Customer Reviews

Five go Adventuring Again

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The 2nd book in Blyton's "Famous five' series is one of my favorites. Set in the late 1940's the series tells the tales of 4 cousins and their dog who, in a world before video games and cell phones get involved with such goings on as smugglers and burried treasures and secret passages.

This adventure is set in the winter holidays after the children's first adventure when they are straddled with a tutor for the holidays because of poor grades. Most of the children take to the tutor quite well, but since he does not like dogs, George, don't call her Georgina, does not like the tutor.

At first this just makes things difficult but as the situation deteriorates with secret paper's being stolen and people acting in peculiar ways, the children have to wonder, is George right in her suspicions or is it just her dislike for the tutor getting in the way of finding the real spies?

Add to this an ancient piece of parchment that details some secret passage and a blizzard that leave isolated farm houses cut off and the stage is set for adventure.

Five Run Away Together (Famous Five Classic)

Even tho this book is old it isn't out dated. The story is exciting and fun. My 7 year old loves all of the Famous Five books. There is a hint of danger but also the children are resourseful and make sound, safe choices. In this one George's mother is taken to the hospital and her father goes along leaving the kids with the temporary house keeper Mrs Stick. She and her son are mean and sneaky so the children run away to Kirrin Island until George's parents return. While out there they uncover a wicket plot and foil the bad guys who are familiar characters. This is the third story in the series, I ordered 4 more so we can read about the other exciting adventures. Because they are in England at an earlier time some words are different for us, but that is part of the fun because we can learn new sayings and experiment with new ways of saying things. My son loves words and enjoys the phraseology as well as the plot and the three dimensional characters.

Enid Blyton was a favorite writer of childrens stories in the 40's, 50's and 60's and they were broadcast by BBC radio in 'Childrens Hour'. They are a bit passe but I bought them for sentimental reasons. I expect many elderly ex-Brits would do the same. But,alas,I fear modern children will find them corny and not at all entertaining. A pity, but these stories couldn't compete with the blitzkrieg of today's childrens fare.