This book is truly wonderful - as a stand alone book it's perfect for young adults. I can't help but feel it didn't quite live up to my expectations - I loved Journey to the River Sea as a child and really hoped this 'sequel' or 'companion' would instil the same kind of wonder within me but sadly it just didn't. There was a certain sparkle missing and that could just be because I'm not in the target audience. Still a beautiful tale.

It was lovely to revisit the world created by Eva Ibbotson. Carroll does an excellent job of taking over the existing characters and creating new ones to fit into the world. This was an entertaining adventure story with well realised settings.

Thankyou to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me a copy of this book. This was an enjoyable read, it was full of adventure with a fantastic plot. The writing was great, it was well paced and i will be reading more from this author.

I haven't read the original Eva Ibbotson, Journey to the River Sea, but I loved Escape all the same. It had all the beautiful characters and engaging storylines you would expect from an Emma Carroll book. It is a great example of a children's book that has danger, emotional themes and heartbreaking scenes, but is still the sort of book that makes you feel happy and comforted.

There was as much adventure as is expected from a book about the amazon jungle with plenty of danger and excitement. You can really get lost in the main characters reactions to everything and feel just as excited as her about all the animals she catches sight of.

I also liked that she brought up the idea that wild animals shouldn't be kept in captivity without making it sound too preachy.

I have never read 'Journey to the River Sea' by Eva Ibbotson, so I came to this novel with no pre-conceived expectations except that it is a book written by Emma Carroll and I needed to read it!

This title did not disappoint. Exquisitely description with wonderful plotting made it a delight to read. I loved the character of Rosa and empathised greatly with her refugee status following the war. Her need to have an adventure and to find her own way the world are carefully developed. There are so many wonderful characters with their own side stories which stowly evolve and add to the adventure - not to mention a mystery to decipher, too!

Such a clever piece of writing by Emma Carroll. This book can be used alongside any Amazon/jungle-themed teaching, or perhaps as an interesting diversion during a World War unit (Rosa had found her way to Westwood on Kindertransport). Lots of ways to use and enjoy this book which I think would be suitable for age 9 upwards.

I couldn’t remember the original Eva Ibbotson story, but it didn’t matter as this was its own story. It flowed beautifully and was easy to read. Rosa, a Kindertransport child, is sent to England, but never hears anything about her parents. She becomes fascinated with a visitor to the house, and her tales of the giant sloth. When given the opportunity to visit the Amazon, she jumps at the chance. A huge adventure follows, with several puzzles to be solved. Brilliantly written and highly recommended.

Lovely and entertaining read of historical fiction.

Set around the end of WW2 we follow the main character, a young Jewish Austrian girl who has been sent to England, leaving behind her mother and sister. She’s now awaiting to hear from her family, obviously, we all know about what happened to Jewish women captured by the German’s but as this is aimed for children, there is no mention. However, there is tension from the lack of news which we can all feel in the book as there is no news.

Rosa is a lovely character, strong willed but also with flaws which is what makes her character so realistic and rich, she’s also very likeable.
The book also focuses on another story as well as Rosa’s and this is of the great and famed Giant Sloth, we are treated to the Amazon, sounds of the jungle and all the sights too.
Caroll’s amazing writing shows us the importance of animals when we are stripped back from all that we know and are familiar with and how even though we cannot be close to our loved ones in terrible situations, we can use all the love we have and invest in a bond that last’s a lifetime, regardless of it being with an animal that is supposed to be in the wild jungle or in captivity and that is how a young girl who is evacuated befriends characters that we would only find in a zoo.


I have never read the first book that this book is sequel to – Journey to River Sea but I’m feeling I should have a read of it. I’m guessing any book by another author is a tall order to right a secondary book too, but I know if anyone can do it, it’s definitely Emma Carroll, who’s books I love even at my age and I’m far older than a ten year old!


ARC from netgalley in return for honest review!

Eva Ibbotson was one of my favourite childhood authors, so I was very intrigued to see how this book would compare. This book was respectful to Ibbotson's original work, and developed the characters in a way which felt natural and expected. The descriptions of the Brazilian rainforest were amazing, and the story would be just as enchanting for a child today as Ibbotson's Journey to the River Sea was for me.

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for sending me this arc.

