The Rescue of Ravenwood, by Natasha Farrant - Mia & Lucas, aged 9
Ravenwood is a magical old house and garden where Bea and her friend Raffy live with their found family (her uncle Leo and his mum Martha). It may seem like a strange place to call home - there is a fallen down tree in the kitchen after all - but to them, it’s a place where they feel safe and loved.
Bea was left by her parents when she was little and this meant that she grew into an independent girl; she even taught herself to ride a bike! She has been friends with Raffy and Noah (the other main character who always has a sketchbook with him!) since she can remember, and they have a really fun childhood, playing at Ravenwood, in the treehouse, and going on adventures.
Things don’t always go to plan for the three friends. They went on a train journey, and because everyone was pushing and shoving past, they ended up on the wrong train to the wrong destination! This lead to quite an adventure. Like any group of friends, they often fall out, but they know how important they are to each other, and always settle their disagreements!
This beautiful, exciting book is about friendship, fighting to save what you love and understanding that a ‘family’ can come in all shapes and sizes. Each character realises that they can make their own choices and, if they really care enough about something, they have the power to change it!
Lucas really loves that this book has lots of wildlife in it and it had positive stories about the environment that we need to protect.
Mia liked that in the middle of the book it gets a bit chaotic, and drama starts to happen (like going to the wrong destination on the train).
Lucas gave this book 5/5 stars
Mia gave this book 3.5/5 stars
Mia and Lucas, both aged 9.
