I was lucky enough to be approved via Netgalley the audio book of  The Silver Arrow read by Simon Vance.  As I already had the book i decided to read and listen at the same time and Omg I had the best time.  Simon's narration and the voices of each character was spot on alot of the time I was smiling and laughing while reading I was captivated by it.  The Silver Arrow is written by Lev Grossman and yes he wrote the Magicians.  Lev used quite alot of magic in here there were talking animals and a talking train which was driven by kids.  All I can say is read and listen at the same time.  One thing I did notice was that while reading the book and listening there were some language differences for example UK version the road was a motorway but on the Audio Book it was Highway but that didn't bother me in the slightest and yes the ending of the book did make me cry especially how the importance of conservation was used throughout the book.  So I had to give it 5 stars.

My children absolutely loved this book and binged the entire book in one day. They described it to me and it sounds fantastic. Very interesting and unique middle-grade book and excellent on audio.

This is one of the best children's fiction book I've read in a while and read tons of books! I recommend this to everyone. It is great for middle grade age readers as well. The story is so fun and the characters are relatable. Enjoy the adventure with vivid adventure that comes alive before you. It really is a must-read and is mentioned if you enjoy reading The Chronicles of Narnia and Roald Dahl you will enjoy this -- so true. It is also has a PolarExpress feel for an older train fan. It isn't Christmas themed,but it has the same awesomeness came to mind as the story moves along. If you enjoy animals it is a great read for you too. I recommend this book highly!!

Absolutely liked it!!!🤩🤩
Okay,I haven't read middle grade books in quite a while and I really enjoyed this book.

Lev Grossman has really done a great job at writing this book and Simon Vance has by narrating this in a nice way.

( I don't know,this book reminds of Narnia)

Two kids, talking animals,an eccentric uncle and a magical train,yep,count me in.

Really looking forward to more books like this,liked the audiobook.👍

Thanks to 
Hachette Audio for giving me this audiobook.
(All views,my own.)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review. 

Simon Vance narrates this audiobook and he did a fantastic job. He created such unique voices for each character and had a great cadence to his narration. It was quite relaxing to listen to. I'll be on the lookout for more audiobooks narrated by him.

Now on to the text. I'll start by saying that this is infinitely better than the Magicians. 2 minutes in and there was already so much nuance in these brilliant characters. I loved the info on Grace Hopper and the inclusion of one of my favorite quotes by her. So much of this book was effortlessly informative. I adored the chapter with the trees especially and I think kids will too. There are some amazing lessons to be learning in this book. Depending on the age of the person reading it, a parent/teacher may want to discuss some of the ending with them. It'd be a great stepping off point for finding ways to help the environment with kids. I also appreciate that the end is overall so hopeful. I'd love to read more about Kate and Tom. 

Definitely recommend both the text and the audiobook versions of this!

I posted a small review in my instagram stories, and that review is saved on my page as well. 
Link: https://www.instagram.com/gapingchasam/

Here is the text from that review:

This was my first time listening to an audio book of an arc thanks to Netgalley’s new feature and I must say I adored it! It’s been a while, in general, since I’ve listened to an audiobook and it’s got me definitely wanting to incorporate them into my reading some more.

I’ve been interested in this one since I saw it was written by Lev Grossman who also wrote the Magicians series, which I adore. This book feels so different from those, but it is just as amazing! I went into it with no expectations and I was blown away. I mean, absolutely blown away. As soon as I finished it I texted all my friends and was like “when this comes out YOU HAVE to read it”. Like, this book made me laugh and cry (I cried a lot) and Hope. It left me with a lot of Hope and that’s probably why I cried so much.

I should make it clear that I do love trains and train-stories and I often think about the train-stories I could write/want to write (I used to take the train all the time on weekends to school and back home and it was a wonderful three hour journey that I miss) and Silver Arrow is definitely in the vein of a really really perfect train-story-middle-grade-fiction-adventure (because that’s a genre, right?). 

One thing I was unsure about was the talking animals because sometimes I just can’t jive with those but… I LOVED THEM. No spoilers but they were perfect. And, actually, they gave me the same vibes the talking animals in Over the Garden Wall have.

