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A New Adventure
Discover the Magic Faraway Tree and explore the amazing lands it can lead to, in an irresistible new story by bestselling author Jacqueline Wilson, set in this much-loved world.
Milo, Mia and Birdy are on a countryside holiday when they wander into an Enchanted Wood. Among the whispering leaves, there is a beautiful tree that stands high above the rest. The Magic Faraway Tree is home to many remarkable creatures including a fairy called Silky, her best friend Moonface and more. Little Birdy is only too happy to find that fairies are real. Even her older brother and sister are soon won over by the magic of the Faraway Tree and the extraordinary places they discover above it, including the Land of Unicorns. But not every land is so much fun. Danger looms in the Land of Dragons. Will Moonface's magic work in time to save the children?
The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton was Jacqueline Wilson's own favourite book as a very young child. Now Britain's favourite contemporary children's author, creator of Hetty Feather and Tracy Beaker, revisits this glorious magical world, weaving a brand-new story perfect for the next generation of young readers. Discover the magic!
Milo, Mia and Birdy are on a countryside holiday when they wander into an Enchanted Wood. Among the whispering leaves, there is a beautiful tree that stands high above the rest. The Magic Faraway Tree is home to many remarkable creatures including a fairy called Silky, her best friend Moonface and more. Little Birdy is only too happy to find that fairies are real. Even her older brother and sister are soon won over by the magic of the Faraway Tree and the extraordinary places they discover above it, including the Land of Unicorns. But not every land is so much fun. Danger looms in the Land of Dragons. Will Moonface's magic work in time to save the children?
The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton was Jacqueline Wilson's own favourite book as a very young child. Now Britain's favourite contemporary children's author, creator of Hetty Feather and Tracy Beaker, revisits this glorious magical world, weaving a brand-new story perfect for the next generation of young readers. Discover the magic!
194 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 22, 2022
61 people are currently reading
355 people want to read
About the author
Jacqueline Wilson
399 books5,686 followersJacqueline Wilson was born in Bath in 1945, but spent most of her childhood in Kingston-on-Thames. She always wanted to be a writer and wrote her first ‘novel’ when she was nine, filling in countless Woolworths’ exercise books as she grew up. As a teenager she started work for a magazine publishing company and then went on to work as a journalist on Jackie magazine (which she was told was named after her!) before turning to writing novels full-time.
One of Jacqueline’s most successful and enduring creations has been the famous Tracy Beaker, who first appeared in 1991 in The Story of Tracy Beaker. This was also the first of her books to be illustrated by Nick Sharratt. Since then Jacqueline has been on countless awards shortlists and has gone on to win many awards. The Illustrated Mum won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Award, the 1999 Children’s Book of the Year at the British Book Awards and was also shortlisted for the 1999 Whitbread Children’s Book Award.
Double Act won the prestigious Smarties Medal and the Children’s Book Award as well as being highly commended for the Carnegie Medal. The Story of Tracy Beaker won the 2002 Blue Peter People’s Choice Award.
Jacqueline is one of the nation’s favourite authors, and her books are loved and cherished by young readers not only in the UK but all over the world. She has sold millions of books and in the UK alone the total now stands at over 35 million!
In 2002 Jacqueline was awarded the OBE for services to literacy in schools and from 2005 to 2007 she was the Children’s Laureate. In 2008 she became Dame Jacqueline Wilson.
One of Jacqueline’s most successful and enduring creations has been the famous Tracy Beaker, who first appeared in 1991 in The Story of Tracy Beaker. This was also the first of her books to be illustrated by Nick Sharratt. Since then Jacqueline has been on countless awards shortlists and has gone on to win many awards. The Illustrated Mum won the Guardian Children’s Fiction Award, the 1999 Children’s Book of the Year at the British Book Awards and was also shortlisted for the 1999 Whitbread Children’s Book Award.
Double Act won the prestigious Smarties Medal and the Children’s Book Award as well as being highly commended for the Carnegie Medal. The Story of Tracy Beaker won the 2002 Blue Peter People’s Choice Award.
Jacqueline is one of the nation’s favourite authors, and her books are loved and cherished by young readers not only in the UK but all over the world. She has sold millions of books and in the UK alone the total now stands at over 35 million!
In 2002 Jacqueline was awarded the OBE for services to literacy in schools and from 2005 to 2007 she was the Children’s Laureate. In 2008 she became Dame Jacqueline Wilson.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
August 6, 2022
This is the fourth instalment in The Magic Faraway Tree series, originally penned by Enid Blyton and continued by Jacqueline Wilson.
I grew up with this book series and it holds a very special place in my heart, which is why I was so eager to see it continued and adapted for a new generation of readers. I enjoyed my return to the whimsy of Blyton's original creations but found the overall story arc a little less exciting than I had predicted.
This featured smaller adventures, with journeys there and back into other lands often completed in just one chapter. Perhaps this would highly appeal to the younger target audience it is aimed towards but I did not find this preferable to the longer and singular adventure I anticipated this would feature.
I loved the return of a beloved cast of fantastical characters as well as the new family introduced, and am eager to see where else Wilson will have them venture.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author,Jacqueline Wilson, and the publisher, Hodder Children's Books, for this opportunity.
I grew up with this book series and it holds a very special place in my heart, which is why I was so eager to see it continued and adapted for a new generation of readers. I enjoyed my return to the whimsy of Blyton's original creations but found the overall story arc a little less exciting than I had predicted.
This featured smaller adventures, with journeys there and back into other lands often completed in just one chapter. Perhaps this would highly appeal to the younger target audience it is aimed towards but I did not find this preferable to the longer and singular adventure I anticipated this would feature.
I loved the return of a beloved cast of fantastical characters as well as the new family introduced, and am eager to see where else Wilson will have them venture.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author,Jacqueline Wilson, and the publisher, Hodder Children's Books, for this opportunity.
April 12, 2022
I'm so torn on this review, The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton was and always will be my favourite book. When I heard that Wilson was taking us on a whole new adventure with the characters we knew from our childhood's, part of me was intrigued, whilst the other half wished she'd leave such a classic well alone.
Written in the same style as Blyton, this turned out to be an enjoyable, fun read and to be honest you couldn't really differentiate between the old and new.
As we journey into the Enchanted Wood and the magical lands at the top of the tree, we reunite with all of our old favourites, from Moonface and his slippery-slip, Dame Washalot and her washing tub, and Mr Watzisname to name but a few.
I guess I need to leave myself more open to change.
Many thanks to Netgalley for my review copy.
Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Written in the same style as Blyton, this turned out to be an enjoyable, fun read and to be honest you couldn't really differentiate between the old and new.
As we journey into the Enchanted Wood and the magical lands at the top of the tree, we reunite with all of our old favourites, from Moonface and his slippery-slip, Dame Washalot and her washing tub, and Mr Watzisname to name but a few.
I guess I need to leave myself more open to change.
Many thanks to Netgalley for my review copy.
Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐
April 29, 2022
I was a little bit disappointed in this book. The original book is one of my favourites and I'm not completely sure that it needed to be rewritten. The main difference is that the children are modern and have technology. But once they arrive at the tree, they meet the same characters as previously, and the adventures are fairly timeless as before. But I felt that this was lacking the "magic" of the original book. The land of the unicorns wasn't very exciting because there are so many unicorn stories on the market at the moment. I also felt that this book may appeal more to girls, wheras the original story was enjoyed by everyone. The final few chapters were more exciting, but I think I'll still be reading the original book to the children that I teach.
Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
April 13, 2022
What a delight to return to my childhood, I really like how Jacqueline Wilson has paid tribute to the wonderful Enid Blyton and brought one of my favourite childhood books up to date and more accessible to children of today. I would recommend that any adult buying this for, or reading it to, a child, also offer them the original so they can decide which they prefer.
This modern day trip up the Faraway tree, entertained and enthralled me (aged 65) but I'm aware I'm not the target audience.
I also found it lacked a little of the original magic, but I'm not sure if that was the (rather PC) storyline, the authors style or the lack of a childs imagination to experience it with. Sadly I fear it was the latter.
At a time I was feeling pretty low, this book lifted my spirits and I would read any further similar adventures in the Enchanted forest this author creates.
This modern day trip up the Faraway tree, entertained and enthralled me (aged 65) but I'm aware I'm not the target audience.
I also found it lacked a little of the original magic, but I'm not sure if that was the (rather PC) storyline, the authors style or the lack of a childs imagination to experience it with. Sadly I fear it was the latter.
At a time I was feeling pretty low, this book lifted my spirits and I would read any further similar adventures in the Enchanted forest this author creates.
April 14, 2025
I do not have the same childhood attachment to the Magic Faraway Tree series as others seem to have. Instead, I read the whole new-to-us series to our 6-7yo son over a 12 month period. Spoiler alert: he adores it.
The Magic Faraway Tree series was originally penned by Enid Blyton. The first 4 books The Enchanted Wood, The Magic Faraway Tree, The Folk of the Faraway Tree and Up the Faraway Tree are all fairly different. After that, we get a series of cash grabs (also penned by Blyton) that seem to be repeats of what came previously.
Jacqueline Wilson's a New Adventure is a faithful rendition of the originals. She introduces three new children and modernises the setting, doing away with a lot of the archaic gender roles that Enid is famous for. She also adds a bit of edge, and the lands that the children encounter gradually get more interesting as the book progresses. I really enjoyed her treatment of the Faraway Tree cast, who actually feel more rounded as people, and have their own themes of growth and conflict throughout the book.
Some reviewers wrote that there wasn't an overarching story. This both is and isn't true. While it's correct that the children only tend to visit one land per chapter, it's also correct to say that their encounters have longevity. Themes and experiences from one land carry over into chapters that follow, and there is a lot of character growth among the whole cast. This is indicative of a bigger stylistic shift between Wilson and Blyton, where Blyton would often focus on adventure (stuff that happens) and Wilson puts the emphasis on experience (character development).
As a side note, we've now read 11 books of the Secret Seven, and Blyton's rendition of Suzie and Peter never actually changes. With Wilson, that would be impossible.
If I have any critique of Wilson, it is that her sentence structure is rather long-winded compared to Blyton's. Chapters simply take longer to get through, which then affects the pace of read-aloud sessions. In addition, Wilson's style is more detailed. Frequently, with Blyton's books, it's the things she leaves out matters as much as the things she writes in. Blyton will happily introduce three characters, but then forget to describe what they're wearing, because she's far too busy chronicling their adventures. This then creates a certain kind of momentum in her stories, where you end up filling in those gaps in your mind.
Wilson's style is altogether different and more descriptive. Hers is a lushly coloured world that doesn't want to be rushed. As a result, reading Wilson and Blyton feels very different. Wilson's style is painterly and methodical, while Blyton's is more sketch-like and playful. As an adult, I really appreciate the depth of feeling that Wilson brings to this world and characters, but readers hoping to re-experience a Blyton 'book' may feel some whiplash.
And yes, other reviewers are right in pointing out that most adventures happen within one chapter, but it's worth pointing out that each of Wilson's is about 3x the size of Blyton's.
Age range: Would our 6yo son have loved this as much as he loved the first Faraway Tree books? I am not sure. Wilson's focus on character interiority might have been too much for him at that age. We had to (temporarily) pause the Famous Five for that same reason.
Does he love it now? Yes, those 12 months of cognitive development have made all the difference.
Would he read this book on his own? I doubt it. Our son is (currently) a very reluctant reader, and Wilson's style is so verbose that he'd be intimidated. Would he read Blyton's original series? Maybe, but at the moment he's obsessed with Diary of a Wimpy Kid (which incidentally also has that focus on character interiority).
For parents starting with this series, I would begin with Blyton - not for the sake of nostalgia, but because her work will be easier to follow for tiny children, and the kids can then grow with the books.
4/5 from me and 5/5 from my son, highly recommended.
The Magic Faraway Tree series was originally penned by Enid Blyton. The first 4 books The Enchanted Wood, The Magic Faraway Tree, The Folk of the Faraway Tree and Up the Faraway Tree are all fairly different. After that, we get a series of cash grabs (also penned by Blyton) that seem to be repeats of what came previously.
Jacqueline Wilson's a New Adventure is a faithful rendition of the originals. She introduces three new children and modernises the setting, doing away with a lot of the archaic gender roles that Enid is famous for. She also adds a bit of edge, and the lands that the children encounter gradually get more interesting as the book progresses. I really enjoyed her treatment of the Faraway Tree cast, who actually feel more rounded as people, and have their own themes of growth and conflict throughout the book.
Some reviewers wrote that there wasn't an overarching story. This both is and isn't true. While it's correct that the children only tend to visit one land per chapter, it's also correct to say that their encounters have longevity. Themes and experiences from one land carry over into chapters that follow, and there is a lot of character growth among the whole cast. This is indicative of a bigger stylistic shift between Wilson and Blyton, where Blyton would often focus on adventure (stuff that happens) and Wilson puts the emphasis on experience (character development).
As a side note, we've now read 11 books of the Secret Seven, and Blyton's rendition of Suzie and Peter never actually changes. With Wilson, that would be impossible.
If I have any critique of Wilson, it is that her sentence structure is rather long-winded compared to Blyton's. Chapters simply take longer to get through, which then affects the pace of read-aloud sessions. In addition, Wilson's style is more detailed. Frequently, with Blyton's books, it's the things she leaves out matters as much as the things she writes in. Blyton will happily introduce three characters, but then forget to describe what they're wearing, because she's far too busy chronicling their adventures. This then creates a certain kind of momentum in her stories, where you end up filling in those gaps in your mind.
Wilson's style is altogether different and more descriptive. Hers is a lushly coloured world that doesn't want to be rushed. As a result, reading Wilson and Blyton feels very different. Wilson's style is painterly and methodical, while Blyton's is more sketch-like and playful. As an adult, I really appreciate the depth of feeling that Wilson brings to this world and characters, but readers hoping to re-experience a Blyton 'book' may feel some whiplash.
And yes, other reviewers are right in pointing out that most adventures happen within one chapter, but it's worth pointing out that each of Wilson's is about 3x the size of Blyton's.
Age range: Would our 6yo son have loved this as much as he loved the first Faraway Tree books? I am not sure. Wilson's focus on character interiority might have been too much for him at that age. We had to (temporarily) pause the Famous Five for that same reason.
Does he love it now? Yes, those 12 months of cognitive development have made all the difference.
