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Minnow on the Say
David can't believe his luck when a worn wooden canoe mysteriously appears on the banks of the River Say behind his house. With summer stretching endlessly before him, it seems too good to be true.
Soon there is another boy--Adam, the Minnow's rightful owner. Adam wants his boat back...but something else, too: a trustworthy friend to help him find the long lost ancestral jewels that could save his family from financial disaster
Can two boys find what history has kept an untouchable secret for hundreds of years? Or will they lose the race against time and against another treasure seeker lurking at the river's edge.
First published January 1, 1955
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About the author
Philippa Pearce
78 books114 followersPhilippa Pearce was an acclaimed English author of children’s literature, best remembered for her classic time-slip novel Tom’s Midnight Garden, which won the 1958 Carnegie Medal and remains a staple of British children’s fiction. Raised in Great Shelford, Cambridgeshire, in the Mill House by the River Cam, Pearce drew lifelong inspiration from her rural upbringing. Educated at the Perse School for Girls and Girton College, Cambridge, she studied English and History before working as a civil servant and later producing schools’ radio programmes for the BBC.
Her debut, Minnow on the Say (1955), inspired by local landscapes and a childhood canoe trip, was a Carnegie runner-up and later adapted for television. Tom’s Midnight Garden, also rooted in her childhood environment, became her most celebrated work, inspiring multiple adaptations for stage, screen, and television. Pearce went on to publish over thirty books, including A Dog So Small, The Squirrel Wife, The Battle of Bubble and Squeak, and The Way to Sattin Shore, with several earning further Carnegie commendations.
Married briefly to Martin Christie, with whom she had a daughter, Pearce returned to Great Shelford in 1973, where she lived until her death in 2006. Her legacy continues through the annual Philippa Pearce Lecture, celebrating excellence in children’s literature.
Her debut, Minnow on the Say (1955), inspired by local landscapes and a childhood canoe trip, was a Carnegie runner-up and later adapted for television. Tom’s Midnight Garden, also rooted in her childhood environment, became her most celebrated work, inspiring multiple adaptations for stage, screen, and television. Pearce went on to publish over thirty books, including A Dog So Small, The Squirrel Wife, The Battle of Bubble and Squeak, and The Way to Sattin Shore, with several earning further Carnegie commendations.
Married briefly to Martin Christie, with whom she had a daughter, Pearce returned to Great Shelford in 1973, where she lived until her death in 2006. Her legacy continues through the annual Philippa Pearce Lecture, celebrating excellence in children’s literature.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
June 8, 2024
‘Minnow on the Say’ is an evocative and magical book inspired by a childhood canoe trip taken by the author and remembered, years later, as she lay in a Cambridge hospital bed recovering from tuberculosis. It was also Philippa Pearce’s first novel (published in 1955), establishing her as one of the brightest stars of children’s literature during the 1950s and 1960s. Never a prolific author, she is probably best remembered for ‘Tom’s Midnight Garden’ (1958) and ‘A Dog So Small’ (1962) - heartwarming tales which, like ‘Minnow on the Say,’ show a sensitive understanding of youthful hopes, fears and dreams.
Both David and Adam are strongly drawn characters (with the latter’s flaws often boldly visible against the quiet pragmatism of the former) and there are beautiful resonances in the plot’s weaving of historical clues, sense of place and time and the movement between each. There’s also a gentle irony in the writing which balances drama and comedy so finely that one can only marvel at Pearce’s literary skill and judgement of narrative pace.
Both David and Adam are strongly drawn characters (with the latter’s flaws often boldly visible against the quiet pragmatism of the former) and there are beautiful resonances in the plot’s weaving of historical clues, sense of place and time and the movement between each. There’s also a gentle irony in the writing which balances drama and comedy so finely that one can only marvel at Pearce’s literary skill and judgement of narrative pace.
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July 28, 2011I'd give this 6 stars if I could. Supremely well-measured study of a Cambridgeshire summer, written in the 1950's. There's a cracking amount of tension in the story, which strains the relationships within it to breaking point. The twists of the story, following the cracking and re-cracking of a 16th century code in the search for a hidden family treasure, are beyond fantastic. The whole thing is alive - you can smell the summery river, and see the laze of dragonflies, and swirl of water cut by a canoe-paddle. A real, total, genuine pleasure to read.
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November 29, 2020Lepa i melanholična knjiga za decu koja sjajno hvata dokonu letnju atmosferu u malom mestu sa još manjom rekom, ali i prvi doživljaj gubitka i korak ka odrastanju. Ali ova priča o dva dečaka (jedan iz poštene radničke porodice a drugi iz pošteno osiromašene aristokratske porodice), koji provode dane tragajući za blagom i vozeći se čamcem, istovremeno uspeva da upečatljivo prikaže živu vezu između (daleke) prošlosti i sadašnjosti i da ponudi lov na blago i odgonetanje šifrovanih poruka i nekoliko neočekivano istančanih psiholoških krokija. Malo li je?
August 28, 2016
By the author of the better known 'Tom's Midnight Garden', Minnow on the Say is the summer holiday tale of David and Adam's search for a family treasure to save Adam from a fate worse than death: exile to Birmingham.
Written in the tradition of E. Nesbit's Treasure Seekers and The House of Arden, with a dash of Swallows and Amazons, it is beautifully crafted, superbly paced and very satisfying. As someone who spent a good portion of her childhood holidays messing about in boats, I particularly loved the early chapters and expeditions in Minnow. Very keen to read more Philippa Pearce!
Written in the tradition of E. Nesbit's Treasure Seekers and The House of Arden, with a dash of Swallows and Amazons, it is beautifully crafted, superbly paced and very satisfying. As someone who spent a good portion of her childhood holidays messing about in boats, I particularly loved the early chapters and expeditions in Minnow. Very keen to read more Philippa Pearce!
