This is the latest of my attempts to come up with a title for a journey around the coast of England,Scotland and Wales. The treasures are the books and the stories that they tell.
It has to be clear that it is not a collection of books where tangible treasures are discovered - however, this is one of themes that does occur - hidden countries are discovered under the water. There are also many examples of emotional hinterlands to be explored. Monica Edwards, Arthur Ransome,Lois Lamplugh,David Divine,Richard Armstrong,Kathleen Fidler are amongst the authors who must be mentioned.
Captain Frank Knight, Mabel Esther Allan,George Beardmore are less obvious authors who must be dealt with.
Friday, 31 December 2010
Wednesday, 29 December 2010
The Brydons Go Canoeing
The Brydons Go Canoeing. It appears from the evidence which I have been able to
collect that the Brydons actually live in a little village near to Preston. The
village is supposed to be somewhere near Pendle Hill. Preston is the town
referred to as being visited by the adults in the story of this and other
volumes in the series. Is this place actually Whalley and is the hospital based on Calderstones Hospital ?
The story starts with Dan Brydon and Sam Mitton deciding that they are going to
make their own canoe. Their attempts to do so are suitably hair-raising and
foolish. They are also totally ineffective. It is the arrival of a new young
doctor at the Saint Jonathan's Hospital for Children next to their home that
resolves what promises to be a totally frustrating and dangerous situation. As a
part of a bargain with the young doctor both Dan and Sam take part in a new
class that he has instituted for disabled children. They are delighted to take
part in the new swimming activities and succeed in getting the children to take
part in water-based games which helps both their confidence and general health.
Meanwhile Doctor Ritchie sets about the project of getting the boys to build a
canoe and to learn how to use it safely. The two tasks begin to complement each
other and the Brydons find that they are getting far more out of helping the
disabled children than they had ever imagined. The disabled children also begin
to discover all sorts of things that they would like to do connected with the
canoe building. Painting and naming the canoes becomes a major point in their
progress.
Doctor Ritchie then begins to develop them as a viable force for making
explorations by canoe. In the end the newly created canoe is named 'The Gay
Adventurer' by Janet who has begun to find some of her old confidence.The first
voyage is on the Ribble from Edisford Bridge, near Clitheroe to Ribchester
Bridge. It is nine miles with quite a few hazards to negotiate. There is place
called the Jumbles which is the rocky shelves where the Calder joins the Ribble.
There is also a place called Sale Wheel where the river runs through a rocky
little gorge and then widens out to created a kind of whirlpool. Another
description mentions the great curves below Siddows Hall where the Standen Brook
came in. They also pass Great Mitton Bridge - we are told that if you could
stand on the bridge "you'll have one foot in Lancashire and the other in
Yorkshire".
Simon also mentions "Do you see the top of that square tower ? It belongs to the
church which dates back to 1270 (in Great Mitton). They pass Mitton Wood and
reached the place where the river Hodder came tumbling down its wooded valley to
join the Ribble. "There's a bit of wild water below Dinckley Ferry." They go
pass the red-brick Salesbury Hall. The inn they end up in is called the De
Tabley Arms.
collect that the Brydons actually live in a little village near to Preston. The
village is supposed to be somewhere near Pendle Hill. Preston is the town
referred to as being visited by the adults in the story of this and other
volumes in the series. Is this place actually Whalley and is the hospital based on Calderstones Hospital ?
The story starts with Dan Brydon and Sam Mitton deciding that they are going to
make their own canoe. Their attempts to do so are suitably hair-raising and
foolish. They are also totally ineffective. It is the arrival of a new young
doctor at the Saint Jonathan's Hospital for Children next to their home that
resolves what promises to be a totally frustrating and dangerous situation. As a
part of a bargain with the young doctor both Dan and Sam take part in a new
class that he has instituted for disabled children. They are delighted to take
part in the new swimming activities and succeed in getting the children to take
part in water-based games which helps both their confidence and general health.
Meanwhile Doctor Ritchie sets about the project of getting the boys to build a
canoe and to learn how to use it safely. The two tasks begin to complement each
other and the Brydons find that they are getting far more out of helping the
disabled children than they had ever imagined. The disabled children also begin
to discover all sorts of things that they would like to do connected with the
canoe building. Painting and naming the canoes becomes a major point in their
progress.
Doctor Ritchie then begins to develop them as a viable force for making
explorations by canoe. In the end the newly created canoe is named 'The Gay
Adventurer' by Janet who has begun to find some of her old confidence.The first
voyage is on the Ribble from Edisford Bridge, near Clitheroe to Ribchester
Bridge. It is nine miles with quite a few hazards to negotiate. There is place
called the Jumbles which is the rocky shelves where the Calder joins the Ribble.
