The Stones of Green Knowe

How I love the Green Knowe stories of Lucy M Boston! This one is a new one to me, though chronologically it's before the rest of the series. Basically the series is about an old English house and the children who live there. The word "ghost" is never mentioned, but actually that's what the children are - not terrible, frightening or sad, but cheerful and fun.

This particular story is about the very first boy to live at Green Knowe, a Norman-Saxon boy, seeing Green Knowe being built. He is able to travel forwards and backwards in time to see the house and its children. Boston is able to evoke the difference in the time periods perfectly, especially the deadness of the 20thC with the lack of animals, birds and trees. She is a wonderful storyteller, and much of the books are taken up with stories being retold, such as the St Christopher myth.

Boston herself restored an old English house which is what inspired her to write the series. It's a beautiful series which respects children and celebrates the family bond, history, and the power of stories.