Two brothers, a sister. Picnic basket. Transported to another land. Oldest brother uses fork to fight, next brother uses spoon to paddle boat, sister transformed into cat, uses knife against spiders. Each fulfills quest, awakens sleeping army. Prior to 1980 best guess.
From what I can remember of the story, three siblings find themselves in another land because they are asked to help the people there. I don’t recall their original intentions, but they had taken a picnic basket. They had metal utensils, fork, knife, and spoon, and the metal had special properties in the land they ended up in. Each child is given a quest and chooses one of the utensils to use. Oldest brother chooses the fork and used it as a weapon. Second brother took the spoon and used it to paddle a boat across water. I recall he fought with some type of bird for the item he was sent to find. The girl followed a fox into a forest where she was transformed into a cat. She was attacked by spiders who covered her with webs. She was able to use the knife to destroy the webs and get free. The only other thing I remember is that there was a sleeping army that was released when the children completed their quests.
Thanks for all your help!
It definitely sounds like Andre Norton’s “Steel Magic”, with the three siblings going out to find and protect the magic of Avalon. They do use the utensils as described, as well as face their fears, the oldest boy is afraid of the dark and has to wander along a twilit road, the second has to deal with water and boats, the girl learns to deal with spiders. It’s a great story and I’d love to read it again. Hope this helps.
This is ‘Steel Magic, aka Gray Magic’ by Andre Norton.”A final stand for Avalon…
Sara, Greg, and Eric Lowry are exploring the woods near their uncle’s Hudson Valley estate when they are magically transported to the land of Avalon. There they meet Huon, Warden of the West. When he tells them that the forces of darkness have stolen the three talismans that protect Avalon-King Arthur’s sword, Excalibur; Merlin’s ring; and Huon’s horn-the children set off on a quest to find the three tokens of power. For Avalon stands as a wall between the Dark and the mortal world. And if Avalon falls, so does Earth…
Sounds like ‘Steel Magic’ by Andre Norton. I remember this one fondly!
From an online review: “Steel Magic (1965) — AKA Gray Magic — is the first fantasy novel in the Magic series for older children. It is based loosely on the legends of King Arthur and Roland. It involves a magic gate to Avalon and quests to find three lost tokens of power.
The Lowery children — Greg, Eric, and Sara — are staying at Tern Manor with their Uncle Mac while their father and mother are in Japan. Sara wins a picnic basket at the Firemen’s Strawberry Festival and the children decide to put it to use. The next day they pack a picnic lunch and search for a lost lake. After winding and crawling through the underbrush, they find the lake and, on as island in the middle of it, they also discover a miniature castle.
Although the doorway has been blocked with masonry, they are able to gain entrance by chipping away the mortar. Once within the castle, they are surrounded by a gray mist and, eventually, they find themselves somewhere else. After a brief exploration, they determine that they could not be on the island and are far from any place familiar. Opening the picnic backet, they start to eat while discussing the strange events, whereupon an unexpected guest shows up for lunch.
The young man introduces himself as Huon of the Horn, the Warden of the West. He also tells them of the Warden of the East, Arthur. He informs them that they are in Avalon and tells them of the three lost objects: Excalibur, his Horn, and the ring of Merlin Ambrosius. Since they have been admitted through the Gate of the Fox, he explains, they must be in Avalon for a purpose. When questioned about his knife, he states that it is dwarf silver because the natives of Avalon cannot handle iron without harm.
Huon takes them to Caer Siddi, where they meet Merlin. There they discover that evil has moved deep within Avalon and that the situation is very bad. Moreover, they are told that events in Avalon are mirrored in their own world. Merlin asks them to use their power of iron to retrieve the lost tokens and, when they agree, conducts them to a magic mirror, where they each take a stainless steel implement from the picnic basket and pass through to separate locales.
This novel is a story of courage and perseverence, with each child facing and overcoming their special fears. It has brave people and magical animals, both good and evil, including a very wise fox.”
Panda, Sue, and Chanda – That is awesome! Thank you so much! Reading your descriptions refreshed my memories of the rest of the story. That is definitely the one I’m looking for. Don’t know if I can find it in print anywhere, but I’m certainly going to look. And now I know what to look for.
Thanks for your help!
Glad we could help! It shouldn’t be too hard to find, as long as you aren’t particular about getting “the one” that you read the first time around. The book has been reprinted a number of times and is still in print now – you can buy new copies through most major booksellers. Of course, the covers and/or illustrations have changed with successive printings, so if you’re looking for a specific printing it may take a bit longer to find.
Thanks! It sounds like, very likely, it’s the book I read.