Having worried (many times over) what we would read when we ran out of Famous Five books, Brodie had heard me suggest the Adventure Series a few times.

He had always said no, he wouldn’t like them, only the Famous Five. But then out of nowhere he asked about them. I showed him The Island of Adventure – no dustjacket, so just the illustrated board of the children on the boat, and he said Oh, it’s just the same! But do they have a dog?

I said that they didn’t, but they did have a parrot.

Is she funny, does she fly into walls? Or does she talk? he asked.

I read him a paragraph where Kiki is screeching naughty boy, go to bed, at Jo-Jo and suddenly he couldn’t wait to read it – so we started it as soon as we finished our latest Famous Five, reading it between

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The opening chapters

The first six chapters didn’t go very well, unfortunately.

I had planned to read two chapters on the first night, but ended up reading a third because I was desperate for him to start enjoying it. He kept saying it was BOOOOORING and wanted me to stop reading. Though he did enjoy Kiki and the rat going up Mr Roy’s trouser leg.

To be fair to him, the Adventure Series is aimed at an older age group than the Famous Five and the opening chapters do a lot of setting the scene and there is a lot of talking. I forgot how long it takes for them to actually get to Craggy Tops. He thought they would stay at Mr Roy’s all summer and it would be so boring, but I persevered!

I insisted we keep going with it, and thankfully chapters four to six went down a bit better, he did say they were boring and he wasn’t liking it, but also asked for more.

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At Craggy Tops

He accused Jo-Jo of making up the “things” as a cover for whatever he gets up to. He couldn’t understand why the kids don’t have torches as this is after the Famous Five. Yes ok so this was published two years after Five on a Treasure Island but that was a lucky guess.

He did enjoy the secret passage, anyway. And he did keep laughing at Kiki. Doing a voice like a parrot who apparently sound exactly like a human is kind of hard!

He begged for more on several night, but has also cried before we read because I don’t want that book – I want the Famous Five!!! But like the mastermind host – I’ve started so I’ll finish! I did find myself skipping over some bits of text – I found there were some rather repetitive bits where the children repeat their ideas of what’s going on, or other conversations that dragged a bit and I thought his attention might start wandering.

He did not like it when Philip and Jack call each other Freckles and Tufty, he wanted me to just say their names. He also did not like it referring to the four children because there’s Kiki too. No matter how much I explain she’s not a child even if she does make five he says but Timmy isn’t a child and he’s one of the Five. (He often “corrected” me whenever Blyton wrote the four children when referring to the human members of the Five as well.)

He thought that the Isle of Gloom was made up, maybe by Jo Jo. His reasoning was that it’s gloomy water, not an island.

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More about Jo-Jo

Unlike all modern reprints and screen adaptations I did not make Jo-Jo white. I did, however, skip just some of the repeated references to his black skin as to be honest they felt unnecessary.

I did not try to give him a “black” accent – we don’t know where Jo-Jo is from and given my atrocious Welsh/Cornish/American accents I thought it would be wise to not even attempt a Caribbean accent or one from any of the African countries. Besides – he could have been born in Britain for all we know, as much of his stupidity and perhaps all of his poor English was part of his act. So I just went with a harsh/rough sounding voice without much of an accent.

Brodie’s theory was that Jo-Jo set the light on the cliff. Because he has a business with his father. I asked what father. Uncle Jocelyn! I think they have a business and Jo Jo was signalling to the boat. Maybe they’re looking for something very rare, something they can only find on the island and it needed to be brought in.

When the boys were off on the island he was very worried about Jo-Jo finding them out. The boys wonder if Jo-Jo is back to notice his boat missing – Is Jo Jo back? Check ahead, Mummy and tell me if Jo Jo is back yet!

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On and under The Isle of Gloom

He had a pretty good theory about the holes on the island (all those Famous Five books!) I know! It must go under the sea! It goes all the way to the cellars under craggy tops! He was so close!

And the water is red because there must be rust in it. There’s some sort of metal in the rocks, in the water, and it’s all rusty. Again, so close. I didn’t try to change the copper to a more accurate green because I knew I’d forget sometimes and get corrected.

He thought that the tins might have been left by the old miners. Or maybe there was still a miner down there, the only one still surviving and eating out of tins.

He was pretty concerned about them leaving Jack behind and he ( correctly) accused Jo-Jo of making a hole in Bill’s boat.

Stef was impressed with the intelligence of his ideas, but she hadn’t heard them all yet.

He didn’t agree that the entrance would be down the well, but it might just be outside down a hole. He was not very surprised at the mouse in the tunnel, he thought this was a perfectly ordinary place to see a mouse.

He was very tense as Bill and Philip think they hear someone breathing in the tunnel and begged and begged for the next chapter. Which turned out to be about Jack so it was no resolution at all.

He was VERY excited by the finding of the nugget. (The chicken nugget as he called it the first time). Less so by the paper money but he did think it might be fake money, made to trick people. (Having recently read Mystery Moor probably helped here.)

He remained obsessed by the nugget – constantly asking if Jack still had it. It made me notice that Jack does drop it twice with no mention of him picking it up again yet he always has it again later.

It took a lot of prompting for him to guess it is Philip and Bill that Jack then hears. He did guess it was Jo-Jo who arrived with a gun (and he couldn’t see the picture. Not that it would have helped as later he looked at one of Jo Jo and asked if that was Bill Smugs.)

He didn’t think the men would flood the mines as he couldn’t think how. I said the sea would pour in. He said no. Then how? Buckets. Pour buckets of water in. (That would take millions I pointed out) Ok then a hose. (That would take years.) Two fire engines? (How would they get there?) Ummm. Two hoses joined together?

He got pretty upset in the last chapters when they’re trapped in the flooding mines. How COULD they do that to CHILDREN? He was actually crying and asking me if they were going to die.

I told him there are more books about these characters so yes they get out. I don’t think so. I think the books are about other people.

I asked if he wanted to see some pictures from later in the book (to prove they were OK) but he said no he didn’t want to spoil it and just made me cuddle him as I read. He didn’t believe they could float/swim up the shaft – and he was also still worried about the nugget and how they could hold that.

The boys tell everyone about their adventure to which he interrupted and tell them about your nugget! You have to tell them about your nugget! He was really disappointed when it wasn’t valuable. But it’s COPPER! He was sad they had to leave Craggy Tops as their new house wouldn’t be a ruin.

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His review

In the end he decided that he liked the book but he preferred the Famous Five. His favourite character was Bill Smugs. I asked about Kiki but she’s not a person so she doesn’t count. But if she did count she would be joint favourite. He also liked Uncle, and Aunt Fanny. His favourite part was flooding the mines (despite the trauma of it!)

When we finish the Famous Five I think I will see if we can read the rest of the Adventure Series,