Swallows and Amazons (1000 Books to Read)

After reading a sad but good book (From Here to the Great Unknown) and a terrible book (Something Happened), reading a sweet, wholesome, imaginative Children's Classic that I had never heard of before was refreshing!

It reminded me of my brother and me pretending that the weird concrete island at the end of our street was a ship. It also made me think of the adorable 12, 10, 8, and 5-year-olds I did spiritual direction with from August to December! Most of them are the same age as the characters in the book. 

Sometimes a light and fun read is just what the doctor ordered!

Here is why James Mustich thinks it should be one of the 1000 Books You Read Before You Die:

James Mustich

Swallows and Amazons is the first in Arthur Ransome’s classic series of books about the children of the Walker family. In their initial appearance, the Walkers—John (the oldest, at twelve), Susan (ten), Titty (eight), and Roger (seven)—are summering with their mother in England’s Lake District, and the lakeland setting seems alive with the anticipation of a holiday. Adventure ensues when their friends' uncle's boat is burgled, but all comes right in the end, setting the stage for ten delightful sequels that similarly celebrate the resourcefulness of young people allowed to get their hands dirty as they master real skills—boating, camping, fishing, and the like—in a delightfully imagined but recognizable natural world.