Secret Water
A Tidal Creek Adventure of Mapmaking, Island Exploration, and Young Sailors in the Walton BackwatersBy Arthur Ransome
Length11h 11m
About this audiobook
In *Secret Water*, Arthur Ransome transforms a tidal estuary into a laboratory of exploration, where the Swallows and Amazons undertake the serious, exhilarating work of surveying an unfamiliar island and its intricate waterways. Their map-making, naming of places, construction of camps, and encounters with natural hazards turn imaginative play into a disciplined form of knowledge. Ransome's prose combines nautical precision with humor, suspense, and a finely observed child's perspective; tides, mud, weather, boats, and navigation possess as much narrative importance as any antagonist. Published in 1939, the novel belongs to the distinguished tradition of British juvenile adventure while subtly extending it: rather than merely escaping into wilderness, its protagonists learn to interpret, represent, and responsibly inhabit it. Arthur Ransome was an accomplished journalist, literary critic, biographer, and sailor whose extensive travels and practical knowledge of boats and waterways give the novel its convincing texture. His familiarity with the English coast, the Lake District, and the culture of amateur sailing enabled him to write children not as simplified figures, but as capable agents whose games develop judgment, cooperation, and independence. Against the backdrop of a rapidly changing modern world, Ransome offered an alternative education grounded in attention, competence, and shared discovery. This is an ideal book for readers who value adventure enriched by geography, craftsmanship, and psychological insight. It will delight young readers with its mysteries and expeditions, while rewarding adults with its subtle account of how play becomes community, leadership, and intellectual curiosity. *Secret Water* remains a compelling classic of children's literature because it respects both the wildness of nature and the seriousness of a child's imagination.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 4.3 (2.6K)
Includes Goodreads, Amazon, StoryGraph, LibraryThing
GenreChildren's Literature
Length11 hrs 11 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateDec 3, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1The Mystery of the Pantomime Cat (Annotated)
2CHAPTER I FAREWELL TO ADVENTURE
3CHAPTER II ADVENTURE AHEAD
4CHAPTER III INTO THE UNKNOWN
5CHAPTER IV THE EXPEDITION GOES ASHORE
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6CHAPTER V MAROONED
7CHAPTER VI FIRST HINT OF SAVAGES
8CHAPTER VII HOOFMARKS IN THE MUD
9CHAPTER VIII THE MASTODON’S LAIR
10CHAPTER IX MAKING A FRIEND OF A SAVAGE
11CHAPTER X THE STRAITS OF MAGELLAN
12CHAPTER XI WAR OR EXPLORATION?
13CHAPTER XII BLOOD AND IODINE
14CHAPTER XIII MASTODON ISLAND
15CHAPTER XIV WITCH’S QUAY
16CHAPTER XV THE MASTODON WISHES HE HADN’T
17CHAPTER XVI ENEMY’S COUNTRY
18CHAPTER XVII A STATE OF WAR
19CHAPTER XVIII EAGER PRISONER
20CHAPTER XIX HOT ON THE TRAIL
21CHAPTER XX ALL’S WELL
22CHAPTER XXI SIX BOATS EXPLORE
23CHAPTER XXII THE MASTODON GIVES A PARTY
24CHAPTER XXIII RED SEA CROSSING: ISRAELITES
25CHAPTER XXIV CIVILIZATION
26CHAPTER XXV SINBAD’S CREEK
27CHAPTER XXVI RED SEA CROSSING: EGYPTIANS
28CHAPTER XXVII RESCUE AND AFTER
29CHAPTER XXVIII CORROBOREE
30CHAPTER XXIX PACKING UP
31CHAPTER XXX NORTH WEST PASSAGE
32CHAPTER XXXI FAREWELL TO THE EELS
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