Castaway Christmas

Ridley Family

by Margaret J. Baker, Richard Kennedy (Illustrator)

The experiences of three English children who find themselves marooned when a rising flood surrounds the cottage where they are to meet their parents for the Christmas holidays. Grades 5-7.

Genres: Christmas, Childrens, Adventure

157 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1963

About the author

Margaret Joyce Blake's Publications:
The Fighting Cocks, 1949;
Nonsense Said the Tortoise (in U.S. as Homer the Tortoise), 1949;
Four Farthings and a Thimble, 1950;
A Castle and Sixpence, 1951;
Benbow and the Angels, 1952;
The Family That Grew and Grew, 1952;
Treasure Trove, 1952;
Homer Sees the Queen, 1953;
The Young Magicians, 1954;
Lions in the Potting Shed (in U.S. as Lions in the Woodshed), 1954;
The Wonderful Wellington Boots, 1955;
Anna Sewell and Black Beauty, 1956;
Acorns and Aerials, 1956;
Bright High Flyer, 1957;
Tip and Run, 1958;
Homer Goes to Stratford, 1958;
The Magic Seashell, 1959;
The Birds of Thimblepins, 1960;
Homer in Orbit, 1961;
Into the Castle. 1962;
The Cats of Honeytown, 1962;
Away Went Galloper, 1962;
Castaway Christmas, 1963;
Cut Off from Crumpets, 1964;
The Shoe Shop Bears, 1964;
Homer Goes West, 1965;
Hannibal and the Bears, 1965;
Bears Back in Business, 1967;
Porterhouse Major, 1967;
Hi-Jinks Joins the Bears, 1970;
Snails' Place, 1970;
The Last Straw, 1971;
Boots and the Ginger Bears, 1972;
The Sand Bird, 1973;
Prickets Way, 1973;
Lock Stock and Barrel, 1974;
Home from the Hill, 1968;
Sand in Our Shoes, 1976

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three children head down to a holiday cottage for the Christmas holidays and Mummy and Daddy are flying back from Paris to meet them at the nearby station. On the way a discarded newspaper headline reveals to the reader that heavy floods are happening in the area they are heading and airport strikes have stopped planes from leaving Paris.

Although from early on you can guess what the rest of the book would be about, we still really enjoyed reading about how the siblings Christmas break turned out far from how they had hoped, but how they faced the problems caused by the flood, searched for food and rescued animals and a young family from the rising water.

The story culminates on Christmas day and the story has some lovely line drawings included.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 siblings stuck alone in a house surrounded by floods must survive with no outside help for the week before Christmas. I think that if they were wandering around in water really as deep as they described, they'd have drowned, but they didn't....Really nice to read at Christmas, and especially apropos for Christmas 2020.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is pretty classic children's literature with a very popular trope of the time (and one that I personally almost always love) children who must survive on their own, stranded in some way,being tough and awesome. A little Christmas in July to beat the 100 + degree heat.

[Capn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A survival story of three siblings, their dog and their cat, set in rural Somerset during a historic flood. Lincoln, Miranda and Pinks, alongside bull terrier Oliver Cromwell and Siamese cat Sheba, manage against some odds to get from Victoria Station to the flooding village of Duckford before a landslip cuts off the railline, and along (dangerously) flooded roads during a gale to their rented holiday home 'Little Topsails'. Their parents, coming separately (the children are coming from their respective boarding schools with their pets in tow), are, in theory, already at home at the house and set up for Christmas.

Only, they aren't. The children arrive soaked, exhausted, and frightened to find the house locked and empty. It's dark, and it's pouring... What's more is the telephone wires and the electricity are out.

So begins a very rough, cold, soggy and dangerous week, with thrilling misadventures and some spectacularly dangerous flood-water rescues. Some clever ingenuity shown as well - Lincoln finds a copy of The Swiss Family Robinson and considers it a useful reference; this book could be viewed much the same way, only honestly, I think the dangers of moving floodwaters and debris-jammed and submerged bridges were taken a little too lightly for my liking.

Content Advisory: it's a post-belief in Father Christmas / Santa Claus story. ;) Otherwise good for all audiences. And Christian audiences will approve of some Biblical references (King Herod persecuting the Holy Family and causing the Baby Jesus to be born in a manger in absentia, for example... there's probably a Flood reference in there somewhere, but happily I've forgotten if so - it couldn't have been a tired and beleagured one, anyway). ;) Ooh, also - Brussels Sprouts. That one alone deserves a content advisory. Though, I suppose, if you are starving...! ;)

[Sharni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful in the same way that Enid Blyton adventure stories are. 3 kids travel to meet their parents at a rented country house for Christmas, they arrive before the floods but their parents are delayed and are then unable to reach them. They struggle with no electricity, a limited food supply, staying in dry clothes and keeping cheerful - as the water levels rise but they are resilient and manage to work out how to keep themselves and the house safe.

