A new Emma Carroll story is always something special. It’s an experience to be savoured, to allow myself to sink into and be swept away into adventure. Escape to the River Sea is no exception. Likeable (and very unlikeable characters) with depth of personality, engaging personal journeys, a beautiful setting and heart-stopping adventure come together to create a captivating story.

Rosa is a joy. Travelling to England as a Kindertransport child, she finds herself at Westwood, a country home, with Sir Clovis. He has taken in a magnificent menagerie of zoo animals to keep them safe during the war. Rosa falls in love with Opal, a jaguar, and desperately wants it to be safe and happy. When the war ends and all the children and animals leave, Rosa is alone. That is, until Dr Yara Fielding gives her the opportunity of a lifetime – the chance to travel to Brazil and search for the Giant Sloth. There, Rosa finds friendship, adventure and truth she never expected. Many different kinds of monsters lurk in the jungle. Rosa must dig deep within herself to fight back and find out where she really belongs.

So often, teachers ask for recommendations for books to accompany an Amazon, South American or Jungle topic. Escape to the River Sea will now be at the top of my suggestion list. A modern story with a classic feel, it takes children deep into the rainforest, surrounding them with the hum of life that can only be found there. Plants, animals, intense heat, rushing rivers, risks and true danger are around every corner, giving readers a vivid picture of this very special part of the world.

Thank you to NetGalley UK and Macmillan Children’s Books for this wonderful book!

Thank you NetGalley for sending me a digital arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved reading Eva Ibbotson books when I was younger so when I heard Emma Carroll was doing a sort of sequel to Journey to the River Sea I was really excited. Eva Ibbotson books always gave me this warm feeling of magic from the setting and the characters’ sense of wonder and the stories felt gentle with a heartfelt truth unfurling with every page turned. Escape to the River Sea is a wonderous adventure story. A lonely girl separated from her family in the war somehow finds herself on a journey to the Amazon where she might see jaguars in the wild and maybe even a yeti. She finds the courage to face her worst fears and nightmares and along the way she makes friends who become family. I was glued to the pages and really felt everything Rosa felt. I loved the respect of animals in the wild and the wonder of witnessing the jaguars (although I feel like she would 100% have been eaten in real life if she spent a night alone in the rainforest). A gentle, heartwarming and lovely summer read. Perfect for readers who love animals and adventure. Definitely recommend!

Modern sequels to beloved books can be a minefield and Ibbotson's original River Sea book holds a very special place in my heart as it was book my mum and late nan read too and is one of the only books that I remember all three of us being able to talk about together.

Carroll captures Ibbotson's style wonderfully and weaves the first book into this one seamlessly. The addition of the 'real world' to the magic of Maia and Rosa's Brazil works well, and while as an adult the ending is a little predictable it is just the ending I wanted and would have wanted as a child.

Another absolute cracker from a solid favourite author of mine. Emma Carroll never fails to sweep me into the story and make me run alongside the characters. This book is absolutely perfect for uKS2 and confident younger readers. It's one of those books that will be read without being put down and will leave the reader talking about it for hours.

Like other reviewers, I loved Eva Ibbotson’s “Journey to the River Sea”, so I was excited to read that Emma Carroll had written a sequel, as I have enjoyed her books.

“Escape to the River Sea” updates the story, with an added character, Rosa Sweetman, a Kindertransport child who is waiting for her family to claim her after the end of the war. Rosa’s love of animals (a zoo has been evacuated to Westwood, the house where Rosa has been settled) shines through, and this ties into the themes of family and threat to the environment, in particular the Amazon, which are so important in both books.

It was good to meet Finn, Maia and Miss Minton again, actually I would have liked more about the older characters, but this is a minor point. Overall, a very enjoyable sequel.

I was so excited to read this book. Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson was one of my favourite books as a child (and is one that I need to re-read sometime soon); it's imagery has stuck with me throughout the years. I also recently read The Week At World's End by Emma Carroll and absolutely adored it, I immediately knew I had to read more of her work. So imagine my sheer excitement finding out that she was writing a follow up to one of my childhood favourites! I was over the moon with the news and now, having read the book, I am thrilled to say it did not disappoint.

