Adam of the Road  •  Elizabeth Janet Gray  •  Robert Lawson LITERATURE •  1987 •  PAPER  • 317 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) A marvelous, classic children's book -- winner of a Newbery Medal in its day -- in which a minstrel's son loses his way on the highways and byways of 13th-century England. Jammed (but so subtly!) with period detail, this engrossing novel is an enduring introduction to merrie olde England for readers ages 8 to 12. (GBR336, $7.99)
Alice's Adventures In Wonderland  •  Robert Sabuda LITERATURE •  2003 •  HARD COVER  • 12 PAGES • FAMILY Working his own magic, paper-fold master Sabuda unfurls the classic tale in a series of six stunning double-page animated scenes. Each dazzles with color, texture and, most surprising of all, height. Alice grows large, teacups fly off the page, the forest is a foot tall and, finally, an entire deck of cards arcs over the page. Sabuda has adapted Tenniel's original illustrations admirably, adding fur and foil and color. (GBR426, $26.99)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass  •  Lewis Carroll  •  Roger Lancelyn Green  •  John Tenniel LITERATURE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES • FAMILY The enduring children's classic presented by Oxford University. (GBR449, $8.95)
Bard of Avon  •  Diane Stanley  •  Peter Vennema HISTORY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 48 PAGES • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8) An illustrated account of William Shakespeare's life and 16th-century England, thoughtfully relating the circumstances of the playwright's environment to the content of his plays. Written for readers ages 6 to 9. (GBR151, $7.99)
Beware, Princess Elizabeth  •  Carolyn Meyer LITERATURE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS An acclaimed young-adult novel, in which Henry VIII is recently dead and young Elizabeth Tudor must endure the tumultuous reigns of her brother Edward and sister Mary -- before ascending the throne herself, 11 years after her father's death. It's a very human portrait of the future queen, set squarely in Tudor England, from an author who has also written a novel about Mary Tudor (GBR333). (GBR332, $6.95)
The Big Six  •  Arthur Ransome LITERATURE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 356 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) This wonderful adventure for kids, set in and around boats on the Norfolk Broads, take place in real landscapes and locations not very different today than when Arthur Ransome was writing in the 1930s. The book brings together Dot, Dick and fellow members of the Coot Club. And, of course, they have a mystery to solve. (GBR485, $14.95)
Boy, Tales of Childhood  •  Roald Dahl BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1991 •  PAPER  • 176 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS With his usual gift for storytelling, Dahl recalls growing up in a Norwegian-English family, spending his mischievous boyhood scheming in a boys' boarding school, working as a chocolate tester for Cadbury's and summering in Wales and the Norwegian islands. (GBR183, $6.99)
The Coot Club  •  Arthur Ransome LITERATURE •  1990 •  PAPER  • 350 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) This wonderful adventure for kids, set in and around boats on the Norfolk Broads, take place in real landscapes and locations not very different today than when Arthur Ransome was writing in the 1930s. The youngsters Dick and Dot Callum, along with their friends, form the Coot Club. Adventures ensue. (GBR484, $14.95)
Coram Boy  •  Jamila Gavin LITERATURE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 336 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS Jamila Gavin offers a textured, nuanced, evocative story of the upper and lower classes in England in 1741, concentrating her focus on two 13-year-old boys and their intertwined ambitions. It's a big, ambitious, old-fashioned book about England at the dawn of the industrial age. The word most frequently used to describe this young-adult novel, which won the Whitbread for best children's book of 2001, is "Dickensian" -- in the very best sense. (GBR339, $7.95)
Crispin, The Cross of Lead  •  Avi LITERATURE •  2004 •  PAPER  • 310 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) A suspenseful, award-winning tale set in Medieval England. 13-year-old Crispin flees his manor after a price is put on his head, stumbling into the company of a wandering minstrel. Avi's writing is engaging and full of vivid detail of 14th-century England. Winner of the 2003 Newbery Award. (GBR528, $6.99)
