''The Cuckoo Tree'' is a children's novel by Joan Aiken, first published in 1971. Taking place in an

alternate history Alternate history (also alternative history, althist, AH) is a genre of speculative fiction of stories in which one or more historical events occur and are resolved differently than in real life. As conjecture based upon historical fact, altern ...

, the story presents the further adventures of Dido Twite, a teenage

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

tomboy, in southern

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The novel is chronologically the fifth of the

Wolves Chronicles Joan Delano Aiken (4 September 1924 – 4 January 2004) was an English writer specialising in supernatural fiction and children's alternative history novels. In 1999 she was awarded an MBE for her services to children's literature. For ''The ...

, a series of books set in a fictional 19th century in which the

Stuart Stuart may refer to: Names * Stuart (name), a given name and surname (and list of people with the name) Automobile *Stuart (automobile) Places Australia Generally *Stuart Highway, connecting South Australia and the Northern Territory Northe ...

kings had not been ousted by William of Orange; a key plot driver (from ''

Black Hearts in Battersea ''Black Hearts in Battersea'' is a children's novel by Joan Aiken first published in 1964. The second book in the Wolves Chronicles, it is loosely a sequel to her earlier '' Wolves of Willoughby Chase''. The book is set in a slightly altered ...

'') is the efforts of "Hanoverians" to overthrow "King James III" and his heirs. ''The Cuckoo Tree'' was published before its prequel, ''The Stolen Lake''. 'The Cuckoo Tree' is also a sequel to 'The Whispering Mountain', with Captain Hughes of HMS 'Thrush', (the ship is also mentioned in the Felix series) eventually reunited with his son, Owen, the hero of the previous book, who takes part in the coronation, but is otherwise only briefly mentioned in 'The Cuckoo Tree'.

Plot

Captain Hughes and Dido Twite are travelling by stagecoach from the port of Chichester with important dispatches for the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral * Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings *Admiralty, Tr ...

in London when the carriage is upset and Captain Hughes is injured. While looking for help, Dido encounters a group of men who direct her to Teaglaze Manor; the men turn out to be smugglers who use the local canal system to transport their wares to London. At Teagleaze Manor, Dido encounters several characters including Lady Tegleaze, who sends her servants and personal physician to the aid of Captain Hughes. Hughes is settled in an abandoned tenant cottage to recover, under the care of a local nurse, the unpleasant Mrs. Lubbage. Unwilling to trust the local postman and needing to get the dispatches to London, Dido goes to "the Cuckoo Tree," a local landmark used as a rendezvous by the smugglers. There she encounters Cris, a mysterious child who proves to be a key element in a plot to swindle Lady Tegleaze out of her property. However there is another plot afoot; Lady Tegleaze's lawyer, Mr. Fitzpickwick, is in league with a Hanoverian agent planning to kill the young king at his coronation. With the aid of Cris and the Wineberry smugglers, Dido must rescue Lady Tegleaze' grandson Sir Tobit and race the Hanoverian plotters to

St. Pauls Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

, where her old friend Simon is now Master of the King's Garlandries.

Characters

* Dido Twite, a teenage cockney; the protagonist of the novel * Captain Hughes, of H. M. S. ''Thrush'', the ship which picked up Dido in Nantucket * Lady Tegleaze, owner of Teagleaze Manor and its declining estates * Gusset, butler to Lady Tegleaze * Sir Tobit, the grandson of Lady Tegleaze * Daisy Lubbage, a famous nurse and herbalist * Cris, an orphan under the care of Mrs. Lubbage * Yan Wineberry, a smuggler and the son of Mr. Gusset * Desmond Twite, aka Pa, Dido's father and an activist of the Hanoverian cause * King Richard IV, son and heir of James III

References

*Aitken, Joan. ''The Cuckoo Tree'', Doubleday & Company, Inc. 1971
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External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cuckoo Tree, The 1971 British novels 1971 children's books Children's historical novels British children's novels British alternative history novels English novels Novels set in England Novels by Joan Aiken Doubleday (publisher) books Children's books set in England