Brambleholme Summer

Duncan Hall



If your idea of a perfect British holiday includes visits to Pooh Corner and the Peter Pan statue in Kensington Gardens, if you can't wait to climb Kanchenjunga yourself, if you find yourself getting hungry when a character eats steak-and-kidney pie for tea, and if you like maps of where the action takes place, you'll love Brambleholme Summer! Duncan Hall, who grew up in Yorkshire, has imported parts of his childhood scenery to create a small village complete with shops along the main road, farms on the outskirts and some wonderful wild spots to explore & name. Add in a large handful of intrepid explorers who find themselves in the middle of a bit of a mystery, and the story takes off! When a friend's reputation is at stake, the children and a wonderfully wise father step in to figure out how to catch the crooks in action.

Delicate drawings by Duncan's mother grace the chapter ends, and enhance our mental pictures of the animals and the scenery. The writing is not difficult to read, but it is interesting enough to capture and hold the attention of the adult reader who enjoys children's literature. This would make a lovely bedtime read-aloud book for younger children; older elementary age and up will enjoy delving into it on their own.

Reviewed by Elizabeth Jolley, September, 2010



This article is ©2010 by Elizabeth Jolley, and posted on All Things Ransome with permission.

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