Would he read this book on his own? I doubt it. Our son is (currently) a very reluctant reader, and Wilson's style is so verbose that he'd be intimidated. Would he read Blyton's original series? Maybe, but at the moment he's obsessed with Diary of a Wimpy Kid (which incidentally also has that focus on character interiority).
For parents starting with this series, I would begin with Blyton - not for the sake of nostalgia, but because her work will be easier to follow for tiny children, and the kids can then grow with the books.
4/5 from me and 5/5 from my son, highly recommended.
June 23, 2022
When I saw that this was going to be published I was beyond excited having loved the magic faraway tree series as a young child, sharing the stories with my mum who had also read them. Fast forward 20 years and I’ve been using the stories with my class and to teach about one of the most popular authors to date… so imagine the excitement when I saw this, although I was unsure what to expect and whether it would be as enjoyable as I wanted. I haven’t enjoyed it as much as I did the others, though I think perhaps that is due to being a fully grown adult now, and the magical make belief I no longer believe, and reading it without my imaginative class meant I didn’t fully bring the story to life, though I think any child will be fully swept along with the new modern day re workings of the lands and the fantastic characters. I loved that some of my favourite characters such as moon face and saucepan man were still included, and laughed at several parts of the story, and fell in love with the new character Pippin.
Jacqueline Wilson has captured the essence of the originals, writing in the way that Blyton did. I think if I hadn’t know it was a different author I would just presume Blyton had written the fantastical descriptions and used the language consistently with the books, so a huge congratulations to Wilson for creating a modern day version of the classic, without spoiling any of the authenticity of the Faraway tree stories, or taking it a step too far as many modern day re workings do.
Now… to plan a unit of work on this for key stage 1 English…… and consider what magical land we could create…..
Jacqueline Wilson has captured the essence of the originals, writing in the way that Blyton did. I think if I hadn’t know it was a different author I would just presume Blyton had written the fantastical descriptions and used the language consistently with the books, so a huge congratulations to Wilson for creating a modern day version of the classic, without spoiling any of the authenticity of the Faraway tree stories, or taking it a step too far as many modern day re workings do.
Now… to plan a unit of work on this for key stage 1 English…… and consider what magical land we could create…..
August 5, 2023
There's a lot of reviews of here saying this has nothing on the original but I'm sure these people haven't read the original in decades because I read the first three books to my kids very recently and the original isn't actually that good lmao.
The writing in general in this one is far better in my opinion. The magic of the stories is about the same. I do have quite a large bone to pick with this book though. Somehow there is more cringey gender stereotyping and heteronormativity in this than the original lol. Like, why did Mia have to dislike other girls dressed up princessy because she personally preferred to wear jeans? Like she was the only girl in the world who preferred pants to dresses??? And why oh why was Silky doing the emotional labour for every inhabitant and visitor to the dang tree? You really did dear old Moonface dirty by making him an incompetent man child in this story.
And don't get me started on the level of revulsion I felt when Birdy the five year old was saying about another child she literally just met "he's my handsome prince and we're going to get married" when it was time to leave lol. Why couldn't it just be something wholesome like not wanting to leave her new friend lol. Yes I'm one of those people who thinks it's gross and creepy when people pair up boy children and girl children like that lol. Reading that out part out loud to my own five year old daughter was like ummmm wtf is happening here hahaha
I was absolutely fizzing for this, I loved the Faraway Tree when I was a kid and Jacqueline Wilson was my all time favourite author. I'm just left a little disappointed in this unfortunately
The writing in general in this one is far better in my opinion. The magic of the stories is about the same. I do have quite a large bone to pick with this book though. Somehow there is more cringey gender stereotyping and heteronormativity in this than the original lol. Like, why did Mia have to dislike other girls dressed up princessy because she personally preferred to wear jeans? Like she was the only girl in the world who preferred pants to dresses??? And why oh why was Silky doing the emotional labour for every inhabitant and visitor to the dang tree? You really did dear old Moonface dirty by making him an incompetent man child in this story.
And don't get me started on the level of revulsion I felt when Birdy the five year old was saying about another child she literally just met "he's my handsome prince and we're going to get married" when it was time to leave lol. Why couldn't it just be something wholesome like not wanting to leave her new friend lol. Yes I'm one of those people who thinks it's gross and creepy when people pair up boy children and girl children like that lol. Reading that out part out loud to my own five year old daughter was like ummmm wtf is happening here hahaha
I was absolutely fizzing for this, I loved the Faraway Tree when I was a kid and Jacqueline Wilson was my all time favourite author. I'm just left a little disappointed in this unfortunately
November 6, 2024
Jacqueline had a lot to live up to with this.. I felt she set the scene and the magic really well, it stayed true to the original as much as possible and it was nostalgic and charming. I did feel however, that the children were more childish in this version, but that could be because I’m reading them as an adult? & Then as much as it was lush to be reunited with the characters from the Enchanted woods, Moonface, who was always my fave, was made out to be more of a menace then I remembered. But I was very glad they kept all the main characters in and I liked that a few different lands were featured.
Overall I am really glad this exists, it felt like a moment back in my childhood. The legacy of the enchanted woods can continue…I saw that it could be being made into a film!! That’d be cool, I think an animated series would’ve worked too. Jaq has also written a christmas faraway tree book so I’m excited to get my hands on that when it’s available at my library. 🧑🎄
It kinda makes me want to go back and reread the originals, it was such a massive way of escapism in my youth.. All the different lands at the top of the tree that I sooo wished I could go to, and felt actually existed XD Having a whole new adventure with the place and characters that are dear to my heart was very welcomed.
Overall I am really glad this exists, it felt like a moment back in my childhood. The legacy of the enchanted woods can continue…I saw that it could be being made into a film!! That’d be cool, I think an animated series would’ve worked too. Jaq has also written a christmas faraway tree book so I’m excited to get my hands on that when it’s available at my library. 🧑🎄
It kinda makes me want to go back and reread the originals, it was such a massive way of escapism in my youth.. All the different lands at the top of the tree that I sooo wished I could go to, and felt actually existed XD Having a whole new adventure with the place and characters that are dear to my heart was very welcomed.
June 6, 2022
Absolutely wonderful. How enchanting and magical to return to the beloved world of The Magic Faraway Tree. Jacqueline Wilson is, like many of us, a fan of Enid Blyton's wonderful original stories, and has brought her own expertise and beautiful writing to pen this additional tale: A New Adventure. Three delightful children: Milo, Mia and Little Birdie come upon an enchanted wood whilst on a holiday in the countryside. The most beautiful tree stands in the midst of the enchanted wood home to all our favourite magical characters like Moonface and the Faeries. Soon the children are off on adventures to marvwllous places, such as the Land of Unicorns. Unfortunately, they also happe upon the more dangerous Land of Dragons and rely on Moonface to try and help them escape. This is a superb story, every bit as stunning as the original stories. Every child (and adult!) should read this and immerse themselves in another fabulous adventure into the Faraway Tree. I am so thrilled to share more adventures with my own children. A sheer delight from start to finish. In addition, the audiobook has the delightful narration of the stellar Miriam Margoyles. #anewadventure #themagicfarawaytree #netgalley
July 29, 2022
I'm not sure what drew me to this book. As a child, even though I was a voracious reader, I never really got into Enid Blyton. Given that this is a new adventure, written by Jacqueline Wilson, I thought that I would give it a go.
