Journey to the River Sea

Journey to the River Sea

Eva Ibbotson

Recommended age: as from 9 years old

Hola amigos,

Today we are off to the Amazon with this wonderful book about adventure and friendship. Perfect for brave explores who will not be distressed at the sight of caimans, piranhas, huge mosquitoes and other animals of the sort.

Jaime L.C.: "A great book for both boys and girls. It tells the story of a girl who has to move to the Amazon when her parents die, a tragedy. A beautiful book that I would recommend to readers who enjoy adventure."

This story begins with Maia's voyage to Brazil accompanied by her new governess. The orphan girl will have to leave her boarding school in London to start a new life in Manaus, at the very heart of the Amazon jungle, with some relatives she has never met before. At school, Maia's friends are horrified at the thought of the many dangers of the tropical forest. You will discover that the problems that await Maia are of a very different type.

Daniel L.C.: "The main character of this book is a girl, but there are also two characters that are boys. My favorite is Finn, because of his personality and mainly because he prefers to live free in the Amazon rather than in a mansion."

My favorite character is Maia, an optimist. The moment she is given the news of her trip, instead of being scared and feel sorry for herself, she heads to the school library to find out about this mysterious place that will become her home. This is a beautiful extract from the book:

"That night Maia sat alone on top of the mahogany library steps, and she read and she read and she read...She read about the travellers who had explored the maze of rivers and found a thousand plants and animals that had never been seen before. She read about brilliantly coloured birds flashing between the laden branches - macaws and humming birds and parakeets - and butterflies the size of saucers, and curtains of sweetly scented orchids trailing from the trees. She read about the wisdom of the Indians who could cure sickness and wounds that no one in Europe understood."

Pablo L.C.: "A great book, with plenty of details and very interesting animals. The main characters include a half Indian boy, two very mean sisters, greedy uncles and a book loving governess. A story for boys and girls."

There is also intrigue in the story. As you read on, be prepared to discover that some of the characters don't turn up to be as you had imagined them....there are big surprises...for the better and, sad to say, also for the very worse.

Did you know...?

It is in the Amazon where you can find the renowned piranhas. They have a very bad reputation but truth is they don't normally attack humans. However, their razor sharp teeth are arranged in such a way that when they close their mouths they interlock, and their jaws are so strong that, should one bite your toe, chances are it will cut it off completely. We prefer sardines...