All the magic, heart and scope of Ibbotson's classic adventure - I read it in one breathless sitting." - Natasha Farrant 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. It's a joy to rediscover Ibbotson's original characters Maia and Finn alongside a new generation in this gripping adventure - The Daily Mail

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. Since one of the banes of contemporary public debate is the charge of “false equivalence”, often used to dismiss arguments without bothering to refute them, let me make clear that I am not equating Likud and Hamas. However degrading the Israeli treatment of Palestinians, there is freedom and democracy in a Likud-run Israel that would be unknown in a Palestine ruled by Hamas. What I am suggesting is that both Hamas and Likud play to the dangerous fantasy of a single state that caters for the needs and desires of only one group of people living in it. 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.Professor Neville Glastonbury (The curator of the Manaus Museum) is friends with Bernard Traverner and Finn. He helps Maia with the swap of Finn and Clovis, and he helps Miss Minton find Maia. His wife died a few years ago. In 1946, Rosa Sweetman, a young Kindertransport girl, is longing for her family to claim her. The war in Europe is over and she is the only child left at Westwood, a rambling country estate in the north of England, where she'd taken refuge seven years earlier. Third, there is the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Palestinians face a regime of humiliation and brutality and a land shredded by Israeli settlements. And, finally, we have the Gaza Strip, little more than an open-air prison. However odious Hamas, however venal the Palestinian Authority, it is this ferocious asymmetry of power – leading to “apartheid”, in the words of Human Rights Watch – that shapes the lives of Palestinians and galvanises continued resistance. Miss Emily taught Maia in her boarding school before she left for Brazil. Miss Emily is very close to her sister, Miss Banks, and has a very strong bond with her. She is a comforting presence for Maia. She is in her 40s and is very kind. Escape to the River Sea’ would make an excellent Guided Reading text or work brilliantly as a whole class book for a class read or as a focus text. There are many elements in the story to investigate and discuss and which could offer inspiration for different forms of writing, including poetry. Emma’s vivid scenes and the rich language she uses are a joy to explore.

Emma Carroll also broadens the story, developing a new thread and mystery to solve, but I don't wish to give any spoilers..! One not to miss, Escape to the River Sea is a fabulous read! Escape To The 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. Beautiful and full of adventure, Escape to the River Sea is Emma Carroll's compelling new novel inspired by Eva Ibbotson's bestselling, classic masterpiece, Journey to the River Sea.But this isn't a standalone work of fiction, it stands on the shoulders of a giant! The ingredients may be the same as in Journey to the River Sea but the results are quite different. The sprinkling of magic that Eva Ibbotson brought to everything she wrote is missing. It's the difference between expecting a gourmet meal and being given a Big Mac. A Big Mac hits the spot if it's what you're craving, but if you expected something more you'd be sorely disappointed. Along with the children comes a rather more unusual set of evacuees – the residents of a nearby zoo. Rosa soon takes on the role of helping Billy, the zoo owners son, look after a puma called Opal. But seven years on, when the war ends, both children and creatures return to their parents and homes, leaving Rosa once more alone. When Rosa accidentally lets Opal escape, her life seems to become even more unbearable than the scratchy tweed clothes Lady Prue has her wear.