Because I haven't read the original, I can't comment on how this compares to the previous work. I can, however, understand the reticence that fans of the original tales may have, as their favourite childhood stories are re-written. I hope that there are fans of the original which find something to like here. Personally, for me, it just wasn't my cup of tea (or my fairy cake). Of course, I am much older than it's target market, but I did feel that this story was just a little bit too twee. I liked that stereotypes and sexism were tackled, but I didn't feel that the story had very much sense of magic, or that there was enough jeopardy within the story for younger readers to get really excited about it. Of course, my response to this book could be because of me not really being a fan of the original tales. Even though this wasn't written by Blyton herself, maybe I just still don't match up with her.
Because I haven't read the original, I can't comment on how this compares to the previous work. I can, however, understand the reticence that fans of the original tales may have, as their favourite childhood stories are re-written. I hope that there are fans of the original which find something to like here. Personally, for me, it just wasn't my cup of tea (or my fairy cake). Of course, I am much older than it's target market, but I did feel that this story was just a little bit too twee. I liked that stereotypes and sexism were tackled, but I didn't feel that the story had very much sense of magic, or that there was enough jeopardy within the story for younger readers to get really excited about it. Of course, my response to this book could be because of me not really being a fan of the original tales. Even though this wasn't written by Blyton herself, maybe I just still don't match up with her.
October 4, 2022
Oh far-away tree, I want to discover you and climb up your branches to the magical clouds, sadly though I think as much as my mind wants this if such a tree exists I would need either a tree lift or a nice burly fireman to carry me up (would you believe I’m only in my 30s but my body thinks it’s 100).
I was completely captivated reading this, it feels so set in a faraway time . It reminded me of books that my Nan would read me when I was very young that she had also read to my mum when she was little.
It felt very innocent and I thought it was very very sweet.
Being written by Jacqueline Wilson piqued my interest when I saw it on netgalley. After watching the Enid Blyton series with the wonderful Helena Bonham carter I absolutely detested the woman it portrayed and have never read any of her books but this book definitely captured the period of Blyton.
This was a really enjoyable, delightfully innocent and fun read that I would recommend
I was completely captivated reading this, it feels so set in a faraway time . It reminded me of books that my Nan would read me when I was very young that she had also read to my mum when she was little.
It felt very innocent and I thought it was very very sweet.
Being written by Jacqueline Wilson piqued my interest when I saw it on netgalley. After watching the Enid Blyton series with the wonderful Helena Bonham carter I absolutely detested the woman it portrayed and have never read any of her books but this book definitely captured the period of Blyton.
This was a really enjoyable, delightfully innocent and fun read that I would recommend
September 28, 2023
*1.5 stars
There's a lot to be said for nostalgia. I loved Enid Blyton's Faraway Tree books as a child, which is why I picked this up, out of curiosity. However, it was a disappointment. The adventures the kids have in the tree are actually quite dull, and there were a few really odd choices, especially when it came to Moon Face and Silky. The characters don't feel the same and it somehow doesn't have the same charm as the originals, even when attempting to set aside nostalgia. The youngest girl Birdy was really irritating, though the narrator's whiny performance of her could be partly to blame for that. And although there was an attempt to modernise by challenging sexist gender roles (a book wouldn't be an Enid Blyton book without them!), it was clumsily and strangely done.
I think it was a missed opportunity though, it could have done something really fun and interesting with what was a charming and unique fantasy world. Overall though, it's probably best to leave those original stories as they are.
There's a lot to be said for nostalgia. I loved Enid Blyton's Faraway Tree books as a child, which is why I picked this up, out of curiosity. However, it was a disappointment. The adventures the kids have in the tree are actually quite dull, and there were a few really odd choices, especially when it came to Moon Face and Silky. The characters don't feel the same and it somehow doesn't have the same charm as the originals, even when attempting to set aside nostalgia. The youngest girl Birdy was really irritating, though the narrator's whiny performance of her could be partly to blame for that. And although there was an attempt to modernise by challenging sexist gender roles (a book wouldn't be an Enid Blyton book without them!), it was clumsily and strangely done.
I think it was a missed opportunity though, it could have done something really fun and interesting with what was a charming and unique fantasy world. Overall though, it's probably best to leave those original stories as they are.
June 26, 2022
This was hard to rate. While it was enjoyable to be back in the Enchanted Wood, there were very few adventures and more of kids just exploring the new fantasy worlds. I remember the old siblings getting into trouble in the fantasy worlds, but the new siblings didn’t do much really.
My daughter loved unicorn land. I wondered whether one of their parents had been to the Enchanted Wood when they were younger as a future plot twist.
My daughter loved unicorn land. I wondered whether one of their parents had been to the Enchanted Wood when they were younger as a future plot twist.
August 6, 2023
I absolutely loved both Enid Blyton’s ‘Magic Faraway Tree’ stories as a child and anything and everything written by Jacqueline Wilson, so when my friend lent me a book that combined the two, I was very excited!
This was absolutely charming and I loved revisiting the same characters in the tree, alongside different children.
I do think it doesn’t quite have the depth of the original stories, and the ending was abrupt, but overall, it was a nostalgic delight.
This was absolutely charming and I loved revisiting the same characters in the tree, alongside different children.
I do think it doesn’t quite have the depth of the original stories, and the ending was abrupt, but overall, it was a nostalgic delight.
December 16, 2022
A fantastic new story that my class loved!
December 3, 2022
Overall, it is a wonderful tribute to Blyton but lacks some of the imagination of the original series with all its inventive lands.
August 13, 2022
Mixed thoughts on this one… it’s a cute book and everything, but it was a bit boring sometimes :/
January 30, 2023
This book is whimsical and funny... I would love to have a magical tree. I would suggest this book to anyone that likes a good adventure...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 12, 2023
Not as good as the original
April 18, 2022
Jacqueline Wilson has proven that she can update old stories. She's taken on What Katy Did, The Railway Children and Five Children and It, and all have been fantastic success stories. But telling stories set in someone else's world is quite a different thing. Jacqueline has written a wonderful adventure story, full of fun and magic. But she hasn't captured Enid Blyton's tone in the way that, for example, Pamela Cox did in her Malory Towers continuations.
As always, Jacqueline's talent for descriptions shines through, in ways that it usually can't given her normal contemporary settings. I especially enjoyed reading about the many new types of magical food enjoyed at various times - and the bouncy castle with treats tucked into the sides! Kids will absolutely adore them, and there'll be a spate of demands for bedtime stories with new magical lands and new foods. There's also a viscerally upsetting bit when one of the children realises that, because she didn't know the Lands move away from the Tree, she's made a promise to a denizen that she can't keep; her disappointment and upset simply jump off the page. I hope Jacqueline writes some more, if only to reunite those two characters and let them sort out the misunderstanding!
My proof copy didn't include the art, but knowing Mark Beech's style, I can't wait to see it in person - it's going to look great.
Adults who read the original books as children may notice a few changes. For example, Moonface is no longer the topmost resident of the Faraway Tree...he's now the third one up, and several others live above him. However, the Slippery Slip still begins in his room, which must be annoying for people higher up the tree who want to slide down. (I do applaud the addition of a safety wall around the Slip - Cousin Connie would too, I'm sure!) In addition, time no longer moves in the Enchanted Wood, although it did in the originals; there were several instances of the children packing a lunch and staying in the Wood all day. Besides that, if there's no time passing in the Wood, how does Silky come to visit Birdy each night in the cottage?
