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The Treasure Seekers: Bastable Children #1
The Story of the Treasure Seekers: Being the Adventures of the Bastable Children in Search of a Fortune
"The Story of the Treasure Seekers" is a novel by E. Nesbit. It was first published in 1899. The story tells about the adventures of Dora, Oswald, Dicky, Alice, Noel, and Horace Octavius Bastable and their attempts to assist their widowed father and recover their family's fortunes. This charming book for children is believed to strongly influence C. S. Lewis's "The Chronicles of Narnia."
90 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1899
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About the author
E. Nesbit
1,030 books996 followers
Edith Nesbit
(married name Edith Bland; 15 August 1858 – 4 May 1924) was an English author and poet; she published her books for children under the name of E. Nesbit.
She wrote or collaborated on over 60 books of fiction for children, several of which have been adapted for film and television. She was also a political activist and co-founded the Fabian Society, a socialist organisation later connected to the Labour Party.
Edith Nesbit was born in Kennington, Surrey, the daughter of agricultural chemist and schoolmaster John Collis Nesbit. The death of her father when she was four and the continuing ill health of her sister meant that Nesbit had a transitory childhood, her family moving across Europe in search of healthy climates only to return to England for financial reasons. Nesbit therefore spent her childhood attaining an education from whatever sources were available—local grammars, the occasional boarding school but mainly through reading.
At 17 her family finally settled in London and aged 19, Nesbit met Hubert Bland, a political activist and writer. They became lovers and when Nesbit found she was pregnant they became engaged, marrying in April 1880. After this scandalous (for Victorian society) beginning, the marriage would be an unconventional one. Initially, the couple lived separately—Nesbit with her family and Bland with his mother and her live-in companion Maggie Doran.
Initially, Edith Nesbit books were novels meant for adults, including The Prophet's Mantle (1885) and The Marden Mystery (1896) about the early days of the socialist movement. Written under the pen name of her third child 'Fabian Bland', these books were not successful. Nesbit generated an income for the family by lecturing around the country on socialism and through her journalism (she was editor of the Fabian Society's journal, Today).
In 1899 she had published The Adventures of the Treasure Seekers to great acclaim.
She wrote or collaborated on over 60 books of fiction for children, several of which have been adapted for film and television. She was also a political activist and co-founded the Fabian Society, a socialist organisation later connected to the Labour Party.
Edith Nesbit was born in Kennington, Surrey, the daughter of agricultural chemist and schoolmaster John Collis Nesbit. The death of her father when she was four and the continuing ill health of her sister meant that Nesbit had a transitory childhood, her family moving across Europe in search of healthy climates only to return to England for financial reasons. Nesbit therefore spent her childhood attaining an education from whatever sources were available—local grammars, the occasional boarding school but mainly through reading.
At 17 her family finally settled in London and aged 19, Nesbit met Hubert Bland, a political activist and writer. They became lovers and when Nesbit found she was pregnant they became engaged, marrying in April 1880. After this scandalous (for Victorian society) beginning, the marriage would be an unconventional one. Initially, the couple lived separately—Nesbit with her family and Bland with his mother and her live-in companion Maggie Doran.
Initially, Edith Nesbit books were novels meant for adults, including The Prophet's Mantle (1885) and The Marden Mystery (1896) about the early days of the socialist movement. Written under the pen name of her third child 'Fabian Bland', these books were not successful. Nesbit generated an income for the family by lecturing around the country on socialism and through her journalism (she was editor of the Fabian Society's journal, Today).
In 1899 she had published The Adventures of the Treasure Seekers to great acclaim.
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February 21, 2020
E. Nesbit did not write for children.
Oh, yes, I quite enjoyed Five Children and It and The Phoenix and the Carpet and so on when I was a child; they're magnificent children's books. But listening to the Librivox recording of The Story of the Treasure-Seekers makes it very, very clear that the magnificent Ms. Nesbit had very firmly in mind the parents who would be reading the books aloud at bedtime. One beautiful example is a scene in which an adult abruptly rises from his seat and walks away to stand at the window with his back to the children in his office. The narrator says he believes the man was trying to conceal his emotions. Which is very true; the emotions, however, were not what the narrator thought. But the narrator, and any child reading or listening who has utter faith that all is just as the narrator perceives it, may believe one thing; the beautiful layer of comedy in the moment is reserved for the grown-ups.
Thank goodness we get something; in almost everything else the children are the fortunate ones.
The Bastable children possess an innocence which I'm very much afraid is impossible for even a twelve-year-old today. I've seen comments out there amongst the reviews about "imperialist overtones" and casual racism. Thing is, though, this was first published in 1899, and like it or not the world was a very different place then, and as I read it even what could be considered racist has an innocence that keeps it from being offensive. The children are given to understand that a visitor is an Indian, and – fed on adventure novels – assume Amerind, and ask him about beavers. He's India Indian, though, and has no information on such creatures. I honestly don't see how the children's honest excitement about and sympathy for someone from far away who describes himself as a poor broken-down fellow (which they also take literally) can be translated as racist, especially in 1899, and the one extremely unfortunate exclamation (the same as is found in L.M. Montgomery's A Tangled Web) was, sadly, a much more common epithet a hundred years ago.
These are the sort of fictional children that make me despair over today's kids: imaginative, well-read, well-spoken, thoughtful under the childish self-centeredness, and self-sufficient; they make today's kids (American, at least) look like Neanderthals. They're not perfect little angels – E. Nesbit was never stupid. But they do set a ludicrously high standard. Were kids really like that in the 19th century? Probably not. But my guess is they were closer to it.
Dora, the eldest (at 13 or 14?), comes off as a bit of a prig (though this is dealt with in a later chapter in such a way that it made me cry), desperately trying to maintain some moral high ground in a horde of siblings who think it would be absolutely smashing if there were still highwaymen on the heath – or, even better, if they could be highwaymen on the heath. Her objection is that it's "wrong" – as in illegal and people hang for such things, not so much as in the victims of the highwaymen didn't think it was quite so smashing. The again-innocent bloodthirstiness of the kids is remarkable, and just fun.
