By: Eva Ibbotson Publisher: Puffin Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Puffin Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 304 Publication Date: October 13, 2003 Reading Level: Young Adult
Product Description: Accompanied by Miss Minton, a fierce-looking, no-nonsense governess, Maia, a young orphan, sets off for the wilderness of the Amazon, expecting curtains of orchids, brightly colored macaws, and a loving family. But what she finds is an evil-tempered aunt and uncle and their spoiled daughters. It is only when she is swept up in a mystery involving a young Indian boy, a homesick child actor, and a missing inheritance that Maia lands in the middle of the Amazon adventure she's dreamed of. Readers of every generation will treasure Ibbotson's lush historical adventure that harkens back to the beloved classics of Frances Hodgson Burnett and Louisa May Alcott.
Amazon.com: Sent in 1910 to live with distant relatives who own a rubber plantation along the Amazon River, English orphan Maia is excited. She believes she is in for brightly colored macaws, enormous butterflies, and "curtains of sweetly scented orchids trailing from the trees." Her British classmates warn her of man-eating alligators and wild, murderous Indians. Unfortunately, no one cautions Maia about her nasty, xenophobic cousins, who douse the house in bug spray and forbid her from venturing beyond their coiffed compound. Maia, however, is resourceful enough to find herself smack in the middle of more excitement than she ever imagined, from a mysterious "Indian" with an inheritance, to an itinerant actor dreading his impending adolescence, to a remarkable journey down the Amazon in search of the legendary giant sloth.
Eva Ibbotson, author of Dial-A- Ghost, Island of the Aunts, and other positively delightful and droll fantasies, won a Gold Award for this book in the 2001 Nestlé Smarties Book Prizes. Likable heroines, loathsome villains, and splendid adventures—-along with Kevin Hawkes's appealing ink illustrations--make Ibbotson's novels a must for every bookshelf. (Ages 9 and older) --Emilie Coulter
Boring at the start... Exciting in the middle... Inspiring at the end! Overall, I enjoyed this book despite some long and boring parts involving the characters just talking to each other. Every part seemed to have a certain twist of adventure. The adventures made me never want to put the book down. I was encouraged to read the book until the end.
The story takes place in a small town called Manaue, in Brazil. It is somewhere off the Coast of The Amazon River, in a certain house, owned by one of the author's friends.
The Story is about a young orphan girl named Maia. After her parents were killed in a train accident, she is sent to live with her relatives in the Amazon. She has never met these relatives. Despite being told by her classmates of the dangers in the Amazon, Maia cannot wait to start her long sea voyage. As she boards the ship that will take her to the Amazon, she is completely unaware that she will make friends with new people and the natives of Manaue. She embarks on an adventure that her classmates can never imagine, even in their wildest dreams.
This is an inspiring story about the unbreakable bond between friends. At the same time continuing to follow your dreams no matter how many obstacles you encounter. This is exactly what Maia does to help her friend Finn escape from the crows. {People who are searching for him to drag him back to England in a house named Westwood}. At the same time help her other friend named Clovis a disgraced actor who desperately wants to return to England. Maia helps them in a cunning plan to disguise Clovis as Finn so that Finn could escape while Clovis can return to England. But she also has to avoid her greedy sisters; Gwendolyn and Beatrice who will do anything to get a hold on Finn for the reward money and even the police who are also trying to find him. But somehow Maia baits her sisters and thus the plan will go smoothly-for a while at least.....
---- CV May2007
Circumstances Don't Dampen This Orphan's Spirit As a child I read and adored 'A Little Princess' by Frances Hodgson Burnett (also the authoress of Little Lord Fauntleroy) wherein the spunky and resourceful orphan manages to find beauty and pleasure in life in spite of the dreary and nasty folk she is forced to live with and triumphs in the end. However I was never found another book that resonated in quite the same way for me, though goodness knows I searched.
As an adult I stumbled across 'Journey To The River Sea' and found that book. Maia's adventures were a pure pleasure to read and it makes perfect sense to me that her actor friend is practically living out Little Lord Fauntleroy. Eva Ibbotson was channeling the spirit of Frances Hodgson Burnett in this book and I found the same joy in the reading.
