I’m not going to deny it when I was given the chance to review Five and the Forgotten Treasure by Chris Smith I got a little excited! The book, is a sequel to Enid Blyton’s Famous Five books that were what kickstarted my love of reading. This has something for everyone—kids and those of us who’re maybe a little older kids… I went in expecting a decent nod to Enid Blyton’s Famous Five, and it didn’t disappoint.

You’ve got Fran, Tom, Maddy, and their scruffy mutt Gilbert crashing at Professor George Kirrin’s place—yes, that George, all grown up and dishing out wisdom like a cool aunt. We feel in familiar territory when a treasure map gets nabbed, these little sleuths are off to Kirrin Island, chasing clues and dodging trouble like it’s a 1940s summer holiday. It’s got everything you might expect from a Famous Five book, all the good stuff: secret maps, a thief, and a big, shiny treasure waiting to be found. I think that kids’ll eat up the action—it’s fast, it’s fun, and it’s got that “let’s grab a torch and explore the backyard”. For me what I particularly enjoyed was a tie-in to the old Famous Five, so it’s got a short Famous Five adventure in the text – I don’t know if anyone would read this without having read the originals but if they hadn’t it would be a good entryway to the originals.

The thing is if you’re a middle-aged guy like me who devoured the original books back in the days, this is a nostalgia trip to an earlier time and of course to Kirrin Island! Chris Smith nails that Famous Five vibe without all the bits that may seem dated like dodgy gender stuff or the casual “let’s leave the kids alone for a week” parenting. Seeing George as a professor, dropping tales of Julian, Dick, Anne, and Timmy made me smile, but there are slightly sad moments too, including George’s reasons for not liking Gilbert.

The story’s got that cozy, “lashings of ginger beer” charm—minus the actual ginger beer – the modern kids show their confusion on that point. Though I caught myself chuckling at the kids’ banter about hoew the past seems so alien to them. It’s not just a rehash; it’s a love letter to what made those books magic, wrapped up in a shiny new package.

Five and the Forgotten Treasure is a win-win. Kids get a great read that’ll have them begging for more, and us older kids get to relive the glory days through a new lens. It’s like Smith looked at us middle-aged fans of the original and realized that this should be as much for them as the younger readers. This is a kids book, as it should be, but if you’d be happy to reread and enjoy the classic books, I think you’d get the same out of this!

I absolutely loved Five and the Forgotten Treasure! It really is The Famous Five for a new generation but with the charm of Enid Blyton's original series. Perfect for anyone who hasn't read the famous five before or for people who grew up with the original characters.

Five and the Forgotten Treasure by Chris Smith is an exciting adventure novel that follows a group of young friends as they embark on a thrilling treasure hunt. The story is fast-paced and filled with suspense, as the group unravels clues that lead them deeper into a mystery tied to a forgotten treasure. The characters are well-developed, each bringing unique strengths and personalities to the group dynamic, which adds depth to their interactions.

The plot is engaging, filled with twists and turns that keep the reader hooked from start to finish. Smith does a fantastic job of building tension and maintaining interest through clever storytelling and unexpected plot developments. The setting, with its mix of mystery and adventure, creates a vivid backdrop that enhances the sense of discovery and excitement.

Overall, Five and the Forgotten Treasure is a compelling read for fans of adventure and mystery, with a satisfying balance of action and character development. Chris Smith’s writing style is accessible, making it a great choice for young readers, while still offering enough intrigue to appeal to adults.

As a child I loved the Famous Five books, however I don’t think they have aged very well so I was delighted to see they have been remade. These books continue the story in modern times, as oppose to retelling the originals. The children this time are Dicks grandchildren; Fran, Tom & Maddy. With Gilbert the dog joining in the fun. They go to stay with Professor Georgina Kirrin on Kirrin Island. The story is very well done and has flash backs to the original characters and story which was fantastic. Definitely recommend. My ten year old loved the story.

I was a MASSIVE Famous Five fans when I was little (although the Secret Seven and Adventure series were even more top tier) so I needed this book to not be, well, shit.

This is a lovingly done continuation, not reboot, of the series. The kids this time, Fran, Tom, Maddy and Gilbert the dog - are Dicks grandchildren, being sent to Kirrin to stay with Professor Georgina Kirrin - sorry, George.

From the moment the kids arrive, the spirit of the books is there, the whiff of adventure, the quaint picturesque location, the complete and total abandonment of children by all adult figures. The kids here stumble across a mystery that George is embroiled in, and as we find, links back to an old Famous Five adventure. There’s robbery, treasure maps, a jaunt to Kirrin Island, secret tunnels, the lot.

Cleverly, after the new generation are established, the book then flashes back to George’s youth, allowing Smith - and wonderful illustrator Lancett - to craft a traditional adventure within the modern one - creating a transition for old fans, and a window back for new ones who might then check out a classic adventure.

The finale is action packed and a certain reappearance at the end sets up more wonderful adventures to come.

A cracking little continuation of a classic series, respectfully crafted, while gently forgetting some dated elements of Blytons sensibilities.

Five and the Forgotten Treasure was a book that my daughter, aged 10, enjoyed and as a way to introduce children to Enid Blyton it will probably be successful. Certainly, as we finished