Oswald, the oldest boy at 12 and (you might guess, or you might not!) the narrator of the story, is very nearly as brave and honourable as he wants to appear, and very straightforward. It's rather lovely to see him reluctantly, realistically doing the right thing throughout the book, proceeding quietly and alone when practical – the older ones all do that, shouldering responsibility and striving to make things right when they go wrong. The fierce affection and loyalty among the siblings is, like their father's poverty and worries, never explicitly stated: it doesn't have to be. It is shown, not told.
The four younger children – Noel and Alice and H.O. and Dickie, ranging down to I believe six years old – are every one expected by their elder siblings to be just as sharp and responsible and willing and able to contribute as Oswald and Dora. Some allowances are made for their extreme youth, but for the most part they are equal partners in the treasure-seeking, receiving an equal share in any profits – though sometimes excused by protective siblings from punishments.
I don't remember E. Nesbit reducing me to tears in the past. This did. And, yes, I laughed out loud. I missed the magic element of some of the other books – but only at first. It didn't take long to realize that most of the magic of E. Nesbit's writing is actually in E. Nesbit's writing.
To that point: "No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond." ~ C.S. Lewis. I look forward to reading E. Nesbit when I'm fifty, and beyond.
Oh, yes, I quite enjoyed Five Children and It and The Phoenix and the Carpet and so on when I was a child; they're magnificent children's books. But listening to the Librivox recording of The Story of the Treasure-Seekers makes it very, very clear that the magnificent Ms. Nesbit had very firmly in mind the parents who would be reading the books aloud at bedtime. One beautiful example is a scene in which an adult abruptly rises from his seat and walks away to stand at the window with his back to the children in his office. The narrator says he believes the man was trying to conceal his emotions. Which is very true; the emotions, however, were not what the narrator thought. But the narrator, and any child reading or listening who has utter faith that all is just as the narrator perceives it, may believe one thing; the beautiful layer of comedy in the moment is reserved for the grown-ups.
Thank goodness we get something; in almost everything else the children are the fortunate ones.
The Bastable children possess an innocence which I'm very much afraid is impossible for even a twelve-year-old today. I've seen comments out there amongst the reviews about "imperialist overtones" and casual racism. Thing is, though, this was first published in 1899, and like it or not the world was a very different place then, and as I read it even what could be considered racist has an innocence that keeps it from being offensive. The children are given to understand that a visitor is an Indian, and – fed on adventure novels – assume Amerind, and ask him about beavers. He's India Indian, though, and has no information on such creatures. I honestly don't see how the children's honest excitement about and sympathy for someone from far away who describes himself as a poor broken-down fellow (which they also take literally) can be translated as racist, especially in 1899, and the one extremely unfortunate exclamation (the same as is found in L.M. Montgomery's A Tangled Web) was, sadly, a much more common epithet a hundred years ago.
These are the sort of fictional children that make me despair over today's kids: imaginative, well-read, well-spoken, thoughtful under the childish self-centeredness, and self-sufficient; they make today's kids (American, at least) look like Neanderthals. They're not perfect little angels – E. Nesbit was never stupid. But they do set a ludicrously high standard. Were kids really like that in the 19th century? Probably not. But my guess is they were closer to it.
Dora, the eldest (at 13 or 14?), comes off as a bit of a prig (though this is dealt with in a later chapter in such a way that it made me cry), desperately trying to maintain some moral high ground in a horde of siblings who think it would be absolutely smashing if there were still highwaymen on the heath – or, even better, if they could be highwaymen on the heath. Her objection is that it's "wrong" – as in illegal and people hang for such things, not so much as in the victims of the highwaymen didn't think it was quite so smashing. The again-innocent bloodthirstiness of the kids is remarkable, and just fun.
Oswald, the oldest boy at 12 and (you might guess, or you might not!) the narrator of the story, is very nearly as brave and honourable as he wants to appear, and very straightforward. It's rather lovely to see him reluctantly, realistically doing the right thing throughout the book, proceeding quietly and alone when practical – the older ones all do that, shouldering responsibility and striving to make things right when they go wrong. The fierce affection and loyalty among the siblings is, like their father's poverty and worries, never explicitly stated: it doesn't have to be. It is shown, not told.
The four younger children – Noel and Alice and H.O. and Dickie, ranging down to I believe six years old – are every one expected by their elder siblings to be just as sharp and responsible and willing and able to contribute as Oswald and Dora. Some allowances are made for their extreme youth, but for the most part they are equal partners in the treasure-seeking, receiving an equal share in any profits – though sometimes excused by protective siblings from punishments.
I don't remember E. Nesbit reducing me to tears in the past. This did. And, yes, I laughed out loud. I missed the magic element of some of the other books – but only at first. It didn't take long to realize that most of the magic of E. Nesbit's writing is actually in E. Nesbit's writing.
To that point: "No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond." ~ C.S. Lewis. I look forward to reading E. Nesbit when I'm fifty, and beyond.
August 26, 2015
The story of Treasure Seekers - is a story of six children, who really admire Kipling and Dickens, go through various adventures to earn money. The reason behind their adventures is the poor financial condition of the family. The story is meant for children; for me - it was not interesting and, at times, was very boring. And moreover, there is no treasure hunt in the book, though initially the children start as treasure seekers. I was dragging the book and somehow finished it.
September 28, 2019
2.5 stars rounded up
I asked myself a few times why I was reading this. The reason of course is that it is part of this year’s reading women challenge; one of the books being a children’s book. Nesbit, of course, wrote The Railway Children and many other children’s books. Nesbit was a follower of William Morris and co-founded the Fabian Society. Her main focus was children’s writing, although she did write some adult novels, short stories, and some horror.
This novel (although it is almost a collection of short stories) is about six siblings, the Bastable children: Dora, Oswald, Dicky, Alice, Noel and Horace Octavius (H.O), set in the 1890s. They live with their father and their mother has recently died. They have all noticed that their father must be struggling with money as there have been economies and there are less servants around! The children are at home and are not attending school as father can’t afford the fees! There is, of course, no question of them attending school in the local area with the lower orders!
The children are aware of their straitened circumstances and decide to find a way to make their fortunes. They all make suggestions and over the course of the book they try most of them getting into various scrapes with adults and other children. That pretty much sums up the whole thing. The children generally mean well and manage to more or less avoid total mayhem. There is naturally the obligatory happy ending. It is worth noting that the children, who are all 12 or under are pretty much allowed to run free in a way that modern children generally are not.
