Minnow on the Say [Hardcover]

Philippa Pearce (Author), Oxford University Press (Author), Edward Ardizzone (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 3, 2000 | Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

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 timeand against another treasure seeker lurking at the river's edge.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Originally published in 1955, Minnow on the Say was Philippa Pearce's first book for children. It is now considered a classic novel on both sides of the Atlantic.

Philippa Pearce is also the author of Tom's Midnight Garden, winner of England's prestigious Carnegie Medal, and other acclaimed books. She lives in Cambridgeshire, England, very near the village where she grew up.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books (May 3, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688170986
• ISBN-13: 978-0688170981
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,298,778 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Treasure!, June 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Minnow on the Say (Hardcover)

This old-fashioned story of buried treasure sneaks into your heart with it's winning ways. David finds a canoe on the river and when he locates the owner, he also finds a true friend in Adam. Adam's poverty is made more agonizing for the family by the legend of buried treasurehanded down since Tudor days. With one clue that eventually leads them to another, this story has suspense, appealing characters, a fine plot and a very believable bad guy haunting the action. Pearce. well-known for her classic story, Tom's Midnight Garden, originally published this in 1955- but the quality of the writing and story well justify this reissue.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Creative and credible, January 28, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Minnow on the Say (Hardcover)

Minnow on the Say is enchanting, comforting, quirky, and uncommonly beautiful. It's about children and completely for children, but its characters are as complex as any created for adults. The moment where Adam falls from the bridge will chill you and the surreal ending will delight you. Make sure you look for Edward Ardizzone's glowing illustrations, and read Pearce's other wonderful books Tom's Midnight Garden and A Dog So Small for another glimpse of David and Adam and the rich setting of the book.