Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Swallows and Amazons
Fiction
For ages 9 to 12
David R Godine, 2010 ISBN: 978-1567924206
When Mother tells John, Susan, Titty and Roger that they can sail their boat, the Swallow, and that they may also camp on the Wold Cat Island in the lake, the children feel as if they have been given the best gift in the world. In a rush of excitement and enthusiasm they pack up for their great adventure, loading tents, food, lamps, journals (to use as logbooks), and so much more into their little boat. Indeed, they decide to take so much gear that their mother has to row some of the goods over in a separate boat.
The island is to be their very own special place for the summer, but when they arrive they discover that someone else has been there before them. They find an old fire pit and someone has made a mark on a tree near the hidden harbour. A little anxiously the children set up camp around the fire pit, but they are soon so deep in the joys of camping alone on an island that they quiet forget about their worries.
One day, when they come back to the island after an expedition, they discover that their camp on Wildcat Island has been invaded. The intruders inform them that they are the Amazons (thought their real names are Nancy and Peggy), pirates who claim the island for themselves. The two sets of children decide that they should call a truce so that they can plan a war. It is decided that each side will try to capture the boat of the enemy. Thus the Swallows will try to capture the Amazon and the Amazons will try to take the Swallow.
In addition to this wonderful war, the children also find themselves caught up in a conflict with a man that they call Captain Flint, a retired sailor who lives on a houseboat near Wildcat Island.
In this book Arthur Ransome superbly captures the joys and fears of the six children who spend their summer having a grand sailing adventure. Plots and counterplots abound, and the power that the imagination has over the minds and hearts of these children is an inspiration. There are pirates to vanquish, ships to seize, and even a buried treasure to find.
Though this story first came out over sixty years ago, it is still relevant to today’s children, and they will enjoy reading, or listening, to the story.
