The Valley of Secrets - Hardcover

Hussey, Charmian

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0689878621 ISBN 13: 9780689878626

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers, 2005

Synopsis

Having gone to a remote area outside the city to visit a house he has inherited, Stephen stumbles upon his great uncle's diary that talks about his incredible journey up the Amazon--inspiring him to look into his family's past, the history of his house, and a meeting with a special native guide who can provide answers to his many questions.

About this title

Review:

The tradition of the cozy English children’s mystery, so sweetly portrayed in classics like Tom’s Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce and Mandy by Julie Andrews, has been revived in Charmian Hussey’s exquisitely wrought The Valley of Secrets. Stephen Lansbury never knew his parents. So the orphan is stunned to receive a letter informing him he has inherited a large estate in the English countryside from his long lost great-uncle Theodore. Upon his arrival to Lansbury Hall, two things immediately strike Stephen: the exotic plant life that seems to bloom everywhere, and the meticulous upkeep of the old manor. When Stephen finds the water-stained journals of his uncle’s youthful travels up the Amazon River, the unusual greenery suddenly makes sense. But who (or what!) is maintaining the tidy kitchen garden and replenishing his woodbox? As Stephen pores over his uncle’s journals, his curiosity and apprehension grow. Are plants the only thing Uncle Theodore brought back from the rain forest all those years ago?

Charmian Hussey has given the stale orphan premise a clever 21st century twist by inserting loads of facts and figures about the devastating deforestation of the Amazon into her old-fashioned tale. There is even a list of mentioned flora and fauna included for aspiring young naturalists, who will no doubt be charmed by Stephen’s surprising "discovery" of a whole new species. For more mystery melded with Amazon lore, follow up The Valley of Secrets with Eva Ibbotson’s equally wonderful Journey to the River Sea. --Jennifer Hubert

About the Author:

Charmian Hussey trained as an archaeologist at the University of London, through which she worked on excavations in Great Britain and the Middle East. This interest in the indigenous tribal peoples of the world led to a deep concern for their futures. The Valley of Secrets combines her understanding and passion for indigenous concerns with her love of the Cornish countryside in England, where she now lives and farms with her husband, John.

Christopher Crump abandoned his office job to pursue his dream of being an artist. He earned a B.A. degree in illustration at Falmouth College of Arts in Cornwall, England, and has just completed an M.A. in illustration: authorial practice. He lives in England.

About this edition

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0689878621
• ISBN 13: 9780689878626
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 382
• Illustrator: Crump Christopher