The Family at Red-Roofs

by Enid Blyton

Molly, Peter and Shirley are thrilled with their new house - and the house is supposed to be lucky too. But the luck doesn't last very long. Their father has to go to work abroad, and their mother has to go into hospital. And then they receive some news which changes their lives completely.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Classics, Family, British Literature, Teen, Young Adult

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1945

About the author

See also:
Ένιντ Μπλάιτον (Greek)
Enida Blaitona (Latvian)
Энид Блайтон (Russian)
Inid Blajton (Serbian)
Інід Блайтон (Ukrainian)

Enid Mary Blyton (1897–1968) was an English author of children's books.

Born in South London, Blyton was the eldest of three children, and showed an early interest in music and reading. She was educated at St. Christopher's School, Beckenham, and - having decided not to pursue her music - at Ipswich High School, where she trained as a kindergarten teacher. She taught for five years before her 1924 marriage to editor Hugh Pollock, with whom she had two daughters. This marriage ended in divorce, and Blyton remarried in 1943, to surgeon Kenneth Fraser Darrell Waters. She died in 1968, one year after her second husband.

Blyton was a prolific author of children's books, who penned an estimated 800 books over about 40 years. Her stories were often either children's adventure and mystery stories, or fantasies involving magic. Notable series include: The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, The Five Find-Outers, Noddy, The Wishing Chair, Mallory Towers, and St. Clare's.

According to the Index Translationum, Blyton was the fifth most popular author in the world in 2007, coming after Lenin but ahead of Shakespeare.

See also her pen name Mary Pollock

Reviews

[Rosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A blast from the past. This was one of my favourite Enid Blyton novels in my childhood. The Jackson children - Molly, Peter, Michael and Shirley - were so spirited and courageous even in the face of adversities. But my favourite character was Jenny Wren - their coconut of a nanny with a hard exterior and a soft heart. Worth a revisit, some day soon I hope.

[Namratha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Jackson children (Molly, Peter, Michael and Shirley) are ecstatic. They are moving from their stuffy/ dinky little house to a beautiful warm home on a green hillside called Red Roofs. Big plans, bigger dreams, loyal help, an loyal new pet and the promise of a glittering future makes the four children work hard, play harder and generally look forward to life with a rosy outlook.

But suddenly their father has to go abroad on work and their mother falls grievously ill. And just when the children are dealing with these unpleasant surprises, they receive some news that leaves them completely at sea and anchorless.
Money has suddenly become the biggest crisis of the moment and the young lot have to grow up quickly. Dolls have to be shelved and so do dreams. It's time to get jobs and keep the family together, fed and clothed.

The Family at Red Roofs is a beautifully written tale about how life can hit you with unexpected roadblocks. Whether you sit down on the curb with a woebegone expression or shed your misery and decide to deal with the problem constructively is all up to you. And along the way you learn who your true friends are and where your strengths and weaknesses lie.

For a children's book from an author renowned for creating childhood Shangri-Las, this one has a dollop of realism. While Blyton starts off with her customary optimism and unbelievably happy surroundings, she quickly takes a detour down life's harsher surprises. The siblings, ranging from sensible teenagers Molly and Peter to the mechanical genius Michael to the not-fully-comprehending-but-eager-to-help Shirley fill you with a sense of vicarious pride. Any parents would be proud to have a set of children like the Jackson quartet. And a special shout-out goes to the endearing and fiercely independent but utterly dependable Miss Wren (Jenny Wren) and the young man of few words, Jack Daw (Jackdaw). Two of Blyton's finest supporting cast members, they lend a veneer of hope in troubled times.

I enjoyed reading this book. I truly did. It made me smile, introspect, tear up just a little bit and ultimately, it infused me with the need to be thankful for what we have been blessed with.
I couldn't ask for more from a book.

[Nandakishore Mridula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book I loved as a child. Children keep the family afloat, with mom in hospital and dad missing. Classic raw material for a Bollywood feel-good movie. Has it ever been made into one, I wonder?

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Embarrassed to admit I actually cried while reading this book as an adult. EB's "family" stories are a bit more mature than her other books, and this one is probably the best.

[Srinidhi.R Srinidhi.R · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of my fav books..

[Rina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up reading a translated version of this book multiple times, and remembered loving it so much to the point of obsession. I had always admired stories about young kids working hard and earning money to either survive or increase their quality of life, and where I grew up, this type of story was few and far between.

I decided to read the book for the first time in its original language -English- this year, and to be honest I was a bit nervous. I was preparing myself to be disappointed, especially after hearing from a lot of BookTubers about their various issues with Enid Blyton's books (understandable as they were written at a different time, and no longer necessarily reflect values we'd like to instil in children by today's standards). And at first, I was - the usual character introduction chapters were dragging, the kids cared about shallow things, and I could see the 'issue' of characters showing intolerance towards diversity and being judgmental very quickly.

