Another underground cave! (The Island of Adventure - Enid Blyton)

Member Name: blackviolets

Product:	The Island of Adventure - Enid Blyton
Date:	16/07/09 (33 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: good story, characters

Disadvantages: n/a

Aside from my Roald Dahl collection Enid Blyton is the next author who features a lot from my childhood reading. *Warning! Sentimental rubbish approaching!*

Every Wednesday after school our Mum would take me and my siblings down to the library. Only being a 5 minute walk from the shops, she would drop us off before quickly nipping off to get the essentials. Oddly enough it was only me who enjoyed these little trips, the others more interested in playing with the soft toys. Shameful! Two books each week, one being a Roald Dahl and the other Enid Blyton. Over the years I have built up a growing box of her books which I can still read and enjoy even though I pretty much know the endings inside out.

The Island of Adventure by Enid Blyton is one which you're likely to find in most book shops in the childrens section. Even after all these years, she is just as popular with her tales of adventure, involving the bad guys vs 2 boys and 2 girls, with usually some kind of underground cave featured.

You can now get it in hardback as well as paperback, although there is a slight difference in price. On Amazon you can get the paperback version new for £4.49, in shops £6.99 or like myself you might get one for as little as 15p from a fair.

In total there are 327 pages so it's perfectly easy to read and not one you're going to put aside and not bother with again.

The story begins with the crafty way in which Philip and his sister get two friends (Jack and Lucy Anne) they've made to stay at their home, the wind-swept Craggy Tops. This is not a new house, more like a ruin than anything else but Philip's Aunt Polly cannot move because of her husband Uncle Jocelyn wouldn't. From their house, directly opposite they can see a mysterious island, aptly named the Isle of Gloom.

Along with their Aunt and Uncle, Philip and Dinah also live with a sinister man called Jo Jo. He works there doing a lot of the jobs as Uncle Jocelyn is too busy with his studies to worry about the house's upkeep. Being paid so little doesn't seem to make sense as to why he chooses to stay there. Not when he could earn more if got a job someplace else.

It isn't long before the curious streak comes out of the children, especially when flashing lights appear coming from the island, which is supposedly deserted. This is another of those, accidentally stumbling across a bunch of criminals whilst on holiday scenarios.

Ones that Enid Blyton likes to write about. Involving caves which are impossible to get out of when at high tide. Doors hidden by crates. Ladders in wells and a boat being sailed, heading towards the island in the dead of night. A mystery book which does what it says on the cover.

I cannot see why there should be an age range on this book, I find that anybody could read this and not get bored. It's very easy to decide on which of the 4 children appeal to you the most as at the beginning that's the first thing you find out about. As per usual you have a boy who likes all things to do with wild creatures and teases his sister who doesn't approve at all. Then you have the other brother, who has to put up with his younger sister who seems to adore the land he walks on.

This book has changed since Enid Blyton first wrote it. The most obvious being the character of Jo Jo. In my version he is described as " a coloured man coming towards them. His skin was black, his teeth were very white, and he rolled his eyes in a peculiar way." However in the newer editions they have opted for "Jack and Lucy-Ann saw a strange man coming towards them. His skin was lined, his teeth were very white, and his eyes darted from side to side as he looked at them"

Obviously this book is slightly outdated now, written in 1944, times have changed with views and opinions which explains the blatant overhaul of the descriptions. The idea of your children going out on boat trips with an older man might be frowned upon nowadays.

In some copies you get full illustrations as well which is always nice. Aside from if you've kept your copy from when you were a child. Mine has now got pages of bad attempts at colouring the pictures in.

I would recommend this book for the younger reader who enjoys reading about adventures where it's always the children who more or less solve the crimes in the end. The characters are likeable enough and the actual storyline is easy to follow. A nice read to fill in an hour or so.

Summary: .