Five on a Treasure Island; Buried Reading Treasure Or An Old Coke Can??? (The Famous Five: Five on a Treasure Island - Enid Blyton)

Member Name: Caveat-Emptor

Product:	The Famous Five: Five on a Treasure Island - Enid Blyton
Date:	08/07/09 (35 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The first famous five story, filled with adventure

Disadvantages: Your child will probably make you but the other 20 books too!!

My Review Of The Famous Five: Five on a Treasure Island -by Enid Blyton
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Introduction
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Enid Blyton is possibly the best known writer of children's books (and certainly my all time favourite) and her Famous Five stories are arguably the most the best known series of books... So if you're not familiar with Blyton, and you want to treat your child to a wonderful book (or if you're reliving your childhood and re-reading this book as an adult -a more popular pastime among adults than you might think -lol!) this is a great place to jump into Blyton's wonderful world of adventure!

Main Characters
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All the Famous Five books are based around two brothers Julian and Dick (aged 12 and 11 respectively), their sister Ann (aged 10), along with the most important character; their cousin George (short for Georgina -aged 11) and George's dog Timmy.

George incidentally, is based on Blyton herself; and represents to me the awkward outsider/misfit with a short temper and a heart of gold. As a child I found George the easiest character to associate myself with....

Plot Outline (non spoiler)
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Five on a Treasure Island is all about when the Julian, Dick and Ann go to stay with their cousin George at Kirrin Cottage. George's parents are in financial difficulty and decide to sell George's beloved Kirrin Island...

... which is a supposedly worthless little island with a ruined castle that has been in the Kirrin family for generations. After a Sudden storm an old ship is thrown up from the sea bed and onto the rocky shores of Kirrin Island...

...and connected to the ship is a legend of hidden gold!! George and her cousins then engage in a race against time to find the gold, save the island and help George's parents; Aunt Fanny and Uncle Quentin in the process.

I always loved this book as a child - it's a classic. Full of adventure, gentle days and exciting moments; Blyton's pacing is masterful... Blyton's is a world where children can roam free without worry or danger (a far cry from today!) and the 'five' are always trying to do the right thing, even though they have very human frailties...

Blyton's writing is often criticised (by people who can't write for toffee -lol!!) for not having more character depth to the characters -but make no mistake this writing style is very deliberate.

I for one wouldn't have enjoyed this book half as much if the all the detail had been sketched to the characters. But because Blyton gives the reader room to project themselves into the book, a young reader (as I did) can very easily 'become' one of the 'five'...

What greater gift can a children's writer have than to encourage a young reader to use their imagination. Blyton is and remains the supreme Queen of children's books - as Five on a Treasure Island yet again proves...

My Verdict
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I loved this book as a child, (I still have my original copy -lol!) I love any excuse to read Blyton to my young nephews and probably the best endorsement of all; if I'm honest I have still love any excuse for re-reading it now!

Five on a Treasure Island is the very first book of the Famous Five adventure stories - it's ideal reading material for children of all ages (say about 7 or 8 up to about 99 lol!) and I heartily recommend it!

Hope you found my review of some help, and good luck with your bargain hunting!!

Best wishes,
Caveat-Emptor (Brett)

Summary: If you're looking for a gentle, exciting adventure in a sweeter old England -You will love it!!