Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper

A delightful mesh of The Chronicles of Narnia meets "National Treasure," Over Sea, Under Stone is also a thrilling introduction to Arthurian legend. Award-winning children’s author Susan Cooper creates a cast of lively characters in a captivating setting, making this reader very upset that an immediate spelunking expedition at the English seaside simply isn’t possible.

          Siblings Simon, Jane, and Barney are visiting their mysterious Great-Uncle Merry at the seaside town of Cornwall when they uncover an ancient map in the floorboards of their rented house. Overjoyed to find the cryptic artifact, they soon realize that they are not the only ones to take an interest in the discovery. The most innocent of inquiries into the map’s history gets the children the attention of Cornwall’s sinister vicar, the enigmatic owners of a sailing yacht, and an unpleasant older boy, each of whom clearly want the map for their own purposes. Guided by Great-Uncle Merry, who knows more than he will tell, the children embark on a desperate attempt to solve the map’s message while fending off all those who want it for their own questionable purposes. Their enemies, however, are unscrupulous and seem to be aided by a dark power as strong as evil; as the pursuit intensifies, Simon, Jane, and Barney slowly lose almost all those whom they thought they could trust and the story climaxes in a chase that takes place over sea and under stone.

          A good choice for readers who enjoy C.S. Lewis’s Narnian series, Over Sea, Under Stone capably presents the allure of a favorite legend. Rather than retell the entire myth, however, the story focuses on elements such as the power of ancient tales to affect the present and the importance and magical influence of history in contemporary life. The series continues with The Dark Is Rising, Greenwitch, The Grey King and Silver on the Tree. The fourth novel, The Grey King, was the recipient of the 1976 Newbery Medal.