I loved how intricately tied together Rosa was with Maia and Finn's family from the beginning due to her staying at Westwood with Clovis. It was such a natural starting point to propel her into a journey that would take her through to the Amazon where she'd adventure, make friends, create a new family and rediscover her biological one.

But before that even happened, she was an immediately strong and endearing character. The compassion she had for the animals that had been hosted at Westwood throughout the moor was just wonderful; I loved how much she loved Opal. She was also greatly endeared by how pervasive her loneliness was, her feelings surrounding how empty the house and grounds were without the animals or the evacuees was so striking and pervasive. I also loved the little details about her like her dislike of the clothes Lady Prue made her way, it all built her up into a realistic character. I could picture this girl and feel for her so easily.

With regards to other characters, I absolutely loved Maia and Finn's children: Yara, Enzo and Vita.
Yara, the first one introduced to the reader, was such a wonderful character. I loved her initial introduction as following up on her grandfather's work to discover the Giant Sloth; it showed a sense of dedication, determination and loyalty to her family. It was something that I absolutely loved because, following the reveal towards the end of the story that she was actually an agent working to hunt down Nazis (specifically one who is likely responsible for the death of Finn's parents due to this individual's past as an artefact smuggler) all of her pre-established characteristics still held firm. The reveal didn't change the core of her character and I loved that, she was still the character we'd grown to know and the fact that both the lie and truth revealed the same core facets of her character just shows how coherent her characterisation was.
I also loved Enzo and Vita; I really appreciated how Enzo was the slightly more cautious of the two of them as well as how Vita looked up to Yara. The three had a really well-crafted sibling dynamic.
Their relationship with Orinti, their cousin, was also great (and he was such a GOOD character - his intelligence and storytelling ability was just phenomenal). Additionally, Vita's initial hesitance around Rosa was such a great and realistic detail about someone who's always lived in a very tight-knit, family set-up.

Moving onto the plot, I thought this was just so brilliantly executed. The setting and timing of the story were utilised in such an effective manner to set up the post-reveal plot whilst not overshadowing the initial perception of the story. The original quest to find the Giant Sloth had all the charm, danger and excitement of so many kids' adventure stories I read growing up. It was engrossing and enthralling. The reveal of the search really being for an escaped Nazi only served to heighten the sense of danger and bring this story back down to a crushing sense of reality. With regards to both the crimes of the Nazis and the injustice of how Europeans have treated the Amazon (destroying it for cattle farming and digging for oil), this book didn't shy away from realities. It handled everything in what seemed like an effective way for this story and the target audience.
The reveal also worked to bring in the 'new' character of Rosa's uncle - previously known as 'panama hat man' - and then the return of her mother and sister, Liesel. I'll confess, their return felt a little sudden and awfully plot-convenient since they arrived just before Rosa was set to return to England. But, it was a happy ending that Rosa deserved and that I wasn't sure she'd get so I'm tempted to let any criticism of that slide. It was so lovely to end this story with Rosa reuniting with her old family having found a new one.

All in all, I loved this book. It was just the kind of thing I'd have devoured as a child (and can still, of course, enjoy as an adult).

I was so desperate to read this “sequel” because I absolutely love Journey to the River Sea and I knew it would be safe in the hands of Emma Carroll. It was all I could have hoped for and more! A fantastically exciting adventure through the luscious green Amazon once again, meeting some wonderful new characters and saying hello again to the old. The storyline was intriguing and mysterious and kept me gripped throughout, and, whilst set in the past, there were also aspects that are particularly relevant still even in today’s world. Just brilliant!

Journey to the river Sea is one of my favourite books so when I heard that the quuen of historical fiction for kids was writing a sequel I had to get my hands on it! I really enjoyed Rosa's story. The adventure if the original is present and I like the post WW2 setting. I think Maia and Finns's kuds would end up being intrepid Nazi hunters! I was hoping for a little more Maia when I heard about this sequel but perhaps it is better to leave her in the background. The conservation message is very appropriate for today's readers.

