Margot Pardoe supervision; as in Arthur Ransome's "Swallows and Amazons series", these often take place in a rural setting. However, there are some differences which set Pardoe's books, and the "Bunkle" series in particular, apart. The children do not live in a vacuum; unlike Blyton's St Clare's series, World War II is mentioned (with the associated inconveniences of rationing and black-out), and the children also age. Bunkle is ten when the first book starts and ages gradually until the last but one volume, before returning to his original age in the last adventure which is hard to find owing to a short
Swallows and Amazons series the young protagonists, many — generally benevolent — adult characters also appear. The most prominently involved are the Blackett sisters' uncle Jim Turner, who is called Captain Flint by the children, after the character in "Treasure Island", and Mrs Barrable in "Coot Club". A painfully shy geologist, named Timothy, is also accepted by the children during "Pigeon Post" and included in their adventures. The "Swallows and Amazons" series has strong links with the real world. Extensive elements of both the characters and the settings can be traced back to incidents in Ransome's life and are the raw material for much