I’m ending this mini-series of Eva Ibbotson book reviews with a reread of my favourite: Journey to the River Sea. I can’t remember when I found the book, but I definitely bought it in school and have loved it ever since.

Journey to the River Sea takes place in the Amazon, which is where Maia goes to live with some of her distant relatives. She had high hopes of it, after reading that the Amazon can be a paradise for those who make it so, but unfortunately, her greedy relations have made it their own personal hell. Mrs Carter is determined to keep the jungle out, and she, her false eye-ball obsessed husband, and two odious daughters pretend they are in some weird, deprived version of England.

But where there’s a will, there’s a way, and Maia soon makes friends. One of her friends, Finn, is being hunted by the Crows, who want to take him away from his home and back to England. In this reading, I was super impressed by how well this was plotted – I noticed little throwaway sentences at the start of the book that not only revealed character motivation, but also foreshadowed what would happen later on.

In terms of storytelling, I think The Dragonfly Pool is better (and it would have been my favourite if I read them both at the same time). But because I read Journey to the River Sea first, it holds a special place in my heart. Plus, every time I pick it up, I can’t put it down until I’ve finished reading.

Having read two of her YA novels and two of her children’s novels, I have to say I much prefer the children’s novels (not to say the YA novels were bad – they are definitely great). The protagonists of The Secret Countess and The Morning Gift are a on the quirky side, while the protagonists of The Dragonfly Pool and Journey to the River Sea feel a bit more grounded/realistic – they are children who are kindhearted and open to the world around them.

The characters here are memorable, as always. There’s Miss Minton, who’s strict but with a heart of gold, her terrible relatives (the false eyeball obsession is so weird), and of course, Finn and Clovis. I particularly enjoyed the contrast between Finn and Clovis – both of them are brave in their own way and their friendship with Maia is endearing.

I had a great time visiting and revisiting the worlds that Eva Ibbotson created. I know she’s fairly popular, but I can’t help but feeling that she should be much more widely read and raved about – her stories are just so excellent!