August 14, 2025
A really sweet, nostalgic representation of England of a bygone age, summers spent lounging on the lawn, paddling the canoe up and down the river and searching for a long lost treasure. A great book for summer reading. Philippa Pearce really knows how to tug on those heartstrings and get you fully engaged into this story. Even though you probably have a sense how it will end, you really empathize with that sense of impending doom that David and Adam feel, along with their desperation to solve the problem. Although the story takes one or two unlikely turns, in the end it is so much fun and so joyous that any minor quibbles are forgotten.
June 29, 2016
Set in the 1930s, this is a story of two boys from different classes who both come together to solve an ancient mystery regarding a hidden, family treasure. The two families, the Mosses and the Codlings are connected by the River Say whose secrets hold much more than fishes and reeds and the Minnow, a canoe which falls into the hands of young David Moss and leads him to the owner, Adam Codling, an older boy with a turbulent temper bent on preserving his family history and home at all costs.
These two very different boys make for an interesting pair in hunting down the Codling treasure and with the introduction of a mysterious competitor and a race against time, Pearce's story is a gripping one which, as always, contains absorbing characters and a real sense of time and place. Yet this is a story of mourning too. Not just of an idyll England when buses would stop outside your house door rather than at stops but one which remembers the Great War whose fallen are a traumatic scar throughout the story.
I would love to see this read as a class novel and think, if done well through drama and discussion it could be but it would need a passionate teacher and an immersive content. Although the story well-paced, very well written (Pearce didn't do bad books) and deeply touching, those readers who have little stamina might lose some focus in those final few, important chapters.
Potential Year 4 Text:
English: So much emphasis in the book on inference and prediction that it lends itself well to plenty of booktalk and drama. I like the idea of taking the children out to a similiar setting and getting them to write some descriptive sentences in a similar style to Pearce.
Central to the story is the Codling Riddle so there is chance to explore the element of poetry too and use this to hide objects around the school in which children compose riddles for others to examine and untangle. When they have been solved then they can go searching for them.
I can also see a lot of potential for script-writing based in the 30s and/or videoing scenes from the story in doing so. This can help bring a real attachment to the characters as well as a deeper understanding of the text. Children could write extended written scenes between key characters.
Maths:
Roman numerals are used within the text to look at significant dates within the book and offers an opportunity as a way to decipher a clue in the text. If applicable, I would relate this to the Codling's home being old and see if there are any buildings in the local town which still have Roman Numerals written on them to decipher. Books are important to the story too and children to look at those texts which begin with numerals prior to the main section of the book.
The boys do a lot of plotting and digging in the book whilst looking for treasure. There is an opportunity to hide some treasure in the local landscape too (or near a stream) and, using Google Earth, plot and divide sections of the land in order to consider area skills. With so much of the focus being on the River Say, creating bar charts and pictograms around a local river/stream and counting wildlife seen there as part of a larger, geographical study would not only bring the landscape in the book to life but also the children's connection with the locality.
Science:
In relation to the above topic, with The Say being so prominent in the story as well as wildlife (especially birds) it would be beneficial for pupils to do some investigation around organisms living in the local stream. This could relate to food chains and classification of living things. From this they could consider what creatures David and Adam might spot on the Say when reflecting upon their own findings.
Art & Design:
Creating their own model canoes to see which ones float the best would be wonderful (especially if they could take them to the local stream and try). The children could name their own boat as the boys do in the book. Equally, I would love to see children sketching the local river/stream paying attention to flora. Here would be a good opportunity to focus on the work of British artists Paul Nash whose landscapes could be used as guides to their own work. Equally, his images of the Great War could be used to inspire war poetry and writing.
These two very different boys make for an interesting pair in hunting down the Codling treasure and with the introduction of a mysterious competitor and a race against time, Pearce's story is a gripping one which, as always, contains absorbing characters and a real sense of time and place. Yet this is a story of mourning too. Not just of an idyll England when buses would stop outside your house door rather than at stops but one which remembers the Great War whose fallen are a traumatic scar throughout the story.
I would love to see this read as a class novel and think, if done well through drama and discussion it could be but it would need a passionate teacher and an immersive content. Although the story well-paced, very well written (Pearce didn't do bad books) and deeply touching, those readers who have little stamina might lose some focus in those final few, important chapters.
Potential Year 4 Text:
English: So much emphasis in the book on inference and prediction that it lends itself well to plenty of booktalk and drama. I like the idea of taking the children out to a similiar setting and getting them to write some descriptive sentences in a similar style to Pearce.
Central to the story is the Codling Riddle so there is chance to explore the element of poetry too and use this to hide objects around the school in which children compose riddles for others to examine and untangle. When they have been solved then they can go searching for them.
I can also see a lot of potential for script-writing based in the 30s and/or videoing scenes from the story in doing so. This can help bring a real attachment to the characters as well as a deeper understanding of the text. Children could write extended written scenes between key characters.
Maths:
Roman numerals are used within the text to look at significant dates within the book and offers an opportunity as a way to decipher a clue in the text. If applicable, I would relate this to the Codling's home being old and see if there are any buildings in the local town which still have Roman Numerals written on them to decipher. Books are important to the story too and children to look at those texts which begin with numerals prior to the main section of the book.
The boys do a lot of plotting and digging in the book whilst looking for treasure. There is an opportunity to hide some treasure in the local landscape too (or near a stream) and, using Google Earth, plot and divide sections of the land in order to consider area skills. With so much of the focus being on the River Say, creating bar charts and pictograms around a local river/stream and counting wildlife seen there as part of a larger, geographical study would not only bring the landscape in the book to life but also the children's connection with the locality.
Science:
In relation to the above topic, with The Say being so prominent in the story as well as wildlife (especially birds) it would be beneficial for pupils to do some investigation around organisms living in the local stream. This could relate to food chains and classification of living things. From this they could consider what creatures David and Adam might spot on the Say when reflecting upon their own findings.
Art & Design:
Creating their own model canoes to see which ones float the best would be wonderful (especially if they could take them to the local stream and try). The children could name their own boat as the boys do in the book. Equally, I would love to see children sketching the local river/stream paying attention to flora. Here would be a good opportunity to focus on the work of British artists Paul Nash whose landscapes could be used as guides to their own work. Equally, his images of the Great War could be used to inspire war poetry and writing.
