Himalayan Hideout
This book, not like many others, it starts by plunging you into an adventure, where you are instantly gripped. I really loved this book and read it in an afternoon. It is not the children being kidnapped, but the adults. The children set off on a long fun, challenging adventure encountering lots of different animals with beautiful descriptions and illustrations. You feel as if you could walk up to them and greet them with their full name. The different personalities of the children really bring the story alive. There are two boys, the younger one thinks mainly of food and the older one tries to be clever but fails desperately over time because the girl out-smarts his thinking with her knowledge of Nepali culture. I think everyone would enjoy this book, even if you don’t have a particular interest in different animals. By the end, you will have a knowledge of more than just foxes and badgers.
Toma, aged 12
Himalayan Heist
This a fast-paced and gripping adventure story is set in the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal. Jane Wilson-Howarth clearly has an amazing knowledge of Nepal and the details of wildlife and landscape add to the richness of the storytelling. She tackles difficult subjects such as climate change and the trade in rare wild animals but the story never loses its momentum. Alex and James and their Nepali friend Bim survive crashes, captures and the hazardous landscape on their journey through the mountains. The reading is never dull and includes sound effects from Nepal to give it a sense of the real place.
Penny Speller
Himalayan Kidnap
[The] story is very sharp with a great balance between dialogue and description that creates an energetic flow to the adventure. The relationship between the two brothers is particularly engaging and nicely injects humour into the story, as they attempt to save their parents.