Our children’s book of the month for March is The Valley of Lost Secrets by Lesley Parr.
Valley of Lost Secrets – the blurb
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.
Down the Valley
It’s been a while since the children’s book club has read a war book. The Valley of Lost Secrets is not so much about the war but about being evacuated. The Islington children are taken on train to Wales and the differences are apparent from the off. Parr created a running theme of how difficult it can be to shake off your past. But, how given different circumstances, we can be different for better or worse.
I loved Jimmy, the turmoil he feels as home sickness kicks in really jumped off the page. My favorite character though was Mr Thomas. There was proper heart in the mouth stuff when reading about him.
The skull added an extra layer of intrigue and I loved how it all interlinked. The Valley of Lost Secrets is an excellent debut from Parr. It has strong, likeable characters and you just want them to live happily ever after all together.
Book club questions
+++ These questions contain spoilers and should only be used if you have read the book already!+++
- The book is set in a Welsh town that Jimmy finds difficult to pronounce. There is a town in Wales that is 58 letters long. Can you find out what it is AND can you have a go at pronouncing it?
- Before you read the book how much did you know about evacuees? Were any children evacuated from your town during the war? Did your town receive any evacuees?
- How do you think life as an evacuee changes Florence? What will life be like when she returns to Islington?
- Life as a miner was hard and dangerous and pit disasters were a real occurrence. What industry is your town famous for? Has it changed industries over the years?
- Why do you think Duff was nasty to Jimmy? Was it just about fitting in at the vicarage or do you think he had always been a bad character? Can you find evidence for this in the book?
If you would like to join in with our Children’s Book of the Month keep your eyes peeled when we announce April’s book in a few days time. Our review with book club questions is usually posted on the last Monday of the month and you can check out previous Book of the Months such as Orion Lost by Alastair Chisholm by clicking on the Young Adult/Kids button at the top of our Home Page. In the meantime we would love to see what you have been reading.