There is also a place called Sale Wheel where the river runs through a rocky
little gorge and then widens out to created a kind of whirlpool. Another
description mentions the great curves below Siddows Hall where the Standen Brook
came in. They also pass Great Mitton Bridge - we are told that if you could
stand on the bridge "you'll have one foot in Lancashire and the other in
Yorkshire".
Simon also mentions "Do you see the top of that square tower ? It belongs to the
church which dates back to 1270 (in Great Mitton). They pass Mitton Wood and
reached the place where the river Hodder came tumbling down its wooded valley to
join the Ribble. "There's a bit of wild water below Dinckley Ferry." They go
pass the red-brick Salesbury Hall. The inn they end up in is called the De
Tabley Arms.
Friday, 24 December 2010
Scotland and Wales
Venturer Top Secret is an odd book where the journey is from Scotland to Wales via the Caledonian Canal. Most of the journey is by sail with a few episodes involving a small auxiliary engine. Secret plans are being taken to London by the most implausible method that can be devised. The crew are all schoolboys and they are under threat from some enemy, presumably Fifth Columnists or Nazi spies. Official police are never involved until the very last minute. Some of the sailing details are impressive - such as the comradeship aboard the Venturer as the boys face perilous conditions in a stormy sea. The journey also embraces Oban where the crew see the formation of an Atlantic convoy. A little later they are off the coast as a German raid pours bombs on to Barrow in Furness. The timetable of events seems impossibly long for any urgency in getting the secret device to London. The conclusion takes place off the coast of Aberdovey when the principal enemy is outwitted by the schoolboy members of the crew. They are in a sailing dinghy whilst he pursues them in a motorboat. They trick him into a collision with a mudbank - he is left stranded to be picked up later by the proper authorities.
Wednesday, 22 December 2010
In the sea near Lancashire
The Brydons Go Canoeing actually takes us to an incident at sea off the coast of Lancashire. On a trip to Heysham the family expedition is suddenly curtailed when they find that recent storms have dislodged a WW2 floating mine. It lies there in the channel with its horns brooding just below the service. The obvious thing to do is to get well away from it and make their way to land immediately. Having made this sensible decision they are suddenly overtaken by events. Moving at high speed up the channel towards them is a small cargo boat. How can they make sure that it stops in time as there is no way of getting their message on board before the vessel runs into disaster ? Two of the Brydon family decide that they have to stage a deliberate capsize which makes them look like they are sinking and in great peril.
The older members of the family have got ashore to try to ensure that the Isle of Man ferry does not run any risks without the authorities being warned. The twins are left in charge of the youngest members who are suddenly faced with the uncoming cargo boat. Dan and Mat
The older members of the family have got ashore to try to ensure that the Isle of Man ferry does not run any risks without the authorities being warned. The twins are left in charge of the youngest members who are suddenly faced with the uncoming cargo boat. Dan and Mat
Saturday, 18 December 2010
Family at the Tide
The story is set near Chichester and the world is one of mud.Frank Knight's book is not quite what might expect. It is about a particular stretch of water that somehow seems without dramatic potential. It is also very much a family story. The younger boys do have character facets that are appealing. However, it is quite clear that father,mother and daughter are the central personalities about whom the reader is most interested.
The father may be a retired naval officer who has thrown up his job with an insurance company because he has not adjusted to life after the war. He is responsible for the whole family and it seems as though his life is guided by his much wiser wife who treats him a it like a child who has to be indulged. She knows that he needs to follow his star or he will make all their lives miserable. In a section that appears to be autobiographical the father sets out to become an author who can bring financial responsibility to his growing family.
Yett he end of the book brings a totally different experience for the father proves to be a totally different sort of hero. He helps Maureen and young
The father may be a retired naval officer who has thrown up his job with an insurance company because he has not adjusted to life after the war. He is responsible for the whole family and it seems as though his life is guided by his much wiser wife who treats him a it like a child who has to be indulged. She knows that he needs to follow his star or he will make all their lives miserable. In a section that appears to be autobiographical the father sets out to become an author who can bring financial responsibility to his growing family.
Yett he end of the book brings a totally different experience for the father proves to be a totally different sort of hero. He helps Maureen and young
Thursday, 16 December 2010
New Library Orders
Beach mystery - ELIAS, Frank - Lutterworth Press London 1946.
The Peace Seekers - Finkel, George - Angus and Robertson, London, UK, 1970.
Shadows on the Sand - Terry Roche - Dobson Books Ltd, 1979
The Brydons Stick at Nothing – Kathleen Fidler 1972 – Knight or Brockhampton
The Brydons Do Battle – Kathleen Fidler 1954 - Lutterworth
The Brydons Look for Trouble - Kathleen Fidler- Lutterworth, England, 1950
Challenge to the Brydons - Kathleen Fidler Lutterworth, 1956.
