The Upside Down River: Hannah’s Story

Sometimes, you read a charming story, almost old-fashioned in its telling, and you don’t quite know why you like it so much. My Father’s Dragon was a book like that; The Upside Down River – Hannah’s Journey was another.
When I picked up the book, I didn’t know that it was the sequel to a million-copy bestseller, Tomek’s Journey.
Nor did I know that it wasn’t originally written in English; it’s translated from French. And sometimes, I think it’s that elusive detail that you can’t quite put your finger on, some cultural or contextual disconnect, something different from what you’re used to, that makes the book striking.

Hannah is determined to find the river Qjar, an upside down river. Only water from the river can save her songbird, who is actually an enchanted princess. With Hannah, we go on a journey across deserts and through forests, meeting impossible creatures and having extraordinary adventures.

The element of whimsy and the complete unpredictability of Hannah’s Journey kept me reading. In one chapter, she gets married and has children; in another, she is mistaken for a long-lost princess. The storytelling style is charming, very deliberately told to a boy called Tomek, who is the only person who will believe her unusual tale. In some ways, Hannah doesn’t expect us to suspend disbelief. Quite the opposite! She knows no one else will believe her, and this makes us all the more curious to read on.

Magical, pacy and utterly unusual, Hannah’s Journey is a celebration of imagination, adventure, and fantasy.