I was expecting a little more of this as Nesbit was a socialist and must have been aware of the growth of feminism. The gender roles are clearly defined and mostly remain intact. The girls do what girls are expected to do and the boys do what boys are expected to do: apart from Noel, who is a poet! There is an example of racist language towards the end and the last chapter was really irritating, but I am going to avoid spoilers. Will I read the other two in the trilogy, probably not.
I asked myself a few times why I was reading this. The reason of course is that it is part of this year’s reading women challenge; one of the books being a children’s book. Nesbit, of course, wrote The Railway Children and many other children’s books. Nesbit was a follower of William Morris and co-founded the Fabian Society. Her main focus was children’s writing, although she did write some adult novels, short stories, and some horror.
This novel (although it is almost a collection of short stories) is about six siblings, the Bastable children: Dora, Oswald, Dicky, Alice, Noel and Horace Octavius (H.O), set in the 1890s. They live with their father and their mother has recently died. They have all noticed that their father must be struggling with money as there have been economies and there are less servants around! The children are at home and are not attending school as father can’t afford the fees! There is, of course, no question of them attending school in the local area with the lower orders!
The children are aware of their straitened circumstances and decide to find a way to make their fortunes. They all make suggestions and over the course of the book they try most of them getting into various scrapes with adults and other children. That pretty much sums up the whole thing. The children generally mean well and manage to more or less avoid total mayhem. There is naturally the obligatory happy ending. It is worth noting that the children, who are all 12 or under are pretty much allowed to run free in a way that modern children generally are not.
I was expecting a little more of this as Nesbit was a socialist and must have been aware of the growth of feminism. The gender roles are clearly defined and mostly remain intact. The girls do what girls are expected to do and the boys do what boys are expected to do: apart from Noel, who is a poet! There is an example of racist language towards the end and the last chapter was really irritating, but I am going to avoid spoilers. Will I read the other two in the trilogy, probably not.
January 4, 2016
Utterly charming.
As I said above, I thought this book was charming & I thoroughly enjoyed reading it! Having two kids of my own, I had had some experience with E. Nesbit - most particularly, we had listened to an audiobook of The Railway Children years ago on a driving trip. In some ways, I think I enjoyed it more than kids did.
Nesbit's stories are so rooted in time and place - childhood in Victorian England - that reading them is a window into the past. It amazes me how much more freedom children had during a time that I (at least) think of as being quite restrictive than they have now. Teens and small children taking trains (alone) into London to visit with newspaper editors is probably an extreme that didn't really happen, but running wild on Hampstead Heath pretending to be highway men almost certainly did. There was a benign neglect to childhood that comes up again and again in the literature of the time - there were few institutions that exerted any influence at all over the lives of children.
There is certainly an argument that kids were more resourceful and able to entertain themselves then than they are today. Of course, it is also true that poor children were exploited because there were no child labor protections - chimney sweeps could be as young as six years old. But, I digress.
I thought that the first person perspective worked really well, and Nesbit hit the mark completely on voice. The way that the book described events was also convincing -
"I have often thought that if the people who write books for children knew a little more it would be better. I shall not tell you anything about us except what I should like to know about if I was reading the story and you were writing it. Albert's uncle says I ought to have put this in the preface, but I never read prefaces, and it is not much good writing things just for people to skip. I wonder other authors have never thought of this."
Nesbit was writing for both children and adults, I think. This book was accessible for children, but sufficiently charming to hold my attention as well. And the adventures were funny and delightful.
As I said above, I thought this book was charming & I thoroughly enjoyed reading it! Having two kids of my own, I had had some experience with E. Nesbit - most particularly, we had listened to an audiobook of The Railway Children years ago on a driving trip. In some ways, I think I enjoyed it more than kids did.
Nesbit's stories are so rooted in time and place - childhood in Victorian England - that reading them is a window into the past. It amazes me how much more freedom children had during a time that I (at least) think of as being quite restrictive than they have now. Teens and small children taking trains (alone) into London to visit with newspaper editors is probably an extreme that didn't really happen, but running wild on Hampstead Heath pretending to be highway men almost certainly did. There was a benign neglect to childhood that comes up again and again in the literature of the time - there were few institutions that exerted any influence at all over the lives of children.
There is certainly an argument that kids were more resourceful and able to entertain themselves then than they are today. Of course, it is also true that poor children were exploited because there were no child labor protections - chimney sweeps could be as young as six years old. But, I digress.
I thought that the first person perspective worked really well, and Nesbit hit the mark completely on voice. The way that the book described events was also convincing -
"I have often thought that if the people who write books for children knew a little more it would be better. I shall not tell you anything about us except what I should like to know about if I was reading the story and you were writing it. Albert's uncle says I ought to have put this in the preface, but I never read prefaces, and it is not much good writing things just for people to skip. I wonder other authors have never thought of this."
Nesbit was writing for both children and adults, I think. This book was accessible for children, but sufficiently charming to hold my attention as well. And the adventures were funny and delightful.
February 5, 2018
Unlike many of E. Nesbit's books, this one has no magic in it, but it's great fun anyway. It's the first of three books about the adventures of the six Bastable children. Simon Prebble does a fine job of narrating this audiobook.
May 5, 2016
This book is more like a group of short stories than it is a novel. Each chapter a different tale about how this group of children tries to restore their family's fortune, or position would be the better word. Each story borders on the absurd, but I think Nesbit was more interested in her message than believability. This one falls short of The Railway Children. 3.5 stars.
October 13, 2018
An excellent children’s chapter book. Lots of humor, very creative ideas. I read with my youngest, by the end of the book my entire family had heard enough bits and pieces of my reading to have an opinion of Oswald who is one of the more colorful Bastable children. If I tell anything more about Oswald it will give the story away.
Before I get too far, there is one very unfortunate reference of the n word in the last chapter and it was most certainly used pejoratively. This book was written in 1898 and there is some evidence of racism that existed at the time. With that caveat the Treasure Seekers holds up pretty well, there are some contemporary references to material goods and food and oddities that I was unfamiliar with, but the amount of laugh out loud humor was refreshing.
Essentially the book revolves around the six Bastable children who are being raised by their recently widowed father. He often works late and so the children have the run of the roost at home where most of their adventures take place. Their minor mischief and plans to become wealthy again land them in some sticky situations.
