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Swallows and Amazons #4
Winter Holiday
The fourth book in Arthur Ransome's classic series for children, Winter Holiday takes intrepid explorers John, Susan, Titty, and Roger Walker, and fearsome Amazon pirates Nancy and Peggy Blackett to the North Pole. Joined by budding novelist Dorethes Callum and her scientist brother Dick, the children plan an "Arctic" expedition. But unforseen events separate the travelers and disaster nearly strikes in the exciting climax of their race to the Pole.
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1933
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1122 people want to read
About the author
Arthur Ransome
281 books277 followersArthur Michell Ransome (January 18, 1884 – June 3, 1967) was an English author and journalist. He was educated in Windermere and Rugby.
In 1902, Ransome abandoned a chemistry degree to become a publisher's office boy in London. He used this precarious existence to practice writing, producing several minor works before Bohemia in London (1907), a study of London's artistic scene and his first significant book.
An interest in folklore, together with a desire to escape an unhappy first marriage, led Ransome to St. Petersburg, where he was ideally placed to observe and report on the Russian Revolution. He knew many of the leading Bolsheviks, including Lenin, Radek, Trotsky and the latter's secretary, Evgenia Shvelpina. These contacts led to persistent but unproven accusations that he "spied" for both the Bolsheviks and Britain.
Ransome married Evgenia and returned to England in 1924. Settling in the Lake District, he spent the late 1920s as a foreign correspondent and highly-respected angling columnist for the Manchester Guardian, before settling down to write Swallows and Amazons and its successors.
Today Ransome is best known for his Swallows and Amazons series of novels, (1931 - 1947). All remain in print and have been widely translated.
Arthur Ransome died in June 1967 and is buried at Rusland in the Lake District.
In 1902, Ransome abandoned a chemistry degree to become a publisher's office boy in London. He used this precarious existence to practice writing, producing several minor works before Bohemia in London (1907), a study of London's artistic scene and his first significant book.
An interest in folklore, together with a desire to escape an unhappy first marriage, led Ransome to St. Petersburg, where he was ideally placed to observe and report on the Russian Revolution. He knew many of the leading Bolsheviks, including Lenin, Radek, Trotsky and the latter's secretary, Evgenia Shvelpina. These contacts led to persistent but unproven accusations that he "spied" for both the Bolsheviks and Britain.
Ransome married Evgenia and returned to England in 1924. Settling in the Lake District, he spent the late 1920s as a foreign correspondent and highly-respected angling columnist for the Manchester Guardian, before settling down to write Swallows and Amazons and its successors.
Today Ransome is best known for his Swallows and Amazons series of novels, (1931 - 1947). All remain in print and have been widely translated.
Arthur Ransome died in June 1967 and is buried at Rusland in the Lake District.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 205 reviews
November 19, 2013
Such is the power of this gentle winter holiday adventure about a group of children turning a frozen lake into a vast unexplored Arctic, theirs to discover, that in the midst of one of the hottest summers on record, I looked up from the page out the window, saw the overcast sky, and quite seriously wondered for a moment if it was about to snow.
This, the third book of the Swallows and Amazons series (I do not count Peter Duck since it is a "made-up" story, and not something that "really happened"), is perhaps the best. First, there's the Winter setting, which makes for a refreshing change. Then there's the introduction of two new characters, Dick and Dorothea, who at the outset are not the least bit outdoorsy and are not given to transforming their everyday activities into epic adventures. However, wanting the friendship of the busy Arctic Explorers, they do their damnedest to fit in, and learn the codes, literal and otherwise (and one of the fun parts of this book is the role that codes play in the unfolding of the story. Plus, the semaphore alphabet is written out in an illustration of a page of Dick's notebook, all but inviting the reader to learn it along with him). In a recent list-serve discussion of this book, my friend Rebecca wrote that what gives this series its depth is the way the different values and expectations of the Blacketts and Walkers are "constantly, but quietly, being negotiated." With a third family thrown in the mix, the interpersonal dynamics become even more interesting, especially when circumstances bring Peggy, previously a rather overshadowed character, more into the limelight. Finally, and what makes this book particularly brilliant, is the tightness of the plot, and the way the pretend adventure transforms seamlessly into a real adventure with a suitably dramatic conclusion.
