Escape to the River Sea

Product Information

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.

Clovis (Jimmy Bates, Clovis is his stage name) is an impoverished boy actor who dreams of going home to England. He has a mishap in Manaus and leaves the acting troupe as they fall into debt and are arrested. Later, Clovis takes Finn's place as heir at Westwood in England, convincing detectives of the false identity. He is reunited with his foster mother who persuades him to reveal his true identity. Clovis tries to reveal his identity on several occasions—one of which results in disaster he can "have Maia when she's grown up." He ends the book living as the wealthy heir 'Finn Taverner'. Clovis is kind

The novel is set at the end of World War II as we follow a young girl who was sent to England from Austria before war started as she was Jewish. Her mother and sister were left behind. Now war is over, and she is looking and waiting for the post with a letter to say her mum and sister survived. The reader can ‘feel’ the tension and disappointment as each day passes with no news. However, she still clings to hope. 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”. 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. I would happily recommend this to fans of Ibbotson, and hope it also opens up her readership more widely.

The Nazi occupation Vienna finds eleven-year-old Rosa Sweetman separated from her mother and elder sister, and evacuated to the crumbling stately home of Westwood, in the north of England.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. 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. Escape To The River Sea by Emma Carroll is an exciting children’s historical novel that is guaranteed to entertain all those aged eight years and over. 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. Author Luke Palmer introduces his new book, Play (Firefly Press) about four boys growing up together, the challenges, the friendships, and what hap...