Before I get too far, there is one very unfortunate reference of the n word in the last chapter and it was most certainly used pejoratively. This book was written in 1898 and there is some evidence of racism that existed at the time. With that caveat the Treasure Seekers holds up pretty well, there are some contemporary references to material goods and food and oddities that I was unfamiliar with, but the amount of laugh out loud humor was refreshing.
Essentially the book revolves around the six Bastable children who are being raised by their recently widowed father. He often works late and so the children have the run of the roost at home where most of their adventures take place. Their minor mischief and plans to become wealthy again land them in some sticky situations.
August 25, 2017
One of my childhood favourites. A great story of a family in reduced circumstances and the most endearing children determined to restore their father's fortune. This book really captured my imagination as a child and again when I read it to my children. I still have the original copy that I purchased at a school book sale in 1981. A dear old friend.
August 8, 2024
4.5 stars & 5/10 hearts. This story is delightfully funny and excellently written. I didn’t love it too much the first time because I was too busy cringing for the children when they unconsciously blunder, but this second time around I loved it! There’s a chapter where the children attempt to sell sherry (and taste it); also a chapter where Alice pretends to be a high priestess of an idol & to use magic. Both those chapters can be edited, however. I LOVED the homour—it’s simply HILARIOUS—and all the allusions to books and doing things like in books. I love Oswald & Alice & Dicky and all the other kids, and Father, and the Indian Uncle, and Albert’s Uncle (that man <33 sooo sweet)—and the ending—it’s lovely :) Definitely a good for when you just need a laugh.
A Favourite Quote: “H. O. made a face at her and so did Alice, but Oswald took off his cap and said he was sorry if she was annoyed about anything; for Oswald has always been taught to be polite to ladies, however nasty.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “The earth is 2,400 miles round, and 800 through—at least I think so, but perhaps it’s the other way.—DICKY. (You ought to have been sure before you began.—ED.)”
A Favourite Quote: “H. O. made a face at her and so did Alice, but Oswald took off his cap and said he was sorry if she was annoyed about anything; for Oswald has always been taught to be polite to ladies, however nasty.”
A Favourite Humorous Quote: “The earth is 2,400 miles round, and 800 through—at least I think so, but perhaps it’s the other way.—DICKY. (You ought to have been sure before you began.—ED.)”
May 15, 2016
I love Nesbit's stories, they are such fun. This is the start of the Bastable children's adventures.
In the forward information about Mrs. Nesbit it included a description of her that created a funny image in my mind of a young woman hopping over a fence slinging a corset bag full of smoking goods.
In the forward information about Mrs. Nesbit it included a description of her that created a funny image in my mind of a young woman hopping over a fence slinging a corset bag full of smoking goods.
She became the modern woman of her time, cut her hair short, threw away her corsets, reveled in physical fitness, walked a great deal and leaped over gates when she had a mind to. She wore Liberty dresses and refused to adopt fashions that were uncomfortable. She smoked a great deal, carrying about an old cardboard corset box with a roller, tobacco, and papers so that she could make her own cigarettes.We follow the children though their adventures of trying to restore the Bastable family riches, as life hasn't been so grand since their mother died, no more fancy dinner parties and extra pocket change. Six children left to their own devices to determine the best way to make money can lead to some chuckles along the way as they various waters. They mean no harm in their adventures but do get into a few scraps along the way. My favorite adventure was when they decided to write a newspaper, you'll have to read the story to enjoy their newspaper.
July 2, 2023
Outside of few fun episodes (because this books is episodic in trying to find a cure for the poverty of the family) this was a very boring read.
December 1, 2017
This was a spare-time readaloud with the girls over several months, and it was a fun read. I started reading it because I saw that it was one of the inspirations for The Penderwicks, a series our whole family adores – and you can certainly see the parallels, including a surprisingly dry wit that holds up quite well a century later (see if you can guess, despite the his best efforts to stay objective, which child is narrating; it's one of the best running gags I have ever experienced in a novel). It's not quite at the level of Nesbit's other works (for my money,
The Railway Children
is tops), and other, more famous children's novels from the period (such as The Secret Garden) are clearly better, too, but The Story of the Treasure Seekers is nevertheless worth more attention than it currently gets.
July 8, 2022
What a delightful narrative voice! I’d never read Nesbit as a child, but am thoroughly enjoying her books as an adult. The situations that the children do not fully understand but the adults do are quite well done. I can see how both CS Lewis and Edward Eager were strongly influenced by Nesbit. And she clearly understands fairy tales and how to write one.
January 6, 2016
I read this story as part of The Dead Writers Society Genre Challenge for January which was to read a book in the Action/Adventure/Travel genre and I chose this book.
Told be a unnamed narrator (which honestly you figure out quite quickly) readers find out that the narrator is one of the Bastable Children. There are six Bastable children in all and I am not going to lie, sometimes i got a bit confused by them all. The children are: Dora, Oswald, Dicky, Alice, Noel, and H. O. We find out that the family's fortunes have changed since the children's mother has died and it seems their father's business partner has absconded with the money from the business. So the entire book is the many schemes that the children hatch in order to get money to help out their father.
Our narrator was quite funny and I loved Nesbit pretty much letting readers in on the joke of the narrator telling us throughout the whole story which of the children is narrating the story. Eventually readers are told it quite plainly and I snickered because frankly if you hadn't been paying attention I could maybe see how that one got by you.
The various schemes the children try are clever and at the end there is some mischief that they get themselves into. I felt sorry for the children, but I loved about the book is that they have no idea how badly off they all are and when adults around them call them poor little beggars or are sad over their lack of a mother the narrator seems puzzled by it and proceeds to tell us that all of them are puzzled by it.
The writing really does read as if a child is telling the story which was a welcomed surprise. I don't really like children's books that have a supposedly child narrator speaking as if he knows the Queen's English from birth and can understand everything that is being said by everyone. I didn't give this book five stars just because honestly I thought the story should have been over a lot quicker than this book. After about the fifth scheme I did find myself growing bored with the children's ideas to figure out how to find treasure.
