Published By: Hodder Children’s Books
Pages: 336
Released On: 12/10/2023
Reading Age: 5-7
Milo, Mia and Birdy are excited to return to the cottage beside the Enchanted Wood for Christmas. They can’t wait to visit their magical friends Silky the fairy and Moonface again. Which amazing worlds will arrive at the top of the Faraway Tree at this time of year? The children are hoping for a trip to the Land of Presents or perhaps the Land of Snow. But before they can celebrate, there is a chilling visit to the Land of the Frozen North . . .
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
I hold my hand up and admit that whilst I own the original Enid Blyton Faraway Tree stories, I haven’t actually read them. But I adore Blyton, I adore Jacqueline Wilson (I grew up on her books), I adore children’s stories, and I adore Christmas, and so I really wanted to give this a read.
The illustrations by Mark Beech are just perfect. There is a definite Quentin Blake influence on them and at first glance, they may even be mistaken for them, but for me, they have something that makes them Mark’s own, and they hold a sort of nostalgic magic for me.
I know this is a children’s book, and I know it’s just a bit of fun and festive entertainment, and it isn’t necessarily advertised as a hugely important moral story. But for me, it was. To see Christmas through the eyes of children, to rediscover the magic that we start to lose as we age. When Christmas becomes less about the magic and surprises and goodwill, and more about the stress and the expensive of it; so it’s a rare treat to be able to spend a few hours amongst the joy of it all.
Like I said, I grew up on Jacqueline Wilson books, and owned every age-appropriate one, and I continue to read them today. And she is the perfect successor to the great Enid Blyton. I feel there’s a kinship between the two of them and their writing, and it is so seamless to read between the two/ Even though the original series was first published in 1939, it still feels very now. Jacqualine Wilson has updated what made them successful, but added more relatability and modernity for the time, without losing any of its childhood spark, and I think Blyton would be thrilled at the continuation of her story.
Whilst I did enjoy it, it was cute and fun and warming, I do think I missed out a bit by having not read the originals. But I still managed to be swept away by the magical descriptions.
Where I think Jacqueline Wilson excels – and it is similar with Enid Blyton’s books too – is that she inspires generations of children to read. Children that may be reluctant to pick up a book, for whatever reason, can read this with no pressure. It’s all about fun and, not to keep using the word, magic, and I think it’s a great book to get kids into reading longer stories. Especially when it’s within a series. It gives them something to engage in, something to follow and commit to.
Overall, I’d say it isn’t the most Christmassy of Christmas books. Yes it is set in the Christmas period, but it does take some getting into, revisiting old friends and exploring new worlds, before we really get to the festive element about halfway through. Which isn’t the end of the world, and I imagine children will just love it for what it is, but for a Christmas nut like me, I wanted just a smidge more a smidge earlier.
What I love about Jacqueline Wilson’s work is that she has this amazing quality to make the mundane beautiful. The descriptions of the weather, the coldness, the forest, the food – it all leaps off ththe page. And by doing so, she makes the mundane important. Everything in this book has a reason for being there and a reason for getting excited about.
Amazon says this is aimed at 5-7 year olds, and so at 30 I am vastly over this age. I have children in the family aged between 3 and 11, and I think they’d all enjoy it. And for us adults, it gives us a chance to reminisce about Christmases of old, and gives us an excuse to be a child again, even if it is just for a few hours.
Books By Your Bedside 