(review of July 24, 2010)
This, the third book of the Swallows and Amazons series (I do not count Peter Duck since it is a "made-up" story, and not something that "really happened"), is perhaps the best. First, there's the Winter setting, which makes for a refreshing change. Then there's the introduction of two new characters, Dick and Dorothea, who at the outset are not the least bit outdoorsy and are not given to transforming their everyday activities into epic adventures. However, wanting the friendship of the busy Arctic Explorers, they do their damnedest to fit in, and learn the codes, literal and otherwise (and one of the fun parts of this book is the role that codes play in the unfolding of the story. Plus, the semaphore alphabet is written out in an illustration of a page of Dick's notebook, all but inviting the reader to learn it along with him). In a recent list-serve discussion of this book, my friend Rebecca wrote that what gives this series its depth is the way the different values and expectations of the Blacketts and Walkers are "constantly, but quietly, being negotiated." With a third family thrown in the mix, the interpersonal dynamics become even more interesting, especially when circumstances bring Peggy, previously a rather overshadowed character, more into the limelight. Finally, and what makes this book particularly brilliant, is the tightness of the plot, and the way the pretend adventure transforms seamlessly into a real adventure with a suitably dramatic conclusion.
(review of July 24, 2010)
October 5, 2020
"They won't be your best clothes if you spend a day in them with Mrs. Blackett's two,"
" ' s. End of word. M. End of word. T. End of word. What does she mean by that? '
' Shiver my timbers, ' said Titty.
' G-A-L-O-O-T. End of word. She means that for Peggy. ' "
How S&A series keeps getting better? I don't know, but the fact that it is so is enough for me. We're in for an unexpected winter holiday this time around, along with a couple of new key characters. The story is amazingly funny as always and will keep readers engaged thoroughly. Off we go to Coot Club.
" 'Shiver my timbers!' cried Nancy. 'Jib-booms and bob-stays! Barbecued billygoats! N.P.... N.P....' "
P.S. It seems that 'GALOOT' is becoming one of my favorite words of all time.
"NORTH POLAR EXPEDITION"
" S.'s, A.'s and D.'s "
" ' s. End of word. M. End of word. T. End of word. What does she mean by that? '
' Shiver my timbers, ' said Titty.
' G-A-L-O-O-T. End of word. She means that for Peggy. ' "
How S&A series keeps getting better? I don't know, but the fact that it is so is enough for me. We're in for an unexpected winter holiday this time around, along with a couple of new key characters. The story is amazingly funny as always and will keep readers engaged thoroughly. Off we go to Coot Club.
" 'Shiver my timbers!' cried Nancy. 'Jib-booms and bob-stays! Barbecued billygoats! N.P.... N.P....' "
P.S. It seems that 'GALOOT' is becoming one of my favorite words of all time.
"NORTH POLAR EXPEDITION"
" S.'s, A.'s and D.'s "
March 15, 2021
This is the fourth instalment in the Swallows and Amazons series.
Siblings, John, Susan, Titty, and Roger spend their summers sailing on a lake and camping on the island at its centre. They are also joined by sisters, Nancy and Peggy, in their imaginative adventures and brave explorations. The winter holidays are, for the first time, also spent in the same setting, but the snow that falls and the ice that forms makes sailing impossible and new creations for how to spend their time are born in their place. The six are also joined by two new friends, for whom sailing and outdoor adventures are a new experience. Aspiring novelist, Dorethes, and her astrologist brother, Dick, provide their own insights for how to pass the time and bring a new skillset to this ever-expanding friendship group.
I enjoyed this instalment marginally less than the original two, due to the slightly slower initial pace, but I quickly became immersed in the drama surrounding trivial setbacks and the sleuthing around objects to overcome before the group's desired adventure began.
This is quickly becoming a new favourite series. I had never previously experienced the joy to be had in these beloved children's classics, but am discovering them for the first time as an adult and adoring them no less for it. The 'good clean fun' to be had and the focus on self-reliance, imagination, and the spirit of adventure gives each book a wholesome feel and reading them provides pleasant and straight-forward escapism.
