Complete title is "Mistress Masham's Repose" by T.H. White.
The blurb on the back calls this "a masterpiece of fantasy and wonder," and I think it is. I read it long ago and saw fit to keep it, though I have forgotten a lot of the story.
An orphaned ten-year-old girl, living in an enormous, broken-down house with her governess, visits a little island in the middle of a lake and finds it inhabited by tiny people. The adults around her try to keep her from doing what she knows she must do.
This is a children's book, but its involved story, literary and historical references, and good vocabulary make it also enjoyable for adults. My copy is 231 pages of ordinary-sized print--a good-sized read.
An orphaned ten-year-old girl, living in an enormous, broken-down house with her governess, visits a little island in the middle of a lake and finds it inhabited by tiny people. The adults around her try to keep her from doing what she knows she must do.
This is a children's book, but its involved story, literary and historical references, and good vocabulary make it also enjoyable for adults. My copy is 231 pages of ordinary-sized print--a good-sized read.
There are maps on the endpages, showing places in the story. Lots of pretty black and white illustrations by Fritz Eichenberg throughout.
T. H. White, famous for his King Arthur trilogy, wrote this book in 1946. This particular book has no publishing date. English 10 year old Maria is smart, curious, and being an orphan was bpractically ignored by everyone who took care of her. She finds a colony of Gulliver's Lilliputians on an island in a small lake on her estate. Trying to help them, and keep them from being found out and exploited entails many adventures, both hilarious, and heart stopping.
Fritz Eichenberg (Illustrator)
Mistress Masham's Repose, by the author of the much-adored book for children The Once and Future King, tells the story of ten-year-old Maria, orphaned mistress of Malplaquet, who discovers the secret of her deteriorating estate. On a deserted island at its far corner, in the temple nicknamed Mistress Masham's Repose, live an entire community of people - "The People," as they call themselves - all only inches tall. With the help of her only friend, the absurdly erudite Professor, Maria soon learns that this settlement is no less than the kingdom of Lilliput (first seen in Gulliver's Travels) in exile. Safely hidden for centuries, the Lilliputians are immediately endangered by Maria's well-meaning but clumsy attempts to improve their lot, but their situation grows truly ominous when they are discovered by Maria's greedy guardians, who look at The People and see only the potential for profit.--Amazon
Mistress Masham's Repose, by the author of the much-adored book for children The Once and Future King, tells the story of ten-year-old Maria, orphaned mistress of Malplaquet, who discovers the secret of her deteriorating estate. On a deserted island at its far corner, in the temple nicknamed Mistress Masham's Repose, live an entire community of people - "The People," as they call themselves - all only inches tall. With the help of her only friend, the absurdly erudite Professor, Maria soon learns that this settlement is no less than the kingdom of Lilliput (first seen in Gulliver's Travels) in exile. Safely hidden for centuries, the Lilliputians are immediately endangered by Maria's well-meaning but clumsy attempts to improve their lot, but their situation grows truly ominous when they are discovered by Maria's greedy guardians, who look at The People and see only the potential for profit.--Amazon