The Brydons Hunt for Treasure - Kathleen Fidler - Lutterworth Press, London, 1951
The Brydons in a Pickle - Kathleen Fidler - Lutterworth, 1950.
The Brydons go canoeing - Kathleen Fidler - Lutterworth P, 1963
The Brydons Catch Queer Fish - Kathleen Fidler- Lutterworth, London, 1952.
The Brydons Abroad- Kathleen Fidler - Lutterworth Press, London, 1953
The Deans Dive for Treasure – Kathleen Fidler - Lutterworth Press, London, 1956
The Deans Solve a Mystery- Kathleen Fidler- Lutterworth Press, London, 1954
The Deans' Dutch Adventure Kathleen Fidler - Lutterworth Press, London, 1962.
The Deans and Mr. Popple Fidler, Kathleen Lutterworth Press London 1960,
Mr Simister Appears Again Kathleen Fidler Lutterworth Press, 1948.
The Treasure on Weir Island - Griggs, Percy G. - 1948.
The Bard's Cloak - Griggs, Percy - London: Pitkin, 1949
The Pirates of Thorne Island – Phill Carradice - Pont Books 2001
The Bosun's Secret – Phil Carradice - Pont books 2000
September Island – Rosalie K. Fry - J. M. Dent, London, 1965
The Riddle Of The Figurehead - Fry Rosalie K - London J.M.Dent, 1963.
Green Grow the Rushes – Elinor Lyon LEICESTER: BROCKHAMPTON PRESS.,
The Peace Seekers - Finkel, George - Angus and Robertson, London, UK, 1970.
Shadows on the Sand - Terry Roche - Dobson Books Ltd, 1979
The Brydons Stick at Nothing – Kathleen Fidler 1972 – Knight or Brockhampton
The Brydons Do Battle – Kathleen Fidler 1954 - Lutterworth
The Brydons Look for Trouble - Kathleen Fidler- Lutterworth, England, 1950
Challenge to the Brydons - Kathleen Fidler Lutterworth, 1956.
The Brydons Hunt for Treasure - Kathleen Fidler - Lutterworth Press, London, 1951
The Brydons in a Pickle - Kathleen Fidler - Lutterworth, 1950.
The Brydons go canoeing - Kathleen Fidler - Lutterworth P, 1963
The Brydons Catch Queer Fish - Kathleen Fidler- Lutterworth, London, 1952.
The Brydons Abroad- Kathleen Fidler - Lutterworth Press, London, 1953
The Deans Dive for Treasure – Kathleen Fidler - Lutterworth Press, London, 1956
The Deans Solve a Mystery- Kathleen Fidler- Lutterworth Press, London, 1954
The Deans' Dutch Adventure Kathleen Fidler - Lutterworth Press, London, 1962.
The Deans and Mr. Popple Fidler, Kathleen Lutterworth Press London 1960,
Mr Simister Appears Again Kathleen Fidler Lutterworth Press, 1948.
The Treasure on Weir Island - Griggs, Percy G. - 1948.
The Bard's Cloak - Griggs, Percy - London: Pitkin, 1949
The Pirates of Thorne Island – Phill Carradice - Pont Books 2001
The Bosun's Secret – Phil Carradice - Pont books 2000
September Island – Rosalie K. Fry - J. M. Dent, London, 1965
The Riddle Of The Figurehead - Fry Rosalie K - London J.M.Dent, 1963.
Green Grow the Rushes – Elinor Lyon LEICESTER: BROCKHAMPTON PRESS.,
Various Wales Ones
Wales and Cheshire
The Rising Tide – Mabel Esther Allan
When she inherits three small islands, an eighteen year old persuades
her friend to go and live there for the winter, in islands off the
coast of Wales, with a mystery to solve, and danger from the tide.
The Pirates of Thorne Island – Phill Carradice
Nat Thomas and the other boys from the "Havannah" sail along the Severn
Estuary on a training cruise on board the "Polly". When the "Polly" is
damaged in a storm they put in to Pembroke Dock for repairs. Nat and
the boys stay in the army fort on Thorne Island, where they see lights
late one night.
The Bosun's Secret – Phil Carradice
Nat Thomas, a young orphan boy, is sent to the Industrial School
Ship "Havannah" in Cardiff in 1870. The conditions on the ship are
brutal, most of the brutality being carried out by Bosun Jayne, who
singles Nat out and subjects him to a reign of terror. (
Telling the Sea – Pauline Fisk
Follows the fortunes of Nona, her mother and Nona's younger sister
Sharon. The family runs away together to the seaside village in Wales
which was the focus of Nona's mother's own childhood happiness.
The Riddle of the Figurehead - Rosalie K. Fry
Building a boat on the Gower peninsula, a French visitor and the fight
to save Sammy from being sent to a hostel away from his beloved
guillemot.