June 19, 2015
It's odd to be able to describe a book as thick and dense with summer heat; a sensation somewhat removed from the cold practicality of reading the printed page, but Minnow on the Say somehow achieves that. It is a story full and dense with aching warmth and heat and slow, steady movements that occasionnally jerk into something quite sharp and brittle and tense. It is a book that reminds us just how good Pearce could be.
Set in the area around where Pearce grew up, Minnow on the Say is the story of David and Adam and their summer-soaked adventure. They are looking for treasure and, inevitably, turn out to be not alone in this task. Soon the time comes when things start to get out of control. Treasure, it seems, has an awful habit of not being very easy to find - just when you need it to be.
Pearce writes so gracefully. She's almost stately; her text flows and ebbs and slides along the page, just doing what it needs to do at the right time, and it's almost effortless. The first paragraph is a perfect piece of understated scene setting and I hope you'll forgive me for repeating it here:
"David Moss lived with his family in the last house in Jubilee Row. Their house was like all the others, but their garden was something quite out of the ordinary: it ran straight back for the first twenty yards, like all the other gardens; then, when the others stopped, this took a sudden turn to the right, and in another minute, it had reached an unexpected destination. When the other gardens ended in a hedge, a fence, or a stretch of wire-netting, the Mosses' garden was brought to a stop only by the softly flowing waters of the River Say."
How - perfect - is that? The river, the way it practically sings with promise of adventure, the 'out of the ordinary' nature of the Mosses' garden and the way that this leads you, quite perfectly, to pay attention to David who lives in this different place and is therefore, by virtue of association, something quite different himself. It's a beautiful marker of allowing an environment - a place, space - to code you into reading the characters in a certain way.
Pearce's writing is a slow and subtle joy. Minnow on the Say is such a classic example of the golden age of British children's literature; it is a book which somehow seems to stand separate from its years and context to exist in a space of its own, a space that is replete with heat and excitement and the slow gentle curve of an oar into water.
Set in the area around where Pearce grew up, Minnow on the Say is the story of David and Adam and their summer-soaked adventure. They are looking for treasure and, inevitably, turn out to be not alone in this task. Soon the time comes when things start to get out of control. Treasure, it seems, has an awful habit of not being very easy to find - just when you need it to be.
Pearce writes so gracefully. She's almost stately; her text flows and ebbs and slides along the page, just doing what it needs to do at the right time, and it's almost effortless. The first paragraph is a perfect piece of understated scene setting and I hope you'll forgive me for repeating it here:
"David Moss lived with his family in the last house in Jubilee Row. Their house was like all the others, but their garden was something quite out of the ordinary: it ran straight back for the first twenty yards, like all the other gardens; then, when the others stopped, this took a sudden turn to the right, and in another minute, it had reached an unexpected destination. When the other gardens ended in a hedge, a fence, or a stretch of wire-netting, the Mosses' garden was brought to a stop only by the softly flowing waters of the River Say."
How - perfect - is that? The river, the way it practically sings with promise of adventure, the 'out of the ordinary' nature of the Mosses' garden and the way that this leads you, quite perfectly, to pay attention to David who lives in this different place and is therefore, by virtue of association, something quite different himself. It's a beautiful marker of allowing an environment - a place, space - to code you into reading the characters in a certain way.
Pearce's writing is a slow and subtle joy. Minnow on the Say is such a classic example of the golden age of British children's literature; it is a book which somehow seems to stand separate from its years and context to exist in a space of its own, a space that is replete with heat and excitement and the slow gentle curve of an oar into water.
May 2, 2017
Letnja avantura, vožnja čamcem po reci, lov na blago, porodična misterija, veliko prijateljstvo, sve!
Daleko više mi se dopala nego Kad sat otkuca trinaest, iako bi i po temi i žanru i svemu trebalo da je obrnuto.
Daleko više mi se dopala nego Kad sat otkuca trinaest, iako bi i po temi i žanru i svemu trebalo da je obrnuto.
May 30, 2017
Takes you back to an age in which children in books (if not in real life) messed about in boats, hunted for lost treasure and were always back for tea. It is beautifully written and well-structured. Every bit as good as Tom's Midnight Garden. I can't imagine children reading this today. They would have to slow down and expect to be less stimulated than they are used to: no-one goes goes into space, or steals the crown jewels, or battles against evil in a parallel universe. The countryside is populated by real people who actually live and work there. I am especially fascinated by Mr Moss. He drives a bus and can afford a house by the river and the leisure time to cultivate his garden. Another age entirely.
November 30, 2017
I have lost count of the number of times I have read this beautiful book with the excuisite illustrations by Edward Ardizzone. A story that is not without its melancholy, the tragedy of old Mr Codling is so well captured as are the long lovely summer days.
I can remember my mum seeking out a copy of this for me.Bought in Smiths Glasgow way back around 73. I have it still.
I can remember my mum seeking out a copy of this for me.Bought in Smiths Glasgow way back around 73. I have it still.
August 22, 2025
The cover and title might not be overly exciting but I thoroughly enjoyed this read aloud with my husband, newly 13 year old daughter, and 7 year old son. I was surprised to learn in the Afterword this is the author's debut novel and that she was a script-writer for radio, focusing on how words would be heard, meaning it worked so well to be read aloud. I did not like waiting for the next time we could read together because many times I wanted to read ahead! Not in a 'this is taking too long' sense but in a 'I can't wait to find out what'll happen next' way. My daughter was equally anxious. My son less so but when we finished he essentially said it is his new favorite and gave it a very favorable rating.
One of the best things is the writing, it brings summer to life. Not just summer, but the setting is so beautifully written you almost experience it. Yet the plot and story are equally interesting. You care about the characters, you make guesses, wonder if you are right, root for them, dislike the villain. Seriously, it is a new favorite read and one I am happy to have in our home library. Covers summer adventure, supportive family and community relationships, friendship, family history, mystery, caring for an aging parent, and above all an inherited canoe that gets a second life on the River Say.
