Arthur Ransome, Hugh's great-uncle, went to Russia to collect folk tales. In his pocket he carried a stone from Peel Island on Coniston Water. Swept up in the turbulent events of the Russian Revolution, he played chess with Lenin, became the only western journalist trusted by the Bolsheviks, and lost his heart to Trotsky's secretary, Evgenia. In 1919 they escaped from Moscow, the stone still in Ransome's pocket.

Hugh Lupton is highly-acclaimed as one of Britain's foremost storytellers. You're in for a treat. Suitable for ages 12+.