The Bevans children, with their exchange visitor from Brittany and
their newly made boat Evening Star, figure out the riddle of the
Sammy's figurehead, and save his simple beach home. Fine descriptions
of the shore of South Wales. Set in a particularly attractive part of
the Welsh coast the young heroine Stella Bevan, 11, is helping her
elder brothers build a boat 'The Evening Star'. Mystery develops. Set
on the Welsh coast. Stella Bevan, aged 11, is helping her elder
brothers build a boat. They are going to call it The Evening Star.
Stella is expecting a French girl to stay with her during the holidays,
but Phiippe, a brother of the French girl, arrives instead. He proves
(to everyone's surprise) exceptionally good value, not only in helping
to launch the boat but also in sailing it. All the Bevan family
subsequently become involved in a local injustice which they put right,
and in which Philippe plays an audacious and decisive part as a
detective
September Island – Rosalie K. Fry
Children are stranded on a sand bar off the Welsh coast.
Perilous Dawn – W.J. Goodyer
What was the strange secret of the blue suitcase? That was the question
which puzzled Jimmy Keene, his parents and his brother Roger, when they
returned to Wales from holiday on the Isle of man."
The problems that began as the family make their way home by car from
Liverpool to Radnorshire just seem to get worse and worse. They have stumbled
into a plot that may involve IRA saboteurs or even Russian spies. A new
installation in the mountains is under some sort of threat and the gang
that the boys tangle with is not afraid to use threats and kidnap in order
to get their way. Both Jimmy and Roger have to use all their resources
to unable the police to overcome a very cunning and ruthless bunch of
ne-er-do-wells.
Hazel in Uniform World Margaret W. Griffiths War II spy adventure
involving Hazel and her friends, set on the Welsh coast.
Detectives in Wales – Jean Henson
A children's story in a series The Holloway children, mystery solvers,
are by the sea in a large house in Wales. By the author of River
Detectives, Detectives in the Hills, Detectives by the sea and
Detectives Abroad
Holiday Adventure – William Glynne-Jones
An entertaining story telling of a group of children's adventures
during their summer holiday in the small Welsh village of Portavon
Green Grow the Rushes – Elinor Lyon
A girl from London, vacationing on the rugged Welsh coast with a
snippy, spoiled companion, finds three adventurous friends whom she
joins in a search for the cliffborne track of an old Roman road.
Curlew CampC. R. MANSELL
The Guides of the Curlew Patrol have been hoping for Adventure—and they
get it, when they find that the camp they are to join in the country
near the Welsh coast does not exist.
But that is only the beginning. Camping in the orchard of an old
house that has once been used for smuggling they soon discover that
their cheerful hostess is in trouble; and the disappearance of dogs
from her kennels, followed by visits of a man who wants to buy her
home, is to the Guides more than just a mere coincidence. A new kennel-
maid who obviously resents their presence, a midnight rendezvous that
almost ends in ends in disaster due to Rose's curiosity, and strange
tapping noises in the cellar, are mounting evidence of a mystery that
is to involve them in excitements and even dangers. How the Guides win
credit to themselves—and an adorable sheep-dog puppy as a mascot is a
story that all girls will enjoy.
A Wind from the Sea – Jennifer Morgan
It's 1833 Liverpool and a dead body is found in the Mersey - a black
woman slave. Thirteen year old Patience Penry hears this news as her
own life is turned into turmoil. Locked into poverty, her mother is
forced into domestic service and she must move to live with Uncle Huw
on his farm in Wales.
Spring Tide – Mary Ray
Set in Roman Britain in Caer Taff (Cardiff).
The House by the Shore – Ivy Russell
. .Children's story about Nickie and Jill setting off for a quiet
holiday in Wales. It ends with Nickie and Jill about to be photographed
for television newsreel. What can have happened between these two
times ?
Mona the Welsh Pony – Allen Seaby
Allen Seaby's stories of the ponies of the New Forest, Exmoor,
Dartmoor, and the Shetland Islands, are deservedly popular, not only
for the entertainment of the stories themselves, but also for their
accurage and affectionate studies of the wild life of the countryside
in which they live.
In this volume, Seaby turns to the mountain ponies of North Wales, and
tells the enthralling story of Mona against the background of her
native landscape, its people and their history.
Allan W Seaby's book "Mona the Welsh Pony" is set in a place near
Abermaw.
Abermaw is the Welsh for Barmouth, which does exist.
Battle for Destiny – Peter John Stephens
A young Welsh boy meets Harry Tudor, A Welshman with a claim to the
English throne historical fiction; a young Welsh lad exiled in a Breton
abbey is determined to go home to Wales, and aligns himself with
another Welshman who has a claim to the English throne;
Battle for Destiny - Peter John Stephens.