The Afterword, which explains how this story came to be, was just as interesting as the story.
Note: a female dog is referred to once (p 234), by a correct term, which unfortunately is more often used as profanity (b*) in current times.
One of the best things is the writing, it brings summer to life. Not just summer, but the setting is so beautifully written you almost experience it. Yet the plot and story are equally interesting. You care about the characters, you make guesses, wonder if you are right, root for them, dislike the villain. Seriously, it is a new favorite read and one I am happy to have in our home library. Covers summer adventure, supportive family and community relationships, friendship, family history, mystery, caring for an aging parent, and above all an inherited canoe that gets a second life on the River Say.
The Afterword, which explains how this story came to be, was just as interesting as the story.
Note: a female dog is referred to once (p 234), by a correct term, which unfortunately is more often used as profanity (b*) in current times.
January 9, 2022
'Cosy' would definitely be the word to describe this book. Lacking the supernatural eeriness of her later more famous book (Tom's Midnight Garden), this story published in the mid fifties of two boys, an English country village, a hot summer holiday, a canoe and a treasure hunt seems a bit 'Secret Seven' or 'Boys Own' or something. However, Pearce is a skilled author who can imbue a sense of urgency into a rather fanciful story and cutesy setting, so I became quite enrapt by the book. I've read it twice now and I think that's enough. Like many a mystery it at times bordered on painfully frustrating and the ending is a bit heavy-handed. Probably its greatest fault is that our heroes David and Adam are not particularly well-defined, and even fairly interchangeable except for Adam's temper. It took me half the book to get straight which boy was which. It's definitely going for more of a conjuring of feelings and atmosphere than memorable characters. It is certainly very halcyon and nostalgic for youthful summer days that may never have existed. Worth reading if not worth keeping.
April 22, 2018
After a flood, a boy (David) finds a canoe at his family's landing, and then finds a new friend (Adam) in the discovered owner. The two of them spend a glorious summer in the canoe (The Minnow), looking for Adam's family's long-lost treasure in an attempt to save Adam and his poor aunt from selling their house and moving away to live with cousins for lack of money. It's a race again time (the end of the summer holidays) and also against a wicked relative (Mr. "Smith"), who is also trying to find the hidden riches.
This one was wonderful. David and Adam and their river adventures, the mystery and suspense of the search for the treasure, and the lovely characters who fill the small villages where they live make for a happy and cozy read. I enjoyed it no end.
This one was wonderful. David and Adam and their river adventures, the mystery and suspense of the search for the treasure, and the lovely characters who fill the small villages where they live make for a happy and cozy read. I enjoyed it no end.
November 15, 2017
When David Moss first meets Adam Codling, he is only hoping the other boy might allow him to share his canoe, which accidentally slipped away down the River Say and ended up behind his house. As the two boys get to know one another, however, David realizes that he and Adam have not just the canoe to bond their friendship, but a mysterious Codling family secret involving a hidden treasure and an easily misinterpreted clue. Though the treasure hunt is mainly a source of summer fun for David, it is much more for Adam, whose family is struggling so much financially that he and the aunt who is raising him may have to move away from their beloved riverside home. David wants nothing more than for Adam to stay, and for his family to find happiness again, but with Codlings' about to be sold, there isn't much time, or much hope, left.
The Minnow Leads to Treasure (called The Minnow on the Say in the UK) is quite well-written, but unfortunately, the story didn't grab me as strongly as I had hoped. Philippa Pearce's Tom's Midnight Garden is one of my all-time favorite children's novels, and a unique and nuanced story, at that. By comparison, therefore, this straightforward mystery/adventure story just feels mundane. I also already have a good number of favorite mystery books involving British kids and boats (No Boats on Bannermere and The Big Six, for example), so I just didn't develop the same level of affection for these characters or this setting. There is nothing wrong with The Minnow Leads to Treasure, it just didn't rank as a favorite for me, despite my hope that it would.
That said, boys, especially, who are interested in boats and enjoy solving puzzles and riddles will absolutely love this book. The chapters are short enough that it would make a good read-aloud, and the resolution of the mystery and how it is solved are satisfying and mostly unpredictable, at least until pretty close to the end of the book. The characters are also likable and believable, as are the reactions of the adults to their insistence on tracking down the treasure. Honestly, I think I'd just recommend reading this book before Tom's Midnight Garden. That way, this one doesn't feel like a let-down and Tom's Midnight Garden can really blow you away!
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
The Minnow Leads to Treasure (called The Minnow on the Say in the UK) is quite well-written, but unfortunately, the story didn't grab me as strongly as I had hoped. Philippa Pearce's Tom's Midnight Garden is one of my all-time favorite children's novels, and a unique and nuanced story, at that. By comparison, therefore, this straightforward mystery/adventure story just feels mundane. I also already have a good number of favorite mystery books involving British kids and boats (No Boats on Bannermere and The Big Six, for example), so I just didn't develop the same level of affection for these characters or this setting. There is nothing wrong with The Minnow Leads to Treasure, it just didn't rank as a favorite for me, despite my hope that it would.
That said, boys, especially, who are interested in boats and enjoy solving puzzles and riddles will absolutely love this book. The chapters are short enough that it would make a good read-aloud, and the resolution of the mystery and how it is solved are satisfying and mostly unpredictable, at least until pretty close to the end of the book. The characters are also likable and believable, as are the reactions of the adults to their insistence on tracking down the treasure. Honestly, I think I'd just recommend reading this book before Tom's Midnight Garden. That way, this one doesn't feel like a let-down and Tom's Midnight Garden can really blow you away!
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
January 21, 2026
I went with a friend to look at a remarkable medieval wall painting in a local church - a so-called “Doom” mural, depicting very scarily the Last Judgement with the Damned being pronged down into hell and the Saved ascending into heaven looking rather smug about it.
