Amazon.co.uk Review The Secret Of Moonacre is a charming adaptation of Elizabeth Goudge’s novel The Little White Horse. Starring The Golden Compass’ Dakota Blue Richards, she plays young teenage orphan Maria Merryweather, who inherits a single book from her father. That book, however, is the catalyst to what happens next in The Secret Of Moonacre, as the story bursts to life, throwing Maria into the middle of a feud between two families, the Merryweathers and the De Noirs. As she eventually makes her way through the book, Maria understands what she needs to do, and realises that the fate of Moonacre Valley could well be in her hands. Co-starring Tim Curry, Ioan Gruffudd, Natascha McElhone and Juliet Stevenson, The Secret Of Moonacre does take a little time to warm up, with a tepid first act not the best of beginnings. But then the the steady hand of director Gabor Csupo--previously responsible for the underrated Bridge To Terabithia--kicks in, and things soon pick up. Csupo’s movie boasts striking visuals and genuinely impressive production values, and while it doesn’t quite match his earlier film, it still emerges as solid family entertainment that’s been well realised. What’s more, Dakota Blue Richards does her credentials no harm at all either, turning in another impressive performance that eases the film through its weaker moments. Recommended. –-Jon Foster Product Description Gabor Csupo ('Bridge to Terabithia') directs this adventure based on the classic children's novel 'The Little White Horse' by Elizabeth Goudge. Dakota Blue Richards ('The Golden Compass') plays Maria Merryweather, a 13-year-old girl who is forced to move in with Sir Benjamin (Ioan Gruffudd), the eccentric uncle she never knew she had, following the death of her father. Uprooted from her London life and transplanted to the ancestral home of Moonacre Manor, Maria finds herself in a mysterious world out of time, populated by strange characters and mythical beasts. It's not long before she discovers that there is an ancient story around the founding of the family estate that will have a profound effect on her destiny....