The Golden Swift (The Silver Arrow)

I have a very picky reader who loves this book. He likes The Silver Arrow better, though. I read them to him initially when he was 7 and he reads them to himself now at 9. The difficulty is appropriate for those ages and older. The themes of magical adventure, and environmentalism are appropriate for all ages and have some good, teachable moments. We are waiting for a continuation of the series.

Read with my 9 year old and we both enjoyed more adventures from the heroes of the 1st book. Made us reflect on the influence of men on nature. I’ve read the author’s book for adults and loved them and these for kids do not disappoint.

I enjoyed this follow-up to The Silver Arrow. Kate and Tom have a bit of tension growing between them as they are each reaching ages where they want, and deserve, a bit more independence. Uncle Herbert is missing. A cassowary and a wolverine join in on the adventure, and we encounter new conductors and a new train. My favorite character in the books remains the Silver Arrow itself. Its printouts add levity and humor to the story. Like The Silver Arrow, The Golden Swift teaches young readers about different types of animals, geography, the impact humans have had on the environment, and climate change. I feel like The Golden Swift is easier to follow along with than The Silver Arrow, but you still need to read The Silver Arrow first to have the context for everything that is going on--especially when you reach the penultimate part of The Golden Swift. I like that you get to see more of Kate's day-to-day life in between trips on the trains and that you see Kate and Tom interacting with other children. Kate is entering middle school, and I think her feelings about school and fitting in accurately reflect what many children feel at that age. Whereas The Silver Arrow focuses on shuttling animals to safer locales, The Golden Swift is more focused on trying to find the right balance for the earth. Just like The Silver Arrow, The Golden Swift does tend to get a bit heavy-handed when discussing humans' impact on the earth, animals, and climate change. As a parent, caregiver, or teacher, please be aware that this book discusses loss, and subjects such as Chernobyl, the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, the Red Zone in France, and Hitler are mentioned in this book. I received an advanced copy from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.

Great book!!

The Golden Swift is the sequel to the The Silver Arrow. As a 5th grade teacher, I had kids begging us to spend more time during read aloud to finish the book! (I can't say this happens often...) I appreciate how the book ties in real world struggles (animals going extinct) and makes kids really think about what is going on and why.

This author is amazing. If you lived the first book, The Silver Arrow, then you definitely have to get this book! My kids loved reading it! It’s full of magic and adventure!!!

This was a wonderful and easy read for my 10 yr old son and avid train fan! He couldn't put it down and read it all in one day!

My then 5 year old absolutely loved the Silver Arrow a year ago. We just finished the Golden Swift and loved the story, but one small part really disappointed me. When a fellow student is being bullied and his school project is purposely destroyed by other students, Kate tells him this is his fault because he needs better social skills and he doesn't argue. This idea is repudiated in subtle ways throughout the rest of the book (for example through the statement that he has better manners than most adults) which might be fine for a middle grader but I would have preferred to see it more clearly stated that being bullied isn't anyone's fault.

Beautiful, engaging series about environmentalist, adventure, growing up & trains! My son (6) loved it so much we’ve read the series twice since getting it. Highly recommend!!!