The Greenwild: The World Behind the Door is a story of strength. Celebrating the power of a mother-daughter relationship, independent female explorers, the beauty and necessity of nature and the wonderful ability of children to outsmart those who seek to harm, it is a wonderfully refreshing addition to middle grade adventure stories.
I was immediately gripped by Daisy Thistledown’s plight. Used to travelling the world with her mother – a highly-acclaimed journalist and botonist – Daisy is heartbroken when she’s told she can’t join her mother on her next story. Apparently, this next adventure in Peru is just too dangerous. Instead, Daisy is sent to boarding school. With only a tiny kitten for company, Daisy can’t wait until her mother comes back for her. She promised it would only be a few weeks…
When bad news arrived, Daisy senses something isn’t right. Running away is her only option. She heads for their favourite place – Kew Gardens. Pursued by strangers in the dark, she realises her mother might be in even more trouble than she first thought. Desperate to escape, Daisy finds her way through a strange door into an even stranger world.
What follows is a magical celebration of plants and nature. Daisy meets a community of people who seem to know who she is but who live a life like nothing she’s ever seen before. Can she trust them to help her find her mother or has she found another place where she doesn’t fit in?
Key Stage Two children and their teachers will love exploring the world of Greenwild together. There are so many links to be made to Science and Biology. A spring read of this exciting story would be sure to inspire children to plant their own magical seeds and watch them grow.
This natural world is brought to life with beautiful illustrations by the talented Elisa Paganelli.
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Books by Kate Heap:
Scope for Imagination 