Secret Water

On an uncharted island, the Swallows discover mysterious footprints of a very large animal and a dangerous enemy as well, another group of children known as “The Eels.” Thankfully, the Amazons are on their way!

The Swallows and their father, Navy Commander Ted Walker, planned a camping trip but father was called away on naval business. Instead of camping, Father sets them a challenge: use a dingy to explore and create a map of low-lying islands until he can return.

As the children explore the inlets, coves, mudflats, and estuaries, they end up in a friendly “war” with The Eels just as Bridget, Titty, and Roger are trapped in the middle of a ford by a rising tide.

Friendship, family, resourcefulness, and sailing, too: Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons series has stood the test of time. More than just great stories, each one celebrates independence and initiative with a colorful, large cast of characters. Secret Water (originally published in 1939) is the eighth title in the Swallows and Amazons series, books for children or grownups, anyone captivated by a world of adventure and imagination, exploring and setting sail.

Arthur Ransome spent his childhood in England’s Lake District, and after a career in journalism that took him to Russia (where he married Trostsky’s secretary), China, and Egypt (interspersed with summers of cruising through the Baltic Sea and the canals of Europe), he retired to Coniston where he could practice his favorite pastimes of sailing and fishing and where he wrote the Swallows and Amazons series.