The setting in Victorian England was very well used. It was so weird to read about children having games of hunting in the forest and cooking up their game or just finding endless ways to amuse themselves. It made me smile a bit and reminisce about the games my brothers and friends played as children. I mean I used to be able to waste an entire afternoon in our backyard and we would play that it was a deep dark forest and we would be tracking animals in the bush and having to hide from attacks and the porch was our base of operations. We would then go into the house and make cheese sandwiches for lunch and pass that out and eat that with kool-aid, water, or any soda we had that my mother wouldn't yell at us for grabbing and using. Summer days as a child are long and magical and you wish that they would never end. So I definitely thank this book for causing me to smile and sigh and remember.
The ending was the other reason why I didn't give it five stars. We have a happily ever after for the children (which I was happy about by the way) but thought it all a bit odd and the ending was very rushed. I know there are other books in this series so if I get some time I will take a peek at them.
Told be a unnamed narrator (which honestly you figure out quite quickly) readers find out that the narrator is one of the Bastable Children. There are six Bastable children in all and I am not going to lie, sometimes i got a bit confused by them all. The children are: Dora, Oswald, Dicky, Alice, Noel, and H. O. We find out that the family's fortunes have changed since the children's mother has died and it seems their father's business partner has absconded with the money from the business. So the entire book is the many schemes that the children hatch in order to get money to help out their father.
Our narrator was quite funny and I loved Nesbit pretty much letting readers in on the joke of the narrator telling us throughout the whole story which of the children is narrating the story. Eventually readers are told it quite plainly and I snickered because frankly if you hadn't been paying attention I could maybe see how that one got by you.
The various schemes the children try are clever and at the end there is some mischief that they get themselves into. I felt sorry for the children, but I loved about the book is that they have no idea how badly off they all are and when adults around them call them poor little beggars or are sad over their lack of a mother the narrator seems puzzled by it and proceeds to tell us that all of them are puzzled by it.
The writing really does read as if a child is telling the story which was a welcomed surprise. I don't really like children's books that have a supposedly child narrator speaking as if he knows the Queen's English from birth and can understand everything that is being said by everyone. I didn't give this book five stars just because honestly I thought the story should have been over a lot quicker than this book. After about the fifth scheme I did find myself growing bored with the children's ideas to figure out how to find treasure.
The setting in Victorian England was very well used. It was so weird to read about children having games of hunting in the forest and cooking up their game or just finding endless ways to amuse themselves. It made me smile a bit and reminisce about the games my brothers and friends played as children. I mean I used to be able to waste an entire afternoon in our backyard and we would play that it was a deep dark forest and we would be tracking animals in the bush and having to hide from attacks and the porch was our base of operations. We would then go into the house and make cheese sandwiches for lunch and pass that out and eat that with kool-aid, water, or any soda we had that my mother wouldn't yell at us for grabbing and using. Summer days as a child are long and magical and you wish that they would never end. So I definitely thank this book for causing me to smile and sigh and remember.
The ending was the other reason why I didn't give it five stars. We have a happily ever after for the children (which I was happy about by the way) but thought it all a bit odd and the ending was very rushed. I know there are other books in this series so if I get some time I will take a peek at them.
October 23, 2023
Funny, charming, and very enjoyable!
December 20, 2015
"نحن آسفون جداً. لم نفكر في أن أم ألبرت ستقلق عليه إذا احتجزناه فجأة. فنحن نحاول بجد ألا نفكر في أمهات الناس الآخرين, لأنه ليس لدينا أم"
قصة الباحثون عن الكنز
عن ستة أطفال يعلمون بأن والدهم تعرّض لخسارة في تجارته وأنه أصبح لديه القليل من المال, فيبدؤون بوضع الخطط لجمع المال لوالدهم, يبحثون عن الكنوز/المال بطرق شتّى. وفي ثنايا القصة يستعرض المؤلف براءة الأطفال في تعاملهم مع الواقع. ويبدو في النهاية أن بحثهم أثمر, ولكن بطريقة أخرى.
"نحن الباحثون عن الكنز. بحثنا عن كنز, ووجدنا عم طيب"
***
قرأت نسخة مختصرة من القصة, لأن العمر أقصر من أن أحيط بكل الروايات الكلاسيكية السابقة التي فاتتني. وأنا أريد فعلاً أن ألم بهم.
November 3, 2014
I think I love everything Edith Nesbit wrote. She is a master children's storyteller.
November 9, 2024
“Real life is often something like books.” 📚☕
I read this children’s book because Edith Nesbit was listed as an author that C.S. Lewis was a fan of. Since I'm cohosting the C.S. Lewis Readathon for November, this one fills the 'one that inspired Lewis' prompt. How cool to read one that he read.
Published in 1899, I found this book charming and heartwarming, and got several chuckles from it.
I think it’s beautifully written from the perspective and voice of a young British lad with five siblings and a widower father. The kids set out to restore the family fortune after their father loses his business.
Language: If planning to listen to the audiobook with littles around, I wanted to mention that the words shut up and stupid are used quite a bit. Near the end, someone says not to be an a _ _.
I felt it very charming
[especially when the audiobook is listened to in tandem with the physical book] but quite a bit long for a children’s book. 208 pages and the audio was just over five hours.
But I’m very glad I read it.
I will have a more in-depth book review on this one [where I read a snippet] and discuss it more on my cozy, bookish YT channel. 💙☕📚
July 15, 2015
Oh, how I adored this book! I laughed aloud in so many parts and these characters, especially Oswald the great, felt as familiar as my own children. The funny cadence of writing that was sort of spur of the moment/top of the head thoughts and relaying of events, was just perfect. The realizations that came to me when reading were subtle, but I still feel them several days later.
The story of the poor Bastable children seeking to better their fortune is something that kids can relate to, wanting to help their family. And the friendship that is so strong between the children, how they unequivocally accept and allow for each other's differences/quirks is just beautiful. I see so much of my kids in these characters, the sweet and original way they look at life, the way they find magic.
This is one of my favorite children's books, truly unique, and will remain in my top shelf library collection and reread many, many times.
The story of the poor Bastable children seeking to better their fortune is something that kids can relate to, wanting to help their family. And the friendship that is so strong between the children, how they unequivocally accept and allow for each other's differences/quirks is just beautiful. I see so much of my kids in these characters, the sweet and original way they look at life, the way they find magic.
This is one of my favorite children's books, truly unique, and will remain in my top shelf library collection and reread many, many times.
