of authors' notes, but don’t you sometimes feel curious about the story behind the story? Hello Yellow - 80 Books to Help Children Nurture Good Mental Health and Support With Anxiety and Wellbeing - Users who like WHEN THE MOUNTAINS ROARED by Jess Butterworth, read by Rameet Rauli - Audiobook extract

There are a lot of things Ruby is scared of since her mum died, and it is not easy for her to overcome her fears, though she tries her best. This gives a strong message to readers that it’s okay to be scared of things and that facing your fears isn’t always as simple as it sounds. I have no confidence in the dad being able to make a go of anything, he is full of poor judgement and bad decisions. The smuggling supergranny is unbelievable as well. This book has it all - the mesmerizing wildlife of Himachal Pradesh in North India, from the butterfly migration to the giant rhododendron trees, the magical Holi festival, the ancient Ganges River, Bollywood ... At first Ruby hates living in this remote location but as time goes on she makes a friend, learns about the mountains and sees how much help she can be to the local wildlife. This book raps up in a scooby do fashion. Bad guys are caught and even though the evidence is thin against them they strangely confess to everything! Again far-fetched fun.If you've ever watched these movies, then you'll know that I'm talking about deeply moving, entertaining and important story concepts.

The descriptions in this book are brilliant, evoking the jungle and the animals there. There's some horrifying descriptions of poaching, but that's something we should be horrified about. The ending was a little bit Scooby-Doo; confronted by one photo implicating him, the villain immediately confesses to everything including things there was no proof of. I've marked down a star for that. But overall it's an interesting adventure story that shines a light on an important issue facing the world today. Ruby’s grandmother also joins her on her trip. I adored Ruby’s grandmother, she made me laugh a lot, and early in the story she smuggles a joey kangaroo onto the ship taking them to India, causing much hilarity. It’s a relief when they all arrive safely:

Jess’s descriptions of place are fantastic, and you easily lose yourself in Ruby’s world as you read. I didn’t want to leave. Initially, Ruby’s life in India is awful: the hotel they are living is is derelict and has no electricity. Ruby hates her room there and in an attempt to feel closer to her mother, she camps in her trusty tent on their first night there. Camping brings with it bad memories too: I wonder if I’ll ever be able to camp by myself again. The last time was before mum went. Before I was afraid of the dark.” A stunningly compelling & evocative tale that surpasses far beyond the highest of expectations, carrying with it an all-important message of preservation; of the potency of poaching; and of being at peace with the wild and the world; that will live long not only in the minds, but also in the hearts of its readers.’ Ruby and her family soon settle into life on the mountain; Ruby meets Parveen, a local boy and the pair form an instant friendship. He is a sweet boy and he cares for animals as much as Ruby does. But Ruby’s new life is not not all plain sailing. The locals have stories about the mountain and they believe that some of the unpleasant events occurring in their village are the wrath of the Goddess Durga because there are people living on the mountain again. Parveen introduces Ruby to some of the local customs and helps her to build a shrine to the Goddess to help. They do face some disagreements in their friendship and it was interesting to see how they approached and worked through these.