Siblings, John, Susan, Titty, and Roger spend their summers sailing on a lake and camping on the island at its centre. They are also joined by sisters, Nancy and Peggy, in their imaginative adventures and brave explorations. The winter holidays are, for the first time, also spent in the same setting, but the snow that falls and the ice that forms makes sailing impossible and new creations for how to spend their time are born in their place. The six are also joined by two new friends, for whom sailing and outdoor adventures are a new experience. Aspiring novelist, Dorethes, and her astrologist brother, Dick, provide their own insights for how to pass the time and bring a new skillset to this ever-expanding friendship group.
I enjoyed this instalment marginally less than the original two, due to the slightly slower initial pace, but I quickly became immersed in the drama surrounding trivial setbacks and the sleuthing around objects to overcome before the group's desired adventure began.
This is quickly becoming a new favourite series. I had never previously experienced the joy to be had in these beloved children's classics, but am discovering them for the first time as an adult and adoring them no less for it. The 'good clean fun' to be had and the focus on self-reliance, imagination, and the spirit of adventure gives each book a wholesome feel and reading them provides pleasant and straight-forward escapism.
April 25, 2024
"If only they had any sense," said Susan. "But they haven't got any, not that sort. People oughtn't be allowed to be brought up in towns."
Another delightful adventure with the Swallows and Amazons. This time they are joined by Dick and Dorothea who are visiting Mrs. Dixon, their mother's former nurse, for the winter holiday.
No high seas adventures this time. Instead there is ice skating, blizzards, igloos and a polar expedition.
Everything we have come to love and expect from this series was present and accounted for.
Another delightful adventure with the Swallows and Amazons. This time they are joined by Dick and Dorothea who are visiting Mrs. Dixon, their mother's former nurse, for the winter holiday.
No high seas adventures this time. Instead there is ice skating, blizzards, igloos and a polar expedition.
Everything we have come to love and expect from this series was present and accounted for.
January 7, 2025
The story of an imaginative group of children and their adventures during the winter holiday in a time long gone. It was refreshing to read of young ones having such vivid imaginations, and creating things for themselves to fight off boredom. The adventure takes place largely outside, in the cold and snow. The group of intrepid explorers are on a mission to get to the "North Pole".
March 13, 2008
This may be my favorite in the series. In this book, new characters are introduced: Dick and Dorothea, siblings who are not as outdoorsy as the Swallows or as intrepid the Amazons (and thus quite appealing to armchair-type readers). At first they are too geeky to fit in, but eventually are valued for the contributions they add to the group: Dick as the unassuming but brilliant scientist and Dorothea for skills I don't recall - perhaps her practical good nature. When nicknames are bestowed on them, the reader knows they have finally been accepted.
Drama in this book is provided when Nancy and Peggy get the mumps and are quarantined, preventing everyone from going back to boarding school as planned, but thus providing the others with more opportunity for exploring.
As always, there are dozens of food descriptions but I sometimes wonder how appetizing it actually would be.
Drama in this book is provided when Nancy and Peggy get the mumps and are quarantined, preventing everyone from going back to boarding school as planned, but thus providing the others with more opportunity for exploring.
As always, there are dozens of food descriptions but I sometimes wonder how appetizing it actually would be.
May 9, 2016
Hadn't read this since I was about eight or nine, and it really stands up to an adult re-reading. There are enough cliffhangers that I was quite gripped (will they have to go back to school before the lake freezes? Will Dick and Dorothea be lost in the snow because they are townies? Will Susan ever do anything apart from the cooking?) even though I already knew how it was going to work out. Very good on how children are great at getting completely the wrong idea about how things work and then pursuing it wildly until all sorts of chaos ensues. Also, as a tiny I correctly diagnosed myself with mumps after learning the symptoms from this book.
April 10, 2024
I am continuing to enjoy Arthur Ransome’s Swallows & Amazons series of books. While I wish I had read them when I was a kid, they are still great fun to read as an adult. The latest in the series, Winter Holiday, introduces 2 new characters: Dick and Dorothea. They have traveled to the country to stay with their mother’s nurse, Mrs. Dixon while their parents are traveling. They meet all the Swallows and Amazons and since it’s winter, there is no boating or camping outdoors. Instead, they ice skate, build an igloo and plan an expedition to the North Pole, which is actually a point in the isolated country far north. Initially their visit was to last only 1 week, but when Nancy comes down with mumps, all of the children are quarantined for an additional 4 weeks. They spend their days sledding, skating, learning Morse code, semaphore flag signaling and navigation.