Having said that, once the main plot started I couldn't put the book away. I suddenly remembered all the things I loved about the story, how the characters grew up and learned from their mistakes. It was also bittersweet that I recognised the same feelings I had reading this in English, a language I didn't even comprehend when I read (and loved) the translated version many many years ago - I'm sure it's a testament to the evolution of language across nations and culture somehow, which I'm not going into right now in this review.

So, the verdict is... I still love the book and its message about growing up and focusing on things that really matter (whatever it is, as different people have different perspectives). Yes, some of the view points are dated and should be read with caution - but if we could put a pin on these and file them away as 'no longer relevant' to then continue with the story, I think it's still a lovely tale of family, friendship and coming of age.

PS: reading this now also highlighted the stark difference of people's lives in 1945 compared to today, in terms of pace (multi-tasking hadn't been invented then).

[Niharika✩ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Molly. Peter. Micheal and Shirley Jackson have just moved into Red-Roofs with their parents, A house on a hill that has beautiful red roofs and a lovely garden. It's a huge difference from where they lived before.

Their big family becomes even bigger when they are joined by Jenny Wren, the mother's help. Now all the need is a dog and someone to help in the garden.

Bundle, the spaniel, brings another addition to their family. Jackdaw helps in the garden and loves the Jackson family. Micheal with his engineering skills, Molly with her gift for teaching, Peter with his determination to become a doctor, and little Shirley with her constant chatter. Could there be a better life for the children?

But when their father has to go to America and their mother falls ill, the kids' life turns upside down and suddenly have to grow up faster. What should they do?

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be a light-hearted family story but was quite moved by the predicament that the children find themselves in when just after their father goes abroad to work, their mother is taken seriously ill. As the story progresses each child shows their own strength of character in taking on extra responsibilities and adjusting to a change of fortune, and then in all working together to make the most of the situation they find themselves in. A heartwarming tale.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pleasant journey back in time to one of my favourite books when I was nine. Enid Blyton certainly told a good story, but was it sexist?! Wow, the girls do this and the boys do that, everyone to their allotted functions, Daddy works and looks after Mummy, it was quite revealing.

[Diarmaid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dare I say anything on the internet, this book was to me the most incredible,'unblytonesque' enid blyton book i had ever read. Indeed as a child of blyton, i must say, as perhaps an odious, precocious, child i remember concluding this to myself, that as an Enid Blyton reader, like many, i had read, literally hundreds of her books, and had been vaguely aware of her, sexism, classism, anti-americanism, but i had borne that in mind, and disregarded it (it was part of the humour of the package) . I do remember this book and being astonished by it, ( unlike other books of hers for some reason i only read it the once) and was surprised ,quite a lot of her work was rather similar, comfortingly so, but i do remember this as an almost stand alone work, it seemed to have real hardship and an unpredictable ending, I was gladdened to see it here, feeling it to be a lesser known work (part of the odious child lives on i see) but it was fantastic, and touching.. goodness enough has been said about enid blyton, unfairly as she never had the right of reply, all allegations having being levied after her death, but really i do feel JK has nothing on her, anyway, best wishes.

[Indah W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovee with book so much!!

Rada2 mirips ama "House at The Corner" tapi beda2 rasa tipis walaupun sama bagusnya!

I love Enid Blyton's books, bukunya itu sarat cerita kehangatan keluarga and betapa ketika badai menghantam, we must stick together as family, bahu membahu melewati cobaan.

Gua baru tau kisah hidupnya si Enid dari teman gua and in a way gua ngerti kalo maybe for Enid, writing was an escape world for her from the harshness of reality.

Salah satu kemiripan nih buku ama "House at The Corner" adalah sang tokoh bokap dua2nya "menghilang" di tengah cerita untuk kemudian berkumpul kembali bersama keluarga di akhir cerita.

Ini mungkin harapan Enid agar bokapnya balik lagi ke keluarga tapi sayang ngga kesampean karena setelah bercerai, kalo ngga salah sih bokapnya menikah lagi, huhuhu..

[Areesha · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been years since I last read this book and I have no idea where my copy is, but I loved it. In my opinion, every kid should read it.
I think this is one of the books that led to me being to independent when I was younger. Either way I loved it and now I'm definitely going to raid my entire house looking for it.
Parents, this is a book you HAVE to make your kids read.

