• Grade: 5 to 10

Are we truly meant to know everything about the world around us, or are some things best left undiscovered? In Carew, author J.C. Mills presents her readers with an exotic and mysterious tale about the search for lost and hidden life and about the perils of unchecked greed and ambition.
In the Himalayan foothills--a sacred region known as the "abode of the gods"--the capture and imprisonment of a strange animal sets off a chain reaction of bizarre events and unleashes a force far more powerful than anyone could have imagined.
The task of reversing what has now begun to unfold falls onto the shoulders of two, mismatched young people: Lucy, niece of the expedition leader, and Evan, a photographer's son and reluctant traveller. In their desperate bid to return the creature to its rightful place, they find themselves on a most unusual quest. Propelled into a divine and mystical world, where the habits of contemporary man often clash with sacred, time-honoured traditions, Lucy and Evan make some remarkable discoveries about themselves and the world in which they live.

J.C. MILLS is a self-taught artist who has been drawing and sculpting for most of her life and began writing only in 1993. Since then, she has both written and illustrated a number of children’s books, including Bridge 6, The Stonehook Schooner, While the Bear Sleeps and The Painted Chest. Mills lives with her husband and son in Toronto, Ontario.

J.C. Mills' profile page

Carew

Having a world-renowned cryptozoologist for an uncle can result in some interesting holidays. After a mysterious and somewhat eccentric donor steps forward to fund an expedition, 16-year-old Lucy Parnell finds herself in the foothills of the Himalayas.

Her uncle, Sir Jeffrey, is intrigued by cryptids or “hidden creatures,” and would love nothing more than to discover some previously unknown species of tree frog. But the creature that Sir Jeffery’s team captures – no bigger than a housecat, with glowing green eyes – turns out to be far more unique than anyone would have imagined.

As the expedition’s sponsor announces his intentions to visit their camp, and reports of unusual behavior by groups of animals across the globe begin to pour in, it becomes apparent that the creature they have discovered is more than a zoological rarity. Strange forces have been unleashed as a result of its capture, and it is up to Lucy to save the animal from the clutches of a man who would use its power for his own selfish purposes.

J.C. Mills incorporates fantastic elements of the real world (like the discoveries of the komodo dragon and the coelacanth) into her own new fantasy narrative. In this fashion she blurs the lines between fact and fiction, illustrating that the unimaginable does sometimes exist in reality, and that there is still much we do not know about the natural world. Her narrative describes the creature’s experience of its capture and confinement, as well as Lucy’s perspective, enabling the reader to relate to both. Although it is a work of fantasy, Mills’ well-crafted story delivers a very real message about the importance of preserving the natural world: if we do not respect the environment, we may never know what we have lost.

Carew

Deep in the Himalayas, Sir Jeffrey discovers a new species. When the creature is caught, it unleashes a force, propelling two kids into a mystical world. Are some things best left hidden?