I love this set of books and hope I can find more of them. These children are so active and imaginative, I can’t imagine them sitting in front of a TV or phone screen.
I love this set of books and hope I can find more of them. These children are so active and imaginative, I can’t imagine them sitting in front of a TV or phone screen.
February 1, 2025
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
Winter Holiday is the fourth book in Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons series, and the first one not set during summer vacation. In this adventure, the Walker kids (John, Susan, Titty, and Roger) and the Blackett girls (Nancy and Peggy) are joined by a third set of siblings - Dick and Dorothea Callum, known as the D’s. This time, instead of sailing to Wild Cat Island or setting up camp in Swallowdale, these allied groups are preparing themselves for a trip to the North Pole. There is just one problem - Nancy, the usual leader of the group’s expeditions, has the mumps, and they must do without her spirited guidance.
The most impressive thing about this series is the way Ransome is consistently able to reinvent the Lake District setting to make it seem new for each adventure. What I particularly enjoy is the fact that each reinvention comes as a result of everyday events in the kids’ lives. In Swallows and Amazons, the two groups meet in the first place because they both discover the same island. In Swallowdale, they wreck the Swallow, which forces them to scout out a place to camp that can be reached on foot. Now, in Winter Holiday, it’s the winter weather that requires them to re-imagine their tropical paradise as the site of an arctic expedition. Ransome totally immerses the reader in each new world he creates, and this arctic setting is no exception. I was happy to start thinking of Wild Cat Island as Spitzbergen, and Captain Flint’s houseboat as The Fram, and I loved the way the kids adjusted their make-believe to suit the ice on the lake and the many skaters out on the water enjoying it.
Another wonderful aspect of this book is the shift in point of view from the previous stories. In the early books of the series, the reader sees almost everything from the perspective of the Walkers, as they learn from Nancy and Peggy how to become real sailors. By introducing Dick and Dorothea, city kids with no real camping or sailing experience, the reader gets to see the familiar world of the Swallows and Amazons through fresh new eyes. Dick’s scientific interests, especially in astronomy, and Dorothea’s tendency to romanticize everything and turn it into literature, also add further depth to the books, and provide more opportunities for more types of kids to connect with them. It’s also just exciting to see regular kids getting to do all the exciting things the Swallows and Amazons do. I think kids always get a kick out of living vicariously through fictitious people who are similar to them.
Finally, I think this book does a great job of really humanizing Susan. All along, she has been the best behaved child of them all, serving as surrogate mother and keeper of the peace. In Winter Holiday, though, we finally see her resolve waver a little bit, as even she is overcome by the fun of the arctic exploration. There is much more sneaking out at night and disregarding adult rules and warnings in this book than in the others, and it’s gratifying to see that Susan isn’t just a goody two shoes. It’s also nice to see minor rule-breaking that doesn’t result in disaster, and for which the kids always make amends.
After Peter Duck’s strange departure from Ransome’s normal storytelling style, I worried that Winter Holiday would be another disappointment, but I was wrong to be concerned. It was a truly great story, with all the wonderful description, character development, and suspense I have come to expect from Ransome’s excellent writing
Winter Holiday is the fourth book in Arthur Ransome’s Swallows and Amazons series, and the first one not set during summer vacation. In this adventure, the Walker kids (John, Susan, Titty, and Roger) and the Blackett girls (Nancy and Peggy) are joined by a third set of siblings - Dick and Dorothea Callum, known as the D’s. This time, instead of sailing to Wild Cat Island or setting up camp in Swallowdale, these allied groups are preparing themselves for a trip to the North Pole. There is just one problem - Nancy, the usual leader of the group’s expeditions, has the mumps, and they must do without her spirited guidance.
The most impressive thing about this series is the way Ransome is consistently able to reinvent the Lake District setting to make it seem new for each adventure. What I particularly enjoy is the fact that each reinvention comes as a result of everyday events in the kids’ lives. In Swallows and Amazons, the two groups meet in the first place because they both discover the same island. In Swallowdale, they wreck the Swallow, which forces them to scout out a place to camp that can be reached on foot. Now, in Winter Holiday, it’s the winter weather that requires them to re-imagine their tropical paradise as the site of an arctic expedition. Ransome totally immerses the reader in each new world he creates, and this arctic setting is no exception. I was happy to start thinking of Wild Cat Island as Spitzbergen, and Captain Flint’s houseboat as The Fram, and I loved the way the kids adjusted their make-believe to suit the ice on the lake and the many skaters out on the water enjoying it.
