Secret Water

This story features the Swallows and Amazons plus the Eels: a new gang of four children who mix well with the others, although we never see them again because they appear only in this book.

The story is set in Hamford Water, on the coast of Essex. I've never been there, but from the descriptions in the book it seems to be a dreary wasteland of mud, mostly covered with water at high tide, with a few dry islands that rise slightly above the mud. The Eels seem to live in that area; the Swallows and Amazons are dropped off there for a camping holiday, which would seem like punishment to me, but they greet it as a wonderful new adventure.

The father of the Swallows has set them the task of mapping the various islands and waterways, which they try to attend to along with other business.

Ransome manages to make a lively story out of the situation, with some nice moments, but I give it only three stars because I find the scenery and ambience unappealing (although of course it makes a change from the rest of the series), and the map-making rather boring.