Secret of the Crystal Cave

Lisa Arsenault is an elementary-school teacher in Ajax, Ontario.

This is the second volume in Meggy Tales, a series about the adventures
of a fictitious Irish heroine who lived in County Kerry under British
rule 200 years ago.

Because British soldiers had discovered the “hedgerow school,”
killed one of its masters and wounded another, Meggy, her brother, and
their friends must locate a new home for their “hiding school.” They
literally stumble over an underground cave, which they transform into a
magical place of learning for the children of their village. With
Meggy’s creative and imaginative guidance, they develop secret codes,
circuitous routes for the children to follow to school, and other
devices to maintain the secret of the cave. When the whereabouts of the
school is eventually discovered, they work together to foil the traitor
and the soldiers.

For a young peoples’ story, this fast-paced and exciting adventure is
quite complex, with several well-developed subplots. The characters are
well defined with distinct personalities and present an intriguing
ensemble. The traitor in their midst has her own story and reasons for
betraying her people to the British, which the author duly explores.
Dialogue reflects the brogue of the time but is comprehensible to the
modern reader. Highly recommended.