Another wonderful aspect of this book is the shift in point of view from the previous stories. In the early books of the series, the reader sees almost everything from the perspective of the Walkers, as they learn from Nancy and Peggy how to become real sailors. By introducing Dick and Dorothea, city kids with no real camping or sailing experience, the reader gets to see the familiar world of the Swallows and Amazons through fresh new eyes. Dick’s scientific interests, especially in astronomy, and Dorothea’s tendency to romanticize everything and turn it into literature, also add further depth to the books, and provide more opportunities for more types of kids to connect with them. It’s also just exciting to see regular kids getting to do all the exciting things the Swallows and Amazons do. I think kids always get a kick out of living vicariously through fictitious people who are similar to them.
Finally, I think this book does a great job of really humanizing Susan. All along, she has been the best behaved child of them all, serving as surrogate mother and keeper of the peace. In Winter Holiday, though, we finally see her resolve waver a little bit, as even she is overcome by the fun of the arctic exploration. There is much more sneaking out at night and disregarding adult rules and warnings in this book than in the others, and it’s gratifying to see that Susan isn’t just a goody two shoes. It’s also nice to see minor rule-breaking that doesn’t result in disaster, and for which the kids always make amends.
After Peter Duck’s strange departure from Ransome’s normal storytelling style, I worried that Winter Holiday would be another disappointment, but I was wrong to be concerned. It was a truly great story, with all the wonderful description, character development, and suspense I have come to expect from Ransome’s excellent writing
January 25, 2021
Perhaps his very best, with all the important children in it. I laughed and gasped and sighed with them all, especially poor mumps-ridden Nancy. Captain Flint seems to have grown up a lot since ''Swallows and Amazons'', but often they politely ignore his advice.
October 12, 2017
I'm working my way through the Swallows and Amazon series in an effort to understand what makes them enduring childhood favorites. I hadn't read Winter Holiday before -- it wasn't in our town library when I was 10, so it escaped me. As a story, it has plenty to delight -- snowy adventures, real peril, and lots of ingenuity in the face of nature. What's also fascinating is what is completely taken for granted as a basis of the story and which no longer hold true: the dangers of mumps, the necessity of quarantining the children, and the idea of an enforced month-long vacation because of the need to avoid returning the infection to school. It's a lovely little time capsule, also, this book, and a reminder of a time when even the grownups could participate in the overturning of daily schedules that a snow-storm might bring. Delightful.
August 11, 2016
This is so good, it must surely be a contender for the best children's bo... I have got to stop doing this. It's Arthur Ransome. Of course it's brilliant. But I had forgotten just how brilliant it is.
In this book Ransome introduces us to Dick and Dot. I love Dot, particularly her way of turning everything into a novel - practically any situation she's in, is rapidly summarised as the title of a book and the first line of chapter one, and that's one of my habits too. I'm also very fond of Dick, who frequently seems so far away, and then astonishes by being the most on-the-spot of them all. Through Dick and Dot, we see the Swallows and Amazons differently; and, through the weather, we see the lake and its surroundings differently too. It is superbly done.
Most brilliant of all is, of course, Nancy still managing to run the show even when she's shifted off-stage thanks to mumps. Peggy does come to the fore a bit - she's certainly trying hard - but, even confined to bed and running a temperature, Nancy is the leader. There is some lovely characterisation here and I like the way Ransome sketches the little undercurrents, such as John, Susan and Peggy becoming a little more adult and perhaps not realising that Titty and Roger aren't as young as they used to be.
I think it's in Winter Holiday that Ransome first really shows how very clever he can be at putting together a plot - he sets up the grand finale in one of the earliest chapters, and even apparently off-plot events such as the rescue of the sheep turn out to be significant (because of the sheep, the D's end up with a sail; without the sail, they would undoubtedly have turned round and come back when the weather worsened, but instead they travel faster and further than anybody could have imagined). It's not a heart-pounding climax in the style of Peter Duck, but it's immensely satisfying.
