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Journey to the River Sea cover art

Journey to the River Sea

By: Eva Ibbotson
Narrated by: Penelope Rawlins
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Summary

It is 1910 and Maia, tragically orphaned at 13, has been sent from England to start a new life with distant relatives in Manaus, hundreds of miles up the Amazon. She is accompanied by an eccentric and mysterious governess who has secret reasons of her own for making the journey. Both soon discover an exotic world bursting with new experiences in this highly colourful, joyous, and award-winning adventure.

©2001 Eva Ibbotson (P)2014 W F Howes Ltd

Critic reviews

"An intricate, cleverly paced plot, with plenty of clues for children along the way, makes this a real page-turner"
"Adventure lovers will devour this one and wish that it would continue." ( School Library Journal)
"Journey to the River Sea won the Nestle Children’s Book Prize Gold Award, and was shortlisted for the Carnegie medal."

What listeners say about Journey to the River Sea

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great story for kids - let's go to the jungle!

It took me 2 chapters to really get into this book but once the characters got to Brazil I felt like I cared immensely what happened to all of them. There are plenty of points where there is good deal of mystery and what happens next??? Beautifully written and ideal for children of 10 +

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Adventure, friendship and belonging

An adventure book that is culturally sensitive and paints a vividly colourful Brazil. Maya is a character whose determination, kindness and curiosity make her a fantastic heroine.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful and dangerous

This is a book that I fell in love with in back as a little girl when it first came out. I read it upwards of 5 times back then. Now I figured it was time to try it again as whilst I remembered the gist of the book the main details were lost to me. I fell in love with it again and could not put it down. The characters are so well portrayed and the jungle has a life of its own. It is a beautifully written story that I urge everyone to try at least once. The reader manages to bring to life all the characters. Sometimes they can sound a little samey but at the same time you barely notice it as you get dragged into the story surrounding it.

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing voices, great story

An adventure story, with a true classic feel, read beautifully. kids were spellbound. Highly recommend!

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

compelling story about passion and being true

Would you listen to Journey to the River Sea again? Why?

The characters are intriguing, you start to love or detest them and the story is very compelling.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Journey to the River Sea?

When Maia is being taken into the jungle by her jungle friend, they feel very complete.

What about Penelope Rawlins’s performance did you like?

She did read with good expression.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

At the end, Maia's governess gets permission to take her back to the Amazon , so they can rejoin their friends and follow their passion.

Any additional comments?

The development of the characters is very well done.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

lovely book, great recording

have always loved this book, and this version is great too- way to understand, great characterisations. well recommended

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Marvellous journey into South America

Would you consider the audio edition of Journey to the River Sea to be better than the print version?

We have not read the printed version

What was one of the most memorable moments of Journey to the River Sea?

When the two boys became jealous over the heroine.

Which character – as performed by Penelope Rawlins – was your favourite?

The twin sisters were truly awful, and their voices conveyed this magnificently.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When the boy's father had died, and he sent the money back to the newspaper for his dad's article.

Any additional comments?

The girl was in a truly hideous situation, but bore it with aplomb.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

upbeat children's tale that will make adults smile

Looking for a fun children's adventure story that isn't filled with gloom, hardship and adult levels of tragedy? then this is the book for you. Highly entertaining with great characterizations and unexpected plot twists. Refreshing also to see the old fashioned notions of British imperialism and class system mocked in a subversive and yet thoroughly good humoured way. There are plenty of laughs for adults here too.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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Once engaged difficult to put down.

Great story. So many different threads. We weren't entirely sure which way it would turn next. Highly recommended!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

beautiful.

best book I've listened to last year. listened to it twice. just beautiful. it lifts your spirits. kindness, honesty, adventure, beauty.

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1 person found this helpful