The Silver Arrow

Lev Grossman

Sep 2020 · Hachette Audio · Narrated by Simon Vance

About this audiobook

"I loved every page. This is middle grade fiction at its best."-- Ann Patchett
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Magicians comes a must-read, wholly original middle-grade debut perfect for fans of The Chronicles of Narnia and Roald Dahl.

Dear Uncle Herbert,
You've never met me, but I'm your niece Kate, and since it is my birthday tomorrow and you are super-rich could you please send me a present?

Kate and her younger brother Tom lead dull, uninteresting lives. And if their dull, uninteresting parents are anything to go by, they don't have much to look forward to. Why can't Kate have thrilling adventures and save the world the way people do in books? Even her 11th birthday is shaping up to be mundane -- that is, until her mysterious and highly irresponsible Uncle Herbert, whom she's never even met before, surprises her with the most unexpected, exhilarating, inappropriate birthday present of all time: a colossal steam locomotive called the Silver Arrow.

Kate and Tom's parents want to send it right back where it came from. But Kate and Tom have other ideas -- and so does the Silver Arrow -- and soon they're off to distant lands along magical rail lines in the company of an assortment of exotic animals who, it turns out, can talk. With only curiosity, excitement, their own resourcefulness and the thrill of the unknown to guide them, Kate and Tom are on the adventure of a lifetime . . . and who knows? They just might end up saving the world after all.

This thrilling fantasy adventure will not only entertain young readers but inspire them to see the beautiful, exciting, and precious world around them with new eyes.

Ratings and reviews

Imaginative Story about Environmentalism Audiobook Review: 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. I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.

About the author

Lev Grossman is the author of five novels including the #1 New York Times bestselling Magicians trilogy, which has been published in thirty countries. A TV adaptation of the trilogy is now in its fifth season as the top-rated show on Syfy. Grossman is also an award-winning journalist who spent fifteen years as the book critic and lead technology writer at Time magazine, where he published more than twenty cover stories. In addition he has written for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Wired, the Believer, the Village Voice, NPR, Salon, Slate, and Buzzfeed, among many others. He lives in New York City with his wife and three children.