Over Sea, Under Stone

Susan Cooper is best known for her acclaimed five-book fantasy sequence “The Dark is Rising,” which won a Newbery Medal, a Newbery Honor Award, and two Carnegie Honor Awards. Born in England in 1935, she became a reporter and feature writer for the London Sunday Times–her first boss was James Bond creator Ian Fleming–before moving to the United States in 1963. Her first novels were “Mandrake” and the autobiographical “Dawn of Fear,” followed by the complete Dark is Rising sequence (Over Sea, Under Stone; The Dark is Rising; Greenwitch; The Grey King; Silver on the Tree). The sequence, deeply rooted in the rich heritage of Arthurian legend and Celtic mythology, is a classic work of children’s literature, still in print after 40 years.