Tuesday, August 28, 2018

REVIEW: Five On A Treasure Island

Five On A Treasure Island
Author: Enid Blyton

After finishing a rather emotionally taxing suspense novel, I needed a palate cleanser. Usually I turn to children's literature after reading harsh adult fiction. My brain needed something happy and sweet. Recently, I heard about the Famous Five series, a popular series of British books about the adventures of 4 kids and their dog. It sounded like just the thing....so I found a copy of the first book on Open Library. So glad I did! What a delightful and fun book!

The basics....Julian, Dick and Anne are disappointed when they can't go to their favorite place for a holiday. But the trio become excited when they learn they are going to stay with their aunt and uncle, plus their cousin Georgina (who demands to be called George). The kids happily travel to Kirrin Bay to meet their cousin for the first time and spend the summer having adventures....including searching for lost gold!

I loved this story! George is my favorite character. She doesn't want to be a girl and play with dolls. She wants to have short hair, wear comfortable boys clothes and romp outside having adventures with her dog. Both sets of parents seemed almost totally unlikable for me though. George's father is domineering ass and her mother seems weak willed. I guess you'd have to be to live with an ass. Julian, Dick and Anne's parents seem to not be very concerned with their kids. The 3 kids attend boarding school most of the year. Then when they do come home for summer break, their parents decide to go to Scotland without them and dump the kids at their uncle's house to spend the summer with a cousin they've never even met. The kids don't seem to mind....they want holiday adventures on their own. Their parents seem totally flighty though. Uninvolved. Better than being a helicopter parent, I guess. Luckily, despite a bit of danger, the kids had a great time and ended the summer all in one piece.

There are 21 books in the Famous Five series. The series was written from 1942-1963. I really enjoyed this first book. I'm going to read more of the series. It was a nice palate cleanser....a quick, enjoyable read about kids having fun, adventure, and some mystery for the summer!

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