Wilder

This is a wonderful story that mixtures magical myth with the harsh reality of wildlife conservation. UKS2 readers will enjoy Rhodd's journey to face up to her past and take up the challenge of righting the wrongs of man.Wilder is the story of a child who emerges from the marsh one day. She is taken in by 'Ma', and named Rhodd. Rhodd has a connection to nature but when the marsh takes a child every year, destroys their land and threatens to take their homes, she is reluctant to answer the call to acknowledge the part she plays in all of it.I did enjoy the premise and the message of the story and I think the story was paced well. I enjoyed the plot and Rhodd's growth and acceptance of who she was throughout the story. There were elements of the writing style that I didn't always like. There were times where the information was repeated and it was a case of show and tell, instead of show not tell. For example, in the story, everything in the natural world is dying and decaying so when trees are described as being bare instead of being a full luscious canopy, we don't then need a separate sentence to explain that without water they are dying. This may have been sorted in the editing process or may just be a personal thing for me!Because of this, it was a solid, good 3-star read almost all the way through but the end boosted it up to a 3.5 - 4. This is a good read with an important message and a fierce MC.

A nice children’s book which our eight year old is enjoying.In their words…“There’s this called named Rhodd, pronounced ‘Roff’, and she comes out of the marsh and a woman adopts her and brings her to her homeLots of time passes and then she goes to school and there are three mean kids called the Johnson Brothers, described as three hairy fat pigs, and Rhodd can switch eyes with nature and she can see what the animals can seeAnd then when the brothers are picking on her, and her friend Gar, they decide to crawl under the drain grid and switched eyes with a rat to get out and then they come out and go home and then the next day a kid named Why-Why has disappeared on a full moon, and it is quite mysterious!”Only pictures a the chapter starts, and some bold print here and there.There are also short poems / synopsis before certain chapters.

Nice book for my Son's ever growing collection. He is currently reading it and says he's enjoying it. I may read it after him.

7 year old says it's a good book, must be good he's had his head stuck in it for several days now

It’s a children’s book but the story is so beautifully written, even as an adult reading it, I was hooked.The story is of a young girl who emerged out of the marsh as a young wilding and was taken in by a wise-woman to be raised as her daughter in a small village. The villagers do not see her as one of their own, and she faces hostility due to her not quite fitting in like other human children.The girl has special gifts, like extra perception where she can be at one with animals and see/hear what they do. As she lives for a number of years with her adopted mother in the village, the area is affected by the loss of the river which is then followed by drought and dying of wild animals and then sickness to the villagers.The story shows a personal journey due to her having special gifts; she is the only person that can save the village from deterioration, so she sets off on a mission to save the wildlife and the village.

WilderBy Penny ChrimesPublished by Hachette Children's GroupWhen a child emerges from the wilderness, no one in the village knows what to do with her. She is different, wild and has a mysterious bond with nature and animals, especially the falcon, who watches over her, circling to protect.'The child - if child it was - came out of the wild-ness. It came out of the sparse bleak marsh where few dared go and none came back.’But it is ‘Ma’ who takes her in, names her Rhodd & brings her up as her own while the rest of the villagers remain suspicious, as more children go missing.This beautifully written tale, tells of the struggles of nature when trapped by the greed of mankind. Author Penny Chrimes, works her magic through her chosen words, beautiful imagery and heartfelt emotion.But it is Rhodd’s relationship with herself, her best friend Gar and her ‘Ma’ that tests the main characters strength, commitment and her decisions to save the villagers.As the village and its surroundings begin to die, a dark sickness spreads and it is left to Rhodd and her falcon to uncover the real reason behind the pain.Stunningly written, poignantly read, along a mysterious and dangerous journey.Joanne Bardgett - teacher of littlies, lover of Children’s literature.#Netgallery#PennyChrimes

My 9 yo son devours books and has read this book over the course of a few days.He enjoyed the story and said the characters were full of personality.The story was well written and kept his interest throughout. He would definitely recommend it and would read others from the author.Another nice book for the bookshelf.

A nice story about Rhodd and her journey growing up and accepting herself along with a much darker element about nature and the destruction caused by mankind. Well written, engaging and would certainly recommend.