Thanks to NetGalley for this copy.

This is the second book in the Unmapped Chronicles series, following on from Rumblestar. There is also a World Book Day book from 2019 which begins the stories - Ever Dark. I had read Ever Dark but not Rumblestar but it does not matter if you haven't read other books in the series - this is a stand-alone adventure that works perfectly well by itself.

Fibber and Fox are twins who have been raised to think of no-one but themselves. But when they find themselves whisked away on a strange train to Jungledrop, one of the Unmapped Kingdoms, they realise that their previous behaviours will not help them and they must find a way to work with - not against - other people to save not just Jungledrop but also their own home.

A fabulous adventure pitting family and friendship against dark magic.

Another brilliant book by one of my favourite children’s authors. I love how Abi writes about complicated children, giving all her stories much more depth and humour. The beginning to this adventure is a real masterclass in how to pull children in to a story. Fantastic.

An epic adventure for young readers! Abu Elphinstone is an auto-buy author for my family bookcase. Her books are full of heart and humour.

Yes yes yes!! When this book popped up to request on Netgalley, I thought all of my prayers had been answered at once.
Having brought all of the other books in the series, avidly read them, then took them into my class where they were promptly devoured by my pupils one by one;telling my class that I had managed to read the next instalment in the adventure before it was released resulted in me being treated like some sort of God by the children. They can’t wait to read it and secretly, neither could I!
It didn’t disappoint, filled with powerful messages of love, hope, kindness with a sprinkling of eco warriorness, it is an essential for any primary school classroom. Well done on another superb instalment in this wonderful series which had me gripped to the very end (even as an adult!)

Having read Ever Dark and Rumblestar, I was really looking forward to Jungledrop. This continuation of the story of Morg did not disappoint! The main characters, Fox and Fibber Petty-Squabble (more great names from Abi) were easy to imagine and their transformations throughout their journey were both believable and heartwarming. Abi's description of the magical kingdom of Jungledrop was excellent, a must have for younger readers. The chapters were a nice length - not too long, putting this book firmly in the category of a good read for reluctant readers. I look forward to getting my hardcopy and sharing with my class.

With adventure and heart on every page, this is another stunning novel from Abi Elphinstone.

Elphinstone's world is exquisite. I was transported to the heart of Jungledrop and didn't want to leave. It is a world of vibrance, colour and life. The playful inventiveness of the magical plants will have children giggling and gasping in turn. Jungledrop has everything from trees that grow newspapers, to plants that hit you if you don't say "excuse me".

At Jungledrop's core is the magic of kindness. The strength that comes from believing in others and in yourself. A child's capacity for growth and change and their unwavering belief that everything can be improved, can be corrected, but we all need to look after each other and work together, rather than against each other. The emotional message in this story is just as wonderful as Sky Song and is presented in a way that is clear for young readers to follow, without them feeling as though they're being taught or preached to.

Jungledrop contained strong character growth. Fox and Fibber start their story as squabbling twins in business suits who think you need to push down others to stay on top. They are the opposite of what you'd expect from a pair of heroes. Elphinstone's emotional insight is so astute, helped by Heckle, a parrot who reveals everyone's feelings (perfect for when voicing your fears feels too difficult). I really felt for Fox and Fibber throughout their quest. By the end, they are both amazing heroes, ready to go home and challenge the injustices in their own world using everything they've learnt in Jungledrop.

This is a story I'm already looking forward to sharing with my own daughter in a year or so. MG readers will love Jungledrop. It will have them looking at rain in an entirely new, magical way and watching hopefully at stations for trains with plumes of green smoke.

Thank you Simon & Schuster for letting me read an advanced copy of Jungledrop through NetGalley.

I absolutely loved ‘Rumblestar’ and was extremely excited to be back in the Unmapped Kingdoms again by reading ‘Jungledrop’ – I was not disappointed! Jungledrop is a glow-in-the-dark rainforest where the Lofty Husks take the form of Golden panthers and the plants aren’t quite what they seem. It is the Unmapped Kingdom in control of the world’s weather. But something isn’t quite right. There hasn’t been any rain in the Faraway for quite some time…
Fox and Fibber Petty-Squabble are twins who have spent their whole lives competing with each other and trying to come up with an idea to save their parents’ failing businesses to avoid being shipped off to Antarctica. They will stop at nothing to be the best even if that means trampling all over those around them (and each other!). They find themselves magically transported to Jungledrop and tasked with the job of finding the ‘Forever Fern’ in order to save Jungledrop and the Faraway. But this will mean the twins working together instead of against each other, as well as helping the inhabitants of Jungledrop.
As with all of Abi’s books, the description is rich and detailed making me feel like I’m in Jungledrop along with the characters. There is no shortage of action whilst also making important points about friendship, teamwork and thinking of others before yourself. The Unmapped Kingdoms are truly magical places to escape to and I can’t wait for the next instalment!

Jungledrop was a wonderfully imaginative story with a beautifully created world that two at first annoying, but eventually charming, characters adventure in. The world building was in depth and intriguing and Abi Elphinstone put so much description into the story that was a joy to read. Her imagination has no bounds as I found myself loving all of the made up creatures and characters of Jungledrop.

