The Children of the New Forest

Set in seventeenth-century England during King Charles's deposition, this story features four orphaned children who are adopted by a forester. He has rescued them from the "Roundhead" troops who killed their Royalist father (loyal to King Charles). As the forester's adopted "grandchildren," the four Beverly children must adapt to rustic life, learning to cook, hunt, and sew. Narrator Glen McCready's details these activities with a quiet pleasure that is contagious. McCready's dignified British voice is well suited to this old-fashioned adventure story filled with the classic themes of resourcefulness, self-reliance, and courage. As McCready's narration skillfully illuminates the children's growing maturity and wisdom, the story becomes all the more satisfying.