- Illustrated Chapter Books
- Ages 8–12
- Fantasy
Greenwild: The City Beyond the Sea
Book 2 of 3 in GreenwildView the full series
A bigger, water-led sequel that expands the Greenwild beyond the first book's botanical doorway. It is best for readers already invested in Daisy and the Five O'Clock Club, with more quest momentum and darker magical treachery.
- Best for8–12
- FormatIllustrated
- Length416 pp
- Read aloud~5 hr55 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Lyrical
- Literary
- Conversational
Tone
- Adventurous
- Exciting
- Suspenseful
- Heartwarming
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Daisy Thistledown and the Five O'Clock Club may have saved the Greenwild from one terrible danger, but their search for the missing Botanists is only just beginning. In The City Beyond the Sea, the adventure moves across the ocean to a realm ruled by water, where beauty, magic, and treachery run deep. Daisy and her friends must navigate new alliances, hidden threats, and a widening fight to protect the wild magic that connects their world. Pari Thomson's sequel keeps the environmental heart of the series while giving the story a broader, more quest-driven shape. Elisa Paganelli's illustrations continue to support the sense of wonder, while the stakes become more layered. This is not an ideal standalone, but it is a strong continuation for children who loved the first book's secret-world magic.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 8–12
- Read aloud · 7–12
- Independent · 8–12
Prose load
Moderate
Visual support
Moderate
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Excellent
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Reading together
- Gift-buying
- Reluctant readers
Preview before sharing if a child is sensitive to: scary imagery, violence.
Bedtime suitability
2 / 5 · Better outside bedtime
Sensitive-child
3 / 5 · Mostly fine
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Series continuation
- Botanical fantasy
- Water magic
- Environmental magic
- Middle grade quest
Avoid if
- Has not read book one
- Very sensitive to peril
- Needs short books
- Wants gag comedy
Particularly good for children who are…
- Making friends
- Interested in science
- Anxiety and worry
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A lush, eco-magical adventure series — a great class read-aloud and a companion for environment and nature themes.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific shift is the water-realm — Daisy and her friends crossing the ocean to a city ruled by water-magic, where the rules they learned in the first book don't quite hold. A reader who loved the secret-doorway feeling of book one gets the satisfying expansion the sequel needs to deliver.
- Going on a quest
- Secret world
- Magic powers
- Making a difference
- Friendship and belonging
Why parents love it
The second Greenwild — the world widens from secret garden into ocean-realm, water-magic and proper political treachery. Best for a child who finished the first book and wants the sequel to actually escalate. Lush illustrations from Elisa Paganelli; the eco-fantasy spine stays intact.
- Beautiful illustrations
- Conversation starter
- Great writing
- Educational for adult too
In the series
Greenwild.
3 books · open the series →
About the creators
About the creators.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
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- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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