TARS Book Group
The book group is being refreshed. If you have any suggestions please contact Elizabeth Williams: elizabeth.williams10@aol.com
Our latest meeting was on Sunday 26th October 2025 at 7 pm.
Our books were:
- Angel of Grasmere by Tom Palmer
- High Rise Mystery by Sharna Jackson
- Novel Ransome by Kirsty Nichol Findlay
Earlier books are listed in the Book Group Archive page.
About the book group
This initiative arose from remarks by Mike Bender in his book Sunlight and Shadows (Amazon Publications) to the effect that Ransome’s books had dropped out of the public eye or the ‘cultural conversation’ and ceased to have relevance in the world of current children’s literature. The idea behind the Book Group was to raise the profile of Ransome’s books by developing a link between them and present-day children’s books – while providing an enjoyable reading experience and discussion forum for interested TARS members, possibly leading to the announcement of an annual shortlist and maybe an ‘award’ of our own.
We have focused on recently-published books that reflect the ‘Spirit of Swallows and Amazons’ – a discussion topic in its own right, but candidates were books that celebrated initiative, action, challenge and achievement, co-operation, comradeship and capability, usually in an outdoor setting.
Our selections were drawn initially from the shortlists of children’s book award schemes, including the Carnegie, the Costa Children’s Book Awards and schemes run for schools by county council education departments, such as Cumbria and Oxford. Suggestions from members were also welcomed.
