2484

Would love to read this when I was a girl. I know I would have fallen in love with it. Even now as a more cynical adult I was enchanted and will definitely read more of Eva Ibbotson's books. I was particularly in tune with the main character, Maia, who like me is enthralled by the natural world and new cultures. Also beautifully written with a gripping plot. What more can a good children's book ask for; come to that any book? ( )

Exactly the sort of life-change book I love most. ( )

Maia is brave, smart and good. She attends a British boarding school until she is orphaned and sent to live with her closest relatives, the Carters. The Carters are rubber farmers in Brazil, living deep in the Amazon jungle. Maia journeys to Brazil and goes on a wild adventure, full of mystery, intrigue, terrible villains and fascinating friends. ( )

3.75 stars

It is the early 1900s and Maia is an orphan in England, though she was left plenty of money. Some family are found in Brazil on the Amazon, so she is sent there to live with them. A governess, Miss Minton, is sent with her. Maia is looking forward to the adventure and excited to meet her aunt, uncle and cousins - twin sisters - but when she arrives, she finds that although the Carters are living on the Amazon, they are trying to avoid it as much as possible. Everything they have and eat comes from England, and they are rarely outside. How disappointing for Maia, who was looking forward to running in the jungle and exploring.

This was really enjoyable. I liked Maia's independence, and I liked Miss Minton. In a lot of children's lit, the adults don't really play any part in helping solve anything. In this one, they weren't the main part of it, but they helped. I liked that, too. There wasn't as much to learn about the Amazon and the animals in it as I'd hoped, but it is a nice book to learn some tolerance of other peoples and cultures. ( )