Linnets and Valerians is about people. Round, solid heartfelt and heartsore people. It’s about the shapes families make with each other, the fitting, jarring shapes that occur when a piece is torn away, and the shapes that are made when a connection occurs, right on the edge of despair. It is also about hope, really, and redemption. It is romantic, naive, and occasionally foolish. It is about magic, faith and an almost idyllic English countryside.
One of England’s best-loved children’s book writers spins a fantasy adventure with animals, magic, and danger.
When Nan, Robert, Timothy, and Betsy’s father went off to explore in Egypt, he left the children with their grandmother who lived in the English countryside. Unfortunately she did not much like children, much less their dog, Absalom. So the children ran away to stay with their Uncle Ambrose, an eccentric, strict, and loveable retired school teacher who was determined to give them an Education, but in addition to Greek, Latin, and Literature, the Linnet children learned much more — about nature and magic, the power of the past and Pan, and, of course, the importance of the bees. They used their knowledge to find the lost Valerians, undo some very wicked, ancient spells, and reunite a divided family.
This is a story filled with Elizabeth Goudge’s trademark mixture of realism and magic — and like her classic The Little White Horse (adored by J. K. Rowling) it is set in Devon and inspired by its folklore and legends. A wonderful chapter book for fantasy-loving independent readers.
