SuitabookWhere the Wilderness Lives
Jess Butterworth
- Reading
- Read it in manageable sections, pausing after tense escapes or survival situations. Discuss how the characters respond to uncertainty, and explore the Welsh folklore links as they appear without needing to predict the safe’s contents.
- Themes
- Belonging and difference: Cara is bullied and excluded at school, with her life on a boat contributing to her being seen as different. The book’s stance on this remains unclear.
- Family responsibility and mutual support: After their mother is hospitalised, Cara looks after her siblings during the flight and wilderness journey. The book’s stance on this remains unclear.
- Nature, place and folklore: The adventure moves through Welsh waterways, forests and mountains, while a Welsh-folklore legend is linked to the chapters. Nature and folklore are presented as significant parts of the story’s setting and structure, alongside stated environmental concerns.
- Worth knowing
- The story includes bullying and exclusion, a houseboat fire, a parent’s hospitalisation, a threatening thief, children becoming lost, a snowstorm and limited food. These pressures may merit a check-in with a sensitive reader.