Five On A Treasure Island
My personal comments: I would rate this book 8/10
This is the very first book in the Famous Five series, and it is where Julian Dick and Anne discover their strange new cousin. Their cousin being George or rather Georgina by rights. It begins at the home of Julian Dick and Anne, and they discuss over breakfast where the children should away to on holiday, as they are not able to go to Polseath where they normally do spend their holidays .
The children are rather upset at not being able to do their normal thing this year. Never mind, the children’s father has a great idea and suggests taking them down to stay with their Aunt and Uncle. He tells them that their Aunt and Uncle have a child of their own, so they immediately feel excited about the prospect of meeting a cousin they have never met before.
So it is settled and as their father makes all the arrangements, the children can hardly wait. The day to travel down soon arrives, cases are packed, loaded up and away they go.
( The drive over to their Aunt and Uncles house should realistically have taken a few hours. Either Enid got the location of the house wrong, or the children’s father went the wrong way a couple of times. Or he simply went the long way round to give the children a sight seeing treat. Either way as both families lived in the south of England it did seem an unusually very very long journey. ) At first they make a bad start with their new cousin as George is rather sulky and very moody. But before too long they all make friends, and together with George’s dog Timmy, they then become The Five. I assume then they don’t become the Famous Five till the end of their first adventure ?
I thought this was quite a good book, with a good story. I do feel however that the Gold Ingot bars should have been left out of the story, I felt that this was a little or rather very far fetched. I mean finding all those gold bars in those days, Aunt Fanny and Uncle Quentin would be megga rich. But not much else was said about it, and there was never any hint of it ever being spent. No house extension no fancy car, years later they were still getting about in the pony and trap !!
Another little thing, George said that the Island etc etc all belonged to her mother, why then does uncle Quentin take charge seeing people and dealing with all the loot? ( Sexism? ) Maybe .
Little Niggles
Is there enough room at Kirrin cottage?
When Julian, Dick and Anne first get taken to Kirrin cottage by their parents, after a quick
supper the children’s parents have to set off to stay in a nearby hotel, as there is not enough
room for them to stay at Kirrin cottage.
But in book two Five Go Adventuring Again, if Mr Roland the tutor is to be given his own
bedroom, and Joanna the cook has a bedroom, then surely there should have
been enough room for the children’s parents to stay.
By my reckoning Aunt Fanny and Uncle Quentin had room 1, the girls had room 2, the boys had
room 3, the cook had room 4,and Mr Roland had room 5 !
Why could the children’s parents not have had the room the tutor had ?
Unless it was a 4 bedroom house !
