Things in the real world aren't much better for Kate. Becoming a conductor for the special railroad has changed her, and now at high school (Intermediate in NZ) her friend base has shrunk. Watching her younger brother Tom's confidence and ability to make friends is frustrating. Her attempt to do so by auditioning for the school play implodes and she's still stinging from the embarrassment. My favorite character in the books remains the Silver Arrow itself. Its printouts add levity and humor to the story.

Or good-ish, anyway. Her uncle Herbert has gone missing, and the worsening climate means that there are more and more animals that need help all the time. How many times does Kate have to save the world before it stays saved? There is an overwhelmingly clear Environmental message throughout the story (as with the first book) that is impactful, a little melancholy, but also full of hope. I think it really comes down to perspective. What you do with the information in this story is truly up to you and I think that's part of what makes the message so strong. Four was that as hard as she worked on the Silver Arrow, as many animals as she helped, as hard as she tried, it was never, ever enough. There were always more animals in trouble. Kate read a lot, and in her experience stories with magic in them usually ended up with the world being saved at the end. But this was different. Kate tried and tried, and was brave, and never gave up, and generally acted like a hero, and still the world wasn’t saved. On her 11th birthday, Kate's Uncle Herbert gifted her a train (no, not a model train, a REAL one!). She and her brother, Tom, had many adventures with their uncle in the first book of the series, The Silver Arrow. I encourage readers to begin with the first novel to fully understand the Great Secret Intercontinental Railroad before reading the sequel, The Golden Swift by Lev Goldman.Four stars. This would be an excellent choice for public or school library acquisition, bedtime reading, or even buddy read. Grossman takes care to always keep his target audience in sight, so while this is an engaging read filled with terrific illustrations as before, it is a timely and relevant read too as it takes on all that humans are doing to endanger our planet and the many species that inhabit it, used to inhabit it, and may not soon inhabit it if more steps aren't taken. While that sounds like it makes for depressing reading it doesn't; it makes for informed and thought-provoking reading, which is exactly what Middle Schoolers could use more of. It's been a year since Kate and Tom became conductors on the Great Secret Intercontinental Railway, and life has changed completely! Delivering animal passengers to their rightful habitats using their very own secret steam train, The Silver Arrow, is exciting and magical and fulfilling.

I really did enjoy it and I think it is a great book for kids who really want to explore these questions while reading a fun story. Those really loving different animals and who are amazed by our natural world will love it.

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Like The Silver Arrow, The Golden Swift teaches young readers about different types of animals, geography, the impact humans have had on the environment, and climate change. I feel like The Golden Swift is easier to follow along with than The Silver Arrow, but you still need to read The Silver Arrow first to have the context for everything that is going on--especially when you reach the penultimate part of The Golden Swift. So this year when she saw the poster announcing auditions for Anything Goes, Kate signed up immediately. It wasn’t even a decision. She knew exactly which part she wanted, namely Hope Harcourt, beguiling young heiress. It's been a year now since Kate was given a magical steam train by her uncle Herbert for her 11th birthday. It isn't magical in a rainbows and unicorn kind of way. The Silver Arrow train run by the Great Secret Intercontinental Railway has a very important mission, and Kate has done her best to try and complete it. But saving animals from habitat loss and climate change is never ending. Kate and Tom are both older, and are finding they want more out of their lives, and are also growing into the people they'll eventually become. Consequently, there's a little conflict to their interactions this time, which keeps things interesting. Also, Kate’s feelings of inadequacy and frustration are handled well. A group of talking farm animals catches wind of the farm owner’s intention to burn the barn (with them in it) for insurance money and hatches a plan to flee.