Strong Winds series facts for kids
Book covers of the Strong Winds trilogy: The Salt-stained Book, A Ravelled Flag, Ghosting Home.
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| Author | Julia Jones |
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| Country | UK |
| Language | English |
The Strong Winds series is a collection of adventure books for young readers. They were written by the English author Julia Jones. The stories often remind readers of the famous Swallows and Amazons series by Arthur Ransome.
These books are full of exciting adventure stories about sailing. They also explore important topics like foster care, dealing with health challenges, disability, and problems with unfair officials.
Contents
Story Summaries: Strong Winds Books
Book 1: The Salt-stained Book
Donny Walker is 13 years old. He travels with his mother, Skye, who is deaf. They are in a campervan heading to Shotley to meet Donny's great aunt Ellen.
After a car accident, Donny is placed in foster care. His mother goes to a hospital for her health. Donny makes new friendships with kids in the area. He finds out he is a natural sailor. Donny tries to avoid a local police officer to find his great aunt.
Book 2: A Ravelled Flag
Donny and his friends are still dealing with the school and social services. What seemed like simple rules turns out to be something more serious. Some of the bad people from the first book are now actively working together against Donny and Skye. They are trying to take advantage of people who have come to the country seeking help.
Book 3: Ghosting Home
In this final part of the first three books, Donny realizes a mysterious red-and-white schooner is a big danger to his family. Meanwhile, Min, who is fourteen, leaves his village in China. He hopes to travel to England to find his mother. She left their village seven years earlier.
Book 4: The Lion of Sole Bay
This book is a follow-up to the first three. Luke, a character from earlier books, planned to spend his school break fixing an old fishing boat with his dad. But his dad gets badly hurt in a boatyard accident.
At the same time, neighbors who moor their boats become interested in a pub sign. It came from a warship captured in the Battle of Sole Bay in 1672. This shows that old rivalries between the English and the Dutch are still around.
Book 5: Black Waters
Xanthe Ribiero is hiding from someone who wants to cause her trouble. She has found safety on an old lightship in the Essex marshes. The river Blackwater looks beautiful in the summer sun, and it's perfect weather for sailing. But the children Xanthe has come to teach seem strangely scared. It's almost as if they are hiding too.
Book 6: Pebble
Liam's home life is complicated. He tries hard to protect his family from hidden problems. A trip up the Suffolk coast during half-term changes everything. They travel on the Chinese junk called Strong Winds, and it starts a series of important events.
Where the Stories Happen
The stories take place in many different locations. These include Leeds and Colchester. You'll also find places like Pin Mill, Alton Water, the River Deben, and Shotley, Suffolk. Other settings are Lowestoft and Zeebrugge.
How the Series Began
In 2006, Julia Jones was working on her PhD. She decided she wanted to write adventure stories. She loved the Swallows and Amazons series by Arthur Ransome when she was a child.
The Salt-Stained Book, the first book, came out in June 2011. Julia Jones hoped her books would "inspire a new generation of children to mess about in boats." A fourth book was later added, making it a longer series.
Connections to Other Stories
The Strong Winds books often hint at or mention other famous stories. They connect to Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons series. They also refer to Treasure Island by R.L. Stevenson and Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Awards for the Books
- In January 2013, The Salt-stained Book won the monthly "people's choice" award from The Book Awards.
