The Raven’s Eye Runaways – at a glance
The School Reading Lists’ five word review: friendship, magic, stories, rules, trust.
Children’s book title: The Raven’s Eye Runaways.
Children’s author: Claire Mabey.
Genre: Children’s fiction.
Published by: Allen & Unwin Children’s Books.
ISBN: 9781991006820.
Recommended for children aged: 13+ year-olds.
First published: Paperback October 2024.
This children’s book is ideal for: looking at how activities or skills are forbidden in different societies via a story centred around things we take for granted but are banned in this fictional world. It’s also a thought-provoking and challenging book for KS3 students to read for enjoyment.
To see the latest price or order, click on the book cover image. As an Amazon Associate schoolreadinglist.co.uk earns from qualifying purchases.
Our review:
Getwin Goode is an apprentice bookbinder working with her mother, Gunnora. Lea is a scribe who has escaped from the house where she writes – beautifully, but by rote – every day. Though they know nothing of each other, when Lea’s magic causes her to unexpectedly arrive in Spitchwick, it doesn’t take long before she embarks on an epic journey with the young apprentice and her one-eyed pet raven, Sharp!
After Getwin’s mother disappears and her secrets are revealed, she sets off to find her mother’s best friend, Lolly, accompanied by Lea and Sharp. Danger is everywhere, however, and even though Lea is blessed with strange abilities – or magic – they will need help from many others from Gunnora’s past to complete their quest. As Getwin searches for her mother, the secrets of the Keepers and the scribes under their instruction are uncovered, and they are far worse than they could have imagined.
Our verdict:
The Raven’s Eye Runaways is set in a completely different world full of magic and secrets. Centred in Spitchwick and the surrounding countryside, reading and writing are forbidden to all but a select few. Influential families, society members, scribes, and those who regulate their activities are permitted to learn and communicate through the written word, gaining knowledge in a wide range of subjects and occupations. Bookbinders, like Gunnora, are granted limited access so they can produce pamphlets and Rule Books for those more fortunate than themselves.
Teaching points and book club discussion ideas:
- Younger readers: Magic is rife in this book. How would you feel if you suddenly had some of Lea’s abilities?
- Older readers: Reading and writing are taught from an early age, without it you are at a disadvantage. In Getwin’s world, how is she expected to access any information she needs?
- How would you describe yourself in just pictures?
- Even though Getwin’s world is very different to ours what similarities are there? What things or names of things would you keep the same if you wrote a story set in a different reality?
Many thanks to Allen & Unwin Children’s Books for the review copy.
To order a class set of this book, please click below to order via uk.bookshop.org, an organisation that supports local bookshops, or Amazon.co.uk.
Buy from UK.Bookshop.Org Buy from Amazon.co.uk
Disclosure: If you buy books using the buttons above: we may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops; as an Amazon Associate schoolreadinglist.co.uk earns from qualifying purchases.
Browse our Year 9 reading list.