Ithel, the son of a Welsh minor lord escapes from drowning off the
coast of Brittany. Taken in by the church he fights for his destiny
until he falls into the path of Henry, Duke of Richmond. Later he joins
Richmond in France and, committed to his cause, is sent to Wales to
help prepare the Tudor invasion that eventually bring to the throne the
Lancastrian, Henry VII. He plays a vital part at the battle of Bosworth
where Richard III is defeated and killed. Most of the story in Wales is
in the fields and small dwellings around Milford Haven and then Carew
Castle.
Journey with a Secret – Showell Styles
Ann and John's hiking trip from their Welsh village to the sea turns
into a wild adventure, combining spies, a Hungarian girl, a misty moor
and all
Two English children on a Welsh walking tour pick up a runaway girl who is the
age of the older Davies, John; his sister is thirteen. Ilonka Kazinczy tells
John and Ann that the police are after her because she has run away from a cruel
uncle, but her story is suspicious: why should there be such an intensive hunt
for her? The truth soon comes out; Ilonka's uncle has been murdered and she is
carrying a secret document that will help organize a Hungarian freedom movement.
The incidents of chase and pursuit are full of action, the setting is
interesting (although there is a heavy dose of mountaineering detail for
non-climbers) and the style competent, but the plot is both contrived and
melodramatic.
A Shadow on the Sea – Tessa Theobald
A children's holiday overlooking a bay in Pembrokeshire. Four children
spend their March holiday alone in their family cottage overlooking a
bay in Pembrokeshire. The older children spend their time refurbishing
an old canoe, but Emma, the youngest, finds and rescues a guillemot
which has been coated by oil from ships and is unable to swim or fly.
The children clean it, and look after the bird, then find adventures
while exploring the bay.
Buried Alive – Jacqueline Wilson
Tim and Biscuits are having a brilliant holiday in Wales. Life is full
of icecream, sandcastles and picnics - until they meet the horrid bully
Prickle-Head and his side-kick Pinch-Face. Just as they are about to
despair, reinforcements arrive in an unexpected form.
Welsh Adventure – Viola Bayley
Mystery and excitement for Serena Hamble. Lively holiday adventures end
in deep mysterious waters.
The Haunting at Cliff HouseWales - unspecific
When her father inherits an estate from his great-aunt, Alison reluctantly
agrees to spend her summer in Wales. The dreary mansion called Pen-Y-Craig
(Welsh for Cliff House) is far from her Ottawa home, and her summer is far from
ordinary. Alison discovers an ancient diary, a haunted cave, and the story of a
young girl called Bronwen who lived at Cliff House in 1810. Alison sees spirits
and hears voices that compel her to unravel Bronwen's tangled and tragic
history. But can she learn from Bronwen's disasterous mistakes, and undo the
wrongs of the past and the present?" and "The story is set in the heart of Wales
in a house which Mr. Evans (The father) and Alison (the daughter) inherited from
a Great-Aunt. This house has a spirit trapped in time haunting it. Alison sees
visions of the ghost's (Bronwen's) life and is directed to an old diary. This
diary holds the keys to why Bronwen is trapped. Throughout the story Alison
seems to be going through the exactly the same situations as Bronwen did in
1810. Alison soon realizes what has happened to Bronwen and helps her change the
past. Throughout this plot Alison is going through tough times herself. Her
mother has long since passed away and her father has found a new woman
(Meiriona) who he has taken a liking to. Alison feels her territory has been
invaded by Meiriona and will ruin her tight knit relationship with her father.
In helping Bronwen out with her problem, Alison discovers that she can make
room, she doesn't own her father, and that everyone including her father has the
right to be happy."
Operation Footprint - Patricia Brooks.
The story is set in Llandudno, North Wales. The family on holiday come there
regularly each year and stay at a cottage on the less-frequented West Beach.
Most of their adventure features the Great Orme and their investigations by boat
of a small beach which is otherwise inaccessible. There are some quite exciting
episodes, though, after half-way it lapses into a pretty standard smugglers
story. The mystery may have been uncovered by the children but it is followed to
a conclusion by their uncle (very tradtional) who follows the clue to the
ring-leader of the gang to London in his fast car. Some details of this journey
and the previous vacation trips they go on may be worth following up.
Seal Secret – Aidan Chambers
William was thoroughly bored and fed up with everything about this
Welsh Holiday - but that was before he found out about Gwyn's secret..
A young boy endangers his own life when he sets out to release a
captive seal. William is unhappy when he sees the Welsh cottage his
parents had rented for their week's holiday, and he doesn't much like
Gwyn, the boy from the nearby farm
Three's A Crowd- Michael Drin
The story of Peter and Jenny's summer holiday with their writer uncle
on the Welsh coast.
