Catching up with BlogFlash 2012; days 12 - 15

My goodness, I'm behind. It's a normal thing for me, like when we had to run that mile in track ... back in gym class.... good times.

Ah, the glory and joy of wearing a "Gym Suit"

I missed a few posts of BlogFlash since I had promised Goddess Fish a stop on the Justin Ordenez tour. And I'm glad I did; Sykosa was amazing. You can read more about that here and here.

However, I see that I've missed Day 13 - 15, which have the prompts Forest, Children, and Books.

I'm going to totally cheat here, just like I did in the running of the track back in 11th grade, by combining the three into one post. I've been rereading classics lately (I just finished The Prisoner of Zenda) and these blog prompts made me think of The Children of the New Forest.

This book is the story of the children of Colonel Beverley. During the battle of the Royalists and the Roundheads, everyone thinks they have been killed in a fire. They are not dead, however, and they escape to The New Forest to live there with their former gamekeeper. 

The two boys and two girls have to learn how to live off the land, after being raised in a wealthy household. They begin by being spoilt brats ("boisterous romps") although they are willing enough to learn how to live in the forest. 

There is loads of excitement and adventure, which are my drugs of choice, as the children escape being found by the Roundhead soldiers and grow up in the Forest. 

The book is compelling enough, although it is written in the style of The Swiss Family Robinson : This happened, then this occurred, etc. Character development is a bit rudimentary, and I think the book would make an excellent candidate for a modern rewrite.

Still, if you enjoy reading about hunting and sport, there is loads of that in The Children of the New Forest. The boys learn how to hunt and dress stags, and the girls learn to milk and take care of cows and chickens. 

Drama increases as the plot continues, and the historical background is excellent. I recommend this for anyone who likes to read classics or about survival.

PS - You can read this bad boy for FREE from Project Gutenburg, here, on your Kindle or PC.