The Coot Club

Coot Club is an instant classic. Drawn from Arthur Ransome's children's series Swallows & Amazons, this lovingly crafted recreation of life in the backwaters of 1930s England will capture the interest of children and adults. "The Coot Club," a band of child environmentalists, patrol the tributaries of Norfolk, identifying, recording and protecting waterbirds and other wildlife. When the Margoletta, a boat full of noisy revelers (christened the Hullabaloos by "The Coot Club"), drops anchor next to a coot's nest, it threatens to drive her away before her eggs hatch. Tom Dudgeon, son of the local doctor, commits the serious crime of setting the yacht adrift, but Tom is spotted by the Hullabaloos. Mrs. Barrable, her charges Richard and Dorothea, and Tom go on the run in her sailboat, The Teasel, with the Hullabaloos in pursuit. Their escape is aided and abetted by a pair of impish twin girls, Port and Starboard, Mrs. Barrable's dog William, and of course, the loyal minions of "The Coot Club." Period settings are meticulously done, and the sense of looking through a window into another era is every bit as convincing as in the Anne of Green Gables series. A companion title is also available: The Big Six, which features many of the children in The Coot Club cast. And superb actors they are. This is a winner for anyone over the age of 6. Highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (E. Swanson)