The Famous Five by Enid Blyton
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I never read The Famous Five as a child that I can remember. But my husband did and he was pleased when I was able to get the collection second hand. I am working through them chapter by chapter by reading them to my son at night. It was fun to see both father and son (re)discovering these books together.
The series follows four children and Timothy the dog as they embark on various adventures in each book. We have only read the first two together (‘Five on a Treasure Island’ and ‘Five Go Adventuring Again’) and we are currently reading the third book at the time of posting. I cannot vouch for every story in the series. But what I can vouch for is how it has accelerated my son’s interest and ability to sit and listen to chapter books. This is the series that has made him want me to read “just one more chapter!”. That is a wonderful sentence for a mother/reader/writer’s heart to hear. I have even seen him peeking to read a little more. I think there is something truly wonderful about a series of books and I think that is part of the appeal for my boy. We have to work through them and find out what happens next!
Key Highlights from my son
The tutor Mr. Rowland in ‘Five Go Adventuring Again’ - to save spoilers, he likes what happens to him in the end.
His favourite character is George because she has an adorable dog called Timothy. She also owns an island of her own!
He also likes Aunt Fanny because she is nice and kind to the children and Uncle Quentin because he likes science and does experiments.
They have a Secret Way to find in the second book ‘Five Go Adventuring Again’ too. Trying to find out where it was and what it leads to kept him guessing!
Key Highlight From Me
I am really enjoying reading these books aloud and discovering right alongside my son what is happening to these children. Seeing him so engaged and even offering his own ideas of what might happen has been a real joy!
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