Raven Winter: A spellbinding new animal classic for 2021 by the author of Snow Foal. Perfect for 9+ fans of Jacqueline Wilson and Gill Lewis

I really enjoyed this book, though I am not sure enjoyed is appropriate.It's a very powerful emotive story dealing with domestic violence and a parent in prison.Billie's Dad made a mistake he committed a crime and was sentenced to custody. While he is in prison her Mum meets a new man, Daniel and he moves in. Daniel is not nice, he turns mum into a different person.Billie has lost contact with Dad his letters stopped coming. She comes up with a plan to go to the prison but just as she is about to leave she finds a injured raven and sets about helping it. Birds are close to her heart as it's a passion her dad shared with her.While helping bird she makes a friend but still the secrets are kept hidden and Billie's worry worms grown.She discovers her mum has been keeping things from her about Dad, his release and location and the fact he is desparate to see his daughter.She plans and goes off to find him.The book ends with them reunited. Adults know the proper services are involved Billie is safe.It's not a magic and they lived happily ever after. It's a start to getting it untangled and leaves the reader to make up their own mind. It feels true to life from the safeguarding training I have done.I think it's an important read

Raven Winter is about a young girl called Billie who lives with her mother and her mother’s new partner Daniel. Unfortunately, Daniel is abusive to both Billie and her mother. Billie’s father is in prison, and Billie longs for the day when he is released and she can see him again.Billie finds an injured raven which she names ‘Bird’, and the raven becomes the focus for all her dreams and wishes while she endures Daniel’s cruel behaviour, and is also a form of protest as she knows that Daniel does not like birds.Although I think the book is more suitable for pre-teenage girls, I enjoyed it a lot. It was well written with an interesting story, and I found myself caring for how Billie’s story would turn out for her.I also liked the fact that it had an uncertain ending. Billie was reunited with her father, but certain ends of the story were left untied. We didn’t know whether Billie’s parents would be reconciled, we didn’t even know whether Daniel was out of the scene, but we knew all outcomes were possible.I would recommend this book to children who want to stretch their reading to books dealing with slightly complex emotional subjects.Thanks for reading my review. I hope you found it helpful.

Susanna Bailey is a firm favourite in our house since discovering her books (we were looking for books similar to those by Gill Lewis another favourite author). Her books combine nature with family dramas in a sensitive but honest storyline and are usually read very quickly as the 11 year old can’t wait to find out how they end!Raven Winter is beautifully written and handles it’s subject matter very carefully without too much detail to worry the reader. Billie is a wonderfully written, likeable character who is dealing with a very difficult home life but finds escape in the local woods where the Ravens come to nest. When she discovers an injured bird, her nature loving character and her empathy mean she has to help him. And in nursing him back to life, she discovers many things about herself and the father she hasn’t heard from in months…The 11 year old absolutely loved this and so did I! It’s a compelling story from start to finish and we both felt we came to know Billie as a friend by the time it concluded.Highly recommended!

The story gripped me, the author has introduced us to the main character, Billie, and also to her current situation and state of mind. I felt myself quickly being drawn in by the narrative, and wanting to find out just exactly what happened to her and her family. And I also wanted to know if things are actually as Billie perceives them to be. I feel invested in Billie as a character and her journey.I like the pace of the narrative, it's neither to fast or too slow. It's not bogged down with unnecessary text. Although it's a quick read, it's not fluff, it's still a thoughtful and cleverly constructed tale. The story is extremely well written, the language, imagery and analogies are all spot on. Ostensibly this book is written for ages 9+, personally I think the subject matter might be a little grown up for a 9 year old in both it's themes and language. As an adult I find it is an both an interesting and intriguing tale that will span different age groups.

This is a heartwarming and powerful story for older children, especially animal lovers as Billie’s bond with the raven ‘bird’ is a big part of the story but it is not just an animal book, the story runs much deeper than that.This book deals with complex topics, family dynamics and abusive behaviour so it is a powerful and engaging read for children that some may relate too on their own levels.The main character Billie is dealing with her dad in prison and an abusive step father, so these are quite gritty storylines for younger readers but is great for the 9+ age group as recommended.This book is the third in a series, along with otter moon and snow foal and will suit children who enjoy authors like Gill Lewis (also with a strong animal focus) or books like the Girl who Speaks Bear as it suits the same age range