When Jimmy and Ronnie are evacuated to a small mining town in rural Wales, it is a big culture shock compared to Islington where they have come from. 6 year old Ronnie quickly settles in, but his older brother struggles.

During their time with their host family, the boys learn that appearances can be deceptive, and sometimes the people you thought were friends may not be, while others might surprise you. When tragedy strikes, cracks in the community are revealed.

A wonderful book about the true meaning of family and friendship, and the ties that bind us together, this is also a great introduction into the experiences of children during the Second World War.

The narration was accessible and easy to listen to, and I think would appeal to all children.

A beautiful story of friendships and adventure.

The Valley of Lost Secrets is set during the wartime period and tells the story of Jimmy and Ronnie who are evacuated from London to safety within a peaceful village in Wales.

Jimmy's new life and surroundings are very different from his home in London, he struggles to accept and settle into this new environment as he watches his brother as well as his classmates Thomas and Florence embrace the changes, one for the better the other for the worse.

Jimmy starts to explore the village along with the surrounding hills, he accidentally discovers a set of bones in a tree. He shares this new secret with Florence and so the adventure begins as they decide to try and solve the mystery of the bones.

I loved Lestyn Arwel narration of this story, she perfectly brought to life the village as well as the lovable characters Lesley has created.

This is a warm and generous story of adventure, bravery, loyalty, loss and love. I adored Jimmy and Ronnie characters they were believable as well as likeable , it would be nice to see them have more adventures whilst they are staying with Aunty Gwen and Uncle Alun.

I have recommended this book to a teacher friend and would not hesitate to recommend it to others.

This tale tells of children sent to Wales as part of the evacuation of children from London to Wales during the Second World War.
Jimmy and Ronnie struggle to fit into Wales as it is very different to London and they are still dealing with the loss of their mother who has run away.
A lovely tale of friendships, overcoming difficulties and grief.
The style of writing will remind you of the adventures of Enid Blyton's The Famous Five and is just as charming
The characters are well developed and the story line keeps you gripped.
Very well narrated.
Although this is a children's book, it is recommended to all.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to listen in return for a review.

The valley of the lost secrets is a great children's book. Jimmy and Ronnie are two evacuee children send from London to a small town in Wales in the first world War. Jimmy isn't sure of all the change, he wants his Dad and Nan and to be back in London. His friends change and there are bullies on town but soon he stumbles across a human skull and is determined to find out its secrets.

I really enjoyed the story, the narrator was brilliant and its hard to believe this is the authors first story.
A very enjoyable book that I'll recommend to the young people I work with.

What a fantastic debut Lesley Parr has produced! Destined to become a classic, this WW2 novel cleverly weaves a highly intriguing mystery adventure together with a deeply engaging account of 12 year old Jimmy’s evacuation to the Welsh valleys with his little brother Ronnie. Parr’s character development is faultless and the entire novel is written in first person narrative, enabling the reader to become completely immersed in Jimmy’s experiences. I loved every minute, couldn’t put it down and didn’t want it to end. The print novel is illustrated throughout with beautiful line drawings by David Dean - and these tell the story in their own way. Parr hides a final, fun twist for her readers in them too.

I was lucky to have the chance to preview the audio version, to enjoy alongside my own print copy. The choice of Iestyn Arwel as audio book narrator is excellent. His London accents for Jimmy, Ronnie and their Islington school mates bring life and humour to the narration, whilst his native tongue ensures the valley residents are brought to life completely authentically. An absolute treat.

I cannot wait to watch the readership for this excellent novel grow - and I look forward to reading Parr’s next book before too long.

This is one of the best audiobooks I heard in a long time. The narrator is perfectly chosen to bring the character of Jimmie, our protagonist, to life! I was absolutely captivated by his slightly sulky voice and could picture Jimmie's stubbornness and discomfort beautifully!

The story is a wonderful tale of a group of evacuees sent to a Welsh mining village during World War two. Ronnie, Jimmie's younger brother, settles well into his new life, but Jimmie is unhappy and wants to go home. This is a book about discoveries: self-discovery, seeing others in a different light and allowing past mistakes be laid to rest.

Jimmie learns about friendship and what he should truly value in a person. His surrogate parents are kind and patient allowing him to make mistakes and learn how to change.

I loved this adventure. The characters were well developed and I loved all the interwoven 'Welshness' of the story and setting. There are sad moments which touch on child death, neglect, and bullying but they are all within the context of the story and would make fantastic discussion points with children as they read on.

I haven't listened to many audiobooks and now I want to listen to more!

Set during the war and following what happens to two siblings when they are evacuated to Wales. You can appreciate the challenges that children faced at the time, but it's done in such a way that children today can still relate.

The story moved at a lovely pace, but a warning for some readers, you may need tissues!

Regarding the audio version, I just loved the narrator - such a simple change in accent really brought each character to life.

Jimmy and Ronnie are sent with the rest of their class to a village in Wales to escape the risk of bombings in London. Jimmy is so protective of his little brother but at the same time feels dispirited that Ronnie is fitting in much quicker than him. Even his best friend seems to have abandoned him.
How scary it must have been for the brothers, having to leave their home and family to be sent to the countryside as evacuee children. Not knowing which family you'd have to live with or how long you'll be away.
This was a sweet story but mostly quite slow until later in the book.
The narration was good, really believable for 12 year old Jimmy.

I was curious about this book after it was chosen as a book of the month for Waterstones, so I was pleased to be approved for a review copy via NetGalley.

With a story about evacuees, you expect certain types of emotions to bubble to the surface, but Parr doesn’t just cover the expected. She's crammed a wide range of subjects in this wondrous debut that it flows successfully from one important topic to another while never feeling heavy-handed. This book clearly packs a lot within it’s pages, and it takes the reader on an emotional journey that is so satisfying. You really feel for the children in the story and how the upheaval of being an evacuee could be a mixed blessing. I was in tears near the end of as it really got under my skin. Which is when you know that it’s something special, I’m really looking forward to reading more from this author.

Lestyn Arwel was an excellent choice as the narrator for the audiobook edition as he gave a bit of extra spark to the words with the different accents and various intonation's as the emotions dictated. One of the reasons I love listening to audiobooks is the successful merging of words & voice and when it works, it’s fantastic. This combination really worked for me, I loved it.

"The Valley of Lost Secrets" by Lesley Parr on audiobook was a very enjoyable listen. I enjoyed the narrator and I enjoyed the story overall. We follow two brothers who get evacuated to Wales and taken in by a couple. At first, our main character and eldest brother is not happy about their situation, refusing to call his new caregivers "auntie" and "uncle" but his character arc was wonderful and it honestly filled my soul at one point near the end.

My personal rating was 3 stars and honestly the only reason I haven't given this a higher rating is that the mystery element wasn't intriguing enough and I've already forgotten it. My critical review is 4 as I do believe this will be enjoyed by many in it's target demographic and may well be some kids introduction to the war and evacuation which will open a great discussion for them!

This story was heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time. There are some moments where I feel the main protagonist in the beginning did come across a little bit too spiteful, however as the story got going this really did change.

Jimmy grows alot throughout the story and his character arc is enthralling. Ronnie his little brother is the sweetest cinnamon roll and despite being in a completely strange environment sees nothing but the good side. This certainly has a found family and I loved all the little interactions and seeing different sides to Jimmy, The mystery to this was the cherry on the cake. I was intrigued throughout and listened/read this in one sitting.

Lesley Parr has written a fabulous book that Lestyn Arwel's narration took to another level. I can't reccomend this more! So uplifting. This made me laugh, it made me cry and was one hell or a journey!