The Golden Swift is the sequel and second book in the Silver Arrow adventure series for middle grade readers by Lev Grossman. Released 3rd May 2022 by Hachette on their Little Brown & co.Young Readers imprint, it's 272 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback due out in second quarter 2023. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is an engaging and very well written adventure story for all ages. Protagonist Kate has been helping animals and restoring habitats as part of the Great Secret Intercontinental Railway, but this time she's off to try to find her Uncle Herbert who has gone missing. The book is full of interesting facts about habitats, ecology, and animals as well as a fair bit of sobering reflection on human impact on climate and the environment. The read is enhanced by line drawn illustrations throughout, rendered by Tracy Nishimura Bishop. They're whimsical and deceptively simple, with flowing lines and small details. I liked that there's quite a lot of humor written into the book, and Kate's pithy observations often surprised a chuckle out of me.

Four stars. This would be an excellent choice for public or school library acquisition, bedtime reading, or even buddy read. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

It’s some years after book one. Kate has been helping many animals and researching climates and animals under pressure from the effects of climate change.

Kate is feeling a little cranky about grown-ups’ apathy regarding climate change, and about not making the lead in her high school musical. And, her uncle has not been in contact for a while, so Kate and her reluctant brother Tom, and even more reluctant Silver Arrow, go rogue in search of Uncle Herbert. The trains’ dispatcher, a cassowary, join them on their quest.

They meet another conductor, Jag, who works with the Golden Swift, a different train, who is not only moving animals around the world, as Kate is doing, but is also attempting to return certain creatures to their original habitats. Interestingly, Jag also goes to Kate's school, and made the school musical, so Kate’s a little annoyed with him.
But, she is intrigued by his side quests, as she’s been wanting to do more, and decides to also do what Jag has been doing on the sly.

The attempts to return animals to where they originated does not go well, unsurprisingly, and there are consequences to the children as well as the animals and magical trains.


Kate and Tom are both older, and are finding they want more out of their lives, and are also growing into the people they'll eventually become. Consequently, there's a little conflict to their interactions this time, which keeps things interesting. Also, Kate’s feelings of inadequacy and frustration are handled well.

And, the author shows how restoring balance to the environment is complicated, and fraught with errors and danger. It's a disheartening thing for Kate and Jag to discover, but shows the book’s readers how restoring an environment is something that involves countless individuals and communities working together.

Though this was a little darker than its predecessor (and that book had plenty of sad moments) it's still got a hopeful , happy ending.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for this ARC in exchange for my review.

On her 11th birthday, Kate's Uncle Herbert gifted her a train (no, not a model train, a REAL one!). She and her brother, Tom, had many adventures with their uncle in the first book of the series, The Silver Arrow. I encourage readers to begin with the first novel to fully understand the Great Secret Intercontinental Railroad before reading the sequel, The Golden Swift by Lev Goldman.

In this continuing adventure, Kate is trying to locate her Uncle Herbert who hasn't been heard from in quite some time. She travels to his latest known address in Chicago, without finding him. Kate takes matters into her own hands and persuades her brother to tag along to help find their uncle (he may be in danger!!). There is a parallel story of Kate's disappointments at school during recent drama tryouts. In some ways, her railway adventures offer a means of escaping the parts of her life where she doesn't quite feel like she fits in. In this installment, she learns that not everything is at it appears and it's best not to judge a book by its cover.

I liked that the author includes a lot of information about little-known animals in the world and often explains unique features about them as well as where they live in the world. In that respect, the book would offer a wonderful supplement to geography or zoological studies. Where I found the book less enjoyable was the conclusions drawn about climate change and the blame assigned to humans for what is assumed to be the catastrophic state of the world. I think climate and endangered species topics can be brought up without being so preachy and off-putting. And the preaching was not just from the characters but from anthropomorphized animals as well (as if they possessed higher intelligence than mere humans).

Goldman's premise is an interesting one with excitement and creative problem solving and definite maturing of the characters. I just wish readers were not also fed a particular notion of science and politics at the same time.

Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of The Golden Swift from NetGalley for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.

Thank you to Little, Brown Books and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
This sequel to The Silver Arrow continues the adventures of Kate and Tom on their magical train. Uncle Herbert is missing and they have encountered a rival train, The Golden Swift. The conductors from both trains work together to help relocate endangered animals but not always at the direction of the Great Secret Intercontinental Railroad. Soon both trains are taking unsanctioned missions that lead to unpredictable consequences.
I did enjoy this sequel as much as the first. The message is still sad and disturbing but I would definitely recommend it to grades 4 and up. The author does enough recap in this sequel that it is not necessary to have read the first but you should do so anyway!
#TheGoldenSwift #NetGalley

I enjoyed this follow-up to The Silver Arrow. Kate and Tom have a bit of tension growing between them as they are each reaching ages where they want, and deserve, a bit more independence. Uncle Herbert is missing. A cassowary and a wolverine join in on the adventure, and we encounter new conductors and a new train.

My favorite character in the books remains the Silver Arrow itself. Its printouts add levity and humor to the story.

Like The Silver Arrow, The Golden Swift teaches young readers about different types of animals, geography, the impact humans have had on the environment, and climate change. I feel like The Golden Swift is easier to follow along with than The Silver Arrow, but you still need to read The Silver Arrow first to have the context for everything that is going on--especially when you reach the penultimate part of The Golden Swift.

I like that you get to see more of Kate's day-to-day life in between trips on the trains and that you see Kate and Tom interacting with other children. Kate is entering middle school, and I think her feelings about school and fitting in accurately reflect what many children feel at that age.

Whereas The Silver Arrow focuses on shuttling animals to safer locales, The Golden Swift is more focused on trying to find the right balance for the earth. Just like The Silver Arrow, The Golden Swift does tend to get a bit heavy-handed when discussing humans' impact on the earth, animals, and climate change.

As a parent, caregiver, or teacher, please be aware that this book discusses loss, and subjects such as Chernobyl, the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, the Red Zone in France, and Hitler are mentioned in this book.

Thank you to Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received an electronic ARC from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers through NetGalley.
The sequel to The Silver Arrow. Readers see the continued adventures of Kate and Tom as they continue their work to save endangered animals. Unfortunately, Uncle Herbert has gone missing so Kate decides to go rogue and take the Silver Arrow out to look for him. With help from the cassowary who runs the rail yard and a grouchy wolverine, Tom and Kate set out to follow some vague clues and locate Herbert. Along the way, they meet two other conductors their ages. Kate already knows Jag from school; Wren is a new friend that Tom connects with. Together, they set out to protect endangered species and reestablish animals in their former habitats. As readers would expect, some relocations are successful and some are not. The four are confronted with different animals who want to rid the world of humans and stop the work of the Great Secret Intercontinental Railway. Even the Board of Directors of the GSIR becomes involved.
Grossman spins a tale that weaves environmental awareness and protection with fantasy. Middle grade readers will learn about a wide variety of species and see how interconnected we all are.
This will be a terrific read aloud to blend with science and social studies units on the environment. Families can also share this together and discuss changes they could make to protect the planet.