Esme and the Smugglers – Olive Duhy
The school moves to a castle in North Wales where Esme's aunt turns out
not to be all she should.
Beach Mystery – Frank Elias
"Death had been waiting for the Captain at Moelvre Bay on the night
that the Royal Sovereign foundered and sank; he cheated it then, but it
still lurked and lingered in wait.
Evan Hughes knew nothing of this when he went to spend the summer with
his aunt at Menai Bridge; yet he was soon to realize that over her
household hovered a shadow which in some unfathomable way was related
to the tragedy at Moelvre Bay. With a lad's sensitive feeling for crime
and disaster, Evan had to visit the spot where the ship had gone down.
A sense of premonition possessed him before he went; having been there
and talked to the man with the glass eye, the dreadful fascination of
the place turned to fear - fear not of human agency,but of a power
beyond him that was sinister and oppressive.
Gradually and inexplicably he experienced a compelling sense of being
drawn into the Captain's affairs. The bay had an ungovernable
influence over him. Death was not to be cheated a second time."
The Peace Seekers - George Finkel A tale set in North Wales in
1170
Telling the Sea – Pauline Fisk
Follows the fortunes of Nona, her mother and Nona's younger sister
Sharon. The family runs away together to the seaside village in Wales
which was the focus of Nona's mother's own childhood happiness. The
author also wrote "Midnight Blue", winner of the 1990 Smarties Prize.
M.Frow -Four Stowaways and AnnaA wild chase to Wales in pursuit of War Office secrets.
The Intelligence Corps Saves the Island – M.Frow
Two sets of twins on holidays in a small island off the coast of South
Wales find themselves looking into the case of the disappearance of
title deeds to their uncle's island and a mysterious stranger claiming
possession of the island.
The Rising Tide – Mabel Esther Allan
When she inherits three small islands, an eighteen year old persuades
her friend to go and live there for the winter, in islands off the
coast of Wales, with a mystery to solve, and danger from the tide.
The Pirates of Thorne Island – Phill Carradice
Nat Thomas and the other boys from the "Havannah" sail along the Severn
Estuary on a training cruise on board the "Polly". When the "Polly" is
damaged in a storm they put in to Pembroke Dock for repairs. Nat and
the boys stay in the army fort on Thorne Island, where they see lights
late one night.
The Bosun's Secret – Phil Carradice
Nat Thomas, a young orphan boy, is sent to the Industrial School
Ship "Havannah" in Cardiff in 1870. The conditions on the ship are
brutal, most of the brutality being carried out by Bosun Jayne, who
singles Nat out and subjects him to a reign of terror. (
Telling the Sea – Pauline Fisk
Follows the fortunes of Nona, her mother and Nona's younger sister
Sharon. The family runs away together to the seaside village in Wales
which was the focus of Nona's mother's own childhood happiness.
The Riddle of the Figurehead - Rosalie K. Fry
Building a boat on the Gower peninsula, a French visitor and the fight
to save Sammy from being sent to a hostel away from his beloved
guillemot.
The Bevans children, with their exchange visitor from Brittany and
their newly made boat Evening Star, figure out the riddle of the
Sammy's figurehead, and save his simple beach home. Fine descriptions
of the shore of South Wales. Set in a particularly attractive part of
the Welsh coast the young heroine Stella Bevan, 11, is helping her
elder brothers build a boat 'The Evening Star'. Mystery develops. Set
on the Welsh coast. Stella Bevan, aged 11, is helping her elder
brothers build a boat. They are going to call it The Evening Star.
Stella is expecting a French girl to stay with her during the holidays,
but Phiippe, a brother of the French girl, arrives instead. He proves
(to everyone's surprise) exceptionally good value, not only in helping
to launch the boat but also in sailing it. All the Bevan family
subsequently become involved in a local injustice which they put right,
and in which Philippe plays an audacious and decisive part as a
detective
September Island – Rosalie K. Fry
Children are stranded on a sand bar off the Welsh coast.
Perilous Dawn – W.J. Goodyer
What was the strange secret of the blue suitcase? That was the question
which puzzled Jimmy Keene, his parents and his brother Roger, when they
returned to Wales from holiday on the Isle of man."
The problems that began as the family make their way home by car from
Liverpool to Radnorshire just seem to get worse and worse. They have stumbled
into a plot that may involve IRA saboteurs or even Russian spies. A new
installation in the mountains is under some sort of threat and the gang
that the boys tangle with is not afraid to use threats and kidnap in order
to get their way. Both Jimmy and Roger have to use all their resources
to unable the police to overcome a very cunning and ruthless bunch of
ne-er-do-wells.
Hazel in Uniform World Margaret W. Griffiths War II spy adventure
involving Hazel and her friends, set on the Welsh coast.
