Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson

15th Anniversary edition

This will just be a brief post because I have already talked about Journey to the River Sea back in January, 2012. I first read this book in about 2001 so reading it today means I have read this book three times - that is very unusual for me but in this case I do have a purpose.

Eva Ibbotson died in 2010. In June 2022, Emma Carroll published Escape to the River Sea - a book inspired by Journey to the River Sea. I am really keen to read this new book because I enjoyed many other books by Emma Carroll but it also seemed important to reacquaint myself with the original Amazon adventure first. Very luckily I spied Journey to the River Sea at a charity book sale for just $2. 

Blurb: 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 story tells of the next generation and the growing threats to the Amazon rainforest that continue to this day.

Other Emma Carroll books I have read;

Letters from the Lighthouse

The week at World's End

In Darkling Wood

The Girl who Walked on Air

The Little Match Girl Strikes Back

Sky Chasers

The Ghost Garden

The idea of continuing or building on a classic book is an interesting one. Emma Carroll did her version of The Little Match girl.  Here are some other books that do this:

The Princess and the Suffragette

Return to the Secret Garden

The Magic Faraway Tree a new adventure

I am a huge fan of Eva Ibbotson. I loved One Dog and his Boy.

Lulu the Broadway Mouse by Jenna Gavigan

Lulu lives at the Shubert Theatre in New York City - 225 West 44th Street. Lulu loves her home, she loves all the people who work in the theatre and she is an expert on all the major stage musicals. Lulu has a dream. One day she hopes to take centre stage herself. There is only one, tiny, tiny problem. Lulu is a mouse!

Perhaps the cover gives the plot away. You can see Lulu on the stage and yes there is an audience. She is standing in the spotlight and she is wearing her lucky "silk chartreuse ribbon-scarf".

Meanwhile things are not too easy for the young actors - children who are part of a show staring Stella James. The main child in the production is a girl called Amanda. Her understudy is Maya. Amanda is a nasty girl. She is determined Maya will never perform. Eventually Maya decides to leave the show but it is the new understudy - Jane - who eventually upstages the awful Amanda.

It’s more than that, though. “Lulu the Broadway Mouse” is a love letter to theatre. It recognizes its glory and heartache. It breaks it down that only a precious few ever get to live out their dream of performing in a Broadway show. It takes heart, talent, and luck. Philly Life and Culture

Lulu the Broadway Mouse is an easy book to read. The print is large and the plot moves at a good pace.  Lulu herself, as the narrator, is a sassy yet insightful and very smart girl who would make a good friend. Read more plot details on Jenna's website. Jenna debuted on Broadway herself at the age of 16 and this gives an authenticity to the storytelling. I think this book will appeal to girls aged 9+ who like sweet stories (about mice) and who enjoy exploring complex relationships (human). There is a sequel - The Show must go on. Here is a short interview with Jenna Gavigan. There are hints at the back of the book about visiting NYC and ways to behave when you visit the theatre plus my copy had a sneak preview of the second book:

"Please keep reading because some grown-up already bought the book for you, they (and I) will be heartbroken if you don't finish it."  Lulu

King of Shadows by Susan Cooper

He spent hours at a time sitting in an upstairs room, 

scratching away with a quill pen... 

The pen must have driven him crazy; 

he had to trim it often with a special little sharp knife, 

and a bristling bunch of big new feathers sat on his desk waiting for the moment when he threw the old quill irritably on the floor and reached to sharpen a new one.  

I longed to be able to hand him a ballpoint pen.

• Where is this happening?
• Who is writing with this quill?
• Why can't the person describing this scene pass the writer a pen?

This is London.  The year is 1599.  The writer is Will Shakespeare and the observer is a boy called Nat who has been mysteriously transported from our modern world to act in a play at the original Globe theatre.

The play is A Midsummer Night's dream and Nat will take the part of Puck.

This is a gripping story made all the better by the authentic descriptions of London in 1599.  Here are a few :

" ... London swept over me, caught me up, in a nightmare mix of sight and sound and smell. Even before six in the morning the street was filled with people, bustling about, carrying huge bundles, slung from their necks; dodging to avoid men or horses. Carts clattered over the cobbles, creaking, rocking, slashing up muck ... The whole street smelled bad."

