Author:Arthur Ransome
‘Why shouldn’t we be detectives too?’
When Dick and Dorothea arrive in the Norfolk Broads all set for a blissful summer on the river, they find their friends the Death and Glories in a very bad situation. Accused of setting boats adrift, sabotage and theft, the boys are under suspicion by everyone on the river. And in the meantime, the real culprits are still at large. There’s no choice but to form a crime-busting team: The Big Six. As the evidence stacks against them, can they solve the mystery and trap the real criminals?
Includes exclusive material: In ‘The Backstory’ find out about birds, boats and fish and put your own detective skills to the test!
Vintage Children’s Classics is a twenty-first century classics list aimed at 8-12 year olds and the adults in their lives. Discover timeless favourites from The Jungle Book and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to modern classics such as The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.
Mr Ransome again equals or perhaps excels himself...every boy will vote this detective story super
—— New StatesmanIn my early teens I read Arthur Ransome's books, The Coot Club and The Big Six... They impressed me so much that I persuaded my father to take me on holiday to the Norfolk Broads where we had great fun teaching ourselves to sail, all on the impetus of Ransome's books
—— Aidan Chambers , ObserverA continuation of Coot Club and as good as ever
—— ObserverThe adventure, though engrossing, is only part of a book in which the cry and flight of birds, the small of water and tarry ropes, and the jargon of men and boys brought up to use their hands and senses are all delightfully plain to us
—— Times Literary SupplementA lovely, forgotten classic that deserves to be reprinted
—— Jacqueline Wilson , The TimesA charming tale for readers old and new
—— SmallishI read it a dozen-odd times as a child – and nowadays it’s my flu book. If I’m ever under the weather, I read it and cheer myself up
—— Jacqueline Wilson , Mail Online