Elizabeth I, Red Rose of the House of Tudor  •  Kathryn Lasky LITERATURE •  1999 •  HARD COVER  • 192 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS One in the clever "Royal Diaries" series by Scholastic, which pairs young-adult authors with famous princesses. Eleven-year-old Elizabeth Tudor's diary, as written by Kathryn Lasky, is full of longing, intrigue and sibling rivalry -- a gripping introduction to the "Virgin Queen." The book is designed to feel like a real princess's diary, with gold-embossed pages and a sturdy binding. (GBR331, $10.95)
England, A True Book  •  Michael Burgan CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  PAPER  • 48 PAGES • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8) An overview of England -- its geography, citizens and history -- for children 6 to 8. With its large color photographs, large-scale maps and focus on kid-friendly topics, this book is an engaging primer. (GBR338, $6.95)
An Episode of Sparrows  •  Rumer Godden LITERATURE •  2004 •  HARD COVER  • 256 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) A wonderful book by a favorite author, An Episode of Sparrows is set amid the privations and hardships of postwar London. When two poor children "steal" a bit of a defunct churchyard to make a garden, the neighbors get involved for good and ill. As with all Miss Godden's books, this is a tender, emotionally true, utterly unsentimental book and portrait of a place and time, suitable for readers from 10 to 15. (GBR688, $18.95)
Hello Britain! Absolutely Everything You Need to Know to Enjoy Your Holiday in Britain  •  Rebecca Welby EXPLORATION •  2006 •  FLEXI-BOUND  • 60 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) (GBR669, $16.95)
I Capture the Castle  •  Dodie Smith LITERATURE •  2004 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS A reprint of the much-loved novel about a 17-year-old girl who spends six months in an English castle writing in a journal, until she has effectively "captured" the castle with words. First published in 1948. Dodie Smith also wrote 101 Dalmatians. (GBR497, $13.95)
James Herriot's Treasury for Children  •  James Herriot  •  Peter Barrett  •  Ruth Brown LITERATURE •  1992 •  HARD COVER  • 256 PAGES • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8) Made famous by his tales of a country veterinarian in Yorkshire with "All Creatures Great and Small," James Herriot also wrote numerous stories for children. They're all collected and illustrated here and, of course, feature a barnyard full of adorable animals. For readers 4-8. (GBR390, $19.95)
King of Shadows  •  Susan Cooper LITERATURE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 186 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) A young actor joins a troupe to travel to London's Globe theatre and finds himself transported back in time to a production directed by none other than Mr. William Shakespeare. Intended for children ages 10-12. (GBR161, $5.99)
Knight's Castle  •  Edward Eager LITERATURE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 198 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) An irresistible classic. Before the kids can say "Ivanhoe" three times fast, they'll be transported to castle battlements in medieval England, where Robin Hood is battling for Sir Ivanhoe's release. Appropriately enough, the novel's four American protagonists are also thus suddenly transported -- in their case, when a toy soldier comes to life. Eager's book is packed with period detail (especially molten lead!) and great good humor. Ages 8 to 12. (GBR340, $6.99)
Lassie Come-Home  •  Rosemary Wells  •  Susan Jeffers  •  Eric Knight LITERATURE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 48 PAGES • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8) An award-winning, illustrated retelling of the Eric Knight heart-warmer that spawned a cottage industry of genius collies and their exploits. The original is the simple story of a Yorkshire boy whose dog is taken away, only to find its way home through hundreds of miles of Scottish and English countryside. (GBR392, $8.95)
Loving Will Shakespeare  •  Carolyn Meyer LITERATURE •  2006 •  HARD COVER  • 272 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS Popular young adult author Carolyn Meyer fictionalizes the romance between Anne Hathaway and the young William Shakespeare in this novel for teens. (GBR668, $17.00)
Madeline in London  •  Ludwig Bemelmans LITERATURE •  1977 •  PAPER  • 56 PAGES • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8) Miss Clavel, Madeline and her 11 classmates travel to London to cheer up their former neighbor, Pepito, who had to move away from Paris. With the help of an adopted horse, the group embarks on a mad, rhyming tale of adventure through the city's busy streets. Written for kids ages 4-8. (GBR152, $17.99)
