Twelve adventures for children under La Palma’s amazing starry sky.
by Sheila Crosby
(Children's fiction, paperback, 148 pages, A5)
Take a journey through La Palma’s turbulent past, into its present and out into the exciting future. Chedey will tell you how his world collapsed when the Spanish conquered the Island in 1493, Althay will explain what happened when the volcano erupted, Daida shares her visit from an extraterrestrial and Leyre will take you out into space.
To buy the book, click “Add to cart”. Then go to the Checkout Page (or carry on shopping)
Cover for The Seer's Stone
As you travel you’ll learn what happens when:
Everyone expects you to tell the future but you don’t know how,
You don’t know when you have to save your friend, or how,
Most people think the world will end on Wednesday night,
There’s no more exploring left to do,
You find the lost island of San Borondón,
His Lordship decides you’d make good dragon-food,
Pirates want to sell you as a slave,
The volcano erupts,
Aliens kidnap you, or try to save the world, or get lost on their way to Las Palmas,
You get lots of weird birthday presents from people who don’t normally give you anything.
Sheila Crosby is originally from Leeds, but she lives in the Canary Islands, just off the North West coast of Africa. She caught the writing bug at high school, and she still hasn't found a cure. Over the years, she's sold over fifty stories, plus a handful of articles. "The Seer's Stone" is her second anthology of fiction.
You can buy this book direct from the author on this page, or in book shops around La Palma.
The recommended retail price is €10 + P&P.
Full price including post and packing:
To Spain: 12.50€
To the rest of Europe: 18.50€ (about £13.80)
Rest of the world: 22€ (about $26 US)
To buy the book, click "Add to cart". Then click Product Page -> Checkout to pay with Paypal. (If you don't have a Paypal account, you will be able to pay with a credit card on the Paypal site).
Map and Table of Contents for The Seer's Stone Click on the image to see a larger version
The Seer's Stone - El Paso, May 1493.
The Seer's Stone (first story) Click on the image to see a larger and longer version
.
Roast Cheese - Breña Baja and Mazo, October 1592
Shooting stars shot out of the constellation Draco, the dragon, as they did every year on October 8th. They whizzed across the sky, and the few humans who were still awake oohed and ahhed in delight. One streaked towards La Palma, over Breña Baja, and landed in the top of one of the dragon trees at Zumacal.
The dragon woke up.
A Star in the Water - Fuencaliente, November de 1677
The graja dragged its poor wing along the stony beach as it hopped past Althay, who sat with his back against the cliff.
“Silly bird,” he laughed. “I've seen your tricks before.” But he threw it a little ball of gofio anyway.
“I'm not some stupid Englishman come for the waters.” He threw another morsel. “I've watched you doing this all summer.” And another. “But I like your cheek.”
The Devil on the Beach - Puntagorda and Tijarafe, June 1758
Illustration and first page of The Devil on the Beach Click on the image to see a larger version
San Borondon - Tazacorte, 1856
“Devil child!” Fr. Santiago's blow to Julian's ear knocked Julian dizzy. “Who told you to pick the unripe tomatoes?”
The End of the World - Los Llanos, May 1910
COMET'S POISONOUS TAIL!
Yerkes observatory finds cyanogen in the spectrum of Halley's comet
Sharing Birthdays - Los Sauces, 1930
“Happy twelfth birthday!”
Birthdays weren't so important when your parents had eleven children (so far) and not much money. But the extra attention was nice -what David got of it. The one day when he should have been the centre of attention, and he had to share it with Silvia. He hated being a twin
Mr Pock-Pock - Barlovento, October 1959
Illustration and first page of Mr Pock-Pock Click on the image to see a larger version
.
Kidnapped by Aliens - Puntallana, September 1969
The aliens kidnapped me while I was unloading knickers from the washing machine. The big window snapped wide open, and I felt the gentlest tug around my waist as I was lifted off my feet.
Zuggy Zu and the Humans - Garafía 1990
"No. Absolutely not! It's far too dangerous." The Controller threw Zuggy Zu's report in the recycling bin.
Zuggy Zu's spots turned black with disappointment. "It's not that dangerous, Sir. The air's breathable, the gravity's weak."
Ships in Bottles - Santa Cruz de La Palma 2007
Leduina slid the ship into the bottle. It was tricky because even with the masts lying flat, it could only just fit through the neck of the bottle. And there were so many little details she didn't want to break against the glass.
Saving Taslima - Breña Alta 2013
The sun beat down on the back of Leyre's neck as she scooped out a hollow in the dry slope. Mum had been right about the sun cream.
All around her, the rest of her class were scooping out their own hollows. To her right, Patricia said, “I think mine's deep enough now.”
Reviews:
We bought Sheila Crosby's book, The Seer's Stone, for my daughter-in-law who occasionally works with children and the night sky. This book, with its enticing illustrations and title caught my eye. But mostly because I wanted to read it my self before I gave it up! I am 84 years old and can give great praise to this read that I could not put down until I reached the last page. It is chock full of stories and folklore of La Palma and opens the imagination. It is a children's story but appropriate for any age, to read or be read to, satisfying a short attention span, while informing and entertaining. I especially enjoyed the story about the Halley's comet panic that ruled the earth. It triggered a recollection my father told me of the1908 Siberia Explosion caused by what they thought was an icy fragment of a comet that frightened many as well. So many of Ms Crosbys stories have the stimulation of memory or curiosity and the desire to find out more! A most enjoyable book---George Fischer
To buy the book, click "Add to cart". Then click Product Page -> Checkout to pay with Paypal. (If you don't have a Paypal account, you will be able to pay with a credit card on the Paypal site).
Cover for The Seer's Stone