Look, even if you don’t read a lot of middle grade you should read this one. It’s at once timeless and very timely and is destined to become a classic. And if you have the chance for the audiobook I strongly recommend it because Simon Vance does a stellar job.


A longer, fuller review was posted as a video on IGTV. It will be crossposted onto Youtube at a later date as well.
Link: https://www.instagram.com/tv/CFLdFkEANw9/

I don't have an exact transcript of the video review, but I do have the notes that I used for the review. Here are those notes:

- The overall message of the book—too spoilery to really say because I think the journey to discover the message and moral is as important as the moral itself (and look normally i’m not into moralizing books but this one was pitch perfect and I think it really, really helps that the journey is just as important as the result because the reader is allowed to come to this moral as well as the characters and it doesn’t at all feel forced in there it feels very natural); it’s a beautiful message (I cried, dear watcher, i cried a lot and then I texted my friend immediately and cried while I told them they needed to read this book) and a powerful one; it’s written to be a bittersweet truth and has real ramifications on our world and honestly I hope this book can get its message far and wide and inspire change.

- The aesthetic—maybe this is weird to mention, but it’s just a book aesthetic that I loved. While reading it kind of gave off Over the Garden Wall vibes via the talking animals and dark whimsy of everything happening, as well as the underlying serious tone. I also really like trains and magical trains, I think that’s a great element that’s not employed very often and certainly should be. The book feels a little like the Magicians Nephew (I’m not surprised considering Lev Grossman wrote this book) while injecting it with a modern air that allows it to sort of self-realize just what sort of children’s book it is. It also (probably because of the magic train but also not just because of the magic train) feels a little like the Polar Express movie. All of this blends together really, really well.

- Characters—I liked Kate a lot. More than a lot. She’s a distinct enough character that she feels like a person, while also being painted in the sort of strokes that allows the reader to feel as if they themselves are Kate and going on Kate’s journey. Not to say she doesn’t have a lot of agency and personality, but that she can also be a little bit of a blank slate for easy projection onto. And the animals--I wasn’t sure how I would feel about the talking animals because it can be really hit or miss for me but this book landed them so well. They felt like animals and each had a distinct voice that fit not just their creature-type but their own personality as well. They weren’t overused and felt inline with the story the entire time; they never got old and in fact saying goodbye to them was very difficult. The other characters such as Kate’s brother Tom and their uncle also worked very well; no one stole the show from Kate, it was her story her journey, but they supported her story very nicely.

- The plot—it’s a pretty standard adventure plot and it worked well. i think the aesthetic that I mentioned helped keep it feeling fresh. That, plus Grossman’s writing, made me want to keep returning to it not only to see where their adventure would take them next but also to see how they would find their way home by the end.

- Audiobook—so this is the least of the reasons I enjoyed it, content wise, but I think it’s important. It was the first audio book I had listened to in a long while and it was refreshing to have a story delivered to me in such a way. it helps that Simon Vance was the narrator because his voice fit the story perfectly and I felt strongly like someone was telling me a bedtime story. If you get the chance I recommend the audio book version of this one, though it’s definitely not necessary to enjoy the text.

I listened to The Silver Arrow with my boys (ages 14 and 12) and we all thought it was really fun. We have been listening to a lot of contemporary YA with more intense topics, so The Silver Arrow was a nice change of pace. I loved the overall concept that we need to take care of our animals and our environment.

I am really picky about narrators in audiobooks, but Simon Vance does a fantastic job narrating this fun fantasy novel.

My 12 year old gave it 4 stars and my 14 year old gave it 3 stars. Personally, I would give it 4 stars.

I was enchanted by this audiobook.  The narrator was excellent and I lost myself in the story many times.  The story is lovely, full of fascinating animal characters with strong personalities, a train with a mind of its own and a lesson in the goodness and potential of humanity.

When Kate writes a letter to the Uncle she never sees, she doesn’t actually expect him to show up with a present on her birthday.  However, he does and the present is much more than is expected.  A full blown steam train and a set of tracks in the back garden are the gift, much to the awe of Kate and her little brother Tom.  Hopping on, they little expect to be going on an adventure of such extremes as that which awaits them! 

