14 Sep 2010 - from Emma, Beth and Grace

I'd been discussing this book with my friend Emma and her daughters when I saw them at the weekend. I didn't have room in my bags to take their copy home with me, so we agreed they'd post it to me. I was thrilled when a brand new copy arrived via Amazon on Tuesday! I promised to read it quickly and let them know what I thought about it, and it was no problem to promote it up the reading pile!

This is a fabulous book that I feel follows in the tradition of earlier children's books like The Secret Garden or The Little Princess. Indeed, this tale of an orphan girl shipped off to a new life on the other side of the world mentions Little Lord Fauntleroy, a nice touch for the adult and younger reader.

It's fabulous in two ways - a very good read and full of excitement, colour, mystery and magic. Maia is a lovely heroine and I adored her governess, Miss Minton, first met seeming very forbidding with a terrifying umbrella, but soon revealed to have a trunk full of books, and therefore to be on our side. All the requisite elements are here, from absent-minded professors to distant guardians, a fantastic landscape and a realistically described city, and an interesting family to live with. I particularly liked the way Miss Minton's fate worked out, and the way Ibbotson worked in different parts to appeal to different groups of readers, from the knockabout experiences of a couple of lawyers, to the very odd obsessions of the Carters, to the interesting and beautiful dwellers in the jungle.

Any more than this would give the plot away, so I'll just exhort people to get hold of a copy and read it! It's won a Nestle Children's Book Prize and been shortlisted for the Carnegie, and rightly so - a classic for the future.

BookRing!

Rules:

1. Journal the book when you receive it
2. Try to read it and send it on within 1 month
3. PM the next reader and send it to them - make a release or journal entry on the book so we can all see its status
4. If you have any problems reading the book in time or getting hold of the next reader, please PM me or use the email address on my profile!

PARTICIPANTS:

Juliako UK (anywhere)
Lydiasbooks UK (Europe)
Wilksie UK (anywhere)
Bookguide Netherlands (Europe) <--- it's here!
Tsjara Netherlands (EU)
Kirstykat UK (Europe)
Hakkalina Hungary (anywhere)
Sarabe1 Sweden (anywhere)
Sherlockfan NZ (anywhere)
Gorydetails US (pref US)

Passing to Juliako at the BCBirmingham meetup today. Enjoy!

I'm sorry I have taken a while with this book! Once I picked it up I read it quite quickly. I thought it was excellent and agree with all Liz said. As a teenager I think I might have want to be that governess - as long as I could wear different clothes! You will see what I mean. I would certainly have liked the idea of the trunk of books.

I will be on the lookout for more from this author - thanks for sharing! I will now pm the next person and send the book asap.

Received over the weekend. This looks like a great read, thanks!

Loved this. Once I got into it it's thrilling and totally gripped me. I'm really sorry I held the ring up for so long. I'll be sending this on asap.

Arrived this morning, thanks very much Lydiasbooks :-)
I'll begin as soon as I have finished my current read.

What a charming children's book! I loved the description of the beauty of the Amazon, there were some great characters (the goodies were good and the baddies were hateful!) and it was a lovely story too. Very enjoyable.

Posting on as soon as I get an address.
Update: posted to Bookguide in the Netherlands this morning 6th June.

Arrived in my postbox today after a long Whitsun weekend. I'm looking forward to reading this, and hopefully sharing it with my daughter (although reading together isn't happening too often any more, so I might have to give that idea up). Thanks to LyzzyBee for starting the ring, and Wilksie for sending it on.
ETA 26th August: This is up next for reading to my daughter.

My daughter decided after a few pages that she didn't want me to read it to her after all, so I finished it easily within a weekend, after waiting so long. Although I enjoyed the book and wanted to get to the end to find out what happened, I was a little disappointed. I was hoping for a slightly more heroic heroine, more descriptions of the rainforest and its inhabitants, and a little more exciting ending. I felt that it rather tailed off at the end. I think J.K. Rowling and Cornelia Funke may have spoilt me for other children's books, but I shall continue to read books aimed at this age-group, hoping to find more gems. Tip: if you like the idea of a trunk full of books, juliako, read Cornelia Funke's 'Inkheart' books! Final verdict: enjoyable, but not world-shattering. Thank you for giving me the chance to read it, LyzzyBee. I shall contact Tsjara and send it on as soon as I can. (PM sent to Tsjara 12/11/2011).

In the post on the way to Tsjara.
EDIT: Sorry, not actually posted until the end of February due to disorganisation and forgetfulness. I apologise to everyone on the ring.

This book has been released as part of the following BookCrossing challenges:
- The Ultimate Challenge - read and release books, with extra points for a monthly theme
- Reduce Mount TBR (To Be Read) - read and release books on the TBR list since before June 2010. My reading goal is 75 books.
- Pages Read Challenge - read a self-set target number of pages in 2011. My goal is 25,000.

Arrived here safely today. Thanks bookguide for sending!
This sounds like a fun adventure story, looking forward to reading it.
Thanks for sharing the book LyzzyBee!

I finished reading this yesterday, and enjoyed it very much. It was a lovely story, though not quite as I had expected (more gentle I think?). Lots of likeable characters, and some mean ones as well. I also liked the reference to Little Lord Fauntleroy, and how it sort of comes back in the story.

Both Kirstykat and Hakkalina asked to be skipped, so I will mail the book to Sarabe1 tomorrow.

On its way to Sweden now.
Happy reading!

Oh, what a lovely lovely book!!! Yes, sure, the plot might seem a little bit simple to an adult reader, but still a very charming story. A true feel good-book. My daughter will turn 8 in a month and is a voracious reader - had she been a year older or so I would have let her read it first, before sending it on. But I will definitely keep it in mind for future reads for her.

This delightful little book, reminiscent as others have said of "The Secret Garden" was waiting for me when we returned from a delight filled overseas holiday. I have already read it and will be forwarding it on just as soon as I get Gory Details' address. I've thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions of the Amazon area, all of which was quite new to me. Those spiteful cousins are abominations how Maia survived their torments surprises me although I suppose she really had little other choice.
It is a while since I read a book aimed at younger readers and it made a pleasant change from the gory types of story that appeal to me. Thanks LyzzyBee for sending this on its journey.

Controlled Release.

Posting this afternoon if the rain stops otherwise tomorrow morning, to Gorydetails who is next, and currently last, on the list.

The book arrived safely in today's mail; many thanks! [I also enjoyed the New Zealand birds on SherlockFan's note.]

I love Ibbotsen's work - my favorite of hers being Which Witch? - and am looking forward to reading this one!

Later: I enjoyed this, and definitely saw the comparisons to The Secret Garden (one of my favorite childhood books), with a touch of The Jungle Book tossed in. I loved the setting and characters, and was pleased with the way things worked out - and while I did guess a plot-twist or two, others surprised me! I love the way Ibbotson's characters tend to meet a variety of unusual people, and how the good guys manage to build relationships despite hardships. And I adored the scene in which Maia is being coached on how to behave as if she has a guilty secret, as part of a very cunning plan to - but I mustn't say what the plan was for, as it's a major spoiler {grin}.

And, yes, I got a bit sniffly - in a good way!

I'm adding this book to the Already Been Crossed bookbox, which will be on its way to its next stop soon. Hope someone enjoys it!