A much-loved classic story about a boy's adventures among smugglers and thieves as he endeavours to discover the whereabouts of the treasure hidden by the legendary pirate Blackbeard.

Both a mystery and an adventure story, the classic Moonfleet (1898) is a tale of smuggling set among the cliffs, caves, and downs of Dorset. It is at once a well-paced account of dramatic action and a celebration of the unregainable freedoms of childhood. Falkner's feeling for history and for the topography of his Dorset setting combine with his gift for storytelling to turn Moonfleet into an historical romance of moving intensity.

Moonfleet tells the story of John Trenchard. One night in Moonfleet, he hears a tale of cursed treasure. John and his friend Elzevir go in search of the treasure and become involved in another Moonfleet secretsmuggling. TreeTops Classics are adapted and abridged versions of classic stories to enrich and extend children's reading experiences.

These children's classics have been sensitively adapted to enrich your junior pupils' reading. They are part of a structured reading programme for juniors from Oxford Reading Tree, Stages 9-16. They have masses of boy and girl appeal and will introduce your readers to significant authors from the past - a key part of the Literacy Strategy. Each book features two author biographies - one for the original author and one for the TreeTops author. In addition each book includes comprehension questions and teaching notes to help draw out and practice difficult comprehension strategies such as inference, empathy and deduction. There are also notes to help with historical and social context and any challenging vocabulary, ensuring the books are easily accessible. This book is also available as part of a mixed pack of 6 different books or a class pack of 36 books of the same ORT stage. Each book pack comes with a free copy of up-to-date and invaluable teaching notes.

Everyone in the tiny village of Moonfleet lives by the sea one way or another, so it's no surprise when young John Trenchard gets involved in the smuggling trade. Forced to flee England with a price on his head, John little guesses the adventures and trials he will have before he sees Moonfleet again or the change in his fortunes when he does.

Moonfleet (1898) is an adventure novel by J. Meade Falkner. Largely forgotten by today’s readers, Falkner was more widely known in his lifetime for his nonfiction works on history and topography as well as his role as chairman of a major arms manufacturer. Far from the amateur musings of a bored millionaire, Falkner’s writing shows a mastery of genre fiction while benefitting from his extensive geographical knowledge. Moonfleet has been adapted several times for radio, television, and film, most notably for Fritz Lang’s 1955 feature of the same name. “When I was a child I thought that this place was called Moonfleet, because on a still night, whether in summer, or in winter frosts, the moon shone very brightly on the lagoon; but learned afterwards that 'twas but short for 'Mohune-fleet', from the Mohunes, a great family who were once lords of all these parts.” Growing up in Moonfleet, young John Trenchard couldn’t help but hear the legends of the powerful Mohune family, whose ancestor Colonel Blackbeard is said to have stolen a diamond from King Charles I. An orphan, he is raised by his aunt, Miss Arnold, who tries to protect him from the violence and crime perpetuated by local smugglers. At church one Sunday, John hears noises from the crypt below and endeavors to return. The next day, he encounters two of his friends beside the church wall, and suspects they are searching for the ghost of Blackbeard. As he steps into a sinkhole in the graveyard, he finds himself in a tunnel leading to the crypt, where the telltale signs of smuggling reveal a shocking secret. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of J. Meade Falkner’s Moonfleet is a classic of English adventure fiction reimagined for modern readers.