A particular highlight to the story was Heckle, who I adored. I love an animal sidekick anyhow, but Heckle with his voicing of everyone’s thoughts was hilarious and it was a fantastic way to show the change in the characters throughout the novel.

The message at the end of the story was one of kindness and love, one that I think should be shared with classes all around the world.

I was lucky enough to be gifted an early access copy of Jungle Drop by Abi Elphinstone, after enjoying her other books so much. This is the second in her “Unmapped Chrinocles” series, the first being Rumblestar, which I absolutely loved.

Jungle Drop tells the story of Fox and Fibber Petty-Squabble, twins who have been rivals all of their lives, who believe that the way to be successful is to stamp on others and only look out for yourself. Fox and Fibber are swept into the glow-in-the-dark rainforest of Jungle Drop and become the unlikely heroes battling the harpy Morg and her Midnights to save Jungle Drop and The Faraway. It’s a fast-paced adventure story with lashings of magic and truly beautiful setting descriptions. The characters are so well written, I love the lofty husks, but my favourite character is Heckle (a talking parrot who repeats what people think rather than what they say).

I’d recommend this for fans of magic and adventure—you don’t need to have read Rumblestar but it’s worth exploring Rumblestar before you are swept into Jungle Drop.

The thing I loved most about Jungle Drop is the message of teamwork, kindness and taking care of others and the environment. Great things are done “by being kind—and by believing full tilt in magic”.

I loved the first in this series and this second book does not disappoint. It was absolutely fabulous and I cannot recommend it highly enough. There are going to be some very happy children out there who will love reading this.

Fox and Fibber, twins, pitted against each other and used to stomping on people's feelings learn to be polite in a magical world where they have to be heroes to save the world. The book started strong , full of humour but...ah...a bit wordy.
It had great potential . But the made up names are a little annoying . Full of deus ex machina and convenient plot points.
On the other hand, it would make a good movie.

Twins Fox and Fibber are used to competing with each other for everything, and have developed some very unappealing traits to ensure they have an advantage over each other, and indeed, everyone else. That they are to be the heroes of the quest to save both their own world and the magical land of Jungledrop is never in doubt from the outset, but their ability to work together in order to succeed in their task seems at first to be an insurmountable task.
Full of humour, richly depicted settings and eccentric magical characters, this is a novel that draws the reader into its world, accompanying the twins in a thrilling adventure in which they attempt to prevent the evil Morg from destroying the two worlds, and also a journey in which they discover hidden depths to themselves and each other. There is a hugely positive message underpinning the story. The twins’ extreme behaviour is used to comic effect in the plot, but children will no doubt recognise something of themselves and their own sibling relationships in their bickering, and will be encouraged by the fact that these two can become heroes and are capable of change.
This is a hugely enjoyable, readable novel which I will be recommending to the readers in our school library.

This is an absolutely jaw-dropping tale. I have not read the previous book in the series (Rumblestar) but I will be picking it up now! Do you have a child who is a confident reader aged 7 - 12? Do they enjoy Roald Dahl's hilarious characterisation and world-building like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory's magic edible garden? Then they will love this book. Fox and Fibber, a pair of unlikable twins, are being brought up by their nasty parents, and end up on an adventure in a magical world, trying to solve the fact that rain is no longer being sent to Earth.

They meet an amazing variety of funny and scary characters, and end up fighting the evil Morg. It's not too scary, although there are some spooky descriptions of forests made of bones, and some minor character injuries and deaths.

There is a theme of being kind to others, trust, of looking after our planet, and putting other's needs ahead of yours that is really lovely. I would not hesitate to read and recommend this book to Key Stage 2.

The only reservation I have, and it is a minor one, is that the first character we meet from the the jungle has the name "Niggle" and is described as a "junglespook". For American readers especially, this choice of words, while I am sure completely unintentional, is quite jarring.

What an incredibly journey Jungledrop is! From the first chapter I was totally hooked. The journey of the siblings Fox and Fibber is fabulous to see and the connection between them is so well written. The world of Jungledrop is magical, unique and gripping with so many wonderful characters within it.

The story as a whole is great and reminds us about the importance of being kind.

I can not recommend this book highly enough and I know I’ll be thinking about it for a while to come!

Abi Elphinstone has done it again! Jungledrop is one of the most action packed adventures you will ever read. Eleven year old twins, Fox and Fibber have spent their lives being raised by business orientated parents who have no qualms about stamping on and crushing anyone who stands between them and wealth. The twins battle each other for their parents' acknowledgement. Only one of them can inherit the family fortune - the other will be left destitute (no-one helps a loser!). Both sibling sees the other as a major rival and will stop at nothing to be top dog. However, all that changes after they take a ride on the Here and There Express. As they venture through the magical Unmapped Kingdom of Jungledrop, in search of the Forever Fern, Fox and Fibber realise that by combining their efforts and working with each other, anything can be achieved. I thoroughly enjoyed how the story developed and the fantastic character and place names (they reminded me of the amusing Phantom Tollbooth). I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the twists and turns of adventure. 'Nothing, and I mean nothing, is more powerful than a child in possession of a plan'.