Detectives in Wales – Jean Henson
A children's story in a series The Holloway children, mystery solvers,
are by the sea in a large house in Wales. By the author of River
Detectives, Detectives in the Hills, Detectives by the sea and
Detectives Abroad
Holiday Adventure – William Glynne-Jones
An entertaining story telling of a group of children's adventures
during their summer holiday in the small Welsh village of Portavon
Green Grow the Rushes – Elinor Lyon
A girl from London, vacationing on the rugged Welsh coast with a
snippy, spoiled companion, finds three adventurous friends whom she
joins in a search for the cliffborne track of an old Roman road.
Curlew CampC. R. MANSELL
The Guides of the Curlew Patrol have been hoping for Adventure—and they
get it, when they find that the camp they are to join in the country
near the Welsh coast does not exist.
But that is only the beginning. Camping in the orchard of an old
house that has once been used for smuggling they soon discover that
their cheerful hostess is in trouble; and the disappearance of dogs
from her kennels, followed by visits of a man who wants to buy her
home, is to the Guides more than just a mere coincidence. A new kennel-
maid who obviously resents their presence, a midnight rendezvous that
almost ends in ends in disaster due to Rose's curiosity, and strange
tapping noises in the cellar, are mounting evidence of a mystery that
is to involve them in excitements and even dangers. How the Guides win
credit to themselves—and an adorable sheep-dog puppy as a mascot is a
story that all girls will enjoy.
A Wind from the Sea – Jennifer Morgan
It's 1833 Liverpool and a dead body is found in the Mersey - a black
woman slave. Thirteen year old Patience Penry hears this news as her
own life is turned into turmoil. Locked into poverty, her mother is
forced into domestic service and she must move to live with Uncle Huw
on his farm in Wales.
Spring Tide – Mary Ray
Set in Roman Britain in Caer Taff (Cardiff).
The House by the Shore – Ivy Russell
. .Children's story about Nickie and Jill setting off for a quiet
holiday in Wales. It ends with Nickie and Jill about to be photographed
for television newsreel. What can have happened between these two
times ?
Mona the Welsh Pony – Allen Seaby
Allen Seaby's stories of the ponies of the New Forest, Exmoor,
Dartmoor, and the Shetland Islands, are deservedly popular, not only
for the entertainment of the stories themselves, but also for their
accurage and affectionate studies of the wild life of the countryside
in which they live.
In this volume, Seaby turns to the mountain ponies of North Wales, and
tells the enthralling story of Mona against the background of her
native landscape, its people and their history.
Allan W Seaby's book "Mona the Welsh Pony" is set in a place near
Abermaw.
Abermaw is the Welsh for Barmouth, which does exist.
Battle for Destiny – Peter John Stephens
A young Welsh boy meets Harry Tudor, A Welshman with a claim to the
English throne historical fiction; a young Welsh lad exiled in a Breton
abbey is determined to go home to Wales, and aligns himself with
another Welshman who has a claim to the English throne;
Battle for Destiny - Peter John Stephens.
Ithel, the son of a Welsh minor lord escapes from drowning off the
coast of Brittany. Taken in by the church he fights for his destiny
until he falls into the path of Henry, Duke of Richmond. Later he joins
Richmond in France and, committed to his cause, is sent to Wales to
help prepare the Tudor invasion that eventually bring to the throne the
Lancastrian, Henry VII. He plays a vital part at the battle of Bosworth
where Richard III is defeated and killed. Most of the story in Wales is
in the fields and small dwellings around Milford Haven and then Carew
Castle.
Journey with a Secret – Showell Styles
Ann and John's hiking trip from their Welsh village to the sea turns
into a wild adventure, combining spies, a Hungarian girl, a misty moor
and all
Two English children on a Welsh walking tour pick up a runaway girl who is the
age of the older Davies, John; his sister is thirteen. Ilonka Kazinczy tells
John and Ann that the police are after her because she has run away from a cruel
uncle, but her story is suspicious: why should there be such an intensive hunt
for her? The truth soon comes out; Ilonka's uncle has been murdered and she is
carrying a secret document that will help organize a Hungarian freedom movement.
The incidents of chase and pursuit are full of action, the setting is
interesting (although there is a heavy dose of mountaineering detail for
non-climbers) and the style competent, but the plot is both contrived and
melodramatic.
A Shadow on the Sea – Tessa Theobald
A children's holiday overlooking a bay in Pembrokeshire. Four children
spend their March holiday alone in their family cottage overlooking a
bay in Pembrokeshire. The older children spend their time refurbishing
an old canoe, but Emma, the youngest, finds and rescues a guillemot
which has been coated by oil from ships and is unable to swim or fly.
The children clean it, and look after the bird, then find adventures
while exploring the bay.
