Good fun with an old fashioned feel.
When 11 year old Kate recieves a steam train from a distant unle as a birthday present, you know that adventure is afoot! She and her younger brother, Tom, travel to amazing places and help those they meet along the way.
Although younger readers might struggle with the old-fashioned feel and words, I think the charm that comes through will make up for it. Kate and Tom are relatable protagonists who just want an adventure away from their boring parents - and who can blame them? I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and am glad to have had the opportunity to review it.
In essence, I would describe the book as "The Polar Express meets The Enchanted Wood"

Just brilliant! I really enjoyed reading this as an adult; full of adventure, fast-paced and very likeable characters. I will definitely read this to my daughter and also adapt to use in the classroom too.

Beautifully written with adventure and interwoven facts. An excellent choice for children who love to absorb knowledge of the living world whilst reading an engaging tale with a powerful message. Having each animal brought to life through a unique personality connects the reader with nature and leaves them with a desire to help. A very cleverly written book.

An excellent and well written story that made me smile, moved and kept turning pages.
Lev Grossman is a master storyteller and delivers an excellent story with a great cast of characters and excellent world building.
It can be appreciated by children and adult and I thoroughly enjoyed even if I'm surely a lot older that the intended target age.
Strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A nice easy to read, pleasure to follow story from Lev Grossman and I'm looking forward to seeing more from him for younger readers.

An epic adventure that fans of The Polar Express and Harry Potter are sure to adore. This was a wonderful story that swept me away.

As ever, my review of this unusual children’s book is informed by the opinions of my eleven year old grandson. He enjoyed the book and despatched it remarkably quickly. He writes “This exciting adventure story is about 11-year-old Kate and her younger brother Tom. Kate, who is about to have her eleventh birthday, is eager for adventure. So she writes to her rich uncle Herbert who presents her with a real train. This is the start of her adventure; on the way she has to overcome lots of challenges to get to her final destination. The Silver Arrow is a great adventure story, but it also emphasises the impact humans can have on the environment.” It’s difficult to argue with this judgement.

“A magic train with a library car..... Sold.”
HARDBACK EDITION

I'm a bit of a train geek, I want a magic steam train for my birthday! Kate and Tom embark on a rip roaring adventure getting to choose the make up of their train including a library car, sweet shop car and a mystery car and of course dining cars and passenger cars. And what passengers! The animals, I mean who wouldn't be scared letting a snake on? are scary at first to Kate and Tom but cleverly, the author shows that through facts about them and giving them personalities, you see them as humans which then means their message can come across loud and clear. The message, you're rescuing these animals because of what we as humans have done to them. This was so much more than a train adventure, an important message for children and adults alike regarding animal conservation and what we can do to help.

by Sam at West Bridgford
Bookseller Review

Wow, this was a great read and could be a future classic. Kate and Tom receive a mysterious train as a gift, and end up on an adventure taking the animals on board the train back to their homes. It reminded me a little of The Phantom Tollbooth with an environmental twist, and the train setting had touches of the Polar Express about it. Lovely book with an important message. Would recommend to 7+.

When Kate writes to her ridiculously rich uncle to ask for a birthday present, the very last thing she expects to receive is a life-sized train. Her parents insist that it must go back after a week and Kate is furious that they have ruined her birthday. But that’s not the only surprise her uncle has instore for her because this is a very special type of train, one that will take her on the most magical and unforgettable journey. A journey where she’ll meet rare and wonderful animals who have been waiting a long time to return home. Wildly inventive and filled with the most wonderful details that children will absolutely love – who wouldn’t want to travel on a train with a library and a candy carriage – allowing them to be swept away and filled with wonder at what they discover on this journey. But this is more than a magical tale. At the heart of this story are important issues looking at the crucial role of conservation and examining the harmful impact consumerism has on our planet and it’s creatures. It thoughtfully explores these in an accessible way allowing children to think about the wider world. Exquisitely produced with beautiful illustrations this book is an absolute feast for the imagination.

Oh my goodness me! I wasn’t sure where this book was going to take me as the blurb was quite vague but I’m so glad I took a chance, it was absolutely brilliant. If I could give it a hundred stars I would! Kate, Tom and Uncle Herbert are wonderful characters but for me it was the animals that made it. Their personalities were so well written and I loved the little additions of educational information about them and the world. The illustrations were some of my favourites I’ve ever seen in a chapter book and complemented the story so nicely. The overall environmental message you get is so important I believe everyone needs to read this book; delivering it through the mouths of the animals affected is perfect. I will tell you, I never cry at books. However, this actually did make me cry; if you read it I’m sure you’ll guess which bit! An amazingly magical and touching story that I’m sure will stick with me forever.

This book was just lovely. A great adventure tale following 2 siblings as they take on board the role of conductor on The Silver Arrow, with a magical train and animals as the passengers it made such a great story. It made an excellent show of making us realise that we need to save the environment and look after endangered species of animals. Will definitely be reading more by this author after this

Really great middle grade adventure, with a magical train and talking animals as passengers. A little heavy handed with its environmental message at time, I think this strand of the story would have been more enjoyable and impactful if it was more subtly done. Loved the narrative voice, and a classic message of the importance of not giving up and doing your best! I'd be interested to read more children's books from Lev Grossman!