[Gina House · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most touching and adventure-filled Christmas middle grade book—I loved it! 😍

Thanks to the recommendation of my dear friend Caro (@carosbookcase on Instagram), I was able to find a copy of this lovely book to read this year. And, oh, how it warmed my heart!

Here's what made this a 5🌟 book for me:

❊ Takes place at Christmas time (a few days before Christmas)
❊ Supportive and caring siblings
❊ Practical, thoughtful, courageous and clear-headed young characters
❊ A stormy England setting
❊ House set-up and house cleaning (two in one!)
❊ Cozy food and household details
❊ Adventure, but not too much tension
❊ A lovely, happy ending

I can't say enough positive things about this cozy Christmas book except that I will be re-reading this book every year. It's now in my top ten of favorite middle grade Christmas books. 🥰💚❤️🎄

Highly, highly recommended!!

[Caro (carosbookcase) · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know that feeling when you finally have a copy of a book you’ve been dying to read in your hands, and then, even though you want to read it immediately you put it on the shelf to save for Christmas? Well, that’s what I did with this one. At least… that was the plan. Let’s just say Christmas came early this year!

With anticipation levels having reached a fever pitch, I was worried that I was setting myself up for disappointment. But let me tell you, I could not have enjoyed this book more!

“Wind flung the rain like grapeshot against the leaded windows, and above the sound of the storm [Miranda] could hear the noise of swiftly flowing water.
“Lying listening, she remembered all that had happened. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve and for the moment they were alone in the house. All their lives food and warm clothes and shelter had been provided for them by other people. Now they must manage alone.”

Castaway Christmas by Margaret J. Baker is about three children, Miranda, Lincoln, and Pinks, who head to a house in Somerset to meet their parents for the Christmas holidays. With Bull Terrier, Oliver Cromwell, and Siamese cat, Sheba, in tow, the children battle heavy rainfall just to get to the house, but upon arrival the house is dark and there is no sign of their parents. Little do they know, the worst flood in a century is due to hit the West Country.

With little food, no electricity, no phone, and the flood waters rising around them, the three are at risk of losing heart, not to mention their tempers! But with adversity comes growth for these children and each plays their part in ensuring their survival, and making this a Christmas they will never forget.

I loved everything about this book! I love books about floods and this is the best one I’ve read yet. I love the Christmas setting and the fact that the children learn about the meaning of Christmas without it feeling like it was a lesson they needed to learn. Each of the children are likeable, while still being flawed enough to be realistic. They have many adventures outdoors with the stakes increasing along with the flood waters. Even Oliver Cromwell pulls his weight in keeping them safe!

There are also adventures inside the home. Fifteen year old, Miranda is faced with the dilemma of cooking from a very sparse cupboard. Lincoln fashions himself after his father, going out to shoot a rabbit, and cleaning it, and a drowned hen, though Miranda knows it couldn’t have been easy for him. Pinks is ten and a half, and one might think she would mostly need looking after, but it’s Pinks who keeps the Christmas spirit alive in a lot of ways, by decorating the house and giving the two older children a reason to keep it together.

I’m eager to reread this one come Christmas. With its perfect balance between adventurous and cosy scenes, I’m sure reading Castaway Christmas will become an annual tradition.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this to my son as a pre-xmas story after purchasing it in Hay-on-Wye a few years ago. We both really enjoyed it, lots of adventure, old fashioned but enough references he could relate to as well. A story of triumph over adversity, lots of adventure and we really liked the domestic survival bits. Would recommend :-)

[Lora Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful and charming book! I thoroughly enjoyed reading how the teens and their little sister persevered and used their mettle to make do with what they had amidst rising floodwaters while stranded without their parents. And how wonderfully Christmassy to read a book in which the characters remember the real meaning of CHRISTmas and reflect on how difficult and dangerous the circumstances were surrounding the Christ child's birth. Christmas is a time for rejoicing indeed!

[Sarah Farrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been reading this non-traditional Christmas classic every once in a while since I was little and found it on Mum’s old bookshelf at my grandparents’. I’m always surprised at how well it holds up and at the details which bring the story alive.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this sweet story of resilience and ingenuity by three small castaways when their home became an island during the Christmas holidays.

[Clarissa Brincat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pleasant one-weekend read, but for some reason I can’t bring myself to give it 5 stars. The characters had their little idiosyncrasies and the plot had a couple of twists…but the story lacked something. Not sure what. Maybe the ‘problem’ is that the whole story could never happen today, since the existence of mobile phones would make it impossible for the children to be cut off from their parents for so long. This story hasn’t aged well because of modern technology.