The book is set in the modern day, though since most of the action takes place in the Wood that doesn't mean very much; there's some awkwardly inserted 'women power' bits, and the Saucepan Man now raps for some reason(!) but otherwise it's all very much as it was in Blyton's day. Young children won't notice the changes, of course, and they will very much enjoy this new story and clamour for more, which I hope they'll get; but adults looking for a nostalgia blast, this isn't the one for you. Go back and reread the originals instead.
As always, Jacqueline's talent for descriptions shines through, in ways that it usually can't given her normal contemporary settings. I especially enjoyed reading about the many new types of magical food enjoyed at various times - and the bouncy castle with treats tucked into the sides! Kids will absolutely adore them, and there'll be a spate of demands for bedtime stories with new magical lands and new foods. There's also a viscerally upsetting bit when one of the children realises that, because she didn't know the Lands move away from the Tree, she's made a promise to a denizen that she can't keep; her disappointment and upset simply jump off the page. I hope Jacqueline writes some more, if only to reunite those two characters and let them sort out the misunderstanding!
My proof copy didn't include the art, but knowing Mark Beech's style, I can't wait to see it in person - it's going to look great.
Adults who read the original books as children may notice a few changes. For example, Moonface is no longer the topmost resident of the Faraway Tree...he's now the third one up, and several others live above him. However, the Slippery Slip still begins in his room, which must be annoying for people higher up the tree who want to slide down. (I do applaud the addition of a safety wall around the Slip - Cousin Connie would too, I'm sure!) In addition, time no longer moves in the Enchanted Wood, although it did in the originals; there were several instances of the children packing a lunch and staying in the Wood all day. Besides that, if there's no time passing in the Wood, how does Silky come to visit Birdy each night in the cottage?
The book is set in the modern day, though since most of the action takes place in the Wood that doesn't mean very much; there's some awkwardly inserted 'women power' bits, and the Saucepan Man now raps for some reason(!) but otherwise it's all very much as it was in Blyton's day. Young children won't notice the changes, of course, and they will very much enjoy this new story and clamour for more, which I hope they'll get; but adults looking for a nostalgia blast, this isn't the one for you. Go back and reread the originals instead.
September 30, 2022
I cheated and listened to this as read(wonderfully) by Miriam Margolyes. It’s the same Enchanted wood and Faraway tree, same characters like Silky and Moonface but modern children visiting! However some of the reviews are weird- it’s a children’s book, they seem to have forgotten that it’s not written for them!! Some new lands and threats and fun! I think Jacqueline Wilson did well!
July 3, 2022
Upon beginning this book, I was concerned that the magic may be lost through the process of handing the series from one author to another. I wasn’t sure if the style would bring me the same joy that the series used to - this wasn’t the case. Jaqueline Wilson kept just the right level of ‘sameness’ and similarity in style, whilst adding her own insight and modern twists to the novel to make it even more lovable than I could have hoped.
June 8, 2022
Milo, Mia and their little sister Birdy are all squished up in the back seat of their car, on the way to a holiday home. All they know is that it is called Rose Cottage. After hours of Dad driving, the satnav is playing up. With the help of a small old atlas, Mum sees they need to look for The Enchanted Wood. A Caution sign warns them, but they keep driving until they reach Rose Cottage.
The excitement of choosing rooms is soon surpassed by a fairy appearing at Birdy’s window, high on the 3rd floor of the cottage. This fairy is as big as Birdy but flitting delicately in the air and mouthing words to her through the glass. The next morning, her family don’t believe a word, as she has always loved fairies and is prone to tell imaginative stories.
Stretching their legs behind the cottage after breakfast, the siblings meet a rabbit. Not an ordinary rabbit as this one speaks – leading them to an enormous tree that reaches up past the surrounding wood’s treetops and into the clouds.
This is The Magic Faraway Tree, filled with wonderful characters called Moonface, Mr Whatzisname, Dame Washalot, The Saucepan Man and The Angry Pixie. The fairy Birdy saw also lives in The Magic Faraway Tree – called Silky.
The tree itself looks like an Oak to Milo, but he’s surprised to learn that different fruits and berries grow on the tree. Peaches, apples or berries are there for the taking whenever they are hungry.
Soon the siblings learn that Moonface is muddled and messy, The Sauceman Man loves singing jingles to go with his sales of saucepans as everyone shops online these days, and Dame Washalot is often tossing washing water down the tree on any unsuspecting climbers. Silky makes magical treats that can change flavour depending on the recipient. She even has golden syrup that dances itself into shapes before you eat it!
But all this wonder is surpassed by a ladder that climbs up through the clouds. At the top of it are different lands that change daily. Not countries like Turkey or England or New Zealand, but magical lands of Unicorns, Bouncy Castles and more. Time is also their friend. Hours and hours are only minutes back at Rose Cottage, allowing the children and their friends many amazing adventures at the top of The Magic Faraway Tree without worrying their parents.
One of my two favourite books as a child (the other being The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe), this retelling by Jacqueline Wilson captures all the charm and wonder of the original, while hinting everything is happening in our time. With very little mention of technology and good-old-fashioned adventure the key, this story holds in fact, many adventures for the siblings.
They squabble sometimes as siblings do, but are also very thoughtful of others around them, even telling Silky to stop cleaning up after Moonface, as he should clean up his own mess. The Magic Faraway Tree was a huge influence on my smaller self and imagination as I dreamed up my own magical lands to visit at the top of the ladder. Back then it was Lolly Land and Talking Animal Land. I’m not sure what I would wish for today – the options are immeasurable.
Dive into this charming retelling and dream up some magical places to visit too!
Inspired by – Enid Blyton
Author – Jacqueline Wilson
Illustrator – Mark Beech
Age – 7+
The excitement of choosing rooms is soon surpassed by a fairy appearing at Birdy’s window, high on the 3rd floor of the cottage. This fairy is as big as Birdy but flitting delicately in the air and mouthing words to her through the glass. The next morning, her family don’t believe a word, as she has always loved fairies and is prone to tell imaginative stories.
Stretching their legs behind the cottage after breakfast, the siblings meet a rabbit. Not an ordinary rabbit as this one speaks – leading them to an enormous tree that reaches up past the surrounding wood’s treetops and into the clouds.
This is The Magic Faraway Tree, filled with wonderful characters called Moonface, Mr Whatzisname, Dame Washalot, The Saucepan Man and The Angry Pixie. The fairy Birdy saw also lives in The Magic Faraway Tree – called Silky.
The tree itself looks like an Oak to Milo, but he’s surprised to learn that different fruits and berries grow on the tree. Peaches, apples or berries are there for the taking whenever they are hungry.
Soon the siblings learn that Moonface is muddled and messy, The Sauceman Man loves singing jingles to go with his sales of saucepans as everyone shops online these days, and Dame Washalot is often tossing washing water down the tree on any unsuspecting climbers. Silky makes magical treats that can change flavour depending on the recipient. She even has golden syrup that dances itself into shapes before you eat it!
But all this wonder is surpassed by a ladder that climbs up through the clouds. At the top of it are different lands that change daily. Not countries like Turkey or England or New Zealand, but magical lands of Unicorns, Bouncy Castles and more. Time is also their friend. Hours and hours are only minutes back at Rose Cottage, allowing the children and their friends many amazing adventures at the top of The Magic Faraway Tree without worrying their parents.
