The young Countess Christine Trollac, known to all as Pixie, wasn't sure at first that she would take to the boy who was visiting her family's historic castle home of Trollsgarde one Christmas season, but she needn't have worried. Although raised in England, Alexander was fluent in Flavonian, and made a pleasant but by no means quiescent companion. Despite the differences in age—Alexander was fourteen, and some years older than Pixie—the two became good friends, and had many adventures together. It was in the course of those adventures that they discovered some startling facts about Alexander's true identity. But would he be willing to follow his "destined way?" And how could he do so, without first finding the Emerald Crown...?

Originally published in 1940, The Emerald Crown was the second in Violet Needham's Stormy Petrel series, in which young people have rousing adventures in a Ruritanian setting. The first book, The Black Riders was set in a fictional central European country known only as The Empire, and concerned the doings of one Dick Fauconbois; whereas this follow-up switches focus, moving to the kingdom of Flavonia, a small country on the border of the Empire. There are no shared characters between the two books, although I understand they come together in later installments of the series. In any case, this was an immensely engaging and entertaining follow-up to The Black Riders, which I greatly enjoyed, and which set a high bar. Needham has something of a cult following, and is considered the master of the Ruritanian romance for young readers. Reading these two books, it is not difficult to see why. I read the Girls Gone By reprint of this from 2005, and enjoyed the introduction by Hilary Clare, particularly the exploration of the significance of the Emerald Crown itself. I thought the parallels to Hungary's Crown of St. Stephen were fascinating, particularly as I had recently watched the second season of the television show Sisi, about the Austrian Empress Elisabeth, and there was an episode in which she and Count Andrássy recovered the lost crown. One of those happy cases of serendipity, in my reading and viewing life! In any case, I would strongly recommend this one to readers who enjoy Ruritanian tales. It is not necessary to have read The Black Riders first, I do not think, although one should read that earlier title before proceeding to the third in the series. ( )

‘The Emerald Crown’ was first published in 1940, and set around that period. The location is a fictitious central European country called Flavonia, which has been without its rightful monarch for several decades.

Most of the story is seen through the eyes of 12-year-old Christine, generally known as Pixie. She’s a loyal and determined girl, who catches on quickly to the story's main theme, something which is rather obvious to readers from the first chapter. The storyline is enlivened by the search for the mysterious missing Emerald Crown of the title, whose discovery will herald the appearance of the real King.

It’s an adventure story that could appeal to either boys or girls of around nine or ten and upwards, if they can manage the somewhat dated style and enjoy stories with some excitement and tension, and a little more depth than some more modern fiction. I liked it very much, although the style is a bit awkward in places, and some of the minor characters are very caricatured. ( )

The second of the Stormy Petrel books, and an enjoyable Ruritanian-esque adventure story. Basil Alexander comes to Trollheim as a guest after the death of his mother. What he doesn't know is his connection to the history of the country. It's an open secret for the servants and villagers, and Pixie, the protagonist for much of the book, young daughter of the Count of Trollheim, works it out as time passes. The reader guesses it about ten seconds in, if they know the genre *g*.

Pixie is an odd protagonist -- her poise and vocab do not match her putative age. The Scottish grandmother is a frankly bizarre inclusion (though it does work for the story), and I wanted to know how the hell she ever met someone from the middle of Europe. Alexander is a nicely drawn character -- intelligent, careful, and gradually coming to love the place -- and the people.

It's a children's book, and some things are glossed over, and some things are laid on a little thick (the clues for instance...) but otherwise an enjoyable read.

For her second novel, Needham returned to the world of the Empire and Flavonia, and that stalwart of children’s literature – the long lost monarch plot. It’s another enjoyable romp of a story, with its youthful protagonists firmly in the driving seat no matter how much their deluded elders attempt to protect them. I always liked this one as a child, although I relied on frequent borrowings from the library as my mother hadn’t owned a copy. The book is very dated now, but is an interesting example of its genre. ( )

For her second novel, Needham returned to the world of the Empire and Flavonia, and that stalwart of children’s literature – the long lost monarch plot. It’s another enjoyable romp of a story, with its youthful protagonists firmly in the driving seat no matter how much their deluded elders attempt to protect them.

Flavonia has been without its rightful king for nearly a hundred years. The current incumbent of the throne is a decadent and hated individual and, of course, the descendent of a usurper who overthrew the rightful king. The people of Flavonia writhe under the tyrant’s yoke and long for the day when the rumoured great grandson of the deposed king will return to take up his throne.

Meanwhile at Trollsgarde in the mountainous province of Trollac, which I always thought bore more than a passing resemblance to Transylvania, a little girl nicknamed Pixie prepares for an unwelcome Christmas visitor. She is the beloved daughter of the governor of the province, so no Cinderella she. The visitor she awaits is a boy named Alexander, who has been living in penury at Eton in England despite being a true Flavonian. She is not told who this boy is or why her father is apparently paying his school fees (scrub your minds out gentle readers) but is sufficiently sharp-eyed to notice his strong resemblance to a portrait of one of Flavonia’s kings – the rightful, good looking ones, not the mealy mouthed foxy-faced usurpers.

Great stuff. ( )