I’ve been a fan of Eva Ibbotson for as long as I can remember, so I approached this with trepidation. I need not have worried. Emma Carroll picks up Ibbotson’s style and world with aplomb.
Set about 30 years after Journey to the River Sea, Maia is now grown up and has an older daughter and boy/girl twin’s of her own. Rosa, this novel’s main character, is an Austrian Jewish evacuee living with the assumed Sir Clovis in England and waiting for her family to come now the war is long over. When Yara, Maia’s elder daughter, turns up Rosa is given the opportunity to travel with her to Brazil and then the adventure begins.
The pace is perfect - like Ibbotson it’s never overwhelming and never dull.
Rosa and Yara’s journey across the ocean felt real and cast the change in setting just right. Old character’s appear but have evolved as they would over the course of 30 years while still feeling true to the original.
I would happily recommend this to fans of Ibbotson, and hope it also opens up her readership more widely.
Carroll has been an author to follow for a while but this book cements her essential place on every shelf for 8-10 years olds.

Absolute book perfection!

I loved Journey to the River Sea so was delighted when it was announced Emma Carroll was writing this companion novel set in the same world and it didn't disappoint. Set just after World War II, we follow Rosa Sweetman, one of the Kindertransport, as she travels from the UK to the Amazon on the trail of a Giant Sloth. Along the way, she meets all kinds of strange characters and slowly pieces together what is going on.

I loved how so many different parts of post-WWII history were woven together and there were so many points for discussion or further exploration with children. It didn't shy away from complicated topics but dealt with them sensitively and honestly. It was lovely to see so many familiar characters come back and it was a perfect development of the original book by Eva Ibbotson (one of my all time favourites!) Would whole-heartedly recommend this.

I loved Eva Ibbotson's original book and this is an excellent sequel to that story. It was lovely to revisit those characters, now older, alongside some great new ones. Emma Carroll perfectly evokes the Brazilian rainforest, it's wonders and dangers, alongside the new threats facing it. I also loved the way the story develops. With the backdrop of the end of World War II, this takes us on a hunt for a mythical monster that has been sighted deep in the Amazon. As this develops we discover different monsters which prove far more dangerous, involving ratlines, escaping Nazis etc. Overall this was a wonderful read and I really enjoyed it.

I read this book to my 10 year old daughter - we both really enjoyed it. We read Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson together first, so that we could then follow up straight away with Emma Carroll's Escape to the River Sea.

We were thoroughly swept away into the Amazon rainforest, joining Rosa on her adventure. Emma's writing is wonderfully descriptive, and so well-researched - we could really picture the boat going down the river, or the children walking through the undergrowth. The twist in the tale caught us by surprise - but we loved it! Such a fascinating medley of historical moments.

A wonderful follow-up, full of adventure, mystery, peril, friendship, loyalty and hope. We highly recommend it!

Thankyou for giving me the chance to read this in advance. Read this to my niece and enjoyed it myself. Not just for kids ;)

This is the story of a young girl who is lucky enough to travel to Brazil and go on an adventure into the rainforest, where she meets new friends very different to herself. They go on the hunt for a giant sloth but the story takes an interesting twist and nothing turns out quite like you expect, which I loved and didn't see coming at all!
The beauty of the Amazon is brilliantly put across and the characters are relatable and fun, making this a great story to captivate young readers. I really enjoyed it!

Rosa has been sent to England at the beginning of the war as part of the kinder transport. Born to an English mum and Jewish Austrian father, she is hoping that now the war is over she will be reunited with her family.

Meanwhile a strange young woman called Yarra visits the home where she has been staying. Yarra is heading home to the Amazon and Rosa begs to go with her. Yarra reluctantly agrees and this begins Rosa’s adventure.

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.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Escape to the River Sea is Emma Carroll's newest book. I found it enthralling with characters who were interesting and true to life. There was a brilliant plot twist at the end. My 9 year old daughter stole this from me and read it in two sittings and I thought I'd include her words as she is definitely the target audience!

'The book kept me turning pages long into the night and I thought the historical detail was accurately portrayed and wove important facets of the story of Nazi Germany and the impact of their takeover of Austria. I really identified with the character who wanted to leave for the Amazon; it really brought the story to life!

Overall I found it one of the best books I've read this year and I know children everywhere will both enjoy and learn from this novel.'

Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an advance release copy in exchange for an honest review.

journey to the river sea is one of my all time favourite childhood books and one i've reread constantly so i was excited but a lil wary of what this one might bring. it didn't disappoint!!!! it captures the care and awe and childlike wonder as the first one, revisiting old characters in fun and respectful ways. and it made me cry. going to do my 100th reread of the first one now

Journey to the River Sea was one of my favourite books as a child. I still have the old battered copy that I bought at a school book fair. When I knew this book was going to be a thing, I decided I was going to reread the first book and then the new one. When I was lucky enough to get an e-arc through NetGalley, I put both on my TBR and read them back to back.

Set in 1946, Rosa Sweetman has been living in Westwood after having left her home and family in Vienna as part of the Kindertransport. But now all the other children have returned home, and Rosa is still waiting. After a mysterious visitor comes to Westwood, Rosa decides she wants to join her in visiting her family in Brazil. The visitor is on a quest to find a Giant Sloth, and Rosa would love to be part of that. This trip turns into more of an adventure than Rosa knows, and she finds jaguars, a new family and herself along the way.

With this being a sequel written by a different author many years after the original, there was a question about whether it was going to have the same vibes. I’d heard of Carroll before, and I knew that she’s a pretty prolific kids’ historical fiction writer. So I trusted that the book would be at least decent. And the vibes were immaculate. Though you can see the difference in when the books were written, as well as when they were set, they both gave me the same feels. There were some scenes in this book very reminiscent of the first book, and I appreciated that. Plus, Rosa being an Austrian from Vienna like Ibbotson felt like a very sweet homage. Both Rosa and Ibbotson came to England because of the Second World War, and that felt right.

However, as much as I liked the vibes, I didn’t enjoy the book as much as I’d hoped I would.

The book started off well. In the first book the racism the indigenous people experienced was very in-your-face and on the page in a way that you know was supposed to tell you it was wrong. This book, on the other hand, started off seeming to be about conservation. And I adored that. There are a lot of questions as to whether it’s good to take over land and the greed that can lead to the destruction of nature. It’s something I feel strongly about, and it’s so sad to think how far it’s come today compared to when the book was set. The mission the characters were on was seemingly to hunt down an animal that’s thought to be extinct and is now a Bigfoot-like creature.

But then you get a twist.

I’m not going to go into details on that as I don’t want this review to be too spoilery. But there’s a reason why I don’t tend to read fiction set around this sort of time. Do I think it’s an important period to learn about? Yes. For sure. But I also studied history until I finished sixth form, and we studied the Second World War in some capacity almost every year. You kind of get a bit bored of it. I’m glad I know about it. I hate the nazis then and the nazis now. I knew this book was set only a year after the war, and I knew Rosa was affected by it. I did expect it to pop up to some extent. But the way it was woven in as a twist just made me sigh, roll my eyes and just want to get the book over with. I didn’t feel like I really learnt anything about what happened then in this book. It just felt like it was being used as that was the time. And I’d have preferred the focus to stick to conservation.

I didn’t really have many thoughts on the characters. It was nice to see the characters from the first book as adults. It was fun to see Manaus in a later period too. But nothing about the characters felt that special.
I enjoyed most of the book well enough and I found it super quick to get through. But it’s also not one I plan on rereading, and that’s such a disappointment.

Escape To River Sea by Emma Carroll is an exciting children’s historical novel that is guaranteed to entertain all those aged eight years and over.
The novel is set at the end of World War II as we follow a young girl who was sent to England from Austria before war started as she was Jewish. Her mother and sister were left behind. Now war is over, and she is looking and waiting for the post with a letter to say her mum and sister survived. The reader can ‘feel’ the tension and disappointment as each day passes with no news. However, she still clings to hope.
There was another search running parallel. This takes the characters and the reader to the Amazon to look for the famed Giant Sloth. We are treated to the sights and sounds of the jungle under the skillful pen of Emma Carroll.
The author portrays the bond between the young girl and a magnificent jaguar, who along with other zoo animals was also evacuated to the crumbling mansion in the countryside. This is to be a bond that will forever remain and is beautiful to see. All the pent-up love finds a release as the young girls pours her love into the big cat.
Family is important. We all want to belong. Family may not be perfect but it is where we long to be.
Escape To 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.
I received a free copy via Net Galley. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

I've never read the inspiration behind this book by Eve Ibbotson but an Emma Carroll novel is always a treat and historical fiction at it's best. The story has a timeless feel and I particularly love stories that journey to the Amazon rainforest. Carroll brings our senses alive with her beautiful descriptions and gorgeous characters and there is a strong and very current eco message. If you love adventurous settings and historical stories, then this is the perfect mix.