Captivated by the lush beauty of the rainforest, Rosa meets Yara’s lively family, who live on the banks of the river, and finds herself caught up in the adventure of a lifetime. When Westwood's driver is sent to collect a foreign lady from the station, Rosa thinks her mother has come for her. From the disappointment of discovering the lady isn't her mother, but a family friend of Sir Clovis comes an adventure that takes Rosa across the ocean and to places beyond her wildest hopes and imagination and to a land where wild pumas roam free. More than that, what should have been a break away from Westwood, turns into a highly dangerous adventure that will surely captivate young readers everywhere. Journey to the River Sea won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize for reader ages 9–11. It was identified as runner-up for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize [1] and it made the shortlist for the Carnegie Medal; [2] the Whitbread Award, Children's Book; and the Blue Peter Book Award.

A large portion of the book speaks about colonisation and the destuction of habitats with the impact on both native peoples and the local wildlife.

Emma Carroll Press Reviews

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.

That power means that there effectively already exists a state “from the river to the sea”, though one that, as writer Ralph Leonard points out, is cut into four regimes. First, there is the Israel of its Jewish citizens, a troubled liberal democracy. Then there is the Israel of Israeli-Palestinian citizens, formally accorded equality but facing intolerable discrimination, from police brutality to land dispossession. As Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, a deputy mayor of Jerusalem, said of the evictions of Palestinians from the Sheikh Jarrah district of East Jerusalem, a spark for the recent war, “laws that some people may consider as favouring Jews” are necessary because “it’s a Jewish state” and only discriminatory laws can “protect the Jewish people”. The winners of The Farshore Reading for Pleasure Teacher Awards 2023, highlighting the work schools are doing to encourage a love of reading, have... Author Luke Palmer introduces his new book, Play (Firefly Press) about four boys growing up together, the challenges, the friendships, and what hap...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. Night Mayor Franklefink has vanished from the Transylvanian Express - and it's up to you to solve the case! Part of the Solve Your Own Mystery seri... Escape to the River Sea is quite probably the best, most captivating, informative, beautiful and thoroughly entertaining period adventure I have had the pleasure to read in many, many years. Never for a minute did I not feel a part of the people of the world we are transported to and travel through. It held my attention with the elegance of the scene-setting, the strength of the characters, the plight of the forests, and of course the carefully unfolding adventure. All of which left me unashamedly crying at the end. Seemingly deserted by her father, and separated from her mother and elder sister, she makes the most of her time under the guiding hand and watchful eyes of Lady Prue and Sir Clovis, owners of Westwood. Ever hopeful of news of her family that never comes, she is soon joined by other evacuees from all over the country. 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.

A Jew who today may declare, ‘I am a nationalist’ will not be saying, ‘I am a man who seeks to rebuild a Jewish state in Palestine and who dreams of conquering Jerusalem.’ He will be saying, ‘I want to be a man fully free, I want to have the right to my dignity as a man, I want to escape oppression.’” So wrote Bernard Lazare, an early French Zionist, in 1898. 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. 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.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. 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. Escape to the River Sea will now be at the top of my suggestion list. A modern story with a classic feel -- Kate Heap - https://scopeforimagination.co.uk Rosa and Yara’s journey across the ocean felt real and cast the change in setting just right. Old character’s appear but have evolved as they would over the course of 30 years while still feeling true to the original. 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. Hello Yellow - 80 Books to Help Children Nurture Good Mental Health and Support With Anxiety and Wellbeing -