Posted by Alan Hakim on May 16, 2007 at 19:08:40 from 212.137.133.213 user awhakim.
In Reply to: Re: Bannermere, was Aldeburgh avocets and archaeology posted by andyb on May 16, 2007 at 10:06:50:
The Cambridge Guide to Children's books in English has a major entry for Geoffrey Trease, written by Geoff Fox of the University of Exeter. A small extract:
"Trease's five Bannermere stories (1949-56) also broke new ground. He wrote about four children who attended the boys' and girls' grammar schools in a small lakeland town. Unlike SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS, these are term-time children with parents and teachers (of engaging eccentricity) who are integral to the plot."
TARS also mentioned the books at our Literary Weekend in 2003, when Paul Crisp talked about some of the other similar children's books of the AR period. He pointed out that Peter Hunt, in Approaching AR, one of the first books to analyse AR as literature, is rather dismissive of Trease, who "had the temerity to use Ransome's Lake District." But Trease's children get older with each book.
And speaking of TARS Literary Weekend, we have Victor Watson, editor of the Cambridge Guide and major expert on children's series fiction, coming to talk to us this year. Book now!