The Green Kingdom

What a lovely, magical book! Perfect Cornelia Funke style, but I'm impressed that she managed to set it in "today" and yet make it feel timeless!
My only negative feedback is that I WISH Cornelia had illustrated it herself. I truly miss her illustrations and these don't live up to them.

I liked Caspia, and the other characters. They are all very likeable and sweet and make the book so cute and cosy. I also liked that the book doesn't dwell on a love story, but is primarily about friendship and family. It's a children's book, but I found the topic of plant puzzles very fascinating and can recommend this to adult readers too.

The author made it very clear how much she cares about the environment.

I got this book for my 2 girls - 11 year old was reading it by herself and I was reading it together with my 8year old. Both of my kids loved it. It's a perfect read for curious minds but it's also a great read to remind children about power of friendship and also love to nature. What I found amazing is that both of my girls loved the idea so much that they've decided to create their own letters with clues and riddles and I'm really looking forward to it with all those dark and gloomy evenings ahead. Massive thanks to Netgalley for providing us with a early copy for an honest review.

What a lovely book. This was my first Cornelia Funke book and will definitely not be my last.
Whilst reading the letters I felt like I was transported back in time.
I liked all the characters and watching their friendships develop. The plant puzzles were intriguing and I found myself trying to figure them out before the answers were revealed.
I would recommend this book to readers of all ages.

Thank you to Netgalley for proving me with an early copy to review.

I loved this book and I'm sure children will too. Caspia age 12 moves with her parents from Maine to Brooklyn for the summer due to her dad's work. She isn't very happy about leaving her friends and home behind but when she finds a bundle of letters in the apartment they're staying in she finds herself searching for plants and herbs in a "green" treasure hunt. The letters are between two sisters in the late 1950's early 1960's. One of the sisters is blind and is travelling with her father and the treasure hunt is a fun way of staying in touch. Caspia makes new friends and yet manages to keep in touch and include her two best friends from home. Her mum also finds her own confidence through cooking with some of the delicious herbs and spices that Caspia finds on the treasure hunt. The summer changes the lives of the whole family. A great family read.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC

Even as an adult I still enjoy childrens books. They really do take me away from the mundane reality of life and this magical tale is just divine.

I loved the cover, but the story and the characters were really well drawn.

The plot is amazing, i enjoyed the riddles and the botanical theme.

I will be putting this in a few Christmas Eve boxes..

I am a huge fan of historical sagas where generations speak to each other through the form of letters, teaching the new generation to see the world from a different perspective.

Caspia and her family are moving from Maine to Brooklyn for the summer for her Dad’s work. Caspia is devastated to be leaving her home and best friends. On her first night in this strange apartment they are renting, she discovers a ribbon tied bundle of letters. Feeling slightly awkward, she decides to open them and what this does is open Caspia’s eyes to her new surroundings and to feel confident in meeting and making new friends.

Each letter contains a riddle around a specific plant and Caspia dedicates each day to learning about it while her mother finds creative ways to cook with it. As the letters and days in Brooklyn dwindle, so to does Caspia’s heart. She has put down roots in this city and has made some incredible connections.

As she explores her neighbourhood she learns so much about plants, interacts differently with her friends and finds a purpose to her summer.

They say Brooklyn is a village throughout this story and it is a heartfelt and heartwarming tale I have just embarked upon with Caspia. True friendships, adventures and new opportunities are celebrated in this delightful and enchanting story.

Now, I’ve never actually read a book by Cornelia Funke, which seems like a punishable act to be fair. I will definitely venture out to try and red more of her books, especially if they’re anything like this one.

I’m a teacher and a mum, so I am forever on the search for good kids/YA books for both my own children but also for children in school. Specifically to add to the curriculum to work on, so it can be difficult to find a book that’s worth while.

The concept of this book is too cute! We follow 12 year old Caspia who ends up in Brooklyn, to her dismay, and finds a chest that’s filled with old letters from two sisters, who lived there long ago. Each and every letter contains a riddle that leads Caspia to a different plant every time she deciphers the letter. Caspia spends her time then educating herself on each plant she finds, which is incredibly cute.

During Caspia’s time in Brooklyn, she learns new things, makes new friends and really puts down roots in this place where she really didn’t want to go. Caspia and all the other characters are the “cute and cosy” vibe, which really did make the book that much better. They were all portrayed beautifully.

This book will now be added to my cart and I will be buying it for my children to read.

Caspia isn't looking forward to the summer, now that she's heard she won't be spending it at home in Maine with best friends Ellie and Laryssa. Her dad has a job in Brooklyn so Caspia and her parents will be living there for the eleven weeks of summer. Caspia is even less impressed when she sees where they'll be staying; the apartment is old-fashioned and everything is covered in floral patterns. It's so much noisier than her quiet home and she's unsure how she'll survive the boredom of the trip, until she finds the letters. In a flower-patterned chest of drawers, Caspia finds a bundle of letters written by a previous occupant of the apartment and these, with their green-themed riddles, set her off on an adventure that helps to open her eyes to everything Brooklyn has to offer, if she'll just give it a go.

I really enjoyed this story. It's a proper feel-good, fast-moving story full of lovely characters, places and things: books, plants, cooking and friendship.

You'll need to suspend belief a bit and just go with it but it's really nice to read a good adventure where there are no 'baddies' or adversity, just a nice story of a girl moving to a new place, embracing what it has to offer and meeting lots of lovely people on the way.

Heartwarming city adventures

I am way outside the target audience for this book, but my daughter is a big fan of Cornelia Funke’s fantasy series and keeps saying I should read her books, so when I was offered an ARC I decided to give it a go.
A few hours later (it’s a quick read for an adult) I am so happy I did so, this is a delightful story of displacement, and of finding friendship and beauty through nature in one of the biggest cities in the world. I was also surprised about finding the theme of foraging and appreciation of what plants and flowers have to offer us, clearly the influence of co-author Tammi Hartung, who I also suggest to look up if you’re at all interested in modern herbalism.
I heartily recommend The Green Kingdom for children and adults alike, now I have one more prolific author to add to my ever expanding fiction reading list, and another for my cookbook wishlist :)

Note: I received this book for free as an ARC from #NetGalley but the opinions above are mine and unbiased.