The Wind on the Moon (New York Review Children's Collection) [Hardcover]

Eric Linklater (Author), Nicolas Bentley (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: New York Review Children's Collection

Winner of the Carnegie Medal

In the English village of Midmeddlecum, Major Palfrey asks his two daughters to behave themselves while he is off at war. Sighs Dinah, "I think that we are quite likely to be bad, however hard we try not to be," and her sister Dorinda adds helpfully, "Very often, when we think we are behaving well, some grown-up person says we are really quite bad. It's difficult to tell which is which." Sure enough, the mischievous sisters soon convince a judge that minds must be changed as often as socks, stage an escape from the local zoo (thanks to a witch's potion which turns them into kangaroos), and—in the company of a golden puma and silver falcon—set off to rescue their father from the tyrant of Bombardy. A tale of hilarity and great adventure, The Wind on the Moon is also a work of high seriousness; after all, "life without freedom," as the valiant puma makes clear, "is a poor, poor thing."

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Eric Linklater is not primarily a novelist, or an essayist or a dramatist. He is above all else an enchanting prose poet. These fragments of wonderful singing prose are scattered all over his books, and through them English literature is permanently enriched." —George Mackay Brown

“Hand it to your youngest and he will undoubtedly be highly entertained by the saga of Dinah and Dorinda and their misdeeds; give it to your best friend and he will be entertained by the delicate satire on every page.” –The Boston Globe

“Eric Linklater’s delightful fantasy belongs in that section of the bookshelf alongside “Alice in Wonderland,” “The Jungle Book,” and “The Wind in the Willows” because it shares the same quality of believable magic….I am sure that I will not be speaking for myself alone when I say that I became as deeply engrossed and completely credulous in following the adventures of Dinah and Dorinda…as I was when I first fell under the spell of Mowgli and his animal companions…Perhaps the most subtly ingenious and satisfying thing about the book is that it is really wish fulfillment, and when a fantasy for children is well enough written, as this is, it makes those wishes valid again in adult memory….A wholly charming book, and one which you’ll want to give to all your favorite friends of the pigtail set. But don’t forget to keep a copy for yourself.” –The Saturday Review

“A wildly eccentric adventure of two sisters who set out on a complicated mission to rescue their father from prison in an enemy country. With a motley crew of characters, including not only the obligatory governess but also a splendid dancing master, this is a gloriously unpredictable tale of escalating bad behavior, magical transformations, slapstick humor, sophisticated satire and, throughout, a war-time preoccupation with food, involving irresis... --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

About the Author

ERIC LINKLATER (1899-1974) was born in Wales but grew up in the Orkney Islands. He served as a sniper in the First World War, from which he returned to study English at the University of Aberdeen. In the course of a busy life, he worked as a journalist for The Times of India, stood as a candidate for the National Party of Scotland, commanded a wartime fortress in his native Orkneys, searched out lost Italian art after the Second World War, and served as rector of his alma mater. He was also celebrated as a writer. Among his books are Juan in America, a comic picture of Prohibition-era America, Private Angelo, the story of an Italian peasant in the Second World War, several satires, a history of Scotland, a study of the Icelandic Sagas, and another acclaimed book for children, The Pirates in the Deep Green Sea.

The Wind on the Moon began as a story Linklater told his two daughters when they were caught in the rain on a walk. As his son describes it, "It was so good, such a wonderful and entrancing tale, that they begged him to write it down, and so he did." The book later won the Carnegie Medal and was nominated for best book of 1944. "Those dear children, bellowing their anger," wrote Linklater about his daughters’ role in inspiring the story. "How grateful I was!"

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 376 pages
• Publisher: NYR Children's Collection (June 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590171004
• ISBN-13: 978-1590171004
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 1.1 x 8.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #166,473 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the three best childrens books ever written., September 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Wind on the Moon (Kelpies) (Paperback)

The other two being Tom Sawyer and The Wind in the Willows. OK, perhaps I exaggerate. But not much. I first read it when I was about 9 and now - more than 40 years latter - I still have a worn paperback copy I keep by my bed for sleepless nights. And I'm puzzled that the feminists haven't ``discovered'' it yet. Dinah and Dorinda are two forceful, determined and extraordinarily naughty heroines.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book ever, June 8, 2006

By 

willowbarcelona - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Wind on the Moon (New York Review Children's Collection) (Hardcover)

As a child living temporarily with my mother in London, four books got me through: The Wind on the Moon and also The Pink Ballet Slippers by Evelyn S. Dehkes and Ballet Shoes and Theatre Shoes by Noel Streatfeild. However, as others have commented, The Wind on the Moon is the one I've reread the most. My old hardcover edition is well-loved, and it is probably no coincidence that my all-time favorite book also is about two sisters: The Old Wives' Tale by Arnold Bennett. It is wonderful to see The Wind on the Moon back in print and to give it as a gift for today's children to discover and enjoy. It is absolutely magical.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A marvellous fantasy for children and adults alike, August 24, 1999

By 

Eleanor Beckman ([e-mail]) (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Wind on the Moon (Kelpies) (Paperback)

This book made such an impression on me as a child twenty years ago that I have tried to track it down ever since. A friend lent me a copy a few years ago and I had the chance to read it as an adult. I was not disappointed. The vivid images had stayed with me and resonated as freshly as they had when I was ten years old. I can't believe such a book would be out of print for so long - I'm sure the demand would be there if a publisher was prepared to take the risk and reprint it!