Missee Lee
The original cast of the famed 'Swallows and Amazons' series is sailing under the stars and the command of Captain Flint in the South China Sea when Gibbet, their pet monkey, grabs the captain's cigar and drops it in the fuel tank. In minutes, the ship is ablaze, and our seven luckless protagonists are adrift in two small boats.
They make their way to land, only to find themselves the captives of one of the last remaining pirates operating off the China Coast. But Missee Lee, as it turns out, is no ordinary pirate; her father had sent her off to Cambridge University to prepare her for a life as a teacher. But when her father takes ill and dies, she finds herself struggling to hold together the Three Island Confederation (Tiger, Turtle, and Dragon) he had created, and to be recognised as his legitimate heir and ruler of the Island Kingdom.
Nancy Blackett has always wanted to meet a real pirate but the only trouble is that now she has, the tiny, pistol-carrying Missee Lees wants to keep Nancy and her friends... forever.
About the Swallows and Amazons Series
Books in series order
- 1.Swallows and Amazons(1930)
- 2.Swallowdale(1931)
- 3.Peter Duck(1932)
- 4.Winter Holiday(1933)
- 5.Coot Club(1934)
- 6.Pigeon Post(1936)
- 7.We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea(1937)
- 8.Secret Water(1939)
- 9.The Big Six(1940)
- 10.Missee Lee(1941)
- 11.The Picts and the Martyrs(1943)
- 12.Great Northern?(1947)
Reading age: 9+ years
This series should be read in order.
John, Susan, Titty and Roger Walker sail their boat, 'Swallow,' to a deserted island for a summer camping trip. Exploring and playing sailors is an adventure in itself but the island holds more excitement in store. Two fierce pirates from the boat 'Amazon,' Nancy and Peggy, challenge the Walker children to war and a summer of battles and alliances ensues.
For anyone who loves sailing and adventure, Arthur Ransome's classic 'Swallows and Amazons' series stands alone. Originally published in the UK over a half century ago, these books are still eagerly read by children, despite their length and their decidedly British protagonists. We attribute their success to two facts: first, Ransome is a great storyteller and, second, he clearly writes from first-hand experience.
Independence and initiative are qualities any child can understand and every volume in this collection celebrates these virtues. 'Swallows and Amazons,' the book that started it all in 1930, introduces the Walker family, the camp on Wild Cat Island, the able-bodied catboat 'Swallow,' and the two intrepid Amazons, plucky Nancy and Peggy Blackett. Readers who enjoy Enid Blyton's 'The Famous Five' or 'The Secret Seven' adventures will be entranced by this classic series.