Posted by Andrew Craig-Bennett on October 11, 2003 at 12:08:41 from 195.93.32.7 user ACB.
We tend to think of Swallows and Amazons - the Walkers and the Blacketts. The Walkers appear in nine of the twelve books; the Blacketts likewise.
The Callums only appear in six.
But the action of WH is seen through their eyes. They are not central to the plot of CC either, but again we see things from their point of view. In PP Dick is absolutely central to the plot. In BS, they are undoubtedly the real heroes - it is they, not Tom Dudgeon (whom I think AR got bored with!) who rescue the three young Coots from "a damnable attempt to bring discredit on the innocent", and it is really the dreamy, impractical Dorothea who does it, turning into a "young Portia" in the process. Incidentally, she alone identifies the reference to "The Merchant of Venice".
PM is absolutely the Callum's book; like the Walkers in SW they are on their own, with no Mother to hand, but they are even more on their own - they are living in secret, unknown to grown ups.
In GN everything once again revolves around Dick.
I submit that AR got a bit bored with the Walkers, and came to find the Callums and the three young Coots his most attractove characters!