Despite being an adventure story and not a family one, there is a fair bit of familial relationship building in the book, and through the series. a jolly romp for children to either read or listen to, I enjoyed it far more than 'The sea of adventure'. Ominous rumblings from the ground, a pack of wolves roaming the area, a black fugitive, and Philip's disappearance are but a few of the mysteries the children have to unravel about the mountain. In a letter to Philip, Dinah warns him not to bring any pets home reminding him of the bat he brought home one time, and the earwigs he trained the year before. Complete with the original full-colour pictorial dust jacket, which is somewhat sunned at the spine and has some small chips at the head.

He meets the children upon their very first adventure and makes regular appearances in the series from that point on. Craggy-Tops overlooks the mysterious Isle of Gloom — an island shrouded in mist and spray, and surrounded by a reef of rocks. Summary: Probably quite a good effort to produce them, but just not interested, thank you very much.

Recommended for those aged relatives who remember what it was like to be a child in a gentler world than the one we currently have. What I read, and what I adored, were her eight Adventure novels, starting with this, The Island of Adventure. The children sail out to the Isle of Gloom and eventually learn that Jo-Jo is working with men who are counterfeiting money in the old mines on the island.

So I will start with an overview of the story as told in the film, noting particularly where it deviates from the book.Bill says he is going to visit the children again before he goes, and that one of these days he will get married. But when Gustavus is kidnapped, along with Philip, Dinah and Lucy-Ann, Jack bravely sets out to rescue them, leading him to a faraway land and the discovery of a plot to kill the King! See, and this is a SPOILER, but… Jo-jo’s not actually slow-witted, or at least no more so than any lower-class person (this being the 1940s). This happens right at the end, so apart from all the children being very pleased about the idea we don’t see anything more of their new set-up. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice.

It is an adventure in the true sense of the word, building tension and excitement without resorting to the crude devices that rely on mayhem and destruction to achieve their ends.When the children meet Bill Smugs, who introduces himself as an ornithologist, they are delighted when he teaches them how to sail. Though I would take gentle issue with your remark “it’s a children’s book, it’s inevitably a little superficial. He was only seen doing real work a couple of times in the entire series- he was shown playing pool and golf, and on one occasion, he was seen fishing, though he lied that he was in the office.

I was jumping up and down in the hotel bed with excitment and squealing and could not read it fast enough! Until they begin to realize that something very sinister is taking place on the mysterious Isle of Gloom - where a dangerous adventure awaits them in the abandoned copper mines and secret tunnels beneath the sea. Jo-Jo is so easy to hate which makes it all the more amusing when the children sneak down the secret passage and leave him sat on the beach all day. This is a lovely bright and clean copy of the first story in Enid Blyton s 8-volume Adventure Series , featuring Philip, Jack, Dinah, Lucy-Ann, and not forgetting Jack s pet parrot, Kiki, plus lashings of Ginger Beer!Dustwrapper is worn, edge chipped, slightly grubby with a few foxspots and a little browned to spine. One last thing — Mrs Mannering's first ever words to her future husband, Bill, are rather amusing from an adult perspective.