Nicholas Stuart Gray

The Seventh Swan — (1962) Young adult. Publisher: When a beautiful young Scottish woman learns the story of how the young man with whom she has been dancing came to have a swan's wing for a right arm, she determines to learn sorcery and to enlist the aid of his mercenary soldier, and free him from the spell.

The Seventh Swan

I had a hard time getting into The Seventh Swan at first; I think Nicholas Stuart Gray's writing style was the culprit. He jumps between points-of-view constantly, so it's hard to tell who's thinking what. After I got used to that, though, I found The Seventh Swan moving.

Alasdair is the seventh swan-brother from the famous fairy tale, left with a swan's wing instead of one of his arms because his sister was unable to finish that last shirt in time. He is a young Scottish lord in this novel, incredibly handsome but shrouded in self-pity and the immaturity that comes from having such a strange "childhood." Since he lacks his sword-arm, he has a bodyguard, Ewen, a gruff mercenary who is both more kind and more haunted than he seems.

Alasdair also has a sweetheart, Fenella, who finds out about what ails him. Being an intrepid young lady, Fenella sets out immediately to find the magic to give him back his arm. But dangers await, and many unwise decisions are made by various characters, and misadventures ensue. Along the way, we come to care for all of the characters. Although I would have preferred a different ending to the story, The Seventh Swan is worth reading if you’ve ever wondered what happened to that fellow with a wing for an arm. (Juliet Marillier’s SEVENWATERS series delves into this aspect of the tale, too, and I recommend it highly.) —Kelly Lasiter

Grimbold's Other World — (1963) Ages 9-12. Publisher: Mother Meg blew out the candle and closed the door behind her. A heavy weight landed on the bed and a husky voice asked, "Might I have your attention?" It is the black cat Grimbold who introduces the boy Muffler to the night-world, much more exciting than the day-time world, but also more alarming. Nicholas Stuart Gray was a professional actor and wrote many plays, both for stage and television. He was regarded as a pioneeer of children's theatre in Britain and also wrote many children's novels and collections of fantasy stories.

Mainly in Moonlight — (1965) Publisher: Ten stories of sorcery and the supernatural.

The Apple-Stone — (1965) Ages 9-12.

A Wind from Nowhere — (1978) Ages 9-12. Publisher: When Tamsin picked a particularly odd-looking fungus and then dropped it, she was asking for trouble. The fungus was magic, and it was offended.

The Wardens of the Weir — (1978) Ages 9-12.