01-02-2014
I love my university library. I found this book by luck and I plan on keeping it with me for this entire semester.
If you want to know how much I loved this book, know this.
I was crying. In more than one place. Which you don't really expect from a children's novel, but there you go. If you don't make your kids read this book, then they're missing out on the one of the best experiences they can have.

[Orinthia Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buku ini sangat memorable. Buku novel tebel yang pertamaaaa kali kubaca, dan karena buku inilah, aku jadi suka baca novel sampai sekarang. Berkesan banget makanya... sayang, bukunya udah nggak tahu kemana T__T kayaknya waktu pindah rumah, ditinggal di rumah lama beserta buku-buku Enyd-ku yang lain....

Ceritanya sederhana, tentang keluarga yang tinggal di rumah beratap merah. Terus ada masalah-masalah yang terjadi dalam keluarga itu. Aku lupa persisnya apa, tapi aku masih inget coklat panas yang diminum Molly malam-malam wkwkwk... (yang diinget itunya doang)

Pengen baca buku ini lagi...

-----

Baca ulang 5 Jan 2014 :">
Kesan yang didapat nggak beda sama waktu SD dulu. Tetep suka banget <3


Dibaca untuk:
- Lucky no. 14 Reading Challenge

[Catherine Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another Enid Blyton that I inherited from a family friend, at least 30 years ago (and the book itself is probably at least 40 years old by now!). And another Blyton I keep returning to re-read. The usual "Blyton-esque" family - hardworking father, sickly mother and four children (two boys and two girls) buying Redroofs. They also have a gardener boy (Jack Daw) and a old-fashioned maid to take care of the house generally - Miss "Jenny" Wren. The four children have many difficulties to face when their father head to America with his job, and his boat sinks, with no news if he has survived or not, and their mother taken ill. But, yet again, the usual Blyton "happy-ever-after" ending. Probably a little old-fashioned for the new generation, but always a good read for me :-0

[Varshini · Rating 5 out of 5]

The other day, I wanted to feel the nostalgia of Enid Blyton, and so went to the Teen section of the nearest library to find it. However, I found out that Enid Blyton is actually in the kids' section of books, and aren't huge books like I thought they were 15 years ago.

So, I went back to my childhood and re-read this book. There's parts of it that make me go hmm, such as Jack Daw being a person of color who doesn't talk well. But, there's so many good parts such as respecting younger children and not belittling them because of their age, a hoity-toity teenager who actually just has abandonment issues, and an adorable dog.

This is still a good book <3

[Fasti Anastasia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can believe they have this one book...!!
I can't remember when I read it...maybe at elementary school, and it became my fave ever since..

I wonder where's that book now..?
Telling a story about a family that live in a big red roof house. Once they were one perfect happy family, and when a tragedy happend (i think...) the family short of torn apart, but...as long as I remember, it's a happy ending!

I'd love it found that book again ! anyone ? :)

[Rahma · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favourite book growing up..

[DHWANI SWAMI]

This book is written by Enid Blyton. It is the story of a family of Mr. Jackson and Mrs. Jackson. They had four children. The eldest child was molly who was sixteen years old and then was a fifteen year old Peter. Then is Michael who was eleven years old and youngest was Shirley who was ten years old. This family wanted to come and live at THE RED ROOF, but it was very expensive due to which they could not buy it. But, everyone in the family loved that house even Mr. Jackson loved it as well so he tried his best and managed to buy it. The kids were really happy and excited when they got to know that they'll be going to live in the The Red Roofs. They all went in and helped their parents to keep the things on the correct order and place. At night, Molly helped her mother with cooking the dinner for everyone. They also hired a lady named JENNY WREN, but all of them called as Ms. Wren to do household chores and help Mrs. Jackson. Miss Wren was used to live in the red roofs only on the extra room they were left with or their guest room. One day they all went for a picnic but Miss Wren stayed at home. After their family picnic, while they were coming back the kids got attracted by a cute little dog and asked their parents if they could buy that dog. So, Mr. Jackson talked to the owner of the dog and paid him for the dog. The kids named that dog as BUNDLE. Then, Mrs. Jackson became sick and was admitted in the Hospital and after some time she came back and was welcomed with a grand welcome. Then, they faced many kinds of problems and challenges and solved them patiently and calmly.

[Chelsea Wijntjes]

A character I found interesting to read about was Prudence. This is because she pretended to be so much better than the Jackson's because of her wealth and social status, but secretly envied them because they had a happy loyal family. She seemed like a bad unreliable friend at first, but I enjoyed reading about the struggles that she faced even with what appeared on the outside to be a perfect life.

A quote that I liked in this book was a quote by Jackdaw; 'Ar - you look there!' Jackdaw said this when he first brought the newspaper that told the family their father was alive for the first time. I liked this quote because Jackdaw hardly ever normally said a word except for 'Ar', which shows how excited and pleased he would have been to bring the news to the family when he used more words. This quote shows the excitement that spurred him on.

