Novel 9: Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper

The protagonists of the novel Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper, are the three brothers Simon, Barney and Jane Drew. Secondary characters include Great-Uncle Merry, the kids' parents, the dog Rufus and the domestic. The antagonists are a yachtsman, his sister, the boy Bill and Mr. Hastings. The story takes place in Trewissick and, more specifically, in the Grey House, the grail's hiding place, on the beach, in the nearby woods, in the center of Trewissick and on the coastline. The story takes place in an unspecified time but I presume it takes place in the late 1980's or first 1990's. In the story, the Drew family goes to visit Trewissick with Great-Uncle Merry and reside in the Grey House, an old fisherman's house. The house is old and mysterious, so the kids decide to explore it. They find a secret room and discover an old map that leads to a grail. The children show the map to Merry, who tells them that they must find the grail. In the meanwhile, also the yachtsman and his sister are after the grail and with the help of Bill, they try to capture the siblings. The Drews, with the help of Rufus' instinct, manage to find all the hints and uncover the grail's hiding place. However, the town's vicar, who really is a man known as Mr. Hastings, is collaborating with the yachtsman. The children find a cave near the shore and in it, the grail. They are attacked by Mr. Hastings but Great-Uncle Merry intervenes. Merry says that the three children had been collaborating with the Light against the Dark by retrieving the grail, a powerful object. This is a wonderful story that combines the legend of King Arthur with fantasy and imagination.

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