"More than anything from the that first day, I remember the noise.  You'd think that we have more noise today in the everyday world, what with traffic ... but the London of that time was full of church clocks striking the quarter hours, and church bells ringing for services; of watchmen ringing handbells in the street."

"The streets around the theatre were crammed with people, and here and there tumblers and musicians working their hearts our for an odd coin."

I have been reading books which reference Shakespeare because later this year our Grade Five students will view a production by the Bell Shakespeare Company.  This year their play is based on A Midsummer Night's dream and is called Bottoms Dream.

Below I have included a range of book covers for King of Shadows first published in 1999.  Ours is the largest one - which one do you like?

This book could be used as an extension reading resource for our more able students.  There are some harsh scenes in this book including decapitated heads on poles which Nat sees near London bridge and his experience of bear baiting which is quite graphic.

This book is so famous it even has its own entry in Wikipedia.

You can listen to a ten minute audio sample here which begins in the modern world with the group of boys who are getting ready to travel to London to perform at the new Globe theatre.  Here is the Kirkus review.  There are some good links and teaching ideas here.

The Secret Hen House Theatre by Helen Peters

You know that feeling when you read a brilliant book and you just want to rush out and share it!  A book friend of mine read The Secret Hen House Theatre and ever since (this was months and months ago) every time she sees me she mentions this book with such enthusiasm.

Why did it take me so long to read this book?  Well unlike many reviews that I have read I don't really like the cover and I think it is a poor reflection of the tone and even genre of this book.

My second issue with this book now seems quite odd.  When I began to read this book many months ago I had the idea that it was American.  Why does this matter?  Well it doesn't matter but it meant I approached the story with a particular mind set and for some reason I just couldn't relate to this family of four children and their dad living on a run down farm.  This week I sat down to try once again to read The Secret Hen House Theatre and I had a light bulb moment - this book is from England.  This helped the whole setting to make sense.  I read one reviewer who said this book reminded her of Noel Streatfeild and I can see why.  I also reminds me of I Capture the castle by Dodie Smith.

Six years earlier Hannah's mum has died.  Rebecca was a keen thespian and has a wonderful book collection about stage craft and set design and theatre management. Hannah loves to write plays and she has the most fabulous friend called Lottie who supports her every step of the way. Lotte is brilliant at making costumes and graphic arts and is unfailingly positive.

Hannah tries to explain her feelings about acting and the theatre :
"How could she describe the joy of it?  The fun of rehearsals.  The magic of creating a world from wood and words and fabric and sound effects.  The buzz backstage, the butterflies in your stomach, the dazzle of the lights-"

Alongside her passion for the theatre Hannah also longs for her father's approval.  In his grief he seems to have distanced himself from the children and even though he is passionate about his farm animals the farm itself is slowly falling apart.

Lottie tells Hannah about the Linford Arts Festival.  There is a youth drama competition and the prize is 500 pounds.  Hannah begins to imagine all sorts of wonderful possibilities but first she needs a performance space.  Her dad refuses to let Hannah use the loft in the barn but then she stumbles on the old hen house - the perfect venue.  She is able to enlist support from her younger siblings and their preparations begin. Sadly, though, these happy moments are fleeting as they receive news that the rent for the farm has been doubled. Mr Roberts begins to sell of the antique farm equipment and when this does not raise enough money he sells his beloved cattle and calves.  Hannah is distraught.  Now she must win the competition then she can give the money to her dad and their wonderful farm will be saved.

This is a book you will enjoy but you need staying power.  I started this book yesterday and read a few chapters but I was not completely hooked.  It was not until I reached page 188 I just had to abandon everything and keep reading through to the end.  The events of Chapter 25 will leave you gasping and just hoping everything will turn out alright for Hannah and Lottie even though their problems now seem insurmountable.

If you enjoy The Secret Hen House theatre you might also enjoy Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild.   You might also like to read the first chapter.  Here is an interview with the author.  This is a special book which will be enjoyed by thoughtful readers who are prepared to let this story unfold slowly.