Books with author Read by Alison Larkin By (author) Arthur Ransome

The Coot Club is back and better than ever in this ninth volume of Arthur Ransome’s beloved SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS series. When Joe, Pete, and Bill are wrongly accused of casting boats adrift in the middle of the night, the young crew of the mighty Death and Glory vow to find the real culprits and prove their innocence. Together with their fellow Coot Club members, they form the Big Six, modeled after the greatest detective group in the world, and embark on a fast paced, hilarious hunt that will thrill Ransome enthusiasts and young fans of nautical adventure. “Mr. Ransome again equals or perhaps excels himself, and every boy will vote this detective story super.” –New Statesman “The adventure, though engrossing, is only part of the book in which the cry and flight of birds, the smell of water and tarry ropes, and the jargon of men and boys brought up to use their hands and senses are all delightfully plain to us.” –Times Literary Supplement

The first title in Arthur Ransome’s classic series, originally published in 1930: for children, for grownups, for anyone captivated by the world of adventure and imagination. Swallows and Amazons introduces the lovable Walker family, the camp on Wild Cat Island, the able-bodied catboat Swallow, and the two intrepid Amazons, Nancy and Peggy Blackett. “The author really does know how to write for children: in other words, he writes of what he himself delights in and so pleases without any effort both young and old.” –The Nation “This book is both silvery present and golden retrospect. All that is tedious and sullen and deceptive vanishes in its sunniness as clouds vanish in the tempered air of a summer day.... We think that the book will last, too, from edition unto edition.” –Saturday Review

The fourth book in Arthur Ransome’s classic series for children, WINTER HOLIDAY takes intrepid explorers John, Susan, Titty, and Roger Walker, and fearsome Amazon pirates Nancy and Peggy Blackett to the North Pole. Joined by budding novelist Dorothea Callum and her scientist brother Dick, the children plan an “Arctic” expedition. But unforeseen events separate the travelers and disaster nearly strikes in the exciting climax of their race to the Pole. “The story is the best kind of adventure story. . . . Every step is possible, and everyone is transmuted into romance by deliberate purpose. Nothing that the children do is beyond the reach of a group provided that winter, a frozen lake and mumps connive to perfect adventure.” – Observer “Mr. Ransome’s imagination is as deep and secret as the waters of his lake, his prose is as strong and level as the ice which covered it – a beautiful surface for adventurous skaters of any age.” –New Statesman “It’s hard to believe that four siblings could camp out together on an island for weeks without cross words. But like the old fashioned atmosphere, this loyalty and good cheer make their imaginary world a most pleasant, happy place.” – The Philadelphia Inquirer

In this latest adventure (following Pigeon Post, winner of the Carnegie Medal), the Walker family has come to Harwich to wait for Commander Walker’s return. As usual, the children can’t stay away from boats, and this time they meet young Jim Brading, skipper of the well-found sloop Goblin. But fun turns to high drama when the anchor drags, and the four young sailors find themselves drifting out to sea – sweeping across to Holland in the midst of a full gale! As in all of Ransome’s books, the emphasis is on self reliance, courage, and resourcefulness. We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea is a story to warm any mariner’s heart. Full of nautical lore and adventure, it will appeal to young armchair sailors and seasoned salts alike. “The seventh of the Arthur Ransome books, and I really think it is the best.” –Sunday Times “Perhaps the best of all . . . Told with all the wealth of practical detail and satisfying sense of reality which make Mr. Ransome so unfailingly successful.” –Punch

The beautiful second volume in the cherished adventure series that the Guardian called “the 1930s equivalent of JK Rowling.”The Swallows and Amazons return to their lakeside home (in England’s Lake District in the 1930s) bursting with grand schemes for the summer—camping, hiking, fishing and exploring. But a shipwreck and an impending visit from a Great-Aunt threaten to foil all their plans. Never fear: the discovery of a hidden valley and a secret cave lend new excitement to their days!The sequel to Swallows and Amazons, Swallowdale is charming and imaginative, yet firmly rooted in the reality of nature. Swallowdale will “capture the imagination of the Harry Potter generation” (Guardian) and will be treasured by generations to come.