April 10, 2018
When I was growing up I loved E Nesbit's stories... Five children and it and the clever funny sequels to this story . Then, of course there was The Railway Children surely one of the most perfect children's stories that has ever been written. However try as I might I could not warm to the Bastable children. I must have had several attempts to read this as it certainly stood on my youthful bookcase for many years. I just thought those children were so silly and I hated the way Oswald kept pretending he wasn't the author, when he clearly was. It made no sense to me. I just could not get inside his head. Or maybe I just could not imagine the Bastable lives.
Now I am revisiting E Nesbit and having belatedly learned something of her personal history I have warmed to Oswald Bastable and his family. This is Nesbit's great gift, to be able to write from the innocent child's perspective without demeaning or belittling. Many authors of course have copied Nesbit's style some brilliantly, some less so... But she was the forerunner, the trail blazer, and The Story of the Treasure Seekers was her first venture into that world. Now I can finally see what a cleverly crafted story this is. Of course the story is so far removed from the current experience of children I wonder if any children today could really appreciate it. But still it has a stood the test of time and deserves to be re-appraised.
If I were reading this book to a child now I guess I would set the scene quite carefully first and acquire a few props... Certainly at the very least a three penny bit and a half a crown! But a tablecloth, an antimacassar and toasting fork would come in useful too. What children today could imagine living in a house effectively alone for days and weeks on end and left to their own devices apart from a rather slapdash and incompetent servant/housekeeper who is neither motherly nor a good cook, and a father who seems to have hidden himself away; with no radio, tv, computers or even toys to entertain them. And these children it must be remembered, have recently lost their mother.
So to Dora and Oswald the eldest Bastables, fall the premature task of parenting and guiding their younger siblings. But their ideas about this... If shared today, would surely have all the neighbours immediately phoning up the NSPCC or social services and would certainly end in the family being split up and taken into care. One feels that today's precociously aware young readers would immediately shout neglect and ask why Oswald or Dora didn't phone Childline.
Also, horror of horrors.... These children are not going to school.
Yet these children, falling back on the own resources and ideas and still in the blessed innocence of childhood, where the boundary between fantasy and reality is still so fine one can easily pass from one to the other, not only manage to make their inedible meals palatable by pretending they are hiding out from Roundheads in the New Forest, but do indeed, through their innocence and ignorance end up restoring the family fortunes after many mishaps along the way.
I am glad to have finally come to appreciate this story in all its tender joie de vivre and undercurrent of loss. Life must go on. The Bastable father, that distant, sad, grieving, depressed and lonely man, little knows that his children are literally to be his salvation.
On reflection a great story, one that cannot truly be understood or appreciated for its worth until the end is reached.
Now I am revisiting E Nesbit and having belatedly learned something of her personal history I have warmed to Oswald Bastable and his family. This is Nesbit's great gift, to be able to write from the innocent child's perspective without demeaning or belittling. Many authors of course have copied Nesbit's style some brilliantly, some less so... But she was the forerunner, the trail blazer, and The Story of the Treasure Seekers was her first venture into that world. Now I can finally see what a cleverly crafted story this is. Of course the story is so far removed from the current experience of children I wonder if any children today could really appreciate it. But still it has a stood the test of time and deserves to be re-appraised.
If I were reading this book to a child now I guess I would set the scene quite carefully first and acquire a few props... Certainly at the very least a three penny bit and a half a crown! But a tablecloth, an antimacassar and toasting fork would come in useful too. What children today could imagine living in a house effectively alone for days and weeks on end and left to their own devices apart from a rather slapdash and incompetent servant/housekeeper who is neither motherly nor a good cook, and a father who seems to have hidden himself away; with no radio, tv, computers or even toys to entertain them. And these children it must be remembered, have recently lost their mother.
So to Dora and Oswald the eldest Bastables, fall the premature task of parenting and guiding their younger siblings. But their ideas about this... If shared today, would surely have all the neighbours immediately phoning up the NSPCC or social services and would certainly end in the family being split up and taken into care. One feels that today's precociously aware young readers would immediately shout neglect and ask why Oswald or Dora didn't phone Childline.
Also, horror of horrors.... These children are not going to school.
Yet these children, falling back on the own resources and ideas and still in the blessed innocence of childhood, where the boundary between fantasy and reality is still so fine one can easily pass from one to the other, not only manage to make their inedible meals palatable by pretending they are hiding out from Roundheads in the New Forest, but do indeed, through their innocence and ignorance end up restoring the family fortunes after many mishaps along the way.
I am glad to have finally come to appreciate this story in all its tender joie de vivre and undercurrent of loss. Life must go on. The Bastable father, that distant, sad, grieving, depressed and lonely man, little knows that his children are literally to be his salvation.
On reflection a great story, one that cannot truly be understood or appreciated for its worth until the end is reached.
August 6, 2019
This was a sweet and gentle read, just as relevant now as it was when it was written and features the Barstable children who had such an innocence about them that was so refreshing.
The topic of their adventure was quite poignant, as they were very poor - even too poor to attend school - but this was their attempts to come up with different ways to raise money for their widowed father and being such inventive and curious children, they always seemed to come up with fun and intriguing new ways to get some money. From writing, doing odd jobs, selling things and searching for treasure - there was always a new adventure for them to go on.
There were great touches of humour throughout but always a touching bond between them all and it was nice to read about a group of children with such imagination and seemingly no fear as they'd set out on each new venture!
The topic of their adventure was quite poignant, as they were very poor - even too poor to attend school - but this was their attempts to come up with different ways to raise money for their widowed father and being such inventive and curious children, they always seemed to come up with fun and intriguing new ways to get some money. From writing, doing odd jobs, selling things and searching for treasure - there was always a new adventure for them to go on.
There were great touches of humour throughout but always a touching bond between them all and it was nice to read about a group of children with such imagination and seemingly no fear as they'd set out on each new venture!
December 23, 2008
I tried reading this once as a child, maybe about the age of seven and eight, and put it down because I found it very bizarre. I can now see that it's the kind of book which is intended to be read to children by their parents as there are plenty of amusing comments which only adults would understand (e.g. finding the coins in the garden). It's an excellent book, written in the way of many books from that time - each chapter has its own plot, meaning that you can read one chapter every night before you go to bed, or during your lunchbreak. A truly sweet book which I adored mainly because of the unique narrative - I haven't read many children's books from this time period written in first person from the perspective of a child before, and I think that it's a technique which works very well. I'll be keeping this book to read to my kids (when I have kids). 10/10
October 9, 2021
Such a fun book! I thoroughly enjoyed the personable narrator, his siblings, and their relationships. So much like real kids ... they get on each other's nerves but are best friends nonetheless. The funny scrapes and misunderstandings the children got themselves into had me sometimes cringing but mostly smiling. What imaginations!
