Product Description

To John, Susan, Titty and Roger, simply being allowed to use the boat Swallow, to go camping on the island is adventure enough. But they soon find themselves under attack from the Amazon pirates, Nancy and Peggy. Thus begins a summer of battles, alliances, exploration and discovery. Ages 9 and over.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3203 in Books
• Published on: 2001-09-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

From Amazon.co.uk
Arthur Ransome was a prolific writer of children's books. Born in Leeds in 1884, it was his father, a nature-loving history professor, who inspired his love of the outdoors and nurtured a passion for fishing. As a child he enjoyed active, outdoor holidays: sailing, camping and exploring the countryside. He used many of these holiday settings for his children's stories, notably the much loved Swallows and Amazons, a book that sits comfortably in the category of "timeless classic" and remains one of his most popular titles for young people.

It is the wholesome story of four young children, John, Susan, Titty and Roger, who set out in their boat (the Swallow of the title) to an island of adventure. All seems well until they encounter their enemy. At first they are angry at the invasion of their peaceful haven by these Amazon pirates, Nancy and Peggy, who claim ownership of the land. But in time a truce is called and the Swallows and Amazons become firm friends. Camping under open skies, swimming in clear water, fishing, exploring and making discoveries is the stuff of dreams which serves to make this so charming a tale. The author manages to capture the innocence of a time when all this was real and possible. Swallows and Amazons will transport children to a fantastical place where they can play safely and roam freely, without an adult in sight.

Amazon.co.uk Review
Arthur Ransome was a prolific writer of children's books. Born in Leeds in 1884, it was his father, a nature-loving history professor, who inspired his love of the outdoors and nurtured a passion for fishing. As a child he enjoyed active, outdoor holidays: sailing, camping and exploring the countryside. He used many of these holiday settings for his children's stories, notably the much loved Swallows and Amazons, a book that sits comfortably in the category of "timeless classic" and remains one of his most popular titles for young people.

It is the wholesome story of four young children, John, Susan, Titty and Roger, who set out in their boat (the Swallow of the title) to an island of adventure. All seems well until they encounter their enemy. At first they are angry at the invasion of their peaceful haven by these Amazon pirates, Nancy and Peggy, who claim ownership of the land. But in time a truce is called and the Swallows and Amazons become firm friends. Camping under open skies, swimming in clear water, fishing, exploring and making discoveries is the stuff of dreams which serves to make this so charming a tale. The author manages to capture the innocence of a time when all this was real and possible. Swallows and Amazons will transport children to a fantastical place where they can play safely and roam freely, without an adult in sight.

Review
Swallows and Amazons was the first in the adventures of Roger, John, Titty and Susan as they sailed their little boat in the Lake District and camped on Wildcat Island. In 1936, with the second title, Pigeon Post, Arthur Ransome became the first recipient of the Carnegie Medal. Even today the Swallows and Amazons series continues to be enjoyed by children for the whole series of Ransome's books are pure fun, innocence, adventure, excitement and fantasy. But it was his unerring gift for telling a good story, peopled with strong and credible characters, that has been the key to the books' continued success. (10 yrs +) (Kirkus UK)

Customer Reviews

Beautiful, gripping storytelling
My Dad had the whole series given to him in the original hardback editions, and they aroused my interest as a child, sitting as an imposing two-foot length of green spines sandwiched between other tomes. These were for serious readers, only readers of real passion and commitment would ever embark on such a long project.
And then one day I started Swallows and Amazons. And instantly I became a reader of real passion and commitment. I devoured them over and again, reading some too many times to count, in bed at night, or anywhere, anytime, reading other things in between, but always coming back for the holidays. Not just stories, but lives, friendships, adventures, imaginations exposed for me to share.
My older son is 7 on Sunday. My Dad is going to give him volume 1. I'd love to read them to him, I'd love to go back to Wildcat Island and Swallowdale, and take him with me, to my favourite places - the camp, the lights, the pigeon loft. But that would be selfish. Any day now he'll be old enough to go on his own, without me to hold his hand, to filter and control, to lead. As the telegram Roger collects on page 1 says, cryptically conveying his father's permission for the children to go solo, "Better drowned if duffers. If not duffers, won't drown."

Classic adventure story!
I can't believe I missed out on this one as a child... but it's just as good coming to it as an adult. The perfect lazy Sunday afternoon book to read. Adults can also escape to the wilds of Lake Windemere (Lake District), to sail up the Amazon, do battle with pirates and search for buried treasure on Cormorant Island.

The year is 1929 and story is about four children - John, Susan, Titty and Roger (in age order) - who are holidaying on the shores of Lake Windemere with their mum and baby sister, Vicky. The children are an adventurous lot and love sailing in their boat, the Swallow. Towards the end of their holiday they persuade their mum to allow them on an adventure for a week. They're allowed to sail across to the island not far away and make camp there by themselves.

This is a great adventure for these intrepid explorers. They discover a retired pirate, camp, bathe in the lake, fish and cook for themselves, and are threatened by a rival group of bandits, the Amazons (otherwise known as Nancy and Peggy). All in all a great week of fun and adventure is had by all - brilliant to read about, although there are very few children who'd be allowed to do this now! Inspired by the author's own childhood holidays at the south end of Coniston in the Lake District.

Set in a gentler age
I may, at age 31, be late in coming to this book, but I'm glad I have.

The book does offer up an idealised view of childhood - a time when children were free to explore unhindered, and a time when people had much more respect for one another. I can see that this book was set just after World War I, and racism was rife throughout Europe in the form of the rise of Nazism, and with a modern view of the world this does temper your appreciation for how naively the world appears to have been portrayed in the book.

However, as I was a child growing up in the 80s, a time that wasn't so long ago, I feel that I was brought up to respect others, and was indeed given freedom to explore the parks and countryside, freedom which children nowadays appear not to have, whether this is warranted or not. In this respect, the book may be better appreciated by those who were able to enjoy the freedom to explore and imagine during their childhood, but perhaps it could inspire children nowadays to realise that not all the world is a dangerous place and that it's a much better place where you have more respect for others, and indeed, more self-confidence.

This book is brimming with characters full of imagination - there doesn't have to be sharks present just that they can imagine and pretend that there are, and likewise I really enjoyed all the maritime talk - I'm even thinking of learning to sail just so I can better get a feel for what it's like and to understand a lot of the language used in the book.