In this book Ransome introduces us to Dick and Dot. I love Dot, particularly her way of turning everything into a novel - practically any situation she's in, is rapidly summarised as the title of a book and the first line of chapter one, and that's one of my habits too. I'm also very fond of Dick, who frequently seems so far away, and then astonishes by being the most on-the-spot of them all. Through Dick and Dot, we see the Swallows and Amazons differently; and, through the weather, we see the lake and its surroundings differently too. It is superbly done.
Most brilliant of all is, of course, Nancy still managing to run the show even when she's shifted off-stage thanks to mumps. Peggy does come to the fore a bit - she's certainly trying hard - but, even confined to bed and running a temperature, Nancy is the leader. There is some lovely characterisation here and I like the way Ransome sketches the little undercurrents, such as John, Susan and Peggy becoming a little more adult and perhaps not realising that Titty and Roger aren't as young as they used to be.
I think it's in Winter Holiday that Ransome first really shows how very clever he can be at putting together a plot - he sets up the grand finale in one of the earliest chapters, and even apparently off-plot events such as the rescue of the sheep turn out to be significant (because of the sheep, the D's end up with a sail; without the sail, they would undoubtedly have turned round and come back when the weather worsened, but instead they travel faster and further than anybody could have imagined). It's not a heart-pounding climax in the style of Peter Duck, but it's immensely satisfying.
January 13, 2021
I've never read any of the Swallows & Amazons books, or seen the film(s), but this one seemed wintry and festive when I came across it in December, so I thought I'd give it a whirl, despite this being episode 4, and despite it being almost 500 pages long. Ransome writes in a very easy-going style, which evokes the simpler times of the 1933 Britain when this was written. All the children involved are wildly excited about snow, ice, skating, polar explorers, nautical flags, navigating by stars, Morse Code, semaphore and the like, which must've seemed like worthwhile scout-like pursuits back then, whereas hardly any kid would look up from their phones for such things now. The way society and technology has changed in the last 90yrs is both the strongest and the weakest aspect to this book. To adults, this book reads as an historical episode about quainter pre-WW2 times. To younger readers, it's probably just boring and too long-winded. I personally found it a little rambling and repetitive in places. After each chapter of 20-odd pages, I often thought that nothing much happened in that one. It could easily have been 100 pages shorter and it ended rather suddenly too. Even so, I found it strangely compelling and wanted to read on. Nancy's episode of mumps and the quarantine surrounding her still resonated in 2020. Pleasant, and certainly recommended reading during winter. 3.75/5
November 14, 2013
There are too many great things to say about this book. Out of the three that I've read of the series so far (I skipped over Peter Duck), I feel this one is the strongest. The mixing of new characters with codes and adventure make for an exciting read that also inspired me.
If you want to introduce a friend or relative to these characters but fear the technical sailing talk in 'Swallows & Amazons' is too much, you should try this book. You are sucked right into the history of these kids without repetition of the past (as in found in the Second book, Swallowdale) nor are the stories from the past book integral to the plot. This allows someone who is just introduced to this world to be enveloped into the exploits of these children without feeling they are missing anything.
If you want to introduce a friend or relative to these characters but fear the technical sailing talk in 'Swallows & Amazons' is too much, you should try this book. You are sucked right into the history of these kids without repetition of the past (as in found in the Second book, Swallowdale) nor are the stories from the past book integral to the plot. This allows someone who is just introduced to this world to be enveloped into the exploits of these children without feeling they are missing anything.
November 5, 2016
Igloos! Ice skating! The Lake being frozen 'from end to end' for the first time since the 1890s! The introduction of Dick and Dorothea! Furthest North, sleeping on Captain Flint's houseboat, Nancy's mumps and of course, the Race for the Pole. Top stuff.
January 31, 2021
Up until this book I’ve only read the dream life of young ones living in the Lake District during summer vacation. And you couldn’t imagine any other season being as fun and satisfying.
Well Winter Vacation throws that notion right out the window. The two D’s (Dick & Dorothea) have arrived to spend the last week of their winter break with the Dixon’s. Who in previous books have been the provider of daily milk supplies. Knowing no one they planned a quiet end to their break looking at the stars at night (Dick the astronomer) and writing stories (Dorothea the aspiring writer). But soon they are befriended by the Swallows & Amazons. Except with their boats in dry dock until summer they are now all Arctic Explorers.
What fun these eight have until the dreaded day of leaving approaches. Imagine their delight when their stay is extended. The reason will not be disclosed here but only ones as young as these could could find such happiness in another’s misfortune.