We retired to the local pub to recover from our Doomsday experience. And chatting to the barman, we discovered that the village had another proud claim to fame, having been the birthplace and home of famous children’s writer, Philippa Pearce.
This made reading “Minnow on the Say” hugely exciting, as a book by a local author set locally too. The locations are mostly disguised by fictional names (so real-life Great and Little Shelford become Great and Little Barley, for example). But the biggest clue is the upfront dedication from Philippa Pearce to her parents living at The King’s Mill, the wonderful water mill that still stands grandly by the River Cam (called the Say in the story).
It’s a charming book written three years before “Tom’s Midnight Garden” and I simply can’t understand why it’s not as famous. Well, actually, having thought about it a bit, I think there may be a simple reason why “Minnow on the Say” has never been as popular. It’s because it’s about two boys doing boy stuff. And I’ve noticed that children’s books about boys seem fewer in number and never so feted.
The progress of the relationship between the two boys - working class eleven-year old David Moss and the slightly older posh orphan Adam Codling - is delightfully drawn. The friendship that they forge through their adventures in Adam’s old canoe, The Minnow, tells us about:
- Resilience. There’s no helicopter parenting - grown-ups are uninvolved and remote, or even in Adam’s case both dead. Children are encouraged to go out on their own unsupervised, and to develop their own sense of initiative and self reliance (“Why not go for a long cycle ride this afternoon?” Mrs Moss urges her son on p11).
- Tenacity. The boys are determined to restore The Minnow themselves to boat-yard standard regardless of how hard the work is and how long it takes (p30). They’re also stubbornly resolved to find Adam’s long-lost family treasure in spite of all kinds of obstacles and challenges.
- Straightforwardness. The boys are matter of fact and pragmatic in their relationship. They speak their minds and don’t mince their words: “I ought to go,” he said. “So long, then,” and Adam turned back blithely (p25).
- Intimacy. David and Adam are entirely comfortable with physical closeness and nudity (“When David was naked, Adam began to wash him down with warm water from the can” p20).
- Self sufficiency. David gets himself up early every morning to do a paper-round (p28) and he’s so independent he won’t even accept his mother’s offer of “sixpence for buns for his tea” (p11).
- Tension. While David has the placid temperament of childhood, Adam is veering on adolescence with teenage mood swings, rudeness and tempers - for example, hurling the ball of twine into the river in sheer frustration (p83) and suddenly losing all interest in things (“It seems to me that we can never do anything about anything” p89). The boys spar, argue and even come to blows (“grappling and fighting as if to the death” p223). And yet they’re so closely synched emotionally that they often don’t need words to communicate (as when they row together in The Minnow).
Other characters in the story include:
- David’s mother, Alice Moss, who’s over-anxious and emotional but also tender-hearted and generous (for example, making a “majestic plum-cake, freshly and especially to celebrate David’s friendship with Adam” p39).
- David’s father, Bob Moss, a bus driver whose only passion is growing prize roses. He seems rather remote, strict and undemonstrative. Yet it turns out that he himself was once a pretty boisterous schoolboy (p74). And he unobtrusively helps out David more than his son realises (for example, secretly subsidising the cost of the boat vanish).
- Miss Codling, Adam’s aunt and guardian. She’s stern but kindly, enigmatic, resourceful and abrupt (she doesn’t “like to waste time in standing and talking” p31).
- Adam’s grandfather, Old Mr Codling, once a proficient sportsman (p39) but eccentric and disturbed since the death of his son (Adam’s father).
- Philip Wilson (aka “Pip” hence “Pipsqueak” and then just “Squeak”), the sly little man who once worked for Old Mr Codling (who sacked him for getting drunk on the job) and now does odd jobs in the village, from repairing flour sacks to digging graves.
- Mr (Ashworthy-)Smith, the sinister and unscrupulous London antiques dealer who’s also on the trail of the Codling treasure (together with his bullied and nervous wife and their mysterious young daughter Betsy).
There’s some wonderful descriptive writing that cleverly gives the narrative pace rather than holding it up. Sentences I especially liked included these:
- “The waters were a pale brown, quite without transparency, and curdled here and there into white or yellow froth” (p3).
- “Adam slithered off the subject on to another” (p21).
- “The air was thick with the rich, dry smell of corn and flour - of flour that had gone to make loaves long since baked and eaten” (p76).
- “Oh!” she cried, in the bewilderment of leaving sleep (p85).
- “Heigh-ho! Heigh-ho! The singer came bearing with him, unmistakably, the scent of hawthorn and cowslips, apple-mint and clary, honeysuckle and roses - all the flowers that go into the making of Flower Wine” (p239).
There’s also some lovely gentle irony and subtle humour. For example:
- David’s mother worries about her children falling into the river at the bottom of her garden, even though the only time her elder son Dick had fallen in, it “had had no special effect upon him, unless perhaps it had given him a taste for water - he was in the navy now” (p6).
- Adam in particular is always starving and working out schemes to get extra grub (“Come on! We can have two teas, if we’re quick!” p66).
- The terrifying apparition under the mill bridge turns out to be the friendly upside-down face of friendly miller, Mark Tey (p73), looking down at the boys in their canoe.
Lastly, I couldn’t finish this review without commenting on the glorious illustrations by Edward Ardizzone. I found myself studying the drawings at the top of each chapter for ages - they’re so rich with detail. I wonder if he made field visits to the location to steep himself in the atmosphere of water meadows, woodland and reedbed?
It strikes me too that the drawings have the same gentle intensity of Ernest Shepard’s illustrations for “The Wind in the Willows”. And this led me to muse on the similarities in the relationships between David and Adam on one hand, and Ratty and Mole on the other …
We retired to the local pub to recover from our Doomsday experience. And chatting to the barman, we discovered that the village had another proud claim to fame, having been the birthplace and home of famous children’s writer, Philippa Pearce.