Mary, Bloody Mary  •  Carolyn Meyer LITERATURE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS An unusually generous protrayal of the young Mary Tudor, nicknamed "Bloody Mary" by her Protestant subjects. Popular young-adult author Meyer richly recreates the Tudor era and its religious conflicts for audiences ages 11 and up. (GBR333, $6.99)
The Midwife's Apprentice  •  Karen Cushman LITERATURE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 122 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) The 1996 Newbery Medal winner, this novel geared for 8-12 year olds recounts the apprenticeship of a waif named Brat, who learns to be a midwife in 14th-century England. Short, funny and atmospheric. (GBR341, $5.99)
Once Upon a Time in Great Britain, A Travel Guide to the Sights and Sounds of Your Favorite Children's Stories  •  Melanie Wentz GUIDEBOOK •  2002 •  PAPER  • 274 PAGES • FAMILY A guide for any family of ardent readers. The author, an American teacher, devotes each chapter to a particular British children's book and the locations that inspired it. Included are such books as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Winnie-the-Pooh, The Railway Children, Kidnapped, The Secret Garden, Harry Potter, Thomas the Tank Engine and plenty more. A very useful planning tool, with somewhat eccentric (storybookish?) maps. (GBR379, $15.95)
A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver  •  E.L. Konigsburg LITERATURE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 208 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS A marvelous fictionalized portrait of Eleanor of Aquitaine who was queen of France and England successively, traveler to Constantinople, wife of a future saint, mother of Richard the Lionheart and for 15 years a prisoner of the English Crown. E.L. Konigsburg's irreverent, feminist, educational young-adult novel begins on a cloud in heaven, where Eleanor is awaiting the induction into heaven of her husband Henry II of England, who has spent the last 800 years in -- well -- not in heaven, at any rate. The rest of the book is a flashback. (GBR245, $5.99)
The Queen's Own Fool  •  Robert J. Harris  •  Jane Yolen LITERATURE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 400 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS This excellent historical young adult novel relates the life of Mary Queen of Scots as witnessed by her jester, a spunky orphan named Nicola. Following Nicola (and Mary) from France to Scotland, the authors expertly recreate an era of intrigue, nationalist conflicts and entrenched class divisions. (SCT55, $7.99)
Ring of Bright Water  •  Gavin Maxwell NATURAL HISTORY •  1966 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS • COMING IN This magical book, treasured by generations of children and their parents, is known primarily for its wonderful portrayal of otters and the naturalist who loves them. But Maxwell's vivid descriptions of the Scottish coast are equally entertaining. (SCT17, $13.00)
Robin Hood, Read and Listen  •  Neil Philip HISTORY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 64 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) A visually engaging re-telling of the famous tale of Robin Hood and his band of followers for grades 3-5, strong on medieval life and history in England. This edition includes the story on cassette -- as read by Ioan Gruffudd, a Welsh actor starring as Lancelot in the 2004 movie. A Dorling Kindersley Classic. (GBR479, $9.99)
The Secret Garden  •  Frances Hodgson Burnett  •  Tasha Tudor LITERATURE •  1987 •  PAPER  • 358 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) Sure to be listed among the favorites of most young girls, this is the enduring children's classic about a magical garden hidden on a staid country estate in Yorkshire. An engrossing story about the redemptive power of nature and a nice introduction to allegory for the young, literary minded, it's been popular with every generation since its publication over 80 years ago. (GBR391, $6.99)
The Shakespeare Stealer  •  Gary Blackwood LITERATURE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) Featuring an orphan boy, the Bard of Avon and an evil scene-stealer, this gripping novel will transport kids back in time to the Globe theatre and Elizabethan England. Young Widge is hired to infiltrate the Globe and steal "Hamlet" for another acting troupe. Recommended for readers ages 8 to 11. (GBR335, $6.99)