So much fun remembering days when you were free to roam as you pleased as long as you got home for dinner. And your playground was a frozen lake, an igloo, a houseboat and an ‘observatory’. So many adventures so little time. Not even a blizzard could stop the their trek to the North Pole.
If I was Dick & Dorothea I’d make sure I had a return ticket for summer!!
Well Winter Vacation throws that notion right out the window. The two D’s (Dick & Dorothea) have arrived to spend the last week of their winter break with the Dixon’s. Who in previous books have been the provider of daily milk supplies. Knowing no one they planned a quiet end to their break looking at the stars at night (Dick the astronomer) and writing stories (Dorothea the aspiring writer). But soon they are befriended by the Swallows & Amazons. Except with their boats in dry dock until summer they are now all Arctic Explorers.
What fun these eight have until the dreaded day of leaving approaches. Imagine their delight when their stay is extended. The reason will not be disclosed here but only ones as young as these could could find such happiness in another’s misfortune.
So much fun remembering days when you were free to roam as you pleased as long as you got home for dinner. And your playground was a frozen lake, an igloo, a houseboat and an ‘observatory’. So many adventures so little time. Not even a blizzard could stop the their trek to the North Pole.
If I was Dick & Dorothea I’d make sure I had a return ticket for summer!!
July 6, 2017
The "D's" (Dick and Dot Callum) are introduced in this book. The kids are there during winter break and thanks to Nancy getting Mumps, get an extra month to their break. Being winter time, there isn't much sailing, but being this crowd of kids, they manage a kind of sailing anyway over the ice. A few things in this one are rather hard to believe such as Uncle Jim coming home unexpectedly to find the kids have eaten up all his extensive supply of food and being fine about it. Of course, these families seem wealthy enough that that may just be an annoyance to replace instead of the financial hurt it might be for many people. In any case, they have a bunch of adventures including saving an injured sheep, that make for good reading. This is more of a 3.5 stars. Now on to the next in the series....
June 28, 2025
I am so glad Ransome decided to add Dick and Dorothea to the Swallows and Amazons, because they are so delightful. Their two books (this one and Picts and the Martyrs) are the ones I reread most often.
October 26, 2019
Back to the familiar Lake District for a winter break, the four Walker children and the two Blackett children join forces with the two D’s (Dick, a young scientist, and Dorothea, a born storyteller) for an attempt on “the North Pole”. While Dick and Dorothea are interesting characters, their entry into the story results in “less screen time” for the two youngest Walker children, Roger and Titty, and the beginning dragged a bit as the characters meet up and wait for the lake to freeze over. Once the bad weather sets in, though, the pace gets lively as the children prepare for and undertake their expedition in true Swallows and Amazons style
January 29, 2022
We're listening to this series read by Allison Larkin and it's been the best example of a good reader making a good book better. This fourth book starts a bit more slowly but really picks up toward the end and wraps up quite satisfactorily. The addition of two new friends to the bunch felt a bit uncertain, but Ransome juggles the multiple characters well.
This series is abundantly wholesome. The best and brightest of British outdoors-loving childhood with a generous dose of adventurous imagination.
This series is abundantly wholesome. The best and brightest of British outdoors-loving childhood with a generous dose of adventurous imagination.
May 9, 2015
This was definitely the best of the series so far. Or maybe it's partly that it was fun that the kids were doing something so completely different. The ice sailing was great! And we liked the addition of Dick and Dorothea.
June 22, 2020
Loved listening to the audio book almost as much as listening to my husband read it aloud to me.
*Reread (listened to): June, 2020. This book, with my husband reading it to me again, was the perfect antidote to the year 2020.
*Reread (listened to): June, 2020. This book, with my husband reading it to me again, was the perfect antidote to the year 2020.
November 8, 2020
Perfect
March 23, 2023
4.5 stars with the slight deduction because of the slightly slower start, but the last 1/4 of the book more than made up for the beginning.
I only discovered this series as an adult, but I'm so glad I have the excuse to listen to the audiobooks with my kids.
Other people have raved about them more lucidly than I, but what's not to love about children exploring together in the Lakes District? The winter setting was a fun change, and the addition of the Ds plus the subtraction of Nancy as a primary force changed the dynamic interestingly.
