“At the end of the day, your feet should be dirty, your hair messy & your eyes sparkling.”
Shanti

As a mother of four wildlings who are always barefoot and happiest outside
If possible, up a tree
10 year old Fern Featherstone was a character I took straight to my heart
A little girl who loves to learn through experience and play
A little girl for whom the world is her classroom
A little girl who likes to be active and is always looking for adventure

“When Fern moves from the rainforest to the city, she feels entirely uprooted. But soon she meets a little plant that understands her every word, and things are looking up!
That is until strange things start happening: giant lily pads on the Thames, monkey vines on the London Eye …
Can they solve this growing mystery – before it’s too late?”

The Secret Wild is an exciting, enchanting eco adventure
It is a fast moving botanical mystery
With the main action set in London
This is a beautifully written book
All the names of people and places through the story link to plants
From Fern herself to Dandelion Road
The Grapevine newspaper to London Mayor Dharma Dahlia
Alex Evelyn uses botanical themed similes and metaphors
To truly immerse readers in her story
In Fern’s story
The writing is just so good
It hooks you in and wraps you up in the world of plants

The main characters are all brilliant
Eccentric endearing author, uncle Ned
And his mediaeval imaginary friend!
Woody, the anxious jigsaw puzzle loving friend
Special, a plant with a heart, with understanding and empathy
Oleander, the poisonous villain who is trying to topple London
With her extreme rewilding
Gingko, The Guerrila Gardener’s assistant

Everything in this book comes together in a clever tale
Of friendship, loneliness and belonging
Of finding courage and not letting fear define you
It is the story of a curious barefoot wild child
Who is finding her own way in the world
With a little help from her family and friends
And a carnivorous plant that understands every word that she says

There is so much botanical knowledge weaved through the magical storytelling
If you are looking for an alternative Jubilee read
The Secret Wild could be it
This brilliant story offers a wonderful way
To get children to explore and research famous London landmarks
It will, I am sure, spark an interest in botany and latin
Alex Evelyn’s debut book will inspire children
And their grown ups
To learn more about rewilding
And the story reminds us all that
When native plants return, the animals will follow
A balanced ecosystem can be restored
We can all live together in harmony
If we try

I adore this book
I am so glad that I got to read it in May as our lawn grows wild
And a whole range of minibeasts and bugs emerge in the garden

I am so excited to read The Secret Wild again in June
As part of our home education project around plants and rewilding
For 30 Days Wild
If you are participating in the campaign this year
This would be the perfect class or family read aloud

With stunning cover artwork by George Ermos
There is SO much to love about this book