Tuesday, 16 July 2019

Norman Dale: Forgotten author of childrens' adventure books

Norman George Denny was an author, translator and editor who wrote under the pseudonym Norman Dale, when publishing his childrens' books. His work seems largely forgotten now, which is a real shame as he was a talented writer, in the Enid Blyton mold. His books include:





Secret Service (1943), Dangerous Treasure (1944)(republished in the US as 
The Six Stone Faces in 1960)The Best Adventure (1945), The Secret Motorcar (1954) which feature the adventures of Ginger and pals. 


The Exciting Journey (1947), Mystery Christmas (1948), Skeleton Island (1949) which form a trilogy.


The Valley of the Snake (1953), The Casket and the Sword (1955), The Clock that Struck Fifteen (1956), Johnnie-by-the-River (1957)

The Medenham Carnival (1957), All Change for Medenham (1959), The Pied Piper of Medenham 1959), A Medenham Secret (1962)


The House Where Nobody Lived (1958), The Game that Really Happened (1959), Look at Farms (1960), Workbook (1963), The House in Cobble Lane (1964)


He also wrote under his real name, the following:
The Serpent & the Dove (1938), Sweet Confusion: A Novel (1947), Arrival in Wycherly (1951), Story in Half-Light (1954), The Bayeux Tapestry: The Story of the Norman Conquest (1966) – with Josephine Fillmore Sandy

I have been lucky enough to find some of his books online and have really enjoyed reading them. In particular Skeleton Island, which is quite hard to come by nowadays, is outstanding.

Brief synopses:
The Casket and The Sword (1955)
This book tells the story of Jeremy who is sent off to the West Country to recuperate after Measles, to stay with his Aunt Eleanor.. Near to her cottage is the mysterious country estate of Castlecombe. Surrounded by 15 miles of brick wall, the estate is fascinating to Jeremy and he has adventures with Clive and Sally exploring the menagerie of animals on The Old Park and the sprawling house of Castecombe itself. Can Jeremy help the Palfrey's regain their family home? 

The House in Cobble Lane (1964)
This book is set in London and tells that tale of two boys and how they become entangled in a mystery involving a missing yacht, Venezuelan singer and the Brunner mob. I enjoyed this book very much and managed to complete it in just two sittings. 

The House Where Nobody Lived (1958)
Two children are staying wit relatives in the countryside when they find an abandoned house in the woods and decide to fix it up. They encounter a gang of other children and have a few adventures and close calls. This book was ok but personally I was disappointed as it was very short and written I imagine for a younger audience than his adventure novels.