One of my two favourite books as a child (the other being The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe), this retelling by Jacqueline Wilson captures all the charm and wonder of the original, while hinting everything is happening in our time. With very little mention of technology and good-old-fashioned adventure the key, this story holds in fact, many adventures for the siblings.
They squabble sometimes as siblings do, but are also very thoughtful of others around them, even telling Silky to stop cleaning up after Moonface, as he should clean up his own mess. The Magic Faraway Tree was a huge influence on my smaller self and imagination as I dreamed up my own magical lands to visit at the top of the ladder. Back then it was Lolly Land and Talking Animal Land. I’m not sure what I would wish for today – the options are immeasurable.
Dive into this charming retelling and dream up some magical places to visit too!
Inspired by – Enid Blyton
Author – Jacqueline Wilson
Illustrator – Mark Beech
Age – 7+
June 6, 2022
All reviews can be found on my blog at https://thewritinggarnet.wordpress.com
'The Magic Faraway Tree' has always been my most favourite book ever - the original one that is, with the original gang of Jo, Bessie and Fanny (not forgetting cousin Dick of course). So when I saw that THE Jacqueline Wilson was bringing out a new children's book based on that very faraway tree where trees go 'wisha wisha', and a character is covered head to toe in saucepans who ironically, is hard of hearing (I wonder why), I couldn't help but feel both excited AND nervous.
'Why the nerves?' I hear you ask. Well, if your most favourite book in the whole world was being brought into the 21st century by your most favourite author in the whole world, keeping the tree and the trees residents at the heart of the storyline whilst creating a new story at the same time - wouldn't you be a little nervous? I was very unsure as to how it would play out. 'The Magic Faraway Tree' is an iconic book in my opinion, and I was worried that the new version would dilute the magic of Silky and Moonface and end up making me dislike the entire thing.
I could not have been more wrong if I tried. 'A New Adventure' is exactly that, a brand new adventure. Jacqueline Wilson kept the magical characters at the heart of her story, bringing them back to life after what has felt like ages. That said, it felt as though they had never been away, as though I was catching up with friends I hadn't seen for a long time. Yes, there were a lot of similarities between the books, such as three children going off on their own into the woods with personalities that would be relatable to a lot of children in this day and age, just like Jo, Bessie, and Fanny did back in the day. Not only that, visiting different lands at the top of the tree, and even getting covered in Dame Wash-a-lots water were also iconic similarities. However, there were subtle differences which gave the book its own identity. For example, the concept of time was different, and the children's lives weren't as important outside of the faraway tree as they were in the original.
Even though 'A New Adventure' is a novel in its own right (despite the obvious inspiration), it felt like a continuation of the magical story we have all grown to love and adore. I was in my element reading this story, and I was so excited to be back with the gang - all my Christmases had come at once! I was swept up in the magic of the faraway and lost in Jacqueline Wilson's brilliant storytelling - what more could I have wanted?
So yeah, its understandable if you've seen this book and felt a bit apprehensive, as though you're cheating on Enid Blyton's original, but please don't despair. It is worth the read and then some. I loved it! Once again I didn't want to leave Silky and Moonface, so I was gutted when it had to end.
Until next time The Magic Faraway Tree!
'The Magic Faraway Tree' has always been my most favourite book ever - the original one that is, with the original gang of Jo, Bessie and Fanny (not forgetting cousin Dick of course). So when I saw that THE Jacqueline Wilson was bringing out a new children's book based on that very faraway tree where trees go 'wisha wisha', and a character is covered head to toe in saucepans who ironically, is hard of hearing (I wonder why), I couldn't help but feel both excited AND nervous.
'Why the nerves?' I hear you ask. Well, if your most favourite book in the whole world was being brought into the 21st century by your most favourite author in the whole world, keeping the tree and the trees residents at the heart of the storyline whilst creating a new story at the same time - wouldn't you be a little nervous? I was very unsure as to how it would play out. 'The Magic Faraway Tree' is an iconic book in my opinion, and I was worried that the new version would dilute the magic of Silky and Moonface and end up making me dislike the entire thing.
I could not have been more wrong if I tried. 'A New Adventure' is exactly that, a brand new adventure. Jacqueline Wilson kept the magical characters at the heart of her story, bringing them back to life after what has felt like ages. That said, it felt as though they had never been away, as though I was catching up with friends I hadn't seen for a long time. Yes, there were a lot of similarities between the books, such as three children going off on their own into the woods with personalities that would be relatable to a lot of children in this day and age, just like Jo, Bessie, and Fanny did back in the day. Not only that, visiting different lands at the top of the tree, and even getting covered in Dame Wash-a-lots water were also iconic similarities. However, there were subtle differences which gave the book its own identity. For example, the concept of time was different, and the children's lives weren't as important outside of the faraway tree as they were in the original.
Even though 'A New Adventure' is a novel in its own right (despite the obvious inspiration), it felt like a continuation of the magical story we have all grown to love and adore. I was in my element reading this story, and I was so excited to be back with the gang - all my Christmases had come at once! I was swept up in the magic of the faraway and lost in Jacqueline Wilson's brilliant storytelling - what more could I have wanted?
So yeah, its understandable if you've seen this book and felt a bit apprehensive, as though you're cheating on Enid Blyton's original, but please don't despair. It is worth the read and then some. I loved it! Once again I didn't want to leave Silky and Moonface, so I was gutted when it had to end.
Until next time The Magic Faraway Tree!
September 4, 2022
I was a Faraway tree obsessed child, revisiting the series with my Faraway Tree obsessed 5yo, so this was extremely anticipated.. and a huge disappointment. The timeline may have moved into modern day, but the cast of magical characters largely remains the same. This was pretty much fine, though both my daughter and I found the stories less magical, less imaginative, and more long winded than the originals. There weren’t many new magical elements introduced, the lands were fairly uninspired, being themes explored a lot in contemporary children’s fiction (unicorns, dragons, princes and princesses), and the pace of the story was much slower.
Because we also like to listen to audiobooks while doing other things we also bought the audiobook version when it was released. We hoped that Miriam Margolyes (who is usually a wonderful narrator) would make the book more engaging, but she was unfortunately an -awful- choice of narrator for this story, particularly in comparison to the vibrancy and spark of Kate Winslet’s reading of the originals. The voices for Silky and Mia were both bad, Pippin was grating in the extreme. Just.. disappointment all round, really.
Another thing I found jarring was the reinforcement of gender roles throughout the book. Silky was essentially written as Moonface’s housekeeper, with Moonface being too lazy / incompetent at keeping his house clean and relying on Silky to come to clean for him. It was then elaborated on in her story that girls aren’t allowed into magic school because the Magical folk are too old fashioned. So girls can only do magic as household chores instead. This was a completely unnecessary character point to make, given there’s little in the original stories to suggest that Silky and Moonface had that kind of relationship. And then to make matters worse the plot then basically drives them into a tentative romance after Moonface becomes jealous after becoming engaged to a prince, and then essentially challenging that prince to a duel. As a 30-something mother of a 5yo girl, both of us became annoyed with the book at this point and stopped reading (basically a chapter from the end). She’s shown no interest in continuing the book since.