This made reading “Minnow on the Say” hugely exciting, as a book by a local author set locally too. The locations are mostly disguised by fictional names (so real-life Great and Little Shelford become Great and Little Barley, for example). But the biggest clue is the upfront dedication from Philippa Pearce to her parents living at The King’s Mill, the wonderful water mill that still stands grandly by the River Cam (called the Say in the story).
It’s a charming book written three years before “Tom’s Midnight Garden” and I simply can’t understand why it’s not as famous. Well, actually, having thought about it a bit, I think there may be a simple reason why “Minnow on the Say” has never been as popular. It’s because it’s about two boys doing boy stuff. And I’ve noticed that children’s books about boys seem fewer in number and never so feted.
The progress of the relationship between the two boys - working class eleven-year old David Moss and the slightly older posh orphan Adam Codling - is delightfully drawn. The friendship that they forge through their adventures in Adam’s old canoe, The Minnow, tells us about:
- Resilience. There’s no helicopter parenting - grown-ups are uninvolved and remote, or even in Adam’s case both dead. Children are encouraged to go out on their own unsupervised, and to develop their own sense of initiative and self reliance (“Why not go for a long cycle ride this afternoon?” Mrs Moss urges her son on p11).
- Tenacity. The boys are determined to restore The Minnow themselves to boat-yard standard regardless of how hard the work is and how long it takes (p30). They’re also stubbornly resolved to find Adam’s long-lost family treasure in spite of all kinds of obstacles and challenges.
- Straightforwardness. The boys are matter of fact and pragmatic in their relationship. They speak their minds and don’t mince their words: “I ought to go,” he said. “So long, then,” and Adam turned back blithely (p25).
- Intimacy. David and Adam are entirely comfortable with physical closeness and nudity (“When David was naked, Adam began to wash him down with warm water from the can” p20).
- Self sufficiency. David gets himself up early every morning to do a paper-round (p28) and he’s so independent he won’t even accept his mother’s offer of “sixpence for buns for his tea” (p11).
- Tension. While David has the placid temperament of childhood, Adam is veering on adolescence with teenage mood swings, rudeness and tempers - for example, hurling the ball of twine into the river in sheer frustration (p83) and suddenly losing all interest in things (“It seems to me that we can never do anything about anything” p89). The boys spar, argue and even come to blows (“grappling and fighting as if to the death” p223). And yet they’re so closely synched emotionally that they often don’t need words to communicate (as when they row together in The Minnow).
Other characters in the story include:
- David’s mother, Alice Moss, who’s over-anxious and emotional but also tender-hearted and generous (for example, making a “majestic plum-cake, freshly and especially to celebrate David’s friendship with Adam” p39).
- David’s father, Bob Moss, a bus driver whose only passion is growing prize roses. He seems rather remote, strict and undemonstrative. Yet it turns out that he himself was once a pretty boisterous schoolboy (p74). And he unobtrusively helps out David more than his son realises (for example, secretly subsidising the cost of the boat vanish).
- Miss Codling, Adam’s aunt and guardian. She’s stern but kindly, enigmatic, resourceful and abrupt (she doesn’t “like to waste time in standing and talking” p31).
- Adam’s grandfather, Old Mr Codling, once a proficient sportsman (p39) but eccentric and disturbed since the death of his son (Adam’s father).
- Philip Wilson (aka “Pip” hence “Pipsqueak” and then just “Squeak”), the sly little man who once worked for Old Mr Codling (who sacked him for getting drunk on the job) and now does odd jobs in the village, from repairing flour sacks to digging graves.
- Mr (Ashworthy-)Smith, the sinister and unscrupulous London antiques dealer who’s also on the trail of the Codling treasure (together with his bullied and nervous wife and their mysterious young daughter Betsy).
There’s some wonderful descriptive writing that cleverly gives the narrative pace rather than holding it up. Sentences I especially liked included these:
- “The waters were a pale brown, quite without transparency, and curdled here and there into white or yellow froth” (p3).
- “Adam slithered off the subject on to another” (p21).
- “The air was thick with the rich, dry smell of corn and flour - of flour that had gone to make loaves long since baked and eaten” (p76).
- “Oh!” she cried, in the bewilderment of leaving sleep (p85).
- “Heigh-ho! Heigh-ho! The singer came bearing with him, unmistakably, the scent of hawthorn and cowslips, apple-mint and clary, honeysuckle and roses - all the flowers that go into the making of Flower Wine” (p239).
There’s also some lovely gentle irony and subtle humour. For example:
- David’s mother worries about her children falling into the river at the bottom of her garden, even though the only time her elder son Dick had fallen in, it “had had no special effect upon him, unless perhaps it had given him a taste for water - he was in the navy now” (p6).
- Adam in particular is always starving and working out schemes to get extra grub (“Come on! We can have two teas, if we’re quick!” p66).
- The terrifying apparition under the mill bridge turns out to be the friendly upside-down face of friendly miller, Mark Tey (p73), looking down at the boys in their canoe.
Lastly, I couldn’t finish this review without commenting on the glorious illustrations by Edward Ardizzone. I found myself studying the drawings at the top of each chapter for ages - they’re so rich with detail. I wonder if he made field visits to the location to steep himself in the atmosphere of water meadows, woodland and reedbed?
It strikes me too that the drawings have the same gentle intensity of Ernest Shepard’s illustrations for “The Wind in the Willows”. And this led me to muse on the similarities in the relationships between David and Adam on one hand, and Ratty and Mole on the other …
February 24, 2017
I'm not shy about giving books five stars here. To qualify this one more carefully - I think it's better than a lot of books I've rated a 4. It's pretty great. I just finished, so it's early, but it's probably not quite as good as Tom's Midnight Garden.
I suppose the consensus of reviewers already told you that. It's a lot closer than I has expected, when I read the quick description. It's not a time slip story, or supernatural in any way. But it does involve the past more than I expected, with the bittersweet tone common to the time slip stories I love.
And it has an outdoor adventure element, and exploration -- there are no maps, but there easily could be. And a quest, with a mystery to be solved. And maybe most of all, a friendship.
