Category Archives: Book reviews

Five Go Down to the Sea part 3

Posted on July 8, 2020 by Fiona

Well, here we are, finally at the nitpicks I promised. Hope they were worth it! The timeline Warning, this first nitpick is a long one! The timeline of the story in regards to the Barnies’ visit makes no sense to … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Book reviews | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Five Go Down to the Sea part 2

Posted on June 17, 2020 by Fiona

I’ve reviewed the main story here, so now it’s time for everyone’s favourite part two, where I viciously dissect the book and point out all the plot holes and mistakes. The illustrations First up, a few points about Eileen Soper’s … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Book reviews | Tagged , | 9 Comments

Five Go Down to the Sea

Posted on May 27, 2020 by Fiona

We have reached another of my favourites with book #12, this came fourth in my definitive (personal) rankings of the 21 books. [It has just come to my attention two weeks later that I accidentally skipped book #11, Five Have … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Book reviews | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Five on a Hike Together part 2

Posted on April 29, 2020 by Fiona

Last time I left off just as the Julian decides that they are going to visit Two Trees and Gloomy Water to see if they can find Saucy Jane (but avoid Maggie who Knows).  The adventure begins We are a … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Book reviews | Tagged , , , , , | 15 Comments

Five on a Hike Together

Posted on April 19, 2020 by Fiona

This is one of my favourite Fives, it’s my second favourite after Five Go to Smuggler’s Top, in fact. (I realise I haven’t done a Five review since November, I think I got swept away with other blog ideas!) I … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Book reviews | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

The Naughtiest Girl continued: The Naughtiest Girl Helps a Friend

Posted on March 20, 2020 by Fiona

A few weeks ago I reviewed the first Naughtiest Girl continuation book by Anne Digby. I didn’t think it was very good, but seeing as I borrowed all six and I can’t return them due to coronavirus self-isolation, I thought … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Book reviews | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Naughtiest Girl continued: The Naughtiest Girl Keeps a Secret

Posted on February 27, 2020 by Fiona

As I covered in my post on Blyton’s prequels, sequels and continuations, there are six additional Naughtiest Girl books written by Anne Digby. I’ve borrowed all of them (in two different editions) from my library and now it’s time to … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Book reviews | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Five Fall Into Adventure part 2

Posted on December 20, 2019 by Fiona

Following on from part one of my review now it’s time to see what happens now that the three plus Jo are hunting for George. Delaying tactics Jo being taken off by Jake means that the other three get lost … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Book reviews | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Five Fall Into Adventure

Posted on November 29, 2019 by Fiona

This is the ninth book in the series, so I’m almost half-way with my reviews. Just as a random point – I always confuse this title with Five Go Adventuring Again. It doesn’t hep that they are two of the … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Book reviews | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

If you like Blyton: The Harveys See it Through by Phyllis Gegan

Posted on November 22, 2019 by Fiona

You might remember the name Phyllis Gegan from my review of A Mystery for Ninepence recently. I bought this one partly because I like the Collin’s Seagull Library spines and partly because I like collecting books by authors I already … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Book reviews, Reading Recommendations | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

My twenty-sixth Noddy book: The second Big Noddy Book

Posted on November 6, 2019 by Fiona

Seeing as it’s Noddy’s 70th anniversary this month I thought I would look at the only Noddy book I have but haven’t yet reviewed. About the book The second Big Noddy Book, is as the name suggests, a large volume … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Book reviews, Poetry | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

If you like Blyton: A Mystery for Ninepence by Phyllis Gegan

Posted on October 16, 2019 by Fiona

A Mystery for Ninepence, published 1964, is something I picked up in a charity shop because I like the spines on the Collin’s Seagull Library books. I paid a grand price of £3 for this one, and the original price … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Book reviews, Other Authors | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Five Get Into Trouble

Posted on October 11, 2019 by Fiona

It has been ages since my last Famous Five review. Three months, in fact! I had almost forgotten I had been doing them. But here I am with book number eight. So far only books one and two have been … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Book reviews | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

My twenty-fifth Noddy book: Noddy and the Farmyard Muddle

Posted on June 22, 2019 by Fiona

Back in 2016 I reviewed my twenty-fourth Noddy book and proclaimed it my last. I wasn’t in a strop with Noddy, as irritating as he can be at times, I had come to the end of the main series. There … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Book reviews, Other Authors | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Enid Blyton, praise and criticism part 3: The Ultimate First Book Guide

Posted on June 19, 2019 by Fiona

The Ultimate First Book Guide claims to contain over 500 great books for 0-7s. This might be dangerous for me as I will probably see lots of things I will want to read, I really enjoy going back and reading popular children’s … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Book reviews, Reading Recommendations | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Five Go off to Camp part 2

Posted on June 14, 2019 by Fiona

Last time I wrote a lot about Mr Luffy and the Andrews/Robbins family, and very little about the actual storyline or adventure. Let me remedy that now! The big adventure Now I’ve just read the book in the past week … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Book reviews | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Five Go Off to Camp

Posted on June 8, 2019 by Fiona

This is the seventh book in the series, a series which was only meant to run for six books! Children loved the Famous Five so much, however, that Blyton wrote another six. And another six. And then a final three. … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Book reviews | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Summer Term at Malory Towers by Pamela Cox

Posted on May 19, 2019 by Fiona

A couple of months ago I read and reviewed the first of Pamela Cox’s Malory Towers books, New Term at Malory Towers. I wouldn’t say I loved it, though I thought it was a decent attempt at an Enid Blyton … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Book reviews | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Five on Kirrin Island Again part 2

Posted on May 10, 2019 by Fiona

I didn’t mention the Curtons at all in part one of my review, very remiss of me! The Curtons Martin and his father are staying in a cottage belonging to the coastguard. Martin, as seen through the eyes of the … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Book reviews | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Five on Kirrin Island Again

Posted on April 27, 2019 by Fiona

This is an important book, I always think. It was where Blyton originally intended to end the series, nicely bookending the series with two Kirrin Island adventures. There is a fair amount of character development from George and we get … Continue reading →

Rate this:

Posted in Book reviews | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments