This is a dream Freddie, also a Swallows & Amazons fan, has dreamed many times, wishing she could somehow join in on the fun those long-ago children enjoyed. The following morning, we are treated to Freddie awakening in a canvas-walled tent on an island. That evening, Violet tells the tales of the stolen statue and a set of jewels that were also stolen during the same extravagant party. In modern times, Nina and Tom, parents of Freddie and James, are struggling to meet ends, a situation made worse by the possibility of lay-offs where Tom works. This theft led to the death of her father and the demise of the family fortune. For an avid reader of Arthur Ransome's "Swallows & Amazons" series, Clare Havens' book "The Bellamy Birds", appropriate for pre-teen and up, is a winner! Set in both modern-day and ~1930's England, the story is focused on a family heirloom, a priceless statue named The Bellamy Bird, which was stolen when Violet, now grandmother and great-grandmother in the family, was eight years old.
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