by Arthur Ransome
Classic children's book telling of war with pirates.
I first read Swallows & Amazons when I was at school. I loved it, and went on to read as many other books in the series as I could obtain from the local library.
The book tells the tale of a perfect summer holiday spent on a fictional lake in the Lake District in August 1929. The Walker children are allowed to take their boat, Swallow, and go camping on Wild Cat Island. After a few days, they encounter the Blackett sisters, self-styled pirates who sail a boat named Amazon, and war is declared.
Swallows & Amazons is a real feel-good book. It was great fun to re-read it after so many years. The memories flooded back.