Buried Alive – Jacqueline Wilson
Tim and Biscuits are having a brilliant holiday in Wales. Life is full
of icecream, sandcastles and picnics - until they meet the horrid bully
Prickle-Head and his side-kick Pinch-Face. Just as they are about to
despair, reinforcements arrive in an unexpected form.
Welsh Adventure – Viola Bayley
Mystery and excitement for Serena Hamble. Lively holiday adventures end
in deep mysterious waters.
The Haunting at Cliff HouseWales - unspecific
When her father inherits an estate from his great-aunt, Alison reluctantly
agrees to spend her summer in Wales. The dreary mansion called Pen-Y-Craig
(Welsh for Cliff House) is far from her Ottawa home, and her summer is far from
ordinary. Alison discovers an ancient diary, a haunted cave, and the story of a
young girl called Bronwen who lived at Cliff House in 1810. Alison sees spirits
and hears voices that compel her to unravel Bronwen's tangled and tragic
history. But can she learn from Bronwen's disasterous mistakes, and undo the
wrongs of the past and the present?" and "The story is set in the heart of Wales
in a house which Mr. Evans (The father) and Alison (the daughter) inherited from
a Great-Aunt. This house has a spirit trapped in time haunting it. Alison sees
visions of the ghost's (Bronwen's) life and is directed to an old diary. This
diary holds the keys to why Bronwen is trapped. Throughout the story Alison
seems to be going through the exactly the same situations as Bronwen did in
1810. Alison soon realizes what has happened to Bronwen and helps her change the
past. Throughout this plot Alison is going through tough times herself. Her
mother has long since passed away and her father has found a new woman
(Meiriona) who he has taken a liking to. Alison feels her territory has been
invaded by Meiriona and will ruin her tight knit relationship with her father.
In helping Bronwen out with her problem, Alison discovers that she can make
room, she doesn't own her father, and that everyone including her father has the
right to be happy."
Operation Footprint - Patricia Brooks.
The story is set in Llandudno, North Wales. The family on holiday come there
regularly each year and stay at a cottage on the less-frequented West Beach.
Most of their adventure features the Great Orme and their investigations by boat
of a small beach which is otherwise inaccessible. There are some quite exciting
episodes, though, after half-way it lapses into a pretty standard smugglers
story. The mystery may have been uncovered by the children but it is followed to
a conclusion by their uncle (very tradtional) who follows the clue to the
ring-leader of the gang to London in his fast car. Some details of this journey
and the previous vacation trips they go on may be worth following up.
Seal Secret – Aidan Chambers
William was thoroughly bored and fed up with everything about this
Welsh Holiday - but that was before he found out about Gwyn's secret..
A young boy endangers his own life when he sets out to release a
captive seal. William is unhappy when he sees the Welsh cottage his
parents had rented for their week's holiday, and he doesn't much like
Gwyn, the boy from the nearby farm
Three's A Crowd- Michael Drin
The story of Peter and Jenny's summer holiday with their writer uncle
on the Welsh coast.
Esme and the Smugglers – Olive Duhy
The school moves to a castle in North Wales where Esme's aunt turns out
not to be all she should.
Beach Mystery – Frank Elias
"Death had been waiting for the Captain at Moelvre Bay on the night
that the Royal Sovereign foundered and sank; he cheated it then, but it
still lurked and lingered in wait.
Evan Hughes knew nothing of this when he went to spend the summer with
his aunt at Menai Bridge; yet he was soon to realize that over her
household hovered a shadow which in some unfathomable way was related
to the tragedy at Moelvre Bay. With a lad's sensitive feeling for crime
and disaster, Evan had to visit the spot where the ship had gone down.
A sense of premonition possessed him before he went; having been there
and talked to the man with the glass eye, the dreadful fascination of
the place turned to fear - fear not of human agency,but of a power
beyond him that was sinister and oppressive.
Gradually and inexplicably he experienced a compelling sense of being
drawn into the Captain's affairs. The bay had an ungovernable
influence over him. Death was not to be cheated a second time."
The Peace Seekers - George Finkel A tale set in North Wales in
1170
Telling the Sea – Pauline Fisk
Follows the fortunes of Nona, her mother and Nona's younger sister
Sharon. The family runs away together to the seaside village in Wales
which was the focus of Nona's mother's own childhood happiness. The
author also wrote "Midnight Blue", winner of the 1990 Smarties Prize.
M.Frow -Four Stowaways and AnnaA wild chase to Wales in pursuit of War Office secrets.
The Intelligence Corps Saves the Island – M.Frow
Two sets of twins on holidays in a small island off the coast of South
Wales find themselves looking into the case of the disappearance of
title deeds to their uncle's island and a mysterious stranger claiming
possession of the island.
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