Customer Reviews

Five on Finniston Farm (Galaxy Children's Large Print)

5 star:		(3)
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"Five on Finniston Farm" was the first Enid Blyton book I ever read. Needless to say it got me hooked. All the Famous Five books are full of adventure and mystery. I really recommend any of them for younger readers.

In this one, the five are sent to Finniston Farm for a holiday. Soon they discover the Finniston's are in danger of losing the farm and they must find a way to help them before it is too late.

Any young reader who enjoys adventure stories or mysteries should read this book.

The 18th 'Famous Five' book is now on kindle! This Kindle edition features a new cover illustration and revised text to bring the dialogue up to date for a whole new generation of readers ... fifty years after Enid Blyton wrote 'Five On Finniston Farm' back in 1960!


ABOUT THE FAMOUS FIVE SERIES:

'The Famous Five' is Enid Blyton's most popular series based on the characters Julian, Dick and Anne, George and Timmy the dog. The first book, Five On A Treasure Island was written in 1942 and the 21st book, Five are Together Again completed the series in 1963.

The 'Famous Five' are a group of British children who often stumble upon the most exciting adventures involving smugglers, spies, lost treasures, secret maps, caves, circus folk and gypsies. They holiday in quaint seaside villages or cycle, hike or caravan through the English countryside, often by themselves.

Ginger beer, ham rolls, hot buttered scones, ices and canned pineapples always seem to be the kids' staple diet! Enid Blyton cleverly made these simple meals sound so deliciously exciting!

Although, these stories are around 50 to 70 years old, they remain fresh and exciting today. What is Blyton's evergreen book formula? It's simple, Enid Blyton created 'believable' characters complete with faults. Young readers identified with these kids back then, and still do so today!

Over 8 million Enid Blyton books are sold in over 200 countries each year! What is the most successful Enid Blyton series of all time? You guessed! It's 'The Famous Five' :))


ABOUT FIVE ON FINNISTON FARM:

'Five On Finniston Farm' is the 18th book in the 'Famous Five' series. There is a ruined castle on Finniston Farm with the remains of the dungeons. The mystery? ... no one knows where the dungeons are! Of course, leave it up to the 'Famous Five' to go dungeon hunting! But someone else is snooping around the castle. Can the Five get there before the obnoxious Mr. Henning and his son Junior? Is there hidden treasure inside?

'Five On Finniston Farm' has a simple story line in comparison to the others in the 'Famous Five' series. However, the characters are quite interesting ... the twins Henry and Harriet and their poodle Snippet, Mrs. Philpot, the dad and Junior Henning, and the colorful 'Old Granddad'.

Each of the eighteen 'Famous Five' kindle editions has a personalized note (dated 14 June 2010) from Enid Blyton's granddaughter Sophie Smallwood. This is a nice touch!

SEE MY PHOTOS IN CUSTOMER IMAGES


NOTE TO AMAZON: Enid Blyton also wrote a number of short stories featuring the 'Famous Five' characters. These were finally compiled and appear in print as 'The Famous Five Short Story Collection' - the so-called '22nd book' in the 'Famous Five' series! I do hope Amazon releases this Short Story Collection on kindle in 2011 - that would be great!

5 STARS for Five On Finniston Farm as well as the ENTIRE 'Famous Five' series!

This audio book version is a 60 minute dramatization of the Enid Blyton story featuring young actors. The Famous Five on vacation from school visit Finiston Farm for a short stay. The family who run the farm have financial problems and are taking in paying guests to help cover expenses, however, they are in danger of losing the farm to a rich guest who is trying to buy them out! The Five become involved and after several adventures concerning identical twins, an unpleasant child (the son of the rich guest) and the discovery of hidden tunnels under the ruins of a nearby castle, all turns out fine for a happy ending. This audio book can be recommended for children from about 6 years of age and can also be enjoyed by adults who remember the Famous Five stories from their own childhood.

Growing up these books were a solid part of my childhood the way the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew were for other kids. set in the 1950's these are the tales of adventures of 4 children and their dog in a world before cell phones, video games and elder wands, they explore old ruins and mysterious happenings, all on their school breaks.

In this book, one of the later ones in the series, the children go to stay on a Dorset farm that takes in borders to offset costs. They soon become involved in local the local legend of a lost castle and its buried treasure. However an obnouxious, rich American has also heard the rumors and is also interested in it, and is willing to steal it out from under its rightful owners.

Late in the series blyton's style sometimes waivered and continuity slipped a little but when she wrote this one she was right on her game and it is a great work.