My favorite quotes were commentary from the doctor about Nancy: "She did not get less dangerous with age. " 🤣
I only discovered this series as an adult, but I'm so glad I have the excuse to listen to the audiobooks with my kids.
Other people have raved about them more lucidly than I, but what's not to love about children exploring together in the Lakes District? The winter setting was a fun change, and the addition of the Ds plus the subtraction of Nancy as a primary force changed the dynamic interestingly.
My favorite quotes were commentary from the doctor about Nancy: "She did not get less dangerous with age. " 🤣
July 20, 2020
As real and enchanting as the first time I read it, many long years ago. It was a perfect antidote to torpid summer days to read about resourceful busy children on a frozen English lake. With a nod to our pandemic situation, the group is under quarantine due to a case of mumps and are prevented from returning to school until the incubation period is over. Fortunately they have more than enough to occupy the extension to their holiday, on sleds, skates and a houseboat frozen in the ice. Their plans for a grand expedition to the “North Pole” at the head of the lake don’t go as expected and the book comes to a dramatic and satisfying conclusion.
February 19, 2024
this book kind of gives me seven by Taylor Swift vibes <3
September 21, 2024
Great fun! Lots of twists and excitement.
November 30, 2021
Our whole family listened to this on a road trip and loved it! We all agreed that we liked this one the best of the series so far. Swallows and Amazons and the D’s forever!
April 13, 2020
Another delightful story in the Swallows and Amazons series. The plot ended up being more apropos than any of us would have realized since one of the main characters is in quarantine for illness and others have to stay away until their possibility of infection has passed.
October 12, 2019
I thought that this was my favourite of the Swallows and Amazon series during my childhood, and I was sure that I had read it countless times.
But it turns out, I didn't remember very much about it at all, except a sense of atmosphere, and the mumps' quarantine.
Therefore, the book was a very pleasant surprise. So very well written, the believable characters. This is children's fiction, so the portrayals are somewhat superficial by the standards of adult fiction. Superficial but convincing.
It does seem a bit slow to start with but for 80% of the book the pacing is spot on, with a wonderful build up to a dramatic finale, with a satisfactory conclusion. Utterly joyful depiction of time suspended while in quarantine for mumps and the lake frozen over.
I read this concurrently with Stiff Upper Lip: Secrets, Crimes and the Schooling of a Ruling Class, a factual account of abuse in boarding schools - emotional, physical and sexual. It was difficult, because the Swallows were real people, the Ds were aspects of Ransome himself, and the Amazons were real girls spotted from a distance.
Then, I realised it didn't matter. These books are pure escapism, fantasy. They are nothing to do with what happens at school, we don't really know, merely assume what sort of schools they attend. We have no school-based worries, no homework to be done. Utter bliss, as small children are let loose to have amazing adventures, using initiative and skills well belong their maturity.
If my parents, of that generation (though slightly younger), are any guide, childhood in the Interwar period wasn't actually like that. It's not some Golden Age of FreeRange childhood. But the fantasy is lovely and stays this side of plausible!
But it turns out, I didn't remember very much about it at all, except a sense of atmosphere, and the mumps' quarantine.
Therefore, the book was a very pleasant surprise. So very well written, the believable characters. This is children's fiction, so the portrayals are somewhat superficial by the standards of adult fiction. Superficial but convincing.
It does seem a bit slow to start with but for 80% of the book the pacing is spot on, with a wonderful build up to a dramatic finale, with a satisfactory conclusion. Utterly joyful depiction of time suspended while in quarantine for mumps and the lake frozen over.
I read this concurrently with Stiff Upper Lip: Secrets, Crimes and the Schooling of a Ruling Class, a factual account of abuse in boarding schools - emotional, physical and sexual. It was difficult, because the Swallows were real people, the Ds were aspects of Ransome himself, and the Amazons were real girls spotted from a distance.
Then, I realised it didn't matter. These books are pure escapism, fantasy. They are nothing to do with what happens at school, we don't really know, merely assume what sort of schools they attend. We have no school-based worries, no homework to be done. Utter bliss, as small children are let loose to have amazing adventures, using initiative and skills well belong their maturity.
If my parents, of that generation (though slightly younger), are any guide, childhood in the Interwar period wasn't actually like that. It's not some Golden Age of FreeRange childhood. But the fantasy is lovely and stays this side of plausible!
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