The Secret Wild - Alex Evelyn

Author: Alex Evelyn

Genre: Middle-grade Fiction.

Rating: 4.5 stars

In a Nutshell: An excellent children’s fiction full of adventure and mystery, and centred on a topic not commonly found in this genre – plants!

Story:

Ten year old Fern Featherstone loves plants, talks to plants and knows a lot about plants, but not in the theoretical way her botanist researcher dad wants her to. Both her parents hunt for rare plants in the Amazonian rainforest, but after a certain misadventure, they decide that Fern will be better off living with her dad’s brother Ned in London. Needless to say, Fern isn’t happy about leaving her beloved rainforest to go stay in a city.

Life in London is totally unlike what she is used too and Fern soon finds herself “uprooted” and homesick. When she meets a little plant that seems to respond to her conversations, she is happy at having a companion.

But there is something strange afoot in London. Giant plants are popping up almost overnight in various public places, surrounding famous structures and destroying monuments. What is happening? How are Fern and her little plant friend connected to this mystery? You’ll need to read the book to know more.

The book is written in the limited third person perspective of Fern.

As a children’s fiction, this book caters to its target reading segment perfectly. There is a steady pace throughout the story. There are lots of interesting and spooky things happening. There are amazing settings – the Amazonian rainforest and London city providing a fabulous and contrasting background for the story. I loved how the landmarks of London were used to enhance the impact of the villain’s wicked pursuits.

The characters are exactly as they should be in this genre. There is an absolutely adorable protagonist who is torn between her feelings. (Plus points for being a girl who isn’t afraid to live life on her own terms.) There is a nerdy uncle who can’t make anything other than toast but loves his little niece in his own way. There is a little boy next door who is caught up in his own problems but is still a friend in need. There is a devious villain who will spook kids out and yet win their sympathy by the backstory. The villain has a sidekick who is equally nefarious and bumbling. Each of the characters is larger than life but also layered well. None of the main characters is a clear black or white, which isn’t common in children’s fiction. I enjoyed how most of the characters’ names had a connection to plants.

For a debut novel, this book manages to do an amazing job and it kept me hooked from start to end. Does it mean that this is a book without flaws? Not really. There are some farfetched events, a few convenient coincidences, and a perfectly-tied ending. But keep in mind that this is children’s fiction and all of these are common features of this genre. So just channel your inner princess Elsa and sing 🎶Let it go, let it go🎶 to these trivial shortcomings.

Heartily recommended to all readers aged tween and above. If you want a fun adventure novel set around plants, this is the book for you.

PS: Isn’t that cover art outstanding?

My thanks to Walker Books and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Secret Wild”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.