Wings over Witchend (by Malcolm Saville)

(Amazon UK link)

Amongst other authors and some new books I’m re-reading Malcolm Saville’s ‘Lone Pine’ series of twenty books. I loved this series as a teenager, and bought most of them in Armada paperback form, not realising at the time that they were abridged. Not that it would have made much difference, as hardback originals were very difficult to come by. I’ve re-read the series around every ten years through my adult life, although last time I seem to have missed some of them out, including ‘Wings over Witchend’.

In the meantime I’ve managed to acquire full ‘Girls Gone By’ editions of the books I had in paperback, and am very much enjoying reading the full versions, possibly for the first time. ‘Wings over Witchend’, ninth in the series, is a popular book: in a recent informal online poll on Facebook, it ranked as favourite for a significant number of people. So I was quite looking forward to reading it, particularly as I had entirely forgotten the plot.

It’s a winter story, set in the Shropshire setting around the Long Mynd, but with a snow covering and even some blizzards. The ten-year-old twins Dickie and Mary have had whooping cough, and are supposed to be getting fresh air and rest in the countryside. They are able to meet up with Peter (Petronella), their close friend who lives not far from Witchend, their Shropshire home, and right from the time they alight from the train, strange things start to happen…

There’s a rather strange lorry driver who gives them a ride, and is asking questions about a somewhat run-down inn not far away. When they arrive at Witchend, they can’t find Agnes, their housekeeper… and when they discover her, at last, she’s with an injured stranger. Snow means that Peter is unable to get home, and when her father is invited to stay with his brother over Christmas, she accepts an invitation to stay at Witchend with her friends.

Much of the story involves a forest of growing conifers, some of which are sold as Christmas trees. They’re the target for some thieves, and inevitably the children get drawn in. There’s quite a cast of characters in this story, including rather more adults than are usually involved in the Lone Pine series. The twins’ older brother David, who is Peter’s special friend, arrives with his parents, and they have more of a role than I had expected: but perhaps those parts were cut out from the abridged versions, as they don’t add too much to the story.

It’s a well-written adventure, nicely paced and with plenty of interaction between the characters, something that is generally lacking in the Armada paperbacks. There are some light-hearted sections as the twins play their role in introducing themselves to others, there’s some tension with David and Peter’s friend Tom who can be quite abrupt with the twins, as he has a hard time understanding them. And there’s a very poignant section towards the end involving the twins’ scottie dog Macbeth.

All in all, I thought this an excellent story, one that would probably appeal to children or younger teens who like adventures, and of course great comfort reading for adults like me who recall this series fondly from our younger days.

‘Wings over Witchend’ stands alone, and there are always introductions to the books that explain who the Lone Pine club are, for anyone who has not read the earlier books in the series. But since they’re an ongoing series (even if the chronology is a bit strange, and the main characters don’t get much older as the years go by) I feel it’s best to have read at least some of the earlier books first, particularly ‘Mystery at Witchend’, first in the series, and its immediate sequel ‘Seven White Gates’.

Unfortunately the 'Girls Gone By' edition of 'Wings over Witchend' is quite pricey at present, as it's not currently in print. But it can sometimes be found used or less expensively via online forums or groups. The Armada abridged version is sometimes found in charity shops, and is still worth having if you can't find a full edition.

Review copyright 2021 Sue's Book Reviews