A wood by moonlight and other stories

by Geoffrey Trease

Twelve historical tales by a well known childrens' novelist.

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Robert Geoffrey Trease (1909-1998) was a prolific writer, publishing 113 books between 1934 (Bows Against the Barons) and 1997 (Cloak for a Spy). His work has been translated into 20 languages. His grandfather was a historian, and was one of the main influences towards Trease's work.

He is best known for writing children's historical novels, whose content reflects his insistence on historically correct backgrounds, which he meticulously researched. However, with his ground-breaking study Tales Out of School (1949), he was also a pioneer of the idea that children's literature should be a serious subject for study and debate. When he began his career, his radical viewpoint was a change from the conventional and often jingoistic tone of most children's literature of the time, and he was one of the first authors who deliberately set out to appeal to both boys and girls and to feature strong leading characters of both sexes.

Reviews

[Christina Baehr · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable, lightweight collection of short stories for children, mostly historical. Children 10+ for reading level, but it presopposes a knowledge of European history by no means common today. My only disappointment was in the conventional attitudes of the writer - you know, Puritans are dour, the Merrie Monarch will bring back the May-poles, so hurray! That sort of thing. Probably wouldn't have bothered me a decade ago, but I've become a bit of a bore when it comes to cheering on tyrants, even ones that liked May-poles.

[Doodles McC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twelve year old me liked these short historical stories for children.