We’ve returned to our beloved Jo, Bessie/Beth, and Fanny/Franny of the modern edit, and will happily acknowledge that sometimes new isn’t always better.
Because we also like to listen to audiobooks while doing other things we also bought the audiobook version when it was released. We hoped that Miriam Margolyes (who is usually a wonderful narrator) would make the book more engaging, but she was unfortunately an -awful- choice of narrator for this story, particularly in comparison to the vibrancy and spark of Kate Winslet’s reading of the originals. The voices for Silky and Mia were both bad, Pippin was grating in the extreme. Just.. disappointment all round, really.
Another thing I found jarring was the reinforcement of gender roles throughout the book. Silky was essentially written as Moonface’s housekeeper, with Moonface being too lazy / incompetent at keeping his house clean and relying on Silky to come to clean for him. It was then elaborated on in her story that girls aren’t allowed into magic school because the Magical folk are too old fashioned. So girls can only do magic as household chores instead. This was a completely unnecessary character point to make, given there’s little in the original stories to suggest that Silky and Moonface had that kind of relationship. And then to make matters worse the plot then basically drives them into a tentative romance after Moonface becomes jealous after becoming engaged to a prince, and then essentially challenging that prince to a duel. As a 30-something mother of a 5yo girl, both of us became annoyed with the book at this point and stopped reading (basically a chapter from the end). She’s shown no interest in continuing the book since.
We’ve returned to our beloved Jo, Bessie/Beth, and Fanny/Franny of the modern edit, and will happily acknowledge that sometimes new isn’t always better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 2, 2023
An amazing new adventure up the far away tree. I loved the original books when I was a child and always wished there were more stories. Jacqueline Wilson was my favourite author as a young child, so when I saw she released her own The magic faraway tree story inspired by the originals, I knew I had to read it. She included a few of the old characters living in the tree that I remember, and I loved reading it.
The stories in JWs book are rather short and end too quickly without too much actually happening in each land. I think she's also changed the way the lands appear as well from the original. As I remember it in the original when a new land comes the time it stays for is unknown, sometimes a few hours sometimes weeks. However, JWs always change at the end of the day.
I was a bit disappointed at some parts in the book, the older books by Enid Blyton were rather sexist at some parts and I thought JW's would be more progressive from those times and they were to an extent but in other ways not much had chanced.
The relationship between Silky and moonface could have been improved from what it was. Moonface was possessive of Silky and Silky loved him despite his displays of toxic masculinity and weaponised incompetence for how he acts as if he cannot clean up after himself and pits that responsibility on Silky. Without spoiling too much of the story, in one of the lands JW wrote about this became even more clear when moonface ended up in a physical altercation with another character because of his possessiveness of Silky.
Even Silkys background and how she could only learn some magic because she was a girl felt unnecessary to include when she's better at magic than Moonface. I do love Silky as a character, she's so sweet and caring.
I am glad that some areas of the book were more progressive, such as Mia and how her character is portrayed. Mia's character is so brave and kind. She doesn't care what's meant for boys and girls, she does what she enjoys but she's still always there to make sure her siblings and the friends she has are safe and happy.
The Magic Faraway Tree books are still slightly in the past but have made a small step towards the future. I hope that there are more of them to come and that JW will continue this series and help to bring these books even along but leaves sexism as part of the past.
The stories in JWs book are rather short and end too quickly without too much actually happening in each land. I think she's also changed the way the lands appear as well from the original. As I remember it in the original when a new land comes the time it stays for is unknown, sometimes a few hours sometimes weeks. However, JWs always change at the end of the day.
I was a bit disappointed at some parts in the book, the older books by Enid Blyton were rather sexist at some parts and I thought JW's would be more progressive from those times and they were to an extent but in other ways not much had chanced.
The relationship between Silky and moonface could have been improved from what it was. Moonface was possessive of Silky and Silky loved him despite his displays of toxic masculinity and weaponised incompetence for how he acts as if he cannot clean up after himself and pits that responsibility on Silky. Without spoiling too much of the story, in one of the lands JW wrote about this became even more clear when moonface ended up in a physical altercation with another character because of his possessiveness of Silky.
Even Silkys background and how she could only learn some magic because she was a girl felt unnecessary to include when she's better at magic than Moonface. I do love Silky as a character, she's so sweet and caring.
I am glad that some areas of the book were more progressive, such as Mia and how her character is portrayed. Mia's character is so brave and kind. She doesn't care what's meant for boys and girls, she does what she enjoys but she's still always there to make sure her siblings and the friends she has are safe and happy.
The Magic Faraway Tree books are still slightly in the past but have made a small step towards the future. I hope that there are more of them to come and that JW will continue this series and help to bring these books even along but leaves sexism as part of the past.
January 6, 2024
3.5 stars.
Having read and loved the original 'The Magic Faraway Tree' series by Enid Blyton, this continuation by Jacqueline Wilson was a pleasure to read. Being able to revisit the Enchanted Woods and the Faraway tree, as well as the characters from the original books in this story was incredibly exciting and nostalgic.
However, I would caution that those thinking that the characters hold completely true to Blyton's version should be warned that they do not. For example, while Moonface always wants to be paid in treats for the use of his slippery slip, the focus on him being untidy and how Silky seems to have to tidy and organise him and, what seems to be, the whole tree I felt kind of drove into the 'gender' stereotypes that might have been present in Blytons editions. I personally do not recall Blyton really focusing on Moonface making such a mess and Silky having to clean it up. It kind of felt like since Joe, Beth and Fanny the characters up the tree had gone backwards somehow.
It also would have been nice for the adventures to be longer or to have had more of an adventure between the lands. For example in Blyton's stories often they would visit one land and then this might lead to another either by accident or because they have to fix something that went awry when in the previous land. While I have been deliberately vague here as I truly would recommend one reads Blyton's stories themselves, I did want to draw on this point as it felt like this edition had lost some of the adventure and magic of these previous books.
Having said that it was fun to visit the lands conjured up by Wilson including the Land of Unicorns, the Land of Bouncy Castles, the Land of Princesses and the Land of Dragons. I would say that on the whole if you enjoyed the original then it is well worth giving this a read, if nothing else to dip back into that world. It was an easy read and brought me much joy at a time when I need it the most.
Having read and loved the original 'The Magic Faraway Tree' series by Enid Blyton, this continuation by Jacqueline Wilson was a pleasure to read. Being able to revisit the Enchanted Woods and the Faraway tree, as well as the characters from the original books in this story was incredibly exciting and nostalgic.
However, I would caution that those thinking that the characters hold completely true to Blyton's version should be warned that they do not. For example, while Moonface always wants to be paid in treats for the use of his slippery slip, the focus on him being untidy and how Silky seems to have to tidy and organise him and, what seems to be, the whole tree I felt kind of drove into the 'gender' stereotypes that might have been present in Blytons editions. I personally do not recall Blyton really focusing on Moonface making such a mess and Silky having to clean it up. It kind of felt like since Joe, Beth and Fanny the characters up the tree had gone backwards somehow.
It also would have been nice for the adventures to be longer or to have had more of an adventure between the lands. For example in Blyton's stories often they would visit one land and then this might lead to another either by accident or because they have to fix something that went awry when in the previous land. While I have been deliberately vague here as I truly would recommend one reads Blyton's stories themselves, I did want to draw on this point as it felt like this edition had lost some of the adventure and magic of these previous books.
