The Children of the New Forest (Hesperus Minor Classics) - Softcover

Marryat, Frederick

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1843914875 ISBN 13: 9781843914877

Publisher: Hesperus Press, 2014

Synopsis

A classic tale of historical adventure to be enjoyed by children and adults alike, set against the turbulent background of the English Civil War, as well as a charming coming-of-age story

It was in the month of November in this year that King Charles, accompanied by Sir John Berkely, Ashburnham, and Legg, made his escape from Hampton Court, and rode as fast as the horses could carry them toward that part of Hampshire which led to the New Forest . . .

It is 1647. Charles I has been defeated in the civil war, but has escaped captivity and is making for France. Parliamentary soldiers searching the New Forest decide to burn the house of Colonel Beverly, a royalist officer killed at the Battle of Naseby. His four children are rescued by their father's gamekeeper, Jacob, who takes them in. The children gradually shed their aristocratic sensibilities and adapt to the simple ways of the forest, working Jacob's farmstead and befriending other inhabitants of the woodland. But when Charles II raises an army and the specter of war returns to haunt the Beverly children, they realize they cannot hide from their true identity.

About this title

About the Author

Frederick Marryat (1792–1848) was a naval officer, novelist, and contemporary of Charles Dickens. He is best known for his novels Mr. Midshipman Easy and Children of the New Forest, and for inventing the Marryat system of naval signaling. Michael Rosen is a British children's novelist and poet, and the author of 140 books. He was the fifth British Children's Laureate from June 2007 to June 2009, and his books include Quick Let’s Get Out of Here, Wouldn’t You Like to Know, and You Tell Me.

From AudioFile

Set in seventeenth-century England during King Charles's deposition, this story features four orphaned children who are adopted by a forester. He has rescued them from the "Roundhead" troops who killed their Royalist father (loyal to King Charles). As the forester's adopted "grandchildren," the four Beverly children must adapt to rustic life, learning to cook, hunt, and sew. Narrator Glen McCready's details these activities with a quiet pleasure that is contagious. McCready's dignified British voice is well suited to this old-fashioned adventure story filled with the classic themes of resourcefulness, self-reliance, and courage. As McCready's narration skillfully illuminates the children's growing maturity and wisdom, the story becomes all the more satisfying. J.C.G. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Hesperus Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1843914875
• ISBN 13: 9781843914877
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 416