Books with author Martyn Blunden

Back to the Future meets Horrible Histories.Charlie Green is a courageous, good-natured 11 year old. After moving to a new house next to a disused airfield, he ignores his mother's strict orders to stay well away and convinces his brother to join him in his exploration. There, in one of the dilapidated hangars, they find a secret aeroplane with magical abilities. The previous owner of their new home, Oliver, mysteriously disappeared many years before and left behind his special transport. Due to a mistake, he is actually stuck in the past, onboard a sailing ship in the 17th century. He is now on a quest to find a treasure map belonging to the infamous pirate Captain William Kidd, but how successful his plans for finding the treasure will be all depends on the ingenuity of the Green siblings...Their new home holds many secrets, but will they discover them in time to rescue Oliver from the clutches of the blood thirsty pirates?

Charlie Green, along with his siblings Ben and Olivia, share a special secret: a magical aeroplane named Jenny that can take them anywhere they wish to go – including back in time! Charlie Green and the Underground Railroad takes them to the scene of the American Civil War in 1862, where they attempt to assist Harriet Tubman free her sister from slavery. Before the war, Harriet had successfully escaped enslavement herself and was a wanted person – with a reward on her head. However, she bravely returned and helped many escape using the secret network of safe houses on the route to a safe northern state of refuge. Suspected of spying for the Union Army, a higher reward is put on Harriet’s head, making their journey even more perilous. After successfully locating her they set off on their journey, only to be thwarted by Charlie’s friendly nature to a stranger. Harriet gets arrested and they have to come up with a plan to get her free again. They are dealt a second blow when Oliver, their adult travelling companion, gets forcefully enlisted in the Confederate Army. Now it’s all down to the kids! How can they outwit senior officers of the Confederate Army of the South before Harriet is shot for spying? The chase to Richmond, the confederate capital, is on!“Charlie Green and the Underground Railroad tells some of the amazing story of Harriet Tubman’s life and her challenges,” observes Martyn. “I believe my book is another way of exploring and opening up the past in a different and interesting way.” This is the second book of the Charlie Green series where Charlie gets the adventurers into, and out of trouble in equal measure. They have to assume identities of Confederates whilst in the southern states and Yankees when they're on the other side! Each book contains a small reference section at the back to explain where the historical facts that are woven into the story can be further researched.

Charlie Green is the epitome of kindness, bold, good-natured and always seeks to find truth and put right wrongs with a cheeky grin. But Charlie is no ordinary boy, he has a secret: a magical plane that can take him anywhere including back in time! In Martyn Blunden’s latest adventure, Charlie must travel back to the sixth century to save Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table from self-destruction.When an old man in a museum reveals some long lost parchments which contain a confession by Merlin, the great wizard and advisor to King Arthur, and a revelation of treachery within Camelot, Charlie knows that history will have to be rewritten. He must travel back in time to warn King Arthur and to stop the millennia old lies that Sir Lancelot betrayed his beloved king.Charlie knows little about the century he is visiting and upon arrival finds great difficulty in persuading its inhabitants to listen to him. The answer to his problems is locked away on the magical island of Avalon and is guarded by many, entrusted with total protection of its secrets. Let the adventure begin!

'Blackbeard stood in front of them, an imposing man of more than six feet tall. Diagonally across his chest were two opposing leather belts, into which he had six flintlock pistols secured. On one side hung a cutlass, the other a dagger.' Charlie Green is a courageous, good-natured 11-year-old, who lives with his mother, older brother and little sister. After moving to a new house next to a disused airfield, he ignores his mother's strict orders to stay well away and convinces his brother to join him in his exploration. There, in one of the dilapidated hangars, they find a secret aeroplane with magical abilities. The previous owner of their new home, Oliver, mysteriously disappeared many years before and left behind his special transport. Due to a mistake, he is actually stuck in the past, onboard a sailing ship in the 17th century. He is now on a quest to find a treasure map belonging to the infamous pirate Captain William Kidd, but how successful his plans for finding the treasure will be all depends on the ingenuity of the Green siblings... Their new home holds many secrets, but will they discover them in time to rescue Oliver from the clutches of the bloodthirsty pirates?

Charlie Green is the epitome of kindness, bold, good-natured and always seeks to find truth and put right wrongs with a cheeky grin. But Charlie is no ordinary boy, he has a secret: a magical plane that can take him anywhere including back in time! In Martyn Blunden’s latest adventure, Charlie must travel back to the sixth century to save Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table from self-destruction. When an old man in a museum reveals some long lost parchments which contain a confession by Merlin, the great wizard and advisor to King Arthur, and a revelation of treachery within Camelot, Charlie knows that history will have to be rewritten. He must travel back in time to warn King Arthur and to stop the millennia old lies that Sir Lancelot betrayed his beloved king. Charlie knows little about the century he is visiting and upon arrival finds great difficulty in persuading its inhabitants to listen to him. The answer to his problems is locked away on the magical island of Avalon and is guarded by many, entrusted with total protection of its secrets. Let the adventure begin!