Customer Reviews

The Ravenmaster's Secret: Escape from the Tower of London

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4 star:		(2)
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The Ravenmasters Secret is a great story for everyone of all ages. The Ravenmasters Secret gets you wondering what you would do if you were in the same shoes as the main character. The main Character is Forrest who he and his family live in the tower of London, he is the Ravenmasters son. He takes care of ravens and also feeds the prisoner which he is in charge of, forrest has many differnet chores around the fortress. In the story he gets caught into a deep secret which he and is friend, the rat catcher, Ned risk their lives to save a scottish rebels daughter who is a prisoner,named Madeline, she is the same age as Forrest and Ned.
Forrest gets into many tough situations which I would not have the courage to risk my life for. In the book you learn about the different lifestyles and theculture of England around 1735.
The Ravenmasters secret is based on a true story, but not real characters, it is based on several attempts of the escape of the Tower of London. The Ravenmasters Secret is a wonderful book which once you start you can't stop until you find out the conclusion to see how the plan to escape turns out.

I just finished this book last night and had to come and right a review. It was amazing!! It grabbed my attention right from the beginning and held it the whole time! I stayed up all night just to finish it.

It is such a wonderful story and the ending is, although a little sad, is still satisfying to know that Forrest learned where true happiness and contentment can be. I highly recommend it for old and young alike!!

Katie McCurdy
(Author of 'Journey of Faith)

In 1735 a boy named Forrest Harper lives in the Tower of London. His dad is the Ravenmaster and someday Forrest hopes to be the Ravenmaster. One day the town is going to have a hanging, so his family goes. At the hanging, some mean boys start teasing him and make him watch the hanging. He wants to prove that he's not a little boy because he's small, so he tells them that he is going to have a tough Scottish prisoner in his part of the Tower. But it turns out that his prisoner is young rebel named Maddie. He befriends Maddie but she is going to have to have her head chopped off! Meanwhile, his friend Rat is an indentured apprentice to a rat catcher. The rat catcher loses a bet with a nasty chimney sweep who makes kids work until they die. Because of the bet, Rat now has to work for the chimney sweep. How can Forrest help his friends escape their terrible fates?

"Dree yer ain weird" means "face your destiny" in Scottish. I think that Elvira Woodruff means that as a moral because Forrest Harper has to find out his destiny. The Ravenmaster's Secret is suspenseful because you want to know what happens to Forrest and his friends. If their plan doesn't work out perfectly then Rat, Maddie and Forrest will die. Forrest will die because he is a traitor to England. It is interesting reading a book set so long ago and in a different country with a different community. Some people do not like death, so if you're one of those people this may not be the best choice. I think it's a good book even though it has killing. That's the way things were back then.

by Jane Celine

I loved this book pretty much from the first page. It is fascinating reading about life at the time for those working in the Tower of London, and very sobering considering the situations the children often found themselves in, such as indentured servitude. Forrest is a very likable character, and his father's discussions with him, although not always having the logic expected in today's world, are always thoughtful and considerate. There is a little bit of everything in this book and halfway through I was dreading it ending. Really fascinating read, with thrills, danger, and emotional warmth on many levels.

This book was assigned school reading for my 10 year old son. I read it as well so that I could see if he was on-track with his comprehension. We enjoyed it so much that my husband decided to read it too. Dad couldn't wait to finish the book-he read ahead. My son and I read it as it was assigned. It was so great that I bought one for home. I then used it at my school for a student who needed a book. This is my second time reading it and I love it!

This book is so good that you won't be able to put it down. The Ravenmasters Secret by Elvira Woodruff is fun to read. Join Forrest, Maddy, Rat, and Tuck as they help Maddy escape from prison. My favorite character is Rat because he is very sneaky.

Rat reminds me of Jacob (a friend) because he is always helping others. That is my text-to-self connection. Nothing ever happened to me like what happened to the characters in this story..

I liked this book because it had adventure. I did not have a least favorite part and I would not change anything. Anyone 8 or up would like this book.

In the book The Ravenmasters secret it talks about a kid named forrest harpers life.His life is all about chores or so he thinks. Until he meets a girl named maddie.He begins to like her and doesnt want her to be in a cage. He finally breaks her out and has to escape the castle without being seen. They try and find out a way to escape but a guard comes and almost spots him breaking out maddie. Forrest and maddie soon find out that they dont need just courage they need stealth to.It takes place in london in the 1700s.

What I liked about this book is that it made me wanting to read it more and it stopped in the middle of a good part. It made me think what was going to happen next.What I didnt like about this book is that it used alot of different words that are hard to understand.

- Chase Kyllo

The Ravenmaster's Secret by Elvira Woodruff is one of the best books I have ever read. In each chapter,you discover new things about each character. This book teaches a lot about history, and I love the litle details that the author puts in, such as Forrest having only two pairs of pants that he wears for two weeks each. All thirty two chapters are exciting. You will never get bored with this book! If your child likes to read, this book would make a great Christmas present.

The Ravenmaster's secret is a great book in my opinion. Two reasons I enjoyed the book are: the significant setting, and how the author writes with detailed description about many things.
The setting in The Ravenmaster's Secret is in a tower called The Tower of London. It is crucial to the story because if the setting was changed, the story would not work. For example, is the setting was changed to Chicago, the story would be strange because there are no towers with prisons in Chicago. In The Ravenmaster's Secret, a tower is needed because Forrest Harper and his father are guarding a prisoner named Maddy in the tower's prison.
The other major reason I really enjoyed this book is how creative the author is when she decribes certain things. Some of these things include how she describes Maddy, who is Forrest's prisoner. The author does an awesome job of describing Maddy's pretty blue eyes, and her filthy dress. Another thing the author describes is how Forrest Harper would like to run away out of the tower's limiting walls. Forrest uses his spyglass to imagine what is outside of the tower in the real world.
The Raven Master's secret is a wonderful book filled with great descriptions, and unexpected events. Will you enjoy this book as much as I did?

Anyone who is an adventure lover please step forward. The Ravenmaster's Secret by Elvira Woodruff is a great read. Tuck, Forrest Harper, Maddy, and Ned(a.k.a Rat) are the main characters. The Tower of London in 1735 is when the story takes place. The problem is that Maddy, a Scottish Rebel's daughter, is going to be executed by an axe and Ned needs to pay off his indenture with the tower sweep.

In the beginning of the book Forest finds out its Collar Day and a highwayman is getting hanged. In the middle of the book Tuck the raven speaks and says "King George" and Rat and Maddy get away in a boat.

The theme of the book is never give up on your friends. The book reminds me of my mum because she is from England. People who are boys or girls from 5th to 6th grade will like this book.

B.R Fox-Girl in Annapolis