The Snow Goose  •  Paul Gallico LITERATURE •  1941 •  HARD COVER  • 60 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) A handsome hardcover edition of Gallico's poignant tale of innocence and longing set in Word War II England. In this ageless tale, a young girl finds a wounded snow goose, which she delivers into the hands of a strange lighthouse keeper on the Essex coast. The simple prose, growing friendship, fairy-tale quality (the unrecognized lighthouse keeper distinguishes himself at Dunkirk) will appeal to the whole family. (BRD20, $19.95)
Stephen Biesty's Castles  •  Stephen Biesty ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2004 •  HARD COVER  • 32 PAGES • FAMILY This delightfully illustrated book by Stephen Biesty depicts 10 real castles, not just the architecture but also routines, inhabitants and life. Meredith Hooper provides the accompanying tale. Intended for middle schoolers, the whole family will appreciate the glimpse into daily life in the castle -- and the exquisitely detailed renderings. With chapters covering a tournament at Windsor Castle, the Tower of London, Caernarfon in Wales, the crusader castle Krak des Chevaliers, Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome, Chateau Chambord, King Ludwig's Neuschwanstein and even Osaka Castle in Japan. Each chapter opens with a double-page illustration. (GBR486, $19.95)
A Street Through Time  •  Anne Millard  •  Steve Noon HISTORY •  1993 •  HARD COVER  • 32 PAGES • FAMILY Subtitled A 12,00-year Walk Through History," this book shows in intricately detailed drawings the transformation from the stone age camp to a busy city in modern England. Geared for kids, anyone can appreciate the masterful drawings. (GBR487, $17.99)
The Tailor of Gloucester  •  Beatrix Potter LITERATURE •  2002 •  HARD COVER  • 64 PAGES • FAMILY Potter's delightful tale of an ailing English tailor and the mice that help him sew a waiscoat for the Mayor of Gloucester, featuring the author's original watercolors. In celebration Peter's birthday, Potter's Britsh publisher Frederick Warne has put out new editions of all 23 of Potter's tales. (GBR466, $6.99)
This is London  •  Miroslav Sasek CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2004 •  HARD COVER  • 64 PAGES • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8) A classic portrait of London for children. First published in 1958, this is a facsimile edition of Sasek's charming original. The tube, Piccadilly Circus and other famed attractions are depicted with bright, stylized illustrations. Ages 4-8. (GBR529, $17.95)
The Tudor Women  •  Carolyn Meyer LITERATURE •  2006 •  BOXED • YOUNG ADULTS A boxed set featuring four volumes in Meyer's popular young adult Royal Diaries series ("Mary, Bloody Mary," "Beware, Princess Elizabeth," "Doomed Queen Anne" and "Patience, Princess Catherine"). (GBR667, $23.85)
We Didn't Meant to Go to Sea  •  Arthur Ransome LITERATURE •  1994 •  PAPER  • 344 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) This novel, which many consider the best of Arthur Ransome's many tales of adventure for youngsters, finds our heroes quite literally out to sea -- adrift in a gale, alone, in the North Sea. The seventh installment in Ransome's Swallows and Amazons, featuring the most about boats and the most thrills. Not to fear, the kids are amazing and everything turns out in the end. (GBR483, $14.95)
Westminster Abby  •  Micol Ostow LITERATURE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 192 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS Normally a perfectly honest and obedient daughter, 16 year-old Abby is punished by being sent to study in London after her parents discover she lied to them about a boy. In London Abby becomes more confident and learns to pursue her own independent path. The first book in the SASS (Students Across the Seven Seas) series. (GBR670, $6.99)
The Wind in the Willows  •  Kenneth Grahame  •  Ernest H. Shepard LITERATURE •  1989 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES • FAMILY Rat, Mole, Badger and, of course, Mr. Toad, all star in Grahame's beloved adventures set along a riverbank in the English countryside. (GBR457, $5.99)
The Wind in the Willows  •  Kenneth Grahame  •  Ernest H. Shepard LITERATURE •  1983 •  HARD COVER  • 224 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) Oh how right he was, the water rat: 'Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing -- absolutely nothing --half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats." And this enduring children's classic is as stimulating and just plain wonderful as when it was penned by Kenneth Grahame in 1908. This gloriously illustrated edition (with the original full color paintings and drawings by Ernest Shepard) was published in celebration of the book's 75th anniversary. (GBR481, $19.95)