I’m a big fan of the Magicians trilogy by Lev Grossman and the author’s first foray into children’s literature is written with his trademark wit and skill, imbued with the magic and joy of classic children’s adventure stories along with an important message about our responsibility to our planet. This never felt preachy nor did he write down to his younger audience. I thoroughly enjoyed it and think it will appeal to fans of Flora and Ulysses by Kate Di Camilo.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury for my review copy!

The Silver Arrow was a fantastical tale of adventure, magic and mystery. Kate and Tom live very normal, very dull lives, until Kate writes a letter to her mysterious Uncle Herbert asking for a birthday present. Soon, he turns up with a real life size train in their backyard and the magic begins. The train comes alive and soon Kate and Tom find themselves off on a journey like no other!

I loved the inclusion of animals with tickets at each station and it’s a concept that I can imagine many children getting behind. The story sped along, easy to follow and easy to read. I enjoyed the environmental message that was pushed throughout the plot, including the learning about endangered species and their habitats. It didn’t feel forced either which was good. Both Kate and Tom were likeable, as was their gang of animal sidekicks. I think perhaps it would be interesting to have more character development of the two.

I hope to read more about them and their adventures – I will follow The Silver Arrow on it’s travels!

A wonderfully created world where Kate and her young brother Tom lead very normal, even boring lives. This leads Kate to write a letter to her Uncle Herbert (supposedly very rich) asking if he could give her a train for her birthday; I suspect it might be a miniature one that she wants. However the next thing she knows is that a lorry, complete with a locomotive on a trailer pulls up at her house and her Uncle arrives. As the story continues the two children find themselves on the adventure of a lifetime as the train takes them on a journey that almost defies description. They find themselves at almost impossible railway stations with animal passengers who are on a journey. It is only towards the end that we understand that this is a journey of survival and that they are all endangered species. There are multiple layers to the story and our understand gradually grows as we read.

“‘A good human being,’ the fishing cat said. ‘Imagine what one of those could do.’”
— Lev Grossman, The Silver Arrow

Kate craves adventure and a way out of the dullness that is ‘ordinary life’. She wants her own character arc, where the children are the heroes. Something like Harry Potter or A Wrinkle in Time would suit her quite nicely. But of course, she doesn’t really believe such things happen in REAL LIFE. But on her 11th birthday, something extraordinary happens. Her long estranged Uncle buys her a steam train, and it’s not a toy one but a real train that will be the start to her adventure.

Kate and her younger brother, Tom, must ride the magical train — The Silver Arrow— and save the mysterious animal passengers they pick up.

This is a book about adventure, the environment, how humans have the power to protect endangered species, and how we all should do our best to save the world — or at least to make it safe for a baby pangolin.

A great book if you love animals or enjoy reading about MAGICAL TRAINS. I thoroughly enjoyed this and read it in less than a day! Oh, and the illustrations were lovely too!

Thank you so much NetGallery and Bloomsbury Children's Books for this readers copy!

Read. Be happy. Stay safe.

Kate has always wanted something enchanting to happen to her but asking for a gift from an allusive relative brings something wondrous and life-changing. If Kate and her brother Tom are up to the challenge of working together and can complete the journey of The Silver Arrow, they will find see the world through different eyes.

I loved the way in which the author choose to explain the concept of invader species and of course the wider environmental message. Using the animal passengers to explain the deeper meaning of the book was unique and interesting which should have a big impact on the readers.

This is a lively tale of magic and that will entertain and hopefully inspire young readers while wishing they too could have such hair-raising adventures.

The Silver Arrow by Lev Grossman is a tale about two ordinary children living ordinary lives with their ordinary parents who find themselves on an extra-ordinary adventure. It is sure to be a favourite of children in the MIddle Grade fiction age range of 7-10. I was lucky enough to be gifted an e-ARC of the book by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
The book has a feel of Enid Blyton's The Adventures of the Wishing Chair but set on a train like the adventures from the Polar Express. I got a distinctly English feel from the book even though the author is American. It has a clear message to impart about looking after our planet and being aware of the part we play in its evolution. The chapter on trees is simply stunning and helps the main characters really empathise with what it might be like to be something else other than human.
The pace of the book was great for its intended audience and the use of the two main characters well pitched. Kate drives most of the story but the use of her brother Tom when she needs him develops the sibling relationship, showing a good understanding of how siblings relate to each other when they are out of sight but how much they care when they are needed to support each other no matter what.
I did feel that there were many other opportunities that could have been developed in the middle of the story through the use of some of the other train carriages and animal characters, but maybe that is for another book.
In my opinion, this has the potential to be the first in a winning series of books that could become classics on every children's bookshelf. Magic, mystery, adventure, a sweet carriage then returning to a mundane life where the only people who share your secret adventures are your younger brother and a slightly odd Uncle...what's not to love!