Customer Reviews

Five on a Treasure Island (The Famous Five Series I)

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The Famous Five novels by Enid Blyton are a British institution in the United Kingdom and occupy a place in the bookshelves of nearly every self-respecting pre-teen. When I was growing up in the UK I devoured all the Blyton books I could get a hold of and then went onto her Secret Seven and (my all-time favorite) Adventure series.
The format for the books is essentially the same - a band of children get into a series of adventures thwarting criminals and solving mysteries. It's like Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, but imbued with that classic British idiom and that fast-paced, expertly crafted Blyton style that give it an edge over her American counterparts.
The success of the formula is perhaps best demonstrated by the fact that the majority of the Blyton books I read were handed down to me from my mother who had received them as a child herself in the 1940s and 1950s. It's an unusual feeling opening a book and seeing it inscribed to a parent when they were your age. There are 21 stories in the series and 40 years later in the 1980s the series was even continued by French author Claude Voilier (who wrote several continuation novels).
Anyhow, this is the novel that started it all and in it we are introduced to the Famous Five - Julian, Dick, Anne, George, and her dog Tim.
As the novel opens Julian, Dick and Anne arrive at their uncle's for the summer where they are introduced to their cousin - the tomboyish Georgina (or George for short).
Together they set out to investigate the nearby island that belongs to George's mother and run straight into danger and adventure. There is a wreck submerged on the island that suppossibly has a fortune in gold inside, but several dives to the ship have yielded nothing. Then one night a fierce storm whips up and the wreck is brought to the surface.
It's compulsive reading and even as an adult I sometimes have that nostalgic desire to return to a more innocent time and read a Blyton novel.
These books are rather difficult to find in the United States though I was able to track down one online retailer that sells them as a complete set. However, if you want to sample the Famous Five series before putting down your hard earned cash for the entire series, this novel, (or my personal favorite of the series "Five Get into a Fix"), is well worth the expense.
Your children will thank you for it
Incidentally there is a DVD production available in Region 2 of this adventure. In the 1970s a British television series was also produced of the Famous Five adventures, and a second one in the 1990s and a 1981 movie adaptation of the first of the Adventure series (Island of Adventure).

This is the first installment of what was soon to become one of the all time best children's series ever written. This tome introduces us to the henceforth famous five: Julian, Dick, Anne, George, and of course, her faithful dog Timothy. The first three, who are siblings, travel to Kirren for the holiday and meet their cousin Georgina -a hot tempered little girl who dresses like a boy and refuses to answer to anything but "George". In no time, the five are fast friends and off on their first glorious adventure which sets the tone for many more: be prepared for mysterious happenings, bad tempered criminals, hair raising episodes in tunnels and passageways and of course, the usual mouth watering descriptions of every scrumptious meal the five share: FOUR meals a day, thank you very much, since the British partake of breakfast, dinner, tea AND supper! If you can make it through this book let alone the series without eating a lot of tomatos, you're a paragon of self discipline!

Enid Blyton's "Five on a Treasure Island" is the first of the "Famous Five" series. In this opening story of the series, the "five" (four children and a dog) happen upon an old wreck that was raised to the surface by a fierce storm and discover a map that tells the location of gold ingots that disappeared hundreds of years ago. However, the map falls into the hands of criminals who also have designs on the lost gold and it then becomes a race between the children and the criminals to find the lost gold. Old wrecks. mysterious islands, secret tunnels, thrilling escapes and rescues are all part of this outstanding story. Although the famous five books are regarded as a childrens series, they are so well done that an adult would find it virtually impossible not to find it compelling and thoroughly enjoyable!

I remember reading this book when I was about 7 and then I saved my weekly allowance of $2.50 to buy every book ever written by Ms. Blyton . The Famous Five Series is set in a time of childhood innocence and wondrous discovery of the world.I remember I felt I was with all of the characters in their adventures and longed to be a part of that wonderful world.If your child doesn't like reading then I suggest you buy him or her a copy of this book and if their attention spans have yet to be corrupted by 3 minute flashing videos on MTV and Nintendo then they will love this series.

Ahh... the Famous Five! Who can forget them? This is the stuff of childhood enchantment. Ms. Blyton has been critized on many different fronts. But if one can, for a brief moment, step aside from our grown-up view of what is or isn't politically correct, there is much to be enjoyed in all of Ms. Blyton's books. Long live the Famous Five! May you continue to entertain future generations of children all over the world.

I collected the whole set as a youngster, and loved them, now after reviewing some of whats out there, I realise these books are innocent , exciting, fun loving adventures and I am trying to get the set for my 7 year old.

This book is fantastic! I remember reading it when I was about 7 years old growing up in Germany and then simply HAD to read the rest of this series as well as looking for other Enid Blyton series'. I highly recommend it along with the rest of them to anyone in the preteen crowd. If you ever get the chance to see the TV series (2 versions, one from the early 80's, one in the 90's, they are good too). Since these are British books, they are not always easy to find in the US (especially new) despite being available in almost every other country in the world. Go figure.
Anyway, have fun reading it or buying it for your kid. I currently have my mom looking through the garage for my complete set and can't wait until my one-year-old is a few years older and can start reading them!

Enid Blyton is a marvellous writer. In this story, you can see the friendship,consideration,braveness and wisdom. Each character has their own distinctive characteristics. The more you read, the more you are excited. When you finish a chapter, you will want to know what are going to happen next. This book is not only for children, it also suits for everyone who love adventuring. Besides,the language is so grammatical. You will learn a lot of sentences that can be used practically in everyday life. Finally, when you finish the whole story, you will feel like you are another part of The Famous Five!

Enid Blyton's books are a fantastic way to reach young readers. I read every book I could find by Enid Blyton when I was a child, thankfully, having lived in England to find the copies. As an adult, I have scoured the websites looking for these books as mine are so worn out my kids can't read them. I am very pleased to see now that they are being sold on Amazon. The books are very entertaining as the children face adventure after adventure and solve mysteries. It is a timeless series very equal to Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, and the Bobbsey Twins. Although this series featuring Phillip, Dinah, Jack, Lucy and Kiki is my favorite, I strongly recommend reading her MANY other books that are equally entertaining (i.e. The Famous Five series, the Malory Towers series, and for beginning readers, The Secret Seven series).

My 10 year old daughter loves all the Famous Five books. In fact, she read through all 21 stories. For a while, I could not buy these fast enough for her. She was not an avid reader before, but she is completed into these Enid Blyton books. She has also read through the Advanture series (8 stories) and 10 of the 15 Mystery series by the same author.