NLS Kids Zone -- Books in Series
Swallows and Amazons
A twelve book series by British writer Arthur Ransome (1884-1967) about the adventures of the Walker children enjoying their holidays. First published in the 1930s and 1940s, the books remain popular with readers who like sailing, camping, and other outdoor activities. We list them here in order of publication. The series order and other information can be found at http://www.arthur-ransome.org/ar/index.html.
Swallows and Amazons
Two English families and their lively children spend the summer camping out on Wild Cat Island. They explore their miniature world, hunt for a hidden treasure, and follow the mysterious doings of an uncle suspected of being a pirate. For grades 4-7. 1930.
RC 22220
Swallowdale
Captain John, Mate Susan, Able Seaman Titty and Ship's Boy Roger spend a second summer camping on Wild Cat Island. Follows the adventures of the Walker children and their friends through a shipwreck, a camp on the mainland, a secret valley and cave, and a trek through the mountains. Sequel to Swallows and Amazons. For grades 4-7 and older readers.
RC30556
Peter Duck
In the third book of the adventures of the Walker and Blackett children, Peter Duck carries them onto the high seas. In their search for hidden treasure, under the command of the infamous Captain Flint (Uncle Jim), they brave fog, sharks, a real-life pirate, and ravenous crabs. Sequel to Swallowdale. For grades 4-7 and older readers.
RC 30557
Winter Holiday
The Walker and Blackett children, spending the Christmas holiday by a lake near the mountains, are detained an extra month by quarantine for mumps. They go on an exciting, imaginary adventure to the North Pole. Sequel to "Peter Duck." For grades 4-7 and older readers.
RC 30558
Coot Club
Dorothea and Dick, Tom Dodgeon, Port and Starboard, and other friends form the Bird Protection Society or "Coot Club." When a group of rude holiday boaters disturbs one of the coot's nests, trouble begins. Calamitous boat collisions, frantic chases, and near drownings ensue. For grades 4-7.
RC 31634
Pigeon Post
The Swallows (John, Susan, Roger, and Titty Walker), Amazons (Nancy and Peggy Blackett), and D's (Dorothea and Dick Callum) are spending their summer holidays prospecting for gold in the Lake District. In order to keep Mrs. Blackett informed of their doings they have brought along three carrier pigeons--Homer, Sophocles, and Sappho. Sequel to Coot Club. For grades 4-7 and older readers.
RC 35331
We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea
Four children find themselves up against a real challenge when the owner of the yacht on which they are visiting fails to return and the boat drifts out to sea. A story of action, adventure, and courage for grades 4-7.
RC 15071
Big Six
Adventures of the Coot Club, a bird protection society started by Tom Dudgeon to which Dorothea and Dick belong. While sailing on the Norfolk Broads, the Coot Club members are accused of setting boats adrift. They are able to prove their innocence only after some clever detective work. Swallows and Amazons series. Sequel to Coot Club. For grades 4-7 and older readers.
RC 32695
Secret Water
The Swallows--John, Susan, Titty, Roger, and Bridget Walker--are all set for a camping, sailing, and exploring holiday with their parents when Commander Walker is recalled from leave by the Admiralty. But their father decides to let the children proceed on their own and leaves them on an uncharted island with plenty of supplies and a blank map. For grades 4-7 and older readers.
RC 35331
Missee Lee
The Swallows (John, Susan, Roger, and Titty Walker), the Amazons (Nancy and Peggy Blackett), and Uncle Jim are voyaging around the world on their schooner. When they are shipwrecked and cast ashore on the China coast, they fall into the hands of Miss Lee, a Chinese pirate's daughter. For grades 4-7 and older readers.
RC 32694
Picts and the Martyrs
Prospects for a glorious holiday--without parent-- disappear when Nancy's and Peggy's stern great aunt arrives, uninvited, to supervise them. To save their mother from the great aunt's disapproval, the girls send their houseguests, Dick and his sister Dorothea, off to hide in a cabin in the woods. An adventure for grades 4-7.
RC 15071
Great Northern?
John, Susan, Titty, Roger, Nancy, Peggy, Dorothea, and Dick are on a seafaring holiday in the Hebrides. When Dick, the naturalist, discovers a pair of great northern divers nesting, the children save the birds from being shot by an unscrupulous egg-collector. For grades 4-7 and older readers.
RC 32696