Getting to add special train cars, from a library car to a sweet car to sleeper cars, Tom and Kate have a blast.  When they start collecting animal passengers, Kate feels overwhelmed and unsure of what to do with them.  More and more animals arrive and space is limited.  They continue to stop at stations and the train advises Kate on what to do and when.  This is a train with gumption!

From scary tracks through the sea, the clouds and through animal habitats around the world, there is much for children to learn about humans and our impact on the habitats.  With strong messages of being strong, environmental and caring for the world shining through and will hopefully have the right impact on new readers!

Completely engrossing and a wonderful audio to listen to!  I must add the book to my collection to re-read for myself.

A book filled with adventure for children that enjoy trains and surprises.  This story will appeal to both boys and girls!

The Silver Arrow is a fun, exhilarating, fast-paced, magical tale narrated wonderfully by Simon Vance. The story follows Kate, who on her eleventh birthday receives a life-sized steam engine named 'The Silver Arrow' as a birthday gift from a crazy rich uncle she barely knows. Soon, Kate and her annoying brother Tom find themselves in a mind-blowing adventure aboard the Silver Arrow with walking-talking animals to keep them company. And on their way, Kate and Tom uncover some bitter truths about life as well.

The narration was gripping and wonderful, especially the 'Click, BING' part which denotes that the train is communicating with Kate and Tom. I used to hate audiobooks. I tried listening to one about a year ago and I had a really bitter experience. But now I feel that they are not so bad after all  (in fact I felt really satisfied with this one) and I have decided to give it another try.

The writing was lucid but also elegant and eye-opening. There is this scene in particular, which was exceptionally well written- in which Kate and the others magically transform into trees. This book would be fabulous for children because its easy-understandable and teaches them certain values such as being responsible and how to get past the sibling-rivalry. I also love the way that the author introduces the reader (or listener) to bitter and sad facts such as climate change/global warming, deforestation, endangering animals and extinction of certain species, change in migration patterns etc., thus inspiring the reader/listener to do something about it. 

I highly recommend this book not only for children but for everybody in general because this is the kind of story in which you could get lost but at the end, you would come out with a better understanding of the world around you.

I thank NetGalley and Hachette Audio for giving me this wonderful opportunity to review this book.

I loved The Magicians and it's sequel The Magician King, so I was really excited to get started on this audiobook edition of The Silver Arrow narrated very engagingly by Simon Vance. It was provided to me by Netgalley and the publisher.

This is quite different from the previous books, and pitched at middle grade readers but I think that some of the younger high schoolers I know would appreciate it's lovely fantastic feel, especially the fans of Phillip Reeve and Angie Sage. It is a fantastic adventure, and one which appears a simple story on the surface but it has some great messages about taking care of the planet and looking after each other.

A rather precocious girl asks her rich uncle for a birthday present. Kate is most surprised that he agrees and a beautiful silver train is delivered to her house, she and her brother Tom jump aboard and the adventure begins. The train is managed by a crew of animals with whom she has no trouble communicating. Some of them need careful management. The train itself needs careful management, the flames in the engine can never be extinguished, this will be a challenge as the journey takes the passengers on the train through extremely cold, dangerous and underwater locations.

It is lovely story with lots of themes of resilience, teamwork, the value of friendship. It is an action filled adventure and I really liked it.

First off, the narrator of this book was delightful!  Vance's interpretation of the story and his manner of speaking further enhanced the mesmerizing story.
Any child would greatly welcome the birthday train surprise that was given to Kate in this story.  The absolute fun and outrageous journeys throughout the book were so fantastical.  Yet, it was tempered by its important message of protecting the environment and animal kingdom, which provided a timely, realistic aspect to the story.
The author has a brilliant imagination and I was totally wrapped up in the goings-on of Kate, her brother, her uncle, the animals, and the other humorous characters.  I can only imagine the laughter and awe of middle-schoolers.

So, what does one do when one receives a 102.36 ton steam engine for one’s 11th birthday? Go on an adventure of course! 

This is an exciting and fast-paced middle grade fantasy story. I love it’s use of ridiculous logic. At the same time, the story touches on the ideas of responsibility and doing what’s right.

