The Valley of Lost Secrets

Product Information

What a wonderful book. A brilliant debut - warm and tender, simple in the best way, historical fiction with a light touch. - Ross Montgomery, author of The Midnight Guardians What a wonderful book. A brilliant debut – warm and tender, simple in the best way, historical fiction with a light touch. I couldn’t put this book down once I began reading. I found it very moving in places and I thought it dealt with some complex situations in a way that many young people would find enlightening. As a teacher, I have seen many pupils also being gripped by it. Evocative and heartfelt, The Valley of Lost Secrets already reads like a classic. A celebration of kindness and friendship at a time of upheaval, it's gripping, heart-breaking and yet full of hope. I loved it with all my heart This appealing book is about losses healed, lies uncovered, cruelty defeated and goodness rewarded’ The Sunday Times

The Valley of Lost Secrets - Bloomsbury Publishing The Valley of Lost Secrets - Bloomsbury Publishing

Truly fabulous book, so well written and draws you in to the lives of the characters immediately. A definite winner!September 1939.When Jimmy is evacuated to a small village in Wales, it couldn’t be more different from London. Green, quiet and full of strangers, he instantly feels out of place.But then he finds a skull hidden in a tree, and suddenly the valley is more frightening than the war. Who can Jimmy trust? His brother is too little; his best friend has changed.Finding an ally in someone he never expects, they set out together to uncover the secrets that lie with the skull. What they discover will change Jimmy – and the village – forever. A mesmerising mystery about bravery and brotherhood from an outstanding new voice. You may also like… An absolute triumph of warm, tender-hearted, timeless storytelling - Lesley Parr has created a story that feels like it has always been here... and one that I'm sure will still continue to be read many years from now. - Sophie Kirtley, author of The Wild Way Home These nice people are Mr and Mrs Bevan,’ she shouts down the platform, using her fake-posh voice. ‘They are here to take us up to the institute.’ There isn’t as much sky as I thought there’d be. And what I can see is clear and blue, not the never-ending rain clouds we were told we’d get in Wales. Be quiet and try to look like a nice boy,’ I say, making sure the string of his gas mask box sits properly on his shoulder. ‘Nice and smart.’

The Valley of Lost Secrets Teacher Resource Pack Lesley Parr: The Valley of Lost Secrets Teacher Resource Pack

A good read. it was a fiction book based on the second world war (WWII). I would recommend this book. Our other main character is Florence, a classmate of Jimmy’s and fellow evacuee. Without spoiling too much, it is obvious that Florence has an unhappy home life, but in Llanbryn she thrives. Although this annoys Jimmy at first, given his own level of discomfort, they form an unlikely friendship that help gives him a sense of perspective. Florence is a great example of how someone can really come into their own when given the chance – I think she was probably my favourite character! There’s just so much to love about this story. The mystery at the heart of it; the bones in the tree. The setting, the characters and how the relationship dynamics shift and the characters grow as they learn more about each other and themselves. The sibling relationship, the friendships and interactions with adults are so spot on and real. I especially loved Jimmy and Florence’s friendship. Jimmy realises that he has judged her unfairly their whole lives and it is only when she is given a fresh start in Wales he gets to know her properly. Florence is such a brilliant character. She’s so gentle and caring towards Ronnie and becomes quite protective. She’s not afraid to stand up for herself and others either. Similarly, I loved how the Thomases slowly earned Jimmy’s trust and gave Ronnie all the attention he needed! They were patient, forgiving and kind. My favourite thing was that they never dismissed the boys feelings or pushed too hard. I’d love to see more of these positive relationships as adults in other books for the same age group; adults are often portrayed as dismissive or not really understanding children which gives out the wrong message to young children. I don’t know if it’s got anything to do with the mountains curving all round us, but her wails are even louder here, not far off an air-raid siren. The two women rush over to her and Mrs Bevan opens her handbag. She feels around inside, pulls out a chocolate bar and snaps off a piece.One day, feeling sorry for himself, Jimmy takes off and finds a good climbing tree in the middle of a field. And that's when he discovers a skull in a large gap in the tree. Scared, Jimmy takes off, but runs into the Vicar who seems to have a real dislike for Mr. and Mrs. Thomas. And that's when he discovers that Duff is living with the Vicar. Buy from our bookstore and 25% of the cover price will be given to a school of your choice to buy more books. *15% of eBooks. Home > Lesley Parr is slowly climbing the list of Middle Grade authors that I have grown to love. Along with the beautiful colorful covers that grace her wonderful stories, she writes with such skill that she weaves you into the story and allows you to be a part of the moment that is happening to her young protagonists. Jimmy's loneliness at being isolated in a new place resonated with me, that 'I already feel like a parcel, wrapped up, labelled and sent far away,' - as someone who doesn't know how to fit in and belong - yet, still wants to. His feelings of nurture and care for his younger brother, Ronnie were as expressive as his sudden bursts of indignation of outburst at Ronnie's zealous spirit and brash, forgiving behavior. 😔

The Valley of Lost Secrets | Book reviews | RGfE - Reading Groups The Valley of Lost Secrets | Book reviews | RGfE - Reading Groups

the characters were very nicely written, too. even though jimmy gave me a hard time in getting to like him and empathize with him at first, i ultimately grew to love him and embrace all the aspects of his character.

Reviews

What's not to love? Historical fiction for 8-12 year olds, set in Wales during the war, dealing with themes of uncertainty and getting used to a new normal. This is a perfect book for right now! She smells like Nan,’ Ronnie whispers. His lip’s wobbling again, so I take his hand and give it a squeeze, just like Dad would do. When money goes missing from the Vicar's church, St. Michael's, people suspect it was stolen by the evacuees. It's clear they are welcomed by some people in Llanbryn, but not others and that there is a deep division between the people who go the St. Michael's and those who go to chapel, like the Thomas and the Hughes families.