Nordy Bank (novel)
Front cover of first edition
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| Author | Sheena Porter |
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| Illustrator | Annette Macarthur-Onslow |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's adventure novel, supernatural fiction |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
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Publication date
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1964 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 144 pp (first edition) |
| ISBN | (New Oxford Library, 1979) |
| OCLC | 688964 |
| LC Class | PZ7.P8338 No3 |
Nordy Bank is a children's adventure novel by Sheena Porter, published by Oxford in 1964 with illustrations by Annette Macarthur-Onslow. Set in the hills of Shropshire, it features children whose camping holiday seems to engage the prehistoric past. Porter won the annual Carnegie Medal for excellence in British children's literature.
Roy Publishers issued the first US edition in 1967, retaining the original illustrations.
Six children plan a camping trip during the Easter holidays, deciding on Brown Clee Hill as it is out of the way of summer visitors. They set up camp on the top of the hill, which turns out to be the site of an Iron Age hill fort, Nordy Bank. Bronwen is particularly susceptible to the atmosphere of the place, and shows unexpected knowledge about its construction. Her personality begins to change, as from a quiet good-natured girl she becomes argumentative, then increasingly withdrawn and sullen. Bron is aware of the change and frightened by it. Her friend Margery believes she is possessed by the spirit of an Iron Age woman.
Meanwhile an Alsatian dog of the Royal Army Veterinary Corps escapes while on his way to retraining by the National Canine Defence League after being retired due to partial deafness. Being muzzled, he is unable to hunt and becomes increasingly hungry. When the dog appears lurking round the camp, the dog-loving Bron reacts with fear and hostility, calling him a wolf. However, his forlorn state eventually rouses her true self and she befriends him.
The novel is set primarily in a precisely described location, Nordy Bank on Brown Clee Hill in Shropshire. The surrounding countryside, the Shropshire Hills, the village of Clee St. Margaret, and the market town of Ludlow also feature prominently. (As of 2007 Porter lives in Ludlow.)
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