There are quite a few classic children's books that tell the story of a large family down on their luck, but this is probably one of my favorites. There was nothing saccharine or annoying about it; any sentimentality lay hidden beneath the jolly escapades and fierce bond among the children. That can probably be attributed to the narrator. What a brick. :)
There are quite a few classic children's books that tell the story of a large family down on their luck, but this is probably one of my favorites. There was nothing saccharine or annoying about it; any sentimentality lay hidden beneath the jolly escapades and fierce bond among the children. That can probably be attributed to the narrator. What a brick. :)
October 31, 2021
This was such a fun Victober read! It is so funny and the Bastable children are a lovable bunch. E. Nesbit is so brilliant at capturing the point of view of a child through the first person narrator. The Narrator (I won’t give away who it is because that is part of the fun!) is a good sort and committed to telling the truth even if it shows him in a bad light. 🤣 The sibling relationships seem very realistic and there are some funny asides in here that grownups will appreciate. (The scene with the editor springs to mind.)
May 20, 2015
I read this many years ago, that I don't even remember what is it about. I just remember that this was one of the first adventure book I read and it was very interesting. I recall that I like it. Turns out this influence J.K.Rowling to write Harry Potter
July 23, 2023
After reading a few other of Edith Nesbit’s books I knew I wanted to give this one my attention next. It is written rather similarly (episodic adventures) to the Five Children and It series, only the adventures are not nearly so fantastical. Also the book is written in first person by one of the children who wishes to remain anonymous (but does not remain so past the first few paragraphs). The rest of my remarks on this book are almost as episodic as the book itself, so I hope you can digest each paragraph separately.
I found myself often wondering what job exactly Mr. Bastable was working so hard at, but perhaps the author addresses this is the later sequels.
Also, as other reviews mentioned, there are a few inappropriate racial remarks and expressions near the end of the book. Please be aware and read with discretion. These would be very easy to remove if you were reading the book out-loud to your children.
If anyone loves this book I recommend the 1996 Treasure Seekers movie adaptation, that, while not entirely true to the book, never-the-less manages to keep the spirit of it and is quite adorable. Some scenes are very similar, and I think the children were all portrayed beautifully (except Dicky who was removed). The film features many (now famous) actresses as young children. Keira Knightly (Pirates of the Caribbean) plays the Princess, Felicity Jones (Rogue One) plays a very well done Alice, and Camilla Power (The Silver Chair, Moonacre, Horacio Hornblower) plays a convincing Dora.
Noel is portrayed as a very sweet poetic little boy; utterly like-able. And it was always amusing when Albert-next-doors-uncle pops in for visits. All in all it’s a very charming film for children and adults alike.
Highly recommend.
I am rating it 3.5 overall. Like I’ve done recently for other Edith Nesbit novels, I collected little amusing selections to share. Either they were clever, self-centered, innocently twisted, horrific, or comical… In any case, here are some moments that caught my attention, and I post them here for your perusal:
“I am afraid the last chapter was rather dull. It is always dull in books when people talk and talk, and don't do anything, but I was obliged to put it in, or else you wouldn't have understood all the rest. The best part of books is when things are happening. That is the best part of real things too. This is why I shall not tell you in this story about all the days when nothing happened. You will not catch me saying, 'thus the sad days passed slowly by'—or 'the years rolled on their weary course'—or 'time went on'—because it is silly; of course time goes on—whether you say so or not. So I shall just tell you the nice, interesting parts—and in between you will understand that we had our meals and got up and went to bed, and dull things like that. It would be sickening to write all that down, though of course it happens.”
And:
“Noel got very tired. He's a peaky little chap; it comes of being a poet, I think.”
And:
“RECREATIONS
It is a mistake to think that cats are playful. I often try to get a cat to play with me, and she never seems to care about the game, no matter how little it hurts.—H. O.”
And:
“I am afraid there is a great deal of crying in this chapter, but I can't help it. Girls will sometimes; I suppose it is their nature, and we ought to be sorry for their affliction.”
And:
“Dicky stopped and smoked the pipe of peace. It is the pipe we did bubbles with in the summer, and somehow it has not got broken yet. We put tea-leaves in it for the pipe of peace, but the girls are not allowed to have any. It is not right to let girls smoke. They get to think too much of themselves if you let them do everything the same as men.”
And:
“Dora said, 'It is wrong to be a robber.'
'Yes,' said Alice, 'you would never know a happy hour. Think of trying to sleep with the stolen jewels under your bed, and remembering all the quantities of policemen and detectives that there are in the world!'
'There are ways of being robbers that are not wrong,' said Noel; 'if you can rob a robber it is a right act.'
'But you can't,' said Dora; 'he is too clever, and besides, it's wrong anyway.'
'Yes you can, and it isn't; and murdering him with boiling oil is a right act, too, so there!' said Noel. 'What about Ali Baba? Now then!' And we felt it was a score for Noel.
‘What would you do if there was a robber?' said Alice.
H. O. said he would kill him with boiling oil; but Alice explained that she meant a real robber—now—this minute—in the house.”
And:
“So the Uncle coughed and stood up and made a speech. He said—
'Ladies and gentlemen, we are met together to discuss an important subject which has for some weeks engrossed the attention of the honourable member opposite and myself.'
I said, 'Hear, hear,' and Alice whispered, 'What happened to the guinea-pig?' Of course you know the answer to that.”
I found myself often wondering what job exactly Mr. Bastable was working so hard at, but perhaps the author addresses this is the later sequels.
Also, as other reviews mentioned, there are a few inappropriate racial remarks and expressions near the end of the book. Please be aware and read with discretion. These would be very easy to remove if you were reading the book out-loud to your children.