Having said that it was fun to visit the lands conjured up by Wilson including the Land of Unicorns, the Land of Bouncy Castles, the Land of Princesses and the Land of Dragons. I would say that on the whole if you enjoyed the original then it is well worth giving this a read, if nothing else to dip back into that world. It was an easy read and brought me much joy at a time when I need it the most.
May 12, 2022
3 ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
Thank you so much to Hachette Children’s Group and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book.
As a huge fan of the original book series I was quite excited to see that Jacqueline Wilson, another author that I really enjoyed from my youth, was tackling a new take on the Faraway Tree.
The original Faraway series is something that I have read as a child, as a teenager and as an adult, something I have always gone back to especially if I’ve needed some magic and childlike wonder back in my life.
I feel like this book will be great for newcomers to the series, whereas for those like myself are really enamoured with the original story and the magic of it might be a little bit disappointed. I found the youngest child Birdy to be particularly grating as she was excessively childlike and demanding and quite rude frankly. The other two children were absolutely fine but not as engaging or as likable as the original children. Likewise the magic of the story just wasn’t quite there and the pacing was a bit off as they didn’t discover the worlds at the top until quite late in the book, and again for those of us looking for the nostalgia Silky features very heavily, saucepan man is a side character at best, which was disappointing for me and Moonface does not feature much either which was quite disappointing for someone like myself revisiting the series.
However as I said I think would be a great book for young children now and is set in modern times. I would definitely recommend it for new readers however if you like me and you loved the series when you were younger and it’s something you have continued to revisit and you’re looking for that nostalgia and that magic, unfortunately this one misses the mark.
Thank you so much to Hachette Children’s Group and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book.
As a huge fan of the original book series I was quite excited to see that Jacqueline Wilson, another author that I really enjoyed from my youth, was tackling a new take on the Faraway Tree.
The original Faraway series is something that I have read as a child, as a teenager and as an adult, something I have always gone back to especially if I’ve needed some magic and childlike wonder back in my life.
I feel like this book will be great for newcomers to the series, whereas for those like myself are really enamoured with the original story and the magic of it might be a little bit disappointed. I found the youngest child Birdy to be particularly grating as she was excessively childlike and demanding and quite rude frankly. The other two children were absolutely fine but not as engaging or as likable as the original children. Likewise the magic of the story just wasn’t quite there and the pacing was a bit off as they didn’t discover the worlds at the top until quite late in the book, and again for those of us looking for the nostalgia Silky features very heavily, saucepan man is a side character at best, which was disappointing for me and Moonface does not feature much either which was quite disappointing for someone like myself revisiting the series.
However as I said I think would be a great book for young children now and is set in modern times. I would definitely recommend it for new readers however if you like me and you loved the series when you were younger and it’s something you have continued to revisit and you’re looking for that nostalgia and that magic, unfortunately this one misses the mark.
June 22, 2022
We were very excited to receive our pre-ordered copy of this book on the release date last month! I have two 6 year olds who have just enjoyed reading the original Faraway Tree series so this came at the perfect time for us to enjoy as a read-aloud.
A few thoughts on our experience of this book from my perspective (and from theirs!)
What we loved:
- We loved the characters of the new children. They were developed well and were each very relatable.
- It was great to have the old faraway Tree characters back - Silky, Moonface and the Saucepan Man are vital to the original story and we were pleased to see them featured again.
- Jacqueline Wilson has such a talent for writing in an interesting and engaging way for children. The narrative was fun and engaging to read aloud and for the kids to listen to.
What we didn’t enjoy so much:
- It felt like the book took a little while to get going. It took a good few chapters before they were up in the land at the top of the tree. (And that’s what we were waiting for!!)
- There weren’t as many adventures in the lands at the top as there were in the original series which was a shame.
- As a parent I wasn’t so keen on the theme throughout that the children were lying to their parents about what they were doing and where they were going. When they brought Pippin back they were also trying to hide him from their parents and having to be very secretive and dishonest as a result.
- I wasn’t so keen on the Silky / Prince Hunter theme. I don’t think a romantic theme of this type is necessary for this age group.
From a parent’s perspective I would give this 3/5 - My kids would have given it 4/5 so I rounded up for the review :)
A few thoughts on our experience of this book from my perspective (and from theirs!)
What we loved:
- We loved the characters of the new children. They were developed well and were each very relatable.
- It was great to have the old faraway Tree characters back - Silky, Moonface and the Saucepan Man are vital to the original story and we were pleased to see them featured again.
- Jacqueline Wilson has such a talent for writing in an interesting and engaging way for children. The narrative was fun and engaging to read aloud and for the kids to listen to.
What we didn’t enjoy so much:
- It felt like the book took a little while to get going. It took a good few chapters before they were up in the land at the top of the tree. (And that’s what we were waiting for!!)
- There weren’t as many adventures in the lands at the top as there were in the original series which was a shame.
- As a parent I wasn’t so keen on the theme throughout that the children were lying to their parents about what they were doing and where they were going. When they brought Pippin back they were also trying to hide him from their parents and having to be very secretive and dishonest as a result.
- I wasn’t so keen on the Silky / Prince Hunter theme. I don’t think a romantic theme of this type is necessary for this age group.
From a parent’s perspective I would give this 3/5 - My kids would have given it 4/5 so I rounded up for the review :)
July 19, 2022
Having grown up loving the original Faraway Tree series, I was slightly concerned upon seeing this revamp that some of the original magic would have been lost (ok, I was worried they'd do an "And Just Like That" on it) but thankfully, this is as magical and engaging as the original .
The gang's all here - Silky, Moonface, Dame Washalot, Saucepan Man, Whatzisname.
The children have slightly more 2022-friendly names than Fanny and Dick - we have Milo, Mia and Birdy. All three are interested in different things, and all three are reasonably likeable - Birdy, the youngest, does kind of talk like a thirty year old but we've all seen the precocious TikTok toddlers so it's not *entirely* beyond the realms of possibility.
There was one part where a dragon mistook Milo for a girl because of the length of his hair and a pink top which I felt a bit unnecessary, but we used it as a prompt at home to talk about how anyone can wear anything they want and have their hair however they like it. Apart from that, there really wasn't a whole pile of difference between the actual stories from years ago and this new one. My two youngest children (both 8) really enjoyed it and have asked if we can get more from the series. I hope there will be more.
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley, we'll be buying these for our shelf.
The gang's all here - Silky, Moonface, Dame Washalot, Saucepan Man, Whatzisname.
The children have slightly more 2022-friendly names than Fanny and Dick - we have Milo, Mia and Birdy. All three are interested in different things, and all three are reasonably likeable - Birdy, the youngest, does kind of talk like a thirty year old but we've all seen the precocious TikTok toddlers so it's not *entirely* beyond the realms of possibility.
There was one part where a dragon mistook Milo for a girl because of the length of his hair and a pink top which I felt a bit unnecessary, but we used it as a prompt at home to talk about how anyone can wear anything they want and have their hair however they like it. Apart from that, there really wasn't a whole pile of difference between the actual stories from years ago and this new one. My two youngest children (both 8) really enjoyed it and have asked if we can get more from the series. I hope there will be more.
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley, we'll be buying these for our shelf.
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