Enid Blyton – Cannonball Read 17

Running away to Nostalgia Island

Five on a Treasure Island by Enid Blyton

Five Run Away Together by Enid Blyton

August 24, 2021 by Merryn Leave a Comment

CBRBingo: Free! (birthday gift); Shelfie I rescued these books from the garage sale my brother and I were holding after clearing out our childhood home following the death of our father and out mother’s move to aged care. I was flying back home afterwards, so needed to be selective with the mementos I would take with me. I almost let these go, but I got them from my parents for my tenth birthday and loved them so much as I child that I took them […]

Problematic nostalgia

The Mountain of Adventure by Enid Blyton

July 6, 2020 by Wanderlustful Leave a Comment

This is the second Enid Blyton I’ve read this year and this one, like the Adventurous Four, is a nostalgic throwback but with some things that have not aged well. The 1949 novel features a different set of four children than in Adventurous Four, but still follows the same pattern: unsupervised children ‘having an adventure’. These particular four children are two sets of siblings- Philip and his sister Dinah and Lucy-Ann and her brother Jack. The four are on a summer vacation in rural Wales, […]

Unaccompanied Minors, side of Nazis

The Adventurous Four by Enid Blyton

May 4, 2020 by Wanderlustful 1 Comment

Set in an unnamed fishing village off the north east coast of Scotland, Blyton’s book follows three siblings, Tom and his younger twin sisters Jill and Mary, who are on late summer holidays with their parents. Their older friend, Andy, is the son of a local fisherman, and the four of them are planning a day trip with Andy’s father’s boat, lent with permission. On their day outing, a storm sweeps the boat off course, and the four children are shipwrecked on a small island […]

Never meet your heroes, and never reread your childhood favourites

January 13, 2017 by Zirza 19 Comments

Darrell, Sally and Alicia stood together in their North tower dormy, gazing out over the lovely blue sea. Truly, their last day at Malory Towers had been a marvellous one. “The weather is truly wizard, isn’t it?”, Darrell remarked. “How wonderful to have this kind of weather on our last night here!” “My, I shall miss it so much”, Sally declared. “I know we’ll have loads of fun at university, but still. Our time here has been wonderful. I really feel this school has transformed […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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