Some of those elements are different from TMG, some are shared, but in different keys, here. All of that makes this book a very nice complement, for me, to that deeper, sadder classic.
I suppose the consensus of reviewers already told you that. It's a lot closer than I has expected, when I read the quick description. It's not a time slip story, or supernatural in any way. But it does involve the past more than I expected, with the bittersweet tone common to the time slip stories I love.
And it has an outdoor adventure element, and exploration -- there are no maps, but there easily could be. And a quest, with a mystery to be solved. And maybe most of all, a friendship.
Some of those elements are different from TMG, some are shared, but in different keys, here. All of that makes this book a very nice complement, for me, to that deeper, sadder classic.
July 29, 2022
What a lovely book. I enjoyed it far more than "Tom's Midnight Garden", and wish I'd read it as a child. The treasure seeking was cleverly plotted and kept my interest right through; the clues were impossible to solve until the very end. A satisfyingly old-fashioned read, set in a 1950s village world that has long passed away. A little like the "Green Knowe" books, without the supernatural element.
February 10, 2024
Op de cover zien we twee jongens in een kano, ze roeien bij maanlicht door een hoge rietbegroeiing. Alles is paars-groen-zwart uitgevoerd. Hoewel het boek inderdaad over twee jongens gaat en de kano er een belangrijke rol in speelt, toch geeft het een beetje een verkeerde indruk doordat kleuren en verhoudingen niet echt kloppen. Of het voldoende intrigerend is om het boek vast te pakken en mee te nemen? Tja, u bent dit aan het lezen, dus in minstens enkele gevallen zal het wel loslopen.
Door een kano die weggedreven is komen twee jongens met mekaar in contact. Na de initële vechtpartij over het eigenaarschap van de kano worden ze vrienden. En dan komt de titel al snel op de voorgrond. De verdwenen juwelen. Daar gaan ze naar op zoek. Ze beginnen met een raadsel dat naar de plaats verwijst waar de juwelen lang geleden verborgen zouden zijn.
Peter heeft zijn familie om rekening mee te houden, Ron zijn tante en grootvader. Die grootvader blijkt seniel te zijn maar blijkbaar was die in zijn jongere jaren ook al op zoek naar dezelfde schat.
Pearce besteedt veel tijd aan de minutieuze beschrijving van de, in eerste instantie, hopeloze speurtocht van de jongens. Dat ze telkens in de problemen komen en soms de pijnlijke gevolgen moeten dragen is - in de context van de tijd waarin dit verhaal geschreven werd - wel grappig te noemen. Toch wordt het soms een beetje langdradig, mede doordat de schrijfstijl ondertussen wel verouderd aandoet. Leuk om lezen maar in moderne boeken zit meer vaart en staan ook heel wat minder details. Toch is het nooit een probleem om door te bijten, daarvoor gebeuren er toch te veel zaken en houdt de schrijfster de spanning toch wel vast. Halfweg het verhaal komt er een grote kentering in het verhaal met een soort anti-climax die een herpositionering van de karakters ten gevolge heeft en de speurtocht een compleet andere dimensie geeft. Goed gevonden want zo heeft Pearce de kans om stukken van het verhaal, net zoals de speurtocht, in een andere setting over te doen. Gelukkig voor de jongens zijn de ouders van Peter heel toegeeflijk en niet al te streng.
Spannend, leuk om lezen, niet noodzakelijk beperkt tot de doelgroep. Heeft de tand des tijds goed doorstaan al zorgt de afwezigheid van moderne technologie natuurlijk automatisch voor een nostalgische sfeer.
Door een kano die weggedreven is komen twee jongens met mekaar in contact. Na de initële vechtpartij over het eigenaarschap van de kano worden ze vrienden. En dan komt de titel al snel op de voorgrond. De verdwenen juwelen. Daar gaan ze naar op zoek. Ze beginnen met een raadsel dat naar de plaats verwijst waar de juwelen lang geleden verborgen zouden zijn.
Peter heeft zijn familie om rekening mee te houden, Ron zijn tante en grootvader. Die grootvader blijkt seniel te zijn maar blijkbaar was die in zijn jongere jaren ook al op zoek naar dezelfde schat.
Pearce besteedt veel tijd aan de minutieuze beschrijving van de, in eerste instantie, hopeloze speurtocht van de jongens. Dat ze telkens in de problemen komen en soms de pijnlijke gevolgen moeten dragen is - in de context van de tijd waarin dit verhaal geschreven werd - wel grappig te noemen. Toch wordt het soms een beetje langdradig, mede doordat de schrijfstijl ondertussen wel verouderd aandoet. Leuk om lezen maar in moderne boeken zit meer vaart en staan ook heel wat minder details. Toch is het nooit een probleem om door te bijten, daarvoor gebeuren er toch te veel zaken en houdt de schrijfster de spanning toch wel vast. Halfweg het verhaal komt er een grote kentering in het verhaal met een soort anti-climax die een herpositionering van de karakters ten gevolge heeft en de speurtocht een compleet andere dimensie geeft. Goed gevonden want zo heeft Pearce de kans om stukken van het verhaal, net zoals de speurtocht, in een andere setting over te doen. Gelukkig voor de jongens zijn de ouders van Peter heel toegeeflijk en niet al te streng.
Spannend, leuk om lezen, niet noodzakelijk beperkt tot de doelgroep. Heeft de tand des tijds goed doorstaan al zorgt de afwezigheid van moderne technologie natuurlijk automatisch voor een nostalgische sfeer.
May 9, 2021
The book was published in the United States with the title The Minnow Leads to Treasure which, sadly, makes it sound like a cheap kids' adventure story. It isn't. It's as close to perfection as a story for children can reach.
Two boys, David and Adam, set off on their first adventure without parental supervision paddling a canoe, the Minnow, down the River Say in search of a treasure from the Spanish Armada that their imaginative reading of a poem has convinced them can be found. Adam's family need money to stay in their home and David needs Adam as his friend. The author brings in English class consciousness, the threat or the reality of poverty, the pleasures of friendship, the struggle of dementia with Adam's grandfather; it's much more complex than a treasure hunting story. However, the joy lies in the author's childhood memories of beautiful summer's days, paddling down a placid river through the Cambridgeshire countryside, sharing your time and gaining experiences with your best friend.
Minnow on the Say was Philippa Pearce's first novel. Her second was Tom's Midnight Garden which cast such a huge shadow that Minnow was in an undeserved danger of sinking. It deserves to be read, enjoyed and recognised for the fine piece of storytelling it is.
For those concerned about such things, the plot is set in the 1930s so Health and Safety is gone missing. No life jackets just common sense and an innate survival instinct that children were expected to have in those days. Don't worry, the kids survived. There was worse to come in 1939.
Two boys, David and Adam, set off on their first adventure without parental supervision paddling a canoe, the Minnow, down the River Say in search of a treasure from the Spanish Armada that their imaginative reading of a poem has convinced them can be found. Adam's family need money to stay in their home and David needs Adam as his friend. The author brings in English class consciousness, the threat or the reality of poverty, the pleasures of friendship, the struggle of dementia with Adam's grandfather; it's much more complex than a treasure hunting story. However, the joy lies in the author's childhood memories of beautiful summer's days, paddling down a placid river through the Cambridgeshire countryside, sharing your time and gaining experiences with your best friend.
Minnow on the Say was Philippa Pearce's first novel. Her second was Tom's Midnight Garden which cast such a huge shadow that Minnow was in an undeserved danger of sinking. It deserves to be read, enjoyed and recognised for the fine piece of storytelling it is.
For those concerned about such things, the plot is set in the 1930s so Health and Safety is gone missing. No life jackets just common sense and an innate survival instinct that children were expected to have in those days. Don't worry, the kids survived. There was worse to come in 1939.
May 11, 2018
I read this book for the ATY 2018 Reading Challenge Week 42: A book that takes place on, in, or underwater.
This is a classic children's book which takes place on a river in semi-rural England. How it celebrates the simple, easy life! Mostly it is an adventure story featuring two young boys and their boat during one summer. They are involved in a search for treasure, but more importantly, in the solving of a four-hundred-year-old family mystery. If the mystery remains unsolved, the boys will be separated and an old family estate destroyed. I have read this before, as an adult, but this time I guessed the answer before those in the book...at least, partly guessed it. This book will take you back to old times and days. You may even yearn for those days when life was much simpler.
This is a classic children's book which takes place on a river in semi-rural England. How it celebrates the simple, easy life! Mostly it is an adventure story featuring two young boys and their boat during one summer. They are involved in a search for treasure, but more importantly, in the solving of a four-hundred-year-old family mystery. If the mystery remains unsolved, the boys will be separated and an old family estate destroyed. I have read this before, as an adult, but this time I guessed the answer before those in the book...at least, partly guessed it. This book will take you back to old times and days. You may even yearn for those days when life was much simpler.
January 29, 2019
Maybe I'm just an impatient person, but this book was way too slow for me. I wanted them to find the treasure, SOON! The author did say in her 1999 Afterword to the book that for her, the plot was secondary to the experience of writing about the wonderful times the boys had in the boat, the Minnow. The fun they had on the river, and the summer times they had, were well described. But I didn't enjoy that aspect of the book as much as I'd thought I would. I guess I like character-building and treasure-finding more, and the book didn't have much of either in my opinion. Or maybe it was that I didn't find either of the main boy characters very interesting. Altogether kind of a "meh" read for me.
March 29, 2021
Philippa Pearce also wrote Tom's Midnight Garden, she's a fantastic writer of children's fiction. This is an absolutely beautiful read, and one I often read as a comfort book as an adult. It's full of sunny afternoons spent on a river, and full of the magic of exploring and working out ancient puzzles. Philippa Pearce has the genuine ability to make you believe you actually are there. I feel like this will remain a classic.
August 23, 2025
A canoe unexpectedly shows up on the riverbank. The search for its owner results in two boys becoming best friends and sharing the canoe. The main character rides his bicycle and his friend would love to have a bike too. The canoe is a tool to help them with a treasure hunt. There is a family heritage story going back hundreds of years that gives clues about the treasure. It has a few twists in it to discover the mystery of the treasure.
November 25, 2018
Charming, summery, chilled, but driven forward by the mystery the boys are busy solving, with clues leading to discoveries, and halfway through a back-to-square-one moment that ensures the mystery isn't solved all too quickly or obviously. I like that it's not just a quest to find treasure - that there is a heartfelt and urgent reason to find it.
August 16, 2020
After reading Tom’s Midnight Garden I was delighted to discover there are other titles written in a similar vein. This is a lovely story about a summer spent having adventures along the titular river. There is a great mystery to be solved which kept me guessing along with the protagonist. Loved it!
November 12, 2020
I found this in a charity shop and picked it up because I had such fond memories of Tom's Midnight Garden but had never read any other books by this author. This was a magical read that has left me nostalgic for a childhood that I almost remember having but didn't. Beautiful and evocative writing. Well paced plot and great characterisation.
February 28, 2019
Nearly as good as Tom's Midnight Garden. I could scarcely put it down. Ms. Pierce notes she was raised in a Mill and guided her own canoe up & down the river. I can almost smell that countryside as she speaks of it.
October 26, 2023
One of my favourite books, children's or otherwise. David's family feels very realistic for the time and his adventures with Adam and the hunt for treasure are so beautifully set into the location, you feel that you are on the Minnow with them.
May 23, 2024
Two boys fix up an old canoe and go in search of treasure in this classic children's book from 1955.
There are so many twists and turns in this story.
Timeless. Compelling. Delightful.
1001 CBYMRBYGU.
There are so many twists and turns in this story.
Timeless. Compelling. Delightful.
1001 CBYMRBYGU.
January 18, 2018
Slightly dated story but very good non the less. Good adventure with rivers, treasure hunt and smug baddie. Perfect
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