Jigsaw puzzle Eva Ibbotson sends her threads far and wide, and then draws them together in an almost perfect bundle, meaning she brings a lot of people into the plot, all with their own problems, and intertwines their troubles so there is a place for everyone. There is no one left hanging to worry about at the end of the book. On the otherhand, I find Maia to angelic to be true. She never looses her temper, or gets back at the evil twins. She believes everything told to her without suspicion. Otherwise I have no complaints. The suspense is fun, but not torture, and the plot wont leave any dissapointments.
An interesting Journey to the River Sea "Two men came into the room. They were dressed in black and as they walked over to Madame Duchamp, it was as though a pair of gloomy crows had stalked into the room." Maia has just arrived on the Amazon from England to live with the Carters. The Carters are a terrible family, and the only people to make Maia's stay better is her governess, Miss Minton and a friend from the ship - Clovis. Maia soon makes new friends, though, with the Indians and Finn Taverner, the legendary son of Bernard Taverner, heir to England's Westwood. Maia's adventures turn to chaos when Clovis pretends to be Finn because the current owner of Westwood is old and the next heir to the estate is Finn. Clovis, therefore, is whisked away by the "crows" and taken to Westwood. Meanwhile, the Carters have a house fire and lose everything - including, they and Miss Minton think, Maia. Really, though, Maia has sailed away with Finn to find the Xanti tribe, so Miss Minton goes after the children and luckily finds them. Clovis needs help when the three of them return, so all three travel by ship back to England. In the end, it is decided that Clovis, as Finn, will take over Westwood, and Finn, Miss Minton, and Maia all go "home" to the Amazon. I liked this story, but the way it was written did not appeal to me at all.
The first thing I didn't like about this novel is how it dragged on and on. The author sometimes used too many words or even chapters for simple things. It was mainly towards the end of the novel, for example, between chapters 14 and 17 it was three different character's stories. I think sentences such as, "She didn't want to read about plants and animals any longer, she wanted to find them. She wanted to be out there in the forest starting a real life..." are repetitive and boring. Also, towards the end of the book there is much less action than in the first 220 pages. At the end of the novel there is a lot more detail about Mrs. Carter and the twins and how they worked for their aunt, which was very boring to read.
Another thing I didn't enjoy about this book is how the author leaves you hanging at the end of a chapter and the next chapter is about someone totally different. For example, at the end of Chapter 17, the author is talking about Clovis confessing that he isn't really Finn. She wrote, "But never in his worst nightmares had he imagined anything as terrible as what happened next." Then she goes on to the Carters' story in the next chapter. It was very hard to wait and find out about Clovis's confession.
Despite the techniques used to write, I really liked the story itself. It is so different than other stories and it was very complicated. I liked the complexity - constantly changing plots, twists and turns, and themes about friendship. This story was very enjoyable to read, especially when I was not in a rush to read it. The only other thing I didn't like about this novel was the pictures. They sometimes ruined what I had envisioned for different elements of the story and they were occasionally distracting.
Overall, this was an excellent story but with some factors that were not enjoyable, such as when the author leaves you hanging or drags a point too far. Otherwise, though, I would recommend this book to people who enjoy an adventure, but also to someone who has time because with this novel you must read slowly in order to comprehend and enjoy it.
-C. Chaudhury
What a great book! LOoking for an adventerous but challenging book? Eva Ibbotsons book Journey to the River Sea is and exciting story about a young girl named Maia who is sent to live in the Amamzon because of all of her money as well as because her parents passed away. She is nervous about her journey when she finds out how different her governess or nanny/teacher is far from her daydreams of a pleasent and exciting mentor. But, she soon learns to love her governess, Miss Minton or "MInty." With many exciting journeys and daydreams that really do come true, like traveling down the Amamzon river and many other exciting journeys, this book is one that you'll never want to set down- and I really mean it! I was thrilled to find a book that had so many different ways of keeping your attention,from one chapter to the next. With happy, sad, and thrilling parts, this book is a great chioce for skilled and active readers. Enjoy this exciting journey to the Amazon!!
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