Life for the family is confronting, their new hotel needs a large amount of work, with the owners e involved in wildlife poaching. The resolution brings both closure and hope for the future, the author concludes with a heartfelt message about the need to conserve and protect native wildlife and the risk of invasive species taking over the natural environment.

I was recommended this book by a Year 5 pupil from my Part Ib and only just got around to reading it. The resources work as an introduction to the themes and ideas within the book, taking students’ understanding of the text to a new level and inspiring them to read further. This is where this book helps to provide a subtle and empathetic exploration in to the endless and immeasurable myriad of problems associated with it, whilst also providing the reader with more than a glimmer of hope in its resolution. Her grief is very carefully woven into the story: there are flashbacks to the event that killed her mother, and frequent references to things that remind Ruby of her.The men who own the hotel are cagey and abrupt with Ruby, and it is clear that they are hiding something. Meanwhile, Ruby discovers that someone is hunting the endangered leopards on the mountain and determines to face her fears and find out who it is. The visuals she paints are wonderful and you can tell that India holds a special place in the author's heart.

The unseen, unscrupulous and often unknown world to many of us of the fight against poaching is highlighted and brought immediately into focus. Not only are they living in a run-down building in the middle of the wilderness surrounded by scorpions, bears and leopards, but Ruby is sure that India will never truly feel like home - not without her mum there. Not only are they living in a run-down building in the middle of the wilderness surrounded by scorpions, bears and leopards, but Ruby is sure that India will never truly feel like home – not without her mum there. When Ruby's dad uproots her from Australia to set up a hotel in the mountains of India, Ruby is devastated.But when she starts pet-sitting for pocket money, she finds that beneath the town's perfect surface lie some dark and dangerous secrets. Ruby and her family soon settle into life on the mountain; Ruby meets Parveen, a local boy and the pair form an instant friendship. Though I felt some plot lines could have been given more attention, I enjoyed the book and would readily recommend it. I was enthralled by the storyline and Jess’ fantastic characters - right from the start I was committed to Ruby and her Grandmother’s well-being, when they are forced to leave their home in the middle of the night and travel to the mountains of India. Greiving the death of her mother and a move to another country would take it's toll on anyone and we see glimpses of that from flashbacks that Ruby has.

Jess Butterworth has crafted a fast-paced, entertaining story for children, set within the beautiful Himalayan mountains. Full of adventure, mystery, friendship and family drama, at its heart When the Mountains Roared is a classic animal-rescue story in the vein of Lauren St John. Ruby's father and grandmother are also struggling to deal with this loss and we see this in the first chapter when they race to get away from Australia and on a boat into India without warning - to manage an abandoned hotel at the foot of the Himalayas. I adored Ruby’s grandmother, she made me laugh a lot, and early in the story she smuggles a joey kangaroo onto the ship taking them to India, causing much hilarity.But I can see this book becoming a classroom staple for more than the mesmerising snapshots of India. Jess Butterworth drew inspiration for ‘When the Mountains Roared’ from her own family stories, her grandparents’ travels to India in the 1960s and her own childhood experiences living with them at the foot of the Himalayas. Her mother, a herpetologist leaves a gaping hole in Ruby and because of this sudden loss, she doesn't know how to cope. Together with Praveen, a local boy, and an entire menagerie of animals including a baby kangaroo, Ruby sets out to save the elusive and beautiful leopards who inhabit the mountain. The cover design was a big hit, as the leopard graphic and quotation on the rear created mystery from the outset.