The Stolen Lake (1981)

I am a great fan of Joan Aiken, particularly the books which feature Dido Twite. As for this one, the word preposterous comes to mind. All of the stories of hers I have read have many elements which suspend reality....This one does more than suspend reality; it shoots it off into space. Nothing is possible, but Dido is still Dido and I did enjoy it. ( )

You forget, when you grow up, that some of your favourite children's authors have carried on writing more books. It was fun to discover that, following The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Black Hearts in Battersea and Nightbirds on Nantucket, some of my favourite books as a child, Joan Aiken wrote several others following the adventures of the lively and outspoken Dido Twite, who frequently finds herself mixed up in very dangerous situations but always manages to get out of them with a combination of common sense, scepticism and bravery.

In this story Aiken continues her alternate version of history where the world is familiar but not quite as we know it - this time imagining that Roman America (what we call South America) was settled 1300 years before by an alliance of Romans and Britains fleeing from the invading Saxons back in Britain (playing with a combination of the ancient legendary Celtic island of Hy Brasil and the more recent historical settlement of Welsh communities in South America). Without giving anything of the plot away, this device allows Aiken to bring in elements of the Arthurian myth also.

A good high spirited adventure which anyone who enjoyed her earlier books will probably appreciate. ( )

This is the 4th in what is now called The Wolves Chronicles, in the order that the stories take place. Dido Twite is finally on her way home to England from Nantucket, but has a couple more adventures ahead of her on the way home.

The captain of the ship taking Dido home has been asked to help the Queen of the forgotten country, New Cumbria get back her lake, and takes Dido with him because he has heard she likes children. However, New Cumbria turns out to be a rather strange and unpleasant place, with very few children on the streets - what has happened to them all. It doesn't take Dido long to realise that someone is up to no good.

I found this book quite funny and scary at times, but I don't love it as much as the 4 I read and reread as a child. I think Dido, a clever and brave young girl who has had to face a lot of unpleasant people in her short life, is a brilliant character though.

I think this book is also more complex in some ways than some of the others in the series. As well as the good and bad characters of other stories, there are several who Dido and the reader end up having very mixed feelings about, as they show kindness at some points but then allow their principles to be compromised. ( )

I love it although I wasn't happy with the main charcter at first I warmed up to her and her friends ( )

http://www.lonelymountain.net/books/favorites.html#aikenwc ( )