The Rescue of Ravenwood: Children's Book of the Year, Sunday Times

A storm-felled tree carved into a Viking longboat and moored on a cliff top. An ancient house, bombed and rebuilt, guarded by a tree named after a legend. Clear waters that are home to inquisitive seals, and, if you’re especially lucky, a great crested newt. Within a few pages of Natasha Farrant’s The Rescue of Ravenwood, my plan was to move to Ravenwood and never leave. Like the woods in Katya Balen’s October, October, Ravenwood is a magical place, a refuge from the noise and chaos of the city. Growing up in such a world, it’s no surprise that 11-year-old Bea and Raffy, along with their new friend Noa, will do anything to save it, especially when Bea’s uncle Jack and his sly developer friend Ant plan to cut down Yggdrasil, the family’s beloved tree, and turn Ravenwood into a fancy hotel. What follows is an adventure that takes readers across Europe and back again, where the kindness of eccentric strangers and the gumption of formidable grandmothers, helps the children, and their close-knit community, to fight for Ravenwood – and everything it stands for. Belonging, and the need for a safe home, is a key theme throughout the novel, as the children see families displaced by war and poverty.Reminiscent of Eva Ibbotson’s classic adventure stories and Hilary McKay’s family sagas, The Rescue of Ravenwood is a warm, witty, and powerful celebration of found families, the beauty of the natural world, and the importance of fighting for what you believe in. This will be a book that people will come back to.

This was a really special book and an absolute delight to read.Ravenwood is a special old house and garden where Bea and her friend Raffy live with their found family (her uncle Leo and his mum Martha). They live a whimsical childhood, playing in the grounds of the house and on the beach until one day life outside their known world starts to intrude - Bea and Raffy both begin to discover their real families and when Ravenwood comes under threat, they have to decide whether there is anything they can do.It was so well written with so many exciting adventures and really interesting characters. At times, Bea, Raffy and their friend Noa, along with all of the adults made poor choices or behaved badly but the strength of love and friendship really came through.A highly recommended book from a brilliant author.

This book wasn't as magical as The Voyage of the Sparrowhawk, but was entertaining, timely, and a good "guide" to readers of the target market (aged 8-12). As an adult reader I felt it was trying to be too encompassing - colour, strong females, adventure, environmentalism. But it was still a good read, and worth gifting to my favorite young readers.

I absolutely adored this story. It is a beautifully evocative quest which has such a strong heart beating at its centre. There are themes of ecology, family (in its widest sense), belonging and home. The setting and characters are written with such care and clarity that you escape completely into their world. Brilliant.

There is so much to love about this book, from the moustached gentleman on the train to the sweet boy with the ice creams. I don't want to give the plot away, but it's a brilliant combination of Summer Holiday and Emil and the Detectives. It has the wonderful core story of a group of children determined to save something, alongside a much more adult theme of the complexities of an extended family, the relationships of children to blood and non blood parents. A main character with a desperation to reach home, and what does home mean? It has loss and longing and laughter and fun. It made me happy.I really recommend to readers of adventure, and romantics ages 8 - 80

This is one of the best reads of the year for me. A beautiful story about a family who have their world turned upside down. The children are the main characters and they carry the story wonderfully. Emotional and adventurous. Loved it!

Ravenwood is the home to Bea and Raffy - a home that is more like a community of friends .Life seems idyllic until the children find themselves away from their home and discover that things are changing .The complexities of extended families and relationships are told against the backdrop of the possibility of the children losing Ravenwood through crime and greed.A race to save their home and force adults to reconsider decisions unite the children in taking direct action. Although the environmental aspect of saving Ravenwood developed it did feel as though this could have had a more central role within the plot rather than building up the relationships between the children and their parents in such depth . A good read that should capture the imaginations of 10- 12 year olds.

The Rescue of Ravenwood is another thrilling adventure story from the author of Voyage of the Sparrowhawk featuring plucky and resourceful children who summon hidden reserves of courage to confront an existential threat to their way of life.Ravenwood has been home to Bea and Raffy for as long as they can remember, along with Bea's uncle Leo and Raffy's mother Martha. They have grown up among its ancient trees, its lake and its secret cove, but now it is under threat as Leo's brothers want to sell it to a developer. Together with their new friend Noa who has come to stay for the summer, Bea and Raffy must find a way to protect their home and all the wildlife that has thrived there.This is a brilliantly plotted story featuring daring train chases across Europe and radical ecological protests before everything comes together in a satisfying way. It is also a story that is full of heart - it has a powerful ecological message about saving "precious places", as well as exploring complex family dynamics with great sensitivity. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC to review.