Category Archives: Book reviews

Short stories from Rainy Day Stories

Posted on April 24, 2019 by

Rainy Day Stories is the first of a two book series published by Evans Brothers, the second book being Happy Day Stories. Despite it having been the best weather we’ve had all year this past weekend, I chose this book … Continue reading →

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Enid Blyton, praise and criticism part 2: The Child and the Book

Posted on April 19, 2019 by

A few weeks ago I looked at what the Who’s Who of Children’s Literature had to say about Enid Blyton, and it was overwhelmingly positive. This time I want to see what The Child and the Book has to say. … Continue reading →

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The Secret Seven – Mystery of the Skull

Posted on April 12, 2019 by

Clearly I’m a glutton for punishment as I picked up a copy of the new Secret Seven book while at my nearest library for Bookbug with Brodie. That branch is closing for a while to be refurbished so I grabbed … Continue reading →

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New Term at Malory Towers by Pamela Cox

Posted on March 29, 2019 by

This is the first of Pamela Cox’s sequels to the Malory Towers books. I wrote a bit about the six new books here, and have got around to reading the first one. My initial impressions Within the first few pages … Continue reading →

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Enid Blyton, praise and criticism part 1: The Who’s Who of Children’s Literature

Posted on March 27, 2019 by

Enid Blyton’s life and writing career might seem as if it was a perfect, rosy thing. Half of that is her skill in writing. Even in her autobiography and her letters to children she would never let on that things were less … Continue reading →

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Noddy and the Case of the Hiding Pirates

Posted on March 22, 2019 by

Noddy and the Case of the Hiding Pirates is a soft cover children’s book, based on the latest TV series. It was published by Hodder in 2017, and is the second Noddy tie-in book for that series, though it is … Continue reading →

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Short stories from Enid Blyton’s Happy Story Book

Posted on March 15, 2019 by

Recently I wrote a post about Enid Blyton’s short stories with the intention of then reviewing some of the stories. Well, being short stories I thought they would be quick to do and therefore kept putting it off, the end … Continue reading →

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Five Go Off in a Caravan part 2

Posted on February 22, 2019 by

We left off on an almost literal cliffhanger at the end of my last post, with Julian and his caravan about to be pushed off the hill by Tiger Dan and Lou the acrobat. Shall we see what happens next? … Continue reading →

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Five Go Off in a Caravan

Posted on February 9, 2019 by

Five Go Off in a Caravan is the fifth Famous Five book. The Five are a well-established group now and they had their first non-Kirrin adventure in the last book, Five Go to Smuggler’s Top. This time they go off in … Continue reading →

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Five Go to Smuggler’s Top, part 2

Posted on December 15, 2018 by

In part one we saw Kirrin Cottage crushed by an ash tree and the children packed off to the mysterious Smuggler’s Top where they meet the Lenoirs and Block. The problem of Timmy Up until now Timmy has been hidden … Continue reading →

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Five Go to Smuggler’s Top

Posted on November 23, 2018 by

Here we are at book #4 in the series and, as I’ve probably said a hundred times or more, this is my absolute favourite Famous Five book. It won first place in my list of favourite Blyton books, and unsurprisingly … Continue reading →

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Five Run Away Together, part 2

Posted on October 24, 2018 by

Part one of my review can be found here.   The Mystery of the Black Trunk While on the wreck they find a curious thing – a little black trunk, well locked. They guess it has something to do with … Continue reading →

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Jolly Good Food by Allegra McEvedy

Posted on October 20, 2018 by

Allegra McEvedy is a Blyton fan. I hate reading that when about to read or watch a work based on Blyton’s books. I hate it because it always gives me hope that this one will be good, and inevitably it … Continue reading →

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Five Run Away Together

Posted on October 13, 2018 by

I’m not doing all that well at reading through the Famous Fives am I! Once upon a time I could devour the 21 books in a matter of weeks, now I’m lucky to get through one a month. But here … Continue reading →

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If you like Blyton: Cream Buns and Crime by Robin Stevens

Posted on August 19, 2018 by

Cream Buns and Crime is part of the Murder Most Unladylike series about two girls – Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong – who run their own detective agency at boarding school. We’ve already reviewed the first in the series, Murder Most … Continue reading →

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Five Go Adventuring Again

Posted on August 12, 2018 by

After finally reviewing Five on a Treasure Island it has taken me a while to get around to reading the next book, but I’ve done it now. FOLLOWING IN BIG FOOTSTEPS Five on a Treasure Island is such a strong … Continue reading →

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If you like Blyton: The Borrowers by Mary Norton

Posted on July 20, 2018 by

There are five books about the Borrowers (and one short story) all written by Mary Norton between 1952 and 1982, but this post will focus mostly on the first in the series. The Borrowers (1952) The Borrowers Afield (1954) The … Continue reading →

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Five On a Treasure Island

Posted on June 27, 2018 by

Five on a Treasure Island is an important book. It’s the first book of what is probably Enid Blyton’s most famous series, The Famous Five. It’s so important we have more than a dozen posts dedicated to it already, and it’s … Continue reading →

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The Magic Faraway Tree, part 4

Posted on May 9, 2018 by

Last time we ended on a minor cliff-hanger. The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe had stopped living in her shoe and had taken up residence in Moon-Face’s home instead. Obviously that just wouldn’t do so we can now … Continue reading →

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If you like Blyton: The Secret of Cliff Castle by Mary Pollock

Posted on May 2, 2018 by

I think it is safe to say that if you like Blyton, then you will also like Mary Pollock. WHEN IS ENID BLYTON NOT ENID BLYTON? When she’s writing under the pseudonym Mary Pollock. But then you already knew that, … Continue reading →

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