The Valley of Secrets (Paperback)

~ (Author), (Illustrator)
Key Phrases: secret recipe, swinging eyes, scullery sink, Lansbury Hall, Great-Uncle Theodore, Theodore Lansbury (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The tradition of the cozy English children’s mystery, so sweetly portrayed in classics like Tom’s Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce and Mandy by Julie Andrews, has been revived in Charmian Hussey’s exquisitely wrought The Valley of Secrets. Stephen Lansbury never knew his parents. So the orphan is stunned to receive a letter informing him he has inherited a large estate in the English countryside from his long lost great-uncle Theodore. Upon his arrival to Lansbury Hall, two things immediately strike Stephen: the exotic plant life that seems to bloom everywhere, and the meticulous upkeep of the old manor. When Stephen finds the water-stained journals of his uncle’s youthful travels up the Amazon River, the unusual greenery suddenly makes sense. But who (or what!) is maintaining the tidy kitchen garden and replenishing his woodbox? As Stephen pores over his uncle’s journals, his curiosity and apprehension grow. Are plants the only thing Uncle Theodore brought back from the rain forest all those years ago?

Charmian Hussey has given the stale orphan premise a clever 21st century twist by inserting loads of facts and figures about the devastating deforestation of the Amazon into her old-fashioned tale. There is even a list of mentioned flora and fauna included for aspiring young naturalists, who will no doubt be charmed by Stephen’s surprising "discovery" of a whole new species. For more mystery melded with Amazon lore, follow up The Valley of Secrets with Eva Ibbotson’s equally wonderful Journey to the River Sea. --Jennifer Hubert --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6 Up - An ambitious blend of fantasy, mystery, and ecological adventure. Stephen Lansbury, raised in orphanages in London, is informed by an ancient lawyer, Albert Postlethwaite (who could have marched straight out of Dickens), that he has inherited his great-uncle Theodore's country house. As the teen explores his new home, he feels that he is being watched. Discovering his great-uncle's journals leads to some answers. Theo and his friend Bertie Postlethwaite explored the Amazon jungle for two years beginning in 1911. In a story-within-a-story, Stephen reads of their friendship with the Amazon Indians, who are being destroyed along with their lands by rubber barons and missionaries who bring disease. They bring home with them a young Amazon Indian, as well as various plants and fantastic creatures. Stephen soon meets Murra-yari and the Bugwomps. Murra-yari teaches Stephen to be self-sufficient. When he dies of malaria, Stephen feels all alone - a feeling that is assuaged at the very end of the novel by the arrival of a teenaged grandchild of Bertie's. Much is crammed into this lengthy novel, from long descriptions of the flora and fauna of both the Amazon and Cornwall to environmental messages and information on Victorian furniture and clothing. While Hussey touches on several fundamental truths and important messages, she verges on the didactic at times. The journals in particular have a preachy tone, with the Amazon Indians portrayed as superior noble savages. The novel itself has an old-fashioned feel, but sophisticated readers who persevere will find this multilayered work intriguing. - Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse (May 23, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416900152
• ISBN-13: 978-1416900153
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 6.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #423,949 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Detailed story, November 16, 2004

By	Anne Sarah Melamed - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Valley of Secrets (Hardcover)

I enjoyed the book for its ability to weave together fantasy with interesting facts about nature and culture making her story all the more believable. Lots of little details helps piece together the mystery. The dialogue and some of the character descriptions, however, don't always ring true to life but still an enjoyable read.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars bookreader, July 27, 2006

By	senior citizen "avid reader" (crystal lake , ill) - See all my reviews

about a year ago my sister brought me this book to read saying it sounded good. i read it and it stayed in my mind for quite awhile. just recently i happen to see it in paperback and sent for it from amazon. it is a book that makes you think and wonder if ever someone did bring things home to save them. i would love to live in a big house and acreage and not care for the ugly world our leaders have created. this is a book for people who want to escape to a beautiful place of mystery and nature. children of all ages to 100 years old will enjoy this wonderful sensitive story of a young man finding his place in the world. mysterious animals and an old amazon indian caretaker of secrets. the mysterious moonflower, bugwomps, murra-yari, silkwomps,tigerwomps and other womp mammals that give the setting of a whole new world on an estate behind locked gates. it just took a boy and his inquisitive nature and love and care to make this a delightful book to save through the years for each generation to read. the end pages bring another chapter to stephen's life which would be an interesting sequal. but life is full of mystery and we can just believe stephen's legacy still lives on.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT READ, April 23, 2005

By	Sandy Rhoad "Insatiable reader" (Branchville, SC United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Valley of Secrets (Hardcover)

I am a mom and a grandmom and keep up on the kids books to advise at home and at school. This is a story that will hold the imagination, peak interest in animals and plants, and make a person want to be self-sufficient in this world of "instant". The story is funny and exciting and interesting, the animals make you want to have one and children will be mentally stimulated with the underlying facts that aren't painful to absorb. This is an excellent read and a must have.