Jess Butterworth’s debut middle grade book, Running on the Roof of the World, is one of my favourites of recent years and it never fails to enrapture children when they are reading it. It encapsulated a feeling of adventure and excitement that is infectious and makes you want to read more from this author.

This third book in quick succession is a very plausible story, that of a girl growing up in the swamps of Louisiana, on the estuary of the Gulf of Mexico. Eliza is old enough now to go shrimping with her parents and she looks forward to going out to help with the family business. The book opens with Eliza learning the ropes while her little sister Avery is left at home.

Both of the main characters here feel like real children you could meet growing up in this unique environment. They travel around in their motorboats up and down the river and explore the swamps. When Avery takes Eliza and their friends on a trip upstream to solve the mystery of the ‘loupgarou’ footprints, they find themselves caught in the middle of the eponymous storm and Avery goes missing.

Swimming Against the Storm is a joy to read, despite the perilous adventure that the main characters find themselves thrown into. There’s a bigger issue being discussed between the members of the community and shady corporations which is pretty accurate to real life. We learn that the swamps are disappearing at a rapid pace and communities are being destroyed with every new storm that brews up around them.

This is another novel with a sprinkle of real-life magic from Jess Butterworth. It’s a marvel to read a book that is almost entirely set outdoors, in a real-life environment that most of its readers would not be familiar with, but will definitely be enthralled by.

An exciting eco-conscious adventure from a wonderful author who writes to inspire and encourage her readers. I zipped through this and enjoyed it immensely.

Eliza and her sister Avery live in Louisiana, near the swamps and the local legend Loup-Garou.

Their family are shrimpers and live in a house on stilts near the water. Eliza and Avery know the swamp like the back of their hands, they know the animals, the land, water and how to be safe.

They have survived tornadoes and hurricanes and know the value of family and community.

When Avery goes missing, Eliza and her friends must go back to family and the community to ask for help. It becomes a fast paced, hugely exciting story to save Avery, who might have been taken by the Loup-Garou.

In order to find Avery, get home and save their community, Eliza, Huy and Grace must first survive a hurricane, encounters with alligators and flooding.

Jess Butterworth is an incredible writer- her stories involve such daring adventures and strong brilliant characters. It is a must read for adventurers aged 9 and above!