Emma Carroll successfully transports the reader back to Ibbottson’s River Sea. New characters form the main cast, led by Rosa, a young girl who arrived in England on the kindertransport and spent the war years at Westwood. The story begins in the aftermath of the war, and Rosa (whose family cannot be located) is allowed to journey with Yara (Finn and Maia’s daughter) to the Amazon in search of the giant sloth.
There she meets Yara’s twin siblings and the race is on to see who will find the giant sloth first: our heroes or the shady professor, who has joined forces with Mr Carter.
The story takes some twists and turns, and has an unexpected conclusion. Fans of the original novel will not be disappointed, but this could also be read as a stand-alone book too.

I read Journey to the River Sea with my children years ago. Written by a different author and not exactly a sequel, this is definitely a fitting way to continue the story. It is about Rosa who escapes her loneliness and worries on a new journey to the river sea. Along the way, she develops into a courageous explorer and joins forces with Enzo and Vita (the feisty children of Maia and Finn who were the main characters in the original book) to discover the true monsters. A powerful adventure combining history with the joy of friendship and family and a love of the natural world.

It's always risky to touch a classic book and Macmillan and Emma Carroll have been brave in the extreme to revisit the world created by the late, great storyteller Eva Ibbotson in Journey to the River Sea. But here's the good news: it works!

The novel features Finn and Maia's children and is set largely in the Amazon rainforest. But the central character is a creation of Emma Carroll's own, Rosa Sweetman, a half-Jewish Austrian sent to England on the Kindertransport in 1938 at the age of three. The book is set in 1946 and she is still living in the north of England with Sir Clovis and Lady Prue at Westwood. She has been protected from the Nazi atrocities and is deeply concerned that her family has not reclaimed her.

Yara Fielding, a connection of the family at Westwood, arrives for a visit en route to her Amazon home and invites Rosa to accompany her. It turns out that Yara is going on a hunt for the giant sloth - or at least a monster of some kind. And Rosa, and Yara's twin siblings get involved.

This is a splendid novel. I loved it. The characters are living breathing people. Emma Carroll does not try to write like Eva Ibbotson (thankfully) but her characters are very reminiscent of Eva's in their strength and bravery. Of course, Emma is a successful, award-winning author so it is no surprise that she has written an excellent book. What I did find surprising, though is the way in which she has evoked Eva in her writing without ever tipping over into pastiche.

What a great follow-up to the well-loved ‘Journey to the River Sea’. A new author and a new adventure but fantastic continuation of the lives of some familiar characters. This story could certainly be enjoyed by those who haven’t read ‘Journey to the River Sea’ but I suspect those who have will love this even more. Emma Carroll is the master of historical fiction for children and this book is no exception. She takes us to a post-war Britain and then across the sea to Brazil. Although the story is set in the past, the characters are easy to identify with and the plot is exciting enough to keep everyone’s interest with twists and turns along the way. It also seems possible that there’s scope for a follow-up as there’s still the matter of the giant sloth to resolve. A super book for readers aged 9-12 - highly recommended.

Escape to the River Sea
By Emma Carroll
Published by Macmillan Children’s Books

What an absolute treasure of an adventure story packed full of twists and turns!
Carroll uses her research and historical knowledge as a platform to weave through this animal packed adventure story.

Rosa Sweetman, a young Kindertransport girl, longs for her family to claim her after being the only child left at Westwood, a rambling country estate in the north of England, where she'd taken refuge seven years earlier. Carroll drives the story past friends old and new, alongside traditions, people and the fragility of the gorgeous, perilous River Sea world.
No spoilers here just the highest recommendation to read it!

Joanne Bardgett - Year 3 teacher of littlies, lover of books.
#Netgallery
#Emmacarroll
#Macmillianchildrensbooks

I was worried this wouldn't live up to Iva Ibbotson who is one of my favourite children's authors and Journey to the River Sea one of my favourite books. But I loved it - Emma Carroll has done an excellent job.

As a sequel, this story was beautiful. another adventure into the rainforest solving the mystery of an ancient creature.