Also, it is now my new life goal to obtain a library car and fill it with books.

The audiobook is narrated by Simon Vance and is very well done. His performance is entertaining and engaging. I especially appreciated his “click, BING!” indicating that the train is communicating with Kate and Tom. 

I received a free audio recording of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is an amazing story if an ordinary girl who is gifted a full sized, magic steam train on her eleventh birthday. The magical adventure that follows had me (aged 52) gripped from beginning to end. The train is spectacular, the passengers intriguing, the journey is exciting and at times perilous, and Kate and her brother Tom learn a lot about trains, a the environment and each other in the processs. 
Chapter 16 in the forest had me entranced.
This audio book was so well read, great pace and clear expressive diction. It was fantastic for my commute to school on the post-lockdown return to work as a teacher. 
I will be reading his book to my class and recommending it to everyone. 
I give it 6 stars. 
Thanks to #NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook ahead of publication in exchange for an honest review

"No. We're not worried because there is nothing more terrifyingly effective and resourceful than a human being. In all the four billion years that there has been life on Earth, you are the most successful animal there ever was."

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

My monsters and I really enjoyed listening to the audio version of The Silver Arrow. We've been house hunting, so it gave us something to listen to while we were in the car (or waiting for our Realtor to show up). Simon Vance did an amazing job with the narrations, and I initially confused his voice for Jim Dale's (he narrated The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, which I listened to somewhat recently). A quick Google search set me straight! 😉 Both narrators are incredibly talented, and I look forward to listening to other books read by them in the future.

I've enjoyed Lev Grossman's The Magicians in the past, although I never got around to watching the television show. I've heard it's pretty good! Have you seen it? When I stumbled across The Silver Arrow, I was instantly curious about how his writing style would translate to a MG book. I was not disappointed! I loved the characters - - human and animal alike - - and thought he delivered the magic and whimsy I've come to expect from his work. What I wasn't expecting was the author's subtle inclusion of important topics, like climate change, deforestation, and invasive species. Additionally, he talks about how animals are going extinct, but through the perspectives of the animals themselves.

There were a lot of sad aspects to this book, but that's only because they're true. Climate change is affecting polar bears, deforestation is limiting where certain animals can live, killing animals for sport and food have severely decreased their numbers - - it's awful to think about. Kate and Tom are spirited away on a magical train, and they have to learn how to be conductors in addition to the unexpected Life Lessons taught to them by the train, animals, and nature itself. They spent some time as trees, which was very trippy but also incredibly thought-provoking.

I also liked that the author didn't paint their parents in a negative light, but showed how time can desensitize and alter how people perceive the world. They get busy with their day-to-day lives and forget to look at what's happening on a larger scale. Additionally, adults will talk to children like they're too young to understand this or that, but they comprehend more than we think they do. It's a disservice to them to assume that conversations about the world would go completely over their heads. They might need some concepts explained, but they're very inquisitive and eager to learn.

"When you're a child the adult world looks so exciting, and it is, but it's also so much sadder and more complicated that you expect. And you can't just take the good parts, you have to take it all, even if it's not what you wanted."

I'm not going to lie, this book had me sniffling in the car. There were some really powerful moments there at the end, and Tom and Kate's experiences will likely stay with me for a very long time. There were so many teachable moments in this book, and it encouraged important discussions between me and my children. They're a little too young to fully grasp the scope of what they author was trying to convey, but they did get the gist and were open to learning more.

I thought The Silver Arrow was wonderfully written, and I think the author expertly conveyed important issues in way children will be able to relate to. Kate and Tom learn the value of hard work and determination, develop friendships with unlikely creatures, and achieve goals that exceed their own expectations. I loved watching them grow and cultivate their understanding of the world, and seeing their joy after overcoming seemingly impossible tasks. Lev Grossman has made magic with this story, and really highlights the importance of never giving up. (★★★★⋆)

I loved this book and want a magic steam train for my birthday, especially one that can go anywhere any save animals all over the world.  What a great story!