I was ecstatic to be approved for an e-ARC of Jungledrop on #Netgalley and believe me, I will be buying more than one physical copy of this amazing book as soon as it hits the shops. It has totally fizzled my brain with its imaginative brilliance and left my heart quivering with joy. It is a beautiful and necessary book which will delight and entertain all readers, young and old.

Whilst you could easily enjoy reading this book as a stand-alone adventure, you will be fully immersed in the lore of the Unmapped Chronicles if you have previously read Everdark and Rumblestar. In the latter case, you will know that ancient Phoenix magic dictates that the weather on Earth ( The Faraway ) is controlled by events in the four Unmapped Kingdoms. However, the harmonious functioning of this system is under threat from an evil harpy named Morg who wishes to control the kingdoms for her own wickedly greedy ends.

In this third instalment the future of the Faraway ( which is suffering from a year-long drought ) and Jungledrop are placed in the hands of a very unlikely pair of heroes, eleven-year-old twins Fox and Fibber Petty-Squabble. They are descended from a wealthy German family and live in the ancestral mansion in Munich, Bickery Towers. Their repulsive parents run a business empire built on lies, the family motto is:

“Do not be afraid.
To stamp all over other people’s feelings.”

Their avaricious upbringing has resulted in two children who behave like monsters but deep down feel unloved and lonely. Somehow the ancient phoenix magic has unaccountably chosen them to change the course of history! As they dash into an antiques shop, owned by Casper Tock, the fizz of magic from a long-hidden phoenix tear propels them on a journey of the heart which will determine the destiny of two worlds.

“When magic sets it’s sights on someone, it’s remarkably hard to wriggle free”

There are countless things to love about this story. The brilliantly imagined land of Jungledrop, a glow-in-the-dark rainforest filled with exotically named flora and fauna. This lush landscape is cruelly scarred by burnt and barren enclaves where the greed of Morg has inflicted dark magic, and the descriptions are redolent of familiar scenes from documentaries about the devastation being caused to rainforests all over our planet.

The unique, funny and inspired naming of characters: Tedious Niggle, the ghostly ticket inspectre; Heckle the “emotionally intrusive” yellow parrot; Total Shambles, the slow, ungainly but heroic swiftwing; Doogie Herbalsneeze the jungle apothecary and unicycle-riding unmapper Iggy Blether.

The exciting plot with its quest to discover the Forbidden Fern, the suspense and uncertainty over each of the twins’ true intent during the adventure and the perfectly described, complex emotional undercurrents.

Abi Elphinstone has an incredible talent for taking her readers on a heart-stopping journey through gloriously immersive worlds and dropping profoundly moving passages into the middle of jaw-dropping action. Her combination of playfulness, visual storytelling, obvious respect for her readership and genuine ability to include a positive message in her stories make them an essential addition to every bookshelf.

I shall finish with a quote which had me welling up, and which I will be putting on permanent display in the school library:

“To be kind is to be strong. And, if you’re strong enough to pull down a wall around your heart, you can fight with the strength of a warrior because then you will have learnt to love!”

Abi Elpinstone has created a new world and a new adventure with great characters in Jungledrop. Readers do not have to have read Rumblestar to pick up the unmapped worlds Abi has created. There is magic again and a pair of twins who are the most unlikeable heroes imaginable. Fox and Flibber Petty-Squabble have been raised to think only of themselves, making money and gaining power. But a challenge thrown to them by their parents leads the pair to be transported to Jungledrop where the world has been drained of magic by Morg the Harpy. The magical creatures of Jungledrop put their complete faith in the twins, who they are convinced can save their world. They are accompanied throughout this adventure by Heckle the parrot who sticks like glue despite all rebuffs by Fox especially. Other magical animals lend their help, although the twins try to avoid their assistance. Learning to trust is not easy when you have spent your whole life fighting your corner, relying on your own wits. So it is more than a quest to save a world, but a complete re-education of character.
Readers will enjoy the bizarre magic, the fear of the adventure and the discovery along the way of what is right and wrong, especially as justice is seen to have been done.
As Morg is banished, but not completely disposed of, she promises to return in another unmapped world.

I've got to admit that this is the first in the series that I've read and was a bit worried that I wouldn't be able to follow the story and miss out on the full experience.

I'm so glad to say that Jungledrop stands alone as a wonderful adventure in a stunningly magical world.

We follow the adventures of Fox and Fibber Petty-Squabble who've been brought up to believe that stomping on people and not thinking of others was the way to success and success equals monetary wealth and power over others.

They are unceremoniously brought to Jungledrop, the source of rain in our world, where Morg the Harpy has been draining the world of its magic which will eventually spell the end of both worlds.

Strong themes of trust, growth, friendship, kindness, and family are dealt with throughout this exciting adventure and what seems impossible at first becomes easier with friends and family.

Jungledrop is an imaginative and beautiful world, lots of strong supporting characters and Morg is a great baddie.

Looking forward to reading the preceding book and what's still to come.

Another Elphinstone cracker!