The first title in Arthur Ransome’s classic series, originally published in 1930: for children, for grownups, for anyone captivated by the world of adventure and imagination. Swallows and Amazons introduces the lovable Walker family, the camp on Wild Cat Island, the able-bodied catboat Swallow, and the two intrepid Amazons, Nancy and Peggy Blackett. “The author really does know how to write for children: in other words, he writes of what he himself delights in and so pleases without any effort both young and old.” –The Nation “This book is both silvery present and golden retrospect. All that is tedious and sullen and deceptive vanishes in its sunniness as clouds vanish in the tempered air of a summer day.... We think that the book will last, too, from edition unto edition.” –Saturday Review

In this, the eighth book in Arthur Ransome’s beloved SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS series for children, the five Walker children are left on a “desert island” by their parents with provisions for a long stay and a blank map to fill in. Like all of Ransome's books, this is at once a real adventure and a lesson in the practicalities of exploring – in this case, of surveying the inlets, coves, mudflats, and estuaries of “Walker Island.” Naturally, there are enemies to overcome (another clan named “The Eels”) and friends to meet (who else but the intrepid “Amazons”?). And, as always, the children do it all solo, with not a parent on the horizon. "Once more the Swallows and the Amazons have a magnificent exploring adventure; once more Arthur Ransome has kept a complete record of their experiences, terrors, triumphs and set it down with the cunning that casts a spell over new children and old." –Times Literary Supplement "This time the Walker children are ‘marooned’ on an island somewhere in England, and for their adventures there is but one word enchanting!" –Sunday Times

The third book in Arthur Ransome’s wonderful series for children, Peter Duck takes intrepid explorers John, Susan, Titty, and Roger Walker and fearless Amazon pirates Nancy and Peggy Blackett onto the high seas. Under the command of the infamous Captain Flint (Nancy and Peggy’s Uncle Jim), the children brave a real-life pirate and his cutthroat crew, fog, sharks, and the ravenous crabs of Crab Island in search of buried treasure. “In many ways, Peter Duck is the best of the series.” -The Guardian “This is the stuff of real imagination which might so easily happen ... all the details are true to life, the ship is a real ship, with all its sails and rigging made familiar, and the voyage which those happy children make to southern seas and coral islands is the beautiful possibility of daring and freedom become living and credible.” –Listener

The third book in Arthur Ransome’s wonderful series for children, Peter Duck takes intrepid explorers John, Susan, Titty, and Roger Walker and fearless Amazon pirates Nancy and Peggy Blackett onto the high seas. Under the command of the infamous Captain Flint (Nancy and Peggy’s Uncle Jim), the children brave a real-life pirate and his cutthroat crew, fog, sharks, and the ravenous crabs of Crab Island in search of buried treasure. “In many ways, Peter Duck is the best of the series.” -The Guardian “This is the stuff of real imagination which might so easily happen ... all the details are true to life, the ship is a real ship, with all its sails and rigging made familiar, and the voyage which those happy children make to southern seas and coral islands is the beautiful possibility of daring and freedom become living and credible.” –Listener

“In a class by itself.” — The Guardian The original cast of Swallows and Amazons is sailing under the stars and the command of Captain Flint in the South China Seas when Gibbet, their pet monkey, grabs the captain’s cigar and drops it into the fuel tank. In minutes, the ship is ablaze (and doomed), and our seven luckless protagonists are adrift in two small boats. They make their way to land, only to find themselves captives of one of the last remaining pirates operating off the China Coast. But Missee Lee, as it turns out, is no ordinary pirate; her father had sent her off to Cambridge University to prepare her for a life as a teacher. But when he dies, she is forced to return and claim her place as rightful ruler. She finds herself struggling to hold together the Three Island Confederation he had created, and to be recognized as his legitimate heir and ruler of the Island Kingdom. “Missee Lee, by Arthur Ransome, seems to be his best yet. Not only are there pirates in it, but a super-female pirate, Missee Lee herself, whose very surprising behavior creates a situation far to good to be given away ... A book to buy, to read, and to read again, not but many times.” — The Observer

Those two Blackett sisters are back at it again, and Nancy is right there in the thick of it. Their mother (doubtless suffering from exhaustion) has gone off sailing in the North Sea with Captain Flint on a rest cure, but she has allowed her two daughters to stay a fortnight at Beckfoot on the lakeshore with their trusty cook. She’s also permitted their two old friends, Dick and Dorothea Callum, to come up for a visit. But when their redoubtable Great Aunt (a.k.a. G.A.) hears of their abandonment, she’s horrified and off on the next train. The Amazons are dismayed; not only will their solo holiday be ruined, but now they’ll have to hide their two guests in the woods in an abandoned shepherd’s cottage where they’ll be forced to live off the land like savages (ergo “The Picts”), while they’ll be required to dress up in white pinafores, practice the piano-forte, and recite reams of parlor poetry aloud (ergo “The Martyrs”). Not much stretch here; no one dares trifle with the G. A. As usual with Ransome, the fun is gentle, the action nonstop, and the instructions on everything from tickling trout to setting anchors are precise and informed. Even the formidable aunt proves to have virtues, not the least of which is her ability to say she’s sorry. The Picts & the Martyrs “Stands out in triumph.” — The Times Literary Supplement