One thing I have learned from reading this book is that loyal people are the most important people to surround yourself with. We can see this when we think about what happened to Prudence. She had grand friends, who all immediately deserted her when she faced hardships. This was when she found out who her true friends were, even though she had snubbed both of them. Prudence was left behind when her family scattered, and had it not been for Molly and the Jackson's she would have been without a place to live, and without the Rennie's, she would not have a job. This is just one of the examples in this book that supports this idea.

[Saloni Porwal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Courtesy

Molly, Peter, Michael, and Shirley have just bought Redroofs, and are delighted with the roomy house. They are looking forward to living their dreams and having all the fun they missed out on, until disaster strikes. All of a sudden, their parents can't support them any longer and they must learn to face the world and earn money.
One of my most reread books. It has always been special to me and will always be. As a kid, I idolized Molly and Michael because of how much I could relate to their personalities. Somewhere in me, I just wanted to be independent and stand on my own two feet. The sibling affection and family drama in this book is on a whole new level. Most of Blyton's books, although good, are plot driven. This one is different. There are only three major plot points in the story, the rest being due to the character's goals and choices. I just gobbled down all the pages. The side characters are there for a reason, and they are so very amazing. Jackdaw wasn't that impressive, but Jenny Wren was my favorite. You can always rely on her. The story is heartwarming, light-hearted, and has a happy ending. Family Adventure's is probably Blyton's most underrated and best series, with the least stereotypes and clichés. If you want to give a book to someone between the ages of eight and twelve, I highly recommend this.

Visit https://bookguru-bookreviews.blogspot... for similar reviews

[Rahmadiyanti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Belum lama pindah dari rumah yang sempit ke rumah beratap merah yang lebih luas dan nyaman, keluarga Jackson harus menghadapi berbagai cobaan. Ibu mereka sakit, harus dioperasi, dan dirawat sekian lama di rumah sakit. Tak lama, mereka mendapat kabar kapal laut yang ditumpangi ayah mereka yang sedang ditugaskan ke Amerika, tenggelam. Ayah mereka termasuk korban yang hilang.

Kemurungan menerpa Molly, Peter, Michael, dan Shirley, keempat anak keluarga Jackson. Namun, mereka harus realistis dengan kondisi yang ada. Dibantu Jenny Wren, Jackdaw, dan tentu saja, Buntel, mereka berusaha menghadapi cobaan tersebut. Akankah mereka berhasil mengatasi berbagai masalah? (Pasti, sih :D)

Yang jelas, suka dengan buku ini. Salah satu buku Oma Enid yang "terlewat" saya baca di masa kecil dan remaja, dan baru saya hunting lagi belakangan ini. Meski endingnya happy, tapi Oma Enid cukup detail mengisahkan perjuangan anak-anak Jackson + Jenny Wren dan Jackdaw. Seperti biasa, Oma Enid juga selalu menyelipkan karakter tokoh yang manja dan nyebelin seperti Prudence dan Nyonya Lacy. Meskipun begitu, agak kurang logis sih, penyelesaian masalah Prudence.

Overall, banyak hikmah dan pelajaran dari kisah ini.

[Sruti · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a book!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's the best book I have read in my life of 25 years!!! (one of the best!) I'm crying inside after finishing it. So many phases of life covered, so many types of people, different characteristics, oh God, can't explain how much I loved it.
I'm suggesting all my close friends to read this book, as it is surely life changing!
Wish to read all the books in 'Family Adventure series'.

[Ayesha · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is really a heartwarming story of children who shoulder great responsibilities when their parents undergo significant troubles. I feel that every child should read this book so that he/she knows how to adjust to an adverse change in circumstances. Every child should be taught how to function in situations where parents might now be able to provide support.

[Nandu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the language usage. The plot twists. The lovable characters, that I wanted to be friends with soo bad. I loved how everyone was hardworking. This book teaches some valuable lessons that I really appreciate.

[K.L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Red Roofs was supposed to be a lucky house until Daddy is lost at sea and Mummy has to go into hospital. The four children have to make a lot of sacrifices and band together to make ends meets before they get their happy ending

[kaira · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was a little emotional in the middle when everything went wrong but the end is very sentimental and happy.

[Elizabeth Shwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

the story came to a good end....which satisfies me . I would be delighted to finish the whole 'family adventure ' set

[jina mukherjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good..

[Elissa Neimy · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a little slow for me. I felt that the book was uneventful however others i know have enjoyed it

[Aji3 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really loved this, it was the best one among the family series by Enid Blyton