The Children of Green Knowe

The Green Knowe Chronicles, Book One

By: L.M. Boston

Narrated by: Simon Vance

L.M. Boston's thrilling and chilling tales of Green Knowe, a haunted manor deep in an overgrown garden in the English countryside, have been entertaining readers for half a century.

There are three children: Toby, who rides the majestic horse Feste; his mischievous little sister, Linnet; and their brother, Alexander, who plays the flute. The children warmly welcome Tolly to Green Knowe...even though they've been dead for centuries. But that's how everything is at Green Knowe. The ancient manor hides as many stories as it does dusty old rooms. And the master of the house is great-grandmother Oldknow, whose storytelling mixes present and past with the oldest magic in the world.

Don't miss the rest of the The Green Knowe Chronicles.©2006 L.M. Boston (P)2006 Listen and Live Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

"Magic and mystery combine....Boston is an effortless stylist and her magic seems as simple as breathing." (The Washington Post)

A Magical Story

I have read this book many times. I loved how the audio recording was like an old radio show performance with all the different stories. It is the type of story to share with your grandchildren.

Charming if Mild by Today's Standards

I found this story utterly charming and endearing. However, I think children of Today, and maybe even days past, could find The Children of Green Knowe as exciting as the adventures of a poky little puppy. To be frank, the story is very tame, and though magical, the first few pages of Harry Potter hold many more events than this whole book. The story could be a bit too sweet and uneventful for some. Still I enjoyed hearing about times past and descriptions of little boys I only ever hear from authors of this era and earlier. The fact that the author based this on her own, famously ancient house makes this all the more pleasing. It all has a feeling of going home, or how you'd wish home to be when you are a child. I like that people used to play, or wish to play with swords, rocking horses and flutes. A little finds a loving grandmother and a house alive with the ghosts of three children from the past. They are relatives and he plays with these children and hears stories of the past. The only vilian, if he is such, is a cursed malevolent Topiary that takes up a few pages. The stories told in this book are rich with the lure of the past and tradition that reaches back forever like permanent old friends. The author said she wrote these to please herself and I think I'd have done the same if I was lucky enough to live in such a home. How wonderful to create such idyllic young ghosts in romantic surroundings. Still, I think many may be bored by these tame tales. The narrator is as pleasing as the story. For a little more adventure and excitement with a similar feel, try reading some Nesbit (the enchanted castle is a good one on here) or some of Eager's childrens books.

Very good

Good story, well read. Whole family enjoyed it. Not one of my absolute favorites, but good.

Fascinating amusing delightful

I listened to the audiobook and read the hardcover. This is one of the most entertaining stories I've ever heard. 👍

A Christmas must

A story of the pure joy, Pooh-style, of being alive, where reality, dream and fantasy merge seemlessly. A peek back at an earlier time, when going to a church was respectable and certain caricatures were not.

Good for Children

I only listened to about a third of this book before deciding not to finish it. There was certainly nothing wrong with it - the writing was vivid, the characters sweet and loveable, and Simon Vance's narration brilliant (as usual!) The plot just moved on a bit too slowly for me - I kept waiting for something to happen that would pique my interest. I do think it would be a very good book for children. That's not to say that it wouldn't be nice for adults as well. It was just not my cup of tea ☕ (which, regarding books at least, would be Earl Grey as opposed to English Breakfast 🌝)

Childhood favorite

….mostly; I read the whole series as a child, but didn't realize it was based on a real house until decades later. Boston clearly did love this house very much, enough that the house seems to be a character in its own right.