For Kate's 11th birthday she writes her Uncle Herbert a letter asking for a present since he has never sent her anything before.  What she gets will shake her, her brother Tom, and her parents world to the ground.  Uncle Herbert gives her a train, not a toy train but a real life size train named the Silver Arrow.  Kate and Tom's parents want the train off of their property, but the children and the train have other plans.  That is when Kate and Tom go on the coolest train ride of their lives.

There is a whole lot more to this wonderful story, but you know me and spoilers.  However, I have to admit I was drawn to this story because I have like other of Mr. Grossman's books, but this is totally different and I still couldn't turn it off, I have the audio version narrated by the wonderful voice of Simon Vance which was a great fit for this story.  This is definitely a book you will not want to miss.

This review will appear on my blog on September, 1st.

This was a fun little adventure, definitely geared towards middle graders. I enjoyed it except for the heavy handed environmental message. I did appreciate that it wasn’t laced with guilt, but I find overtly didactic books to be tedious. Lev Grossman is a talented writer and his creativity and humor carried the limited plot along.

<i>Review copy provided by NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review<i>

This middle grade fantasy was a great book to listen to. I wasn't sure where it was going at first, but Vance's narration and the characters that are woven in make for a compelling adventure. Simon Vance did a marvelous job with the narration giving so much emotion to the characters and bringing the train to life.

Kate & Tom are brother and sister and live boring lives where their parents focus on their phones and computers more than them. It is Kate's birthday and she decides to ask her Uncle Herbert for a present. She barely knows him, she only knows that he is "super-rich" and, according to their mother, irresponsible. What a surprise when he shows up the next morning with a colossal steam locomotive called the Silver Arrow. What follows is an adventure Kate and Tom never saw coming. 

What was so wonderful about this story is that there is a moral to it, but it is so gently given that it almost comes as a surprise. The train "talks" to them and helps them learn how to take care of it. Their passengers are animals who have been forced to leave their homes for one reason or another, though to Kate they are just animals who can talk. She forges relationships with them and learns from them, especially when a group of nasty animals without tickets try to board the train. What we come to learn is that those animals are the kind that like to invade a space and take over. They are not meant to be on the train. To explain their behavior, the group of animals Kate has befriended explain how animals that were meant to be in one habitat were moved to completely different locations and the havoc that has created for indigenous plants and animals. By the end, it becomes obvious that not all animals can be saved because "people weren't paying attention" to the fact that when they cut down a forest, they were destroying an animals home. "They were just thinking about themselves."

Grossman provides a story that readers can get lost in yet come out with a better understanding of the world around them. Perhaps, just perhaps, it will spark a desire to do something about the world's problems.

Imaginative Story about Environmentalism

What an imaginative and fun book for kids! I found this to be so creative. Young Kate writes to her uncle requesting a gift for her birthday. He brings a very unusual one, a proper train called the Silver Arrow. Then the real adventure begins! She and her younger brother, Tom, take the train on some tracks—the train seems to have a mind of its own and just starts going places—and they start picking up talking animals. The train knows where to go, and at one point, starts teaching the children about how to work it. The animals have very distinct personalities, and the train seems to take them to platforms all over the world; various animals leave the train at certain points. The book turns more serious and environmentally minded, as we learn that these animals are relocating because their native habitats have been endangered by humans. This upsets Kate and Tom, and they want to help. So they keep delivering animals with the train to different places. They even take one animal to a station in the sky because it has no place to go.

For the most part, I thought this book taught the environmental lessons well without being preachy or making the children listening feel too bad about humanity’s role in the destruction of nature, but instead, empowered to help make change. When the animals on the train let the children know what is truly going on, they state that humans can do great things when they decide to. A few other points were certainly more grandstanding about what humans do wrong in this regard. Some children and parents might find these moments too uncomfortable. Depending on the age of the child or children (and their empathy level) reading or listening, she or he might feel bad. 

I listened to the audiobook version, and I liked the narrator, who did an excellent job with the voices for the different creatures. He was able to make them sound distinct. There is a fair amount of humor in this book, making me laugh out loud at times. I like the way, too, that the author showed the relationship between older sister Kate and younger brother Tom. Sometimes they get annoyed with each other, but they also care for each other—very much like real siblings. The book is so imaginative, funny in places, and so well narrated that I think both parents and children would enjoy listening to it together.