If anyone loves this book I recommend the 1996 Treasure Seekers movie adaptation, that, while not entirely true to the book, never-the-less manages to keep the spirit of it and is quite adorable. Some scenes are very similar, and I think the children were all portrayed beautifully (except Dicky who was removed). The film features many (now famous) actresses as young children. Keira Knightly (Pirates of the Caribbean) plays the Princess, Felicity Jones (Rogue One) plays a very well done Alice, and Camilla Power (The Silver Chair, Moonacre, Horacio Hornblower) plays a convincing Dora.
Noel is portrayed as a very sweet poetic little boy; utterly like-able. And it was always amusing when Albert-next-doors-uncle pops in for visits. All in all it’s a very charming film for children and adults alike.
Highly recommend.
I am rating it 3.5 overall. Like I’ve done recently for other Edith Nesbit novels, I collected little amusing selections to share. Either they were clever, self-centered, innocently twisted, horrific, or comical… In any case, here are some moments that caught my attention, and I post them here for your perusal:
“I am afraid the last chapter was rather dull. It is always dull in books when people talk and talk, and don't do anything, but I was obliged to put it in, or else you wouldn't have understood all the rest. The best part of books is when things are happening. That is the best part of real things too. This is why I shall not tell you in this story about all the days when nothing happened. You will not catch me saying, 'thus the sad days passed slowly by'—or 'the years rolled on their weary course'—or 'time went on'—because it is silly; of course time goes on—whether you say so or not. So I shall just tell you the nice, interesting parts—and in between you will understand that we had our meals and got up and went to bed, and dull things like that. It would be sickening to write all that down, though of course it happens.”
And:
“Noel got very tired. He's a peaky little chap; it comes of being a poet, I think.”
And:
“RECREATIONS
It is a mistake to think that cats are playful. I often try to get a cat to play with me, and she never seems to care about the game, no matter how little it hurts.—H. O.”
And:
“I am afraid there is a great deal of crying in this chapter, but I can't help it. Girls will sometimes; I suppose it is their nature, and we ought to be sorry for their affliction.”
And:
“Dicky stopped and smoked the pipe of peace. It is the pipe we did bubbles with in the summer, and somehow it has not got broken yet. We put tea-leaves in it for the pipe of peace, but the girls are not allowed to have any. It is not right to let girls smoke. They get to think too much of themselves if you let them do everything the same as men.”
And:
“Dora said, 'It is wrong to be a robber.'
'Yes,' said Alice, 'you would never know a happy hour. Think of trying to sleep with the stolen jewels under your bed, and remembering all the quantities of policemen and detectives that there are in the world!'
'There are ways of being robbers that are not wrong,' said Noel; 'if you can rob a robber it is a right act.'
'But you can't,' said Dora; 'he is too clever, and besides, it's wrong anyway.'
'Yes you can, and it isn't; and murdering him with boiling oil is a right act, too, so there!' said Noel. 'What about Ali Baba? Now then!' And we felt it was a score for Noel.
‘What would you do if there was a robber?' said Alice.
H. O. said he would kill him with boiling oil; but Alice explained that she meant a real robber—now—this minute—in the house.”
And:
“So the Uncle coughed and stood up and made a speech. He said—
'Ladies and gentlemen, we are met together to discuss an important subject which has for some weeks engrossed the attention of the honourable member opposite and myself.'
I said, 'Hear, hear,' and Alice whispered, 'What happened to the guinea-pig?' Of course you know the answer to that.”
March 29, 2025
What child doesn’t want to believe in finding lost treasure or saving their family? E. Nesbit’s The Story of the Treasure Seekers is charming, (although viewed through today’s lens, it occasionally contains culturally insensitive elements). Nesbit never forgot what it was like to be a child and expertly captures the hope and wonder inherent in childhood. She writes from the often-overlooked perspective of children with such accuracy that it’s as though she’s experiencing childhood firsthand.
I particularly enjoy how Nesbit’s characters grow, learn, and evolve throughout the story. Although the siblings frequently find themselves in scuffles and “rows,” as they might say, they consistently stick together and collaborate to improve their family’s circumstances. Nesbit beautifully portrays children’s playfulness, imagination, and tendency to engage in good-hearted, mischievous schemes and well-meaning predicaments born out of simple misunderstandings. This story is a delightful reminder of childhood’s endless possibilities.
I particularly enjoy how Nesbit’s characters grow, learn, and evolve throughout the story. Although the siblings frequently find themselves in scuffles and “rows,” as they might say, they consistently stick together and collaborate to improve their family’s circumstances. Nesbit beautifully portrays children’s playfulness, imagination, and tendency to engage in good-hearted, mischievous schemes and well-meaning predicaments born out of simple misunderstandings. This story is a delightful reminder of childhood’s endless possibilities.
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December 21, 2024cosy christmas begins
July 9, 2021
Hard to say if I love Nesbit so much because she suits my sense of humor, or if my sense of humor is what it is because of Nesbit.
All her children's stories are about the same sorts of children on the same sorts of adventures, some with magic and some without (this one without). This one was my favorite when I was a kid because I liked the running joke of the narrator trying to remain anonymous.
All her children's stories are about the same sorts of children on the same sorts of adventures, some with magic and some without (this one without). This one was my favorite when I was a kid because I liked the running joke of the narrator trying to remain anonymous.
February 21, 2017
I liked this a lot as a nipper, as I was a big fan of books about families of many siblings who wrote their own newspapers and so forth. I picked it up by chance a few days ago and realised that it was set in Lewisham, so I read the whole thing again and found it to be great fun. As a child I don't think I'd paid any attention to the story going on in the background, where the Bastables' father is struggling immensely with sudden poverty and widowhood (they have to cut down to just one servant!). The book has a nice mixture of the children being concerned that things are not as they ought to be, and having a lovely time concocting their own imaginary play instead of having to go to school. I got a bit tired of Oswald the narrator before the end, always so keen to point out his noble and gentlemanly behaviour and to scoff at girls, and the reversal in their fortunes at the end was a bit daft. However, the book is still very funny and I still picture annoying little brother H.O. (trying to read two different books at the same time, one with each eye, so his brother couldn't have them) as looking exactly like my own little brother.
I might not recommend this to any small children of my acquaintance due to aforementioned scoffing at girls and a surprise use of the n-word! Oh, Victorians.
I might not recommend this to any small children of my acquaintance due to aforementioned scoffing at girls and a surprise use of the n-word! Oh, Victorians.
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