It is no easy writing a sequel to a well loved book but this was amazing. It was such a charming and magical read I devoured it in just over an hour I couldn't stop reading nor did I want too.
It was well written with well developed characters - it was so nice to see so many of the original charcaters within the book, and a compelling storyline.
It was a truly enchanting read and I cannot wait to read more by this author, she has taken something truly special and enhanced it. I loved it.

I read Return to the river sea just last year, and thought it was wonderful book (like many of Ibbotson's books), and was excited to read the continuation of that, especially written by emma carroll, who does a wonderful job of bringing history to life.
overall, i enjoyed this book, but i will say i didn't enjoy it nearly as much as the original.
It captured the same charm, and the writing was faithful to the original style, which was really lovely. However, I felt the main storyline was a tad lacking. the side stories were all really good, and were concluded well, but the main story... i think i just felt a little disappointed. i dont want to post spoilers, but it did fit in with the book, but it felt a bit lacking in the buildup and conclusion.
but otherwise, this was a really nice book, well written for the most part, and faithful to the original.

Rosa has been sent on the kinder transport from Austria to England by her Mother and older sister Liesel just as the war was starting. She was not picked up by her sponsor than was seen by Sir Clovis and he offered to take her home to Westwood. The house was a large sprawling country house, which needed a lot of work. But Rosa wasn't the only one, Sir Clovis and Lady Prue took 20 school girls, evacuees from towns. Even better for Rosa they took animals from the local zoo which was bombed. Rosa loved one animal the most, a jaguar called Opal. She lived in the stable!
But the girls left and so did the animals from the zoo, well most of them Rosa was in a hurry to see Billy; the boy who had taught her to look after Opal, that she didn't shut teh door properly and when Opal pounced the door opened and Opal ran into the moor. Billy's dad was very unhappy, they all had to search. Billy's dad told Sir Clovis he would have to pay them for her escape.
Then there was a visitor to to Westwood, Dr Yara Fielding. She is looking for details about her grandfathers search for the mythical Giant Sloth of the Amazon where she lives with her family. Yara's mother is Maia, the girl from Eva Ibbotson's Journey to the River Sea (which I last read about 15 years ago). Rosa finds herself returning to the Amazon with Yara. She isn't welcomed by her family at first, but then odd things start happening. Does the Giant Sloth really exist? After all no one has sighted it for years.
Yara becomes ore secretive and disappears early one morning, her twin siblings are not happy and with Rosa they go after her. The adventure starts here.
You definitely don't need to have read Journey to the River Sea to read this book, but it would fill in Maia's story.
The story is suitable for possibly y3 (depending on reading competence) onwards. It contains quite enough adventures to keep any child happy. This is the first Emma Carroll story I've read (despite buying in others for school) and I will definitely be looking out some more.
Along with the story of Rosa's friendships, first with Billy, then with Yara's family that, until she gets on a boat to Panama with Yara, she has never met, is the story of her parents and where they are, no one has heard from anyone from the time Rosa arrived in 1938.
Read it you won't regret it.

Journey to the river sea has become a children ‘s classic and to produce a sequel would always a tall order but Emma Carroll has suceeded. This is a deliciously enticing adventure mixing history,adventure and life in the Amazon. Rosa has been living in England during and following WWII having escaped the nazis but with no knowledge of her family’s whereabouts. She has a fascination with wildlife having lived in a home that sheltered zoo animals in the war; the opportunity arises for her to go to South America with Yara a supposed hunter of rare animals and in this case The Giant Sloth and so begins the adventure. Mixing an adventure tale on the search for the sloth and understanding of life for communities within the Amazon, Emma Carroll has written a fast paced tale that draws us in and builds to its final reveal…..The characters are fully formed with sparks of humour and pathos. This is an ideal book for upper KS 2 and one I will be recommending highly as a great sequel or a stand alone novel . A winner

Amazing!! I loved Eva Ibbotson's stories when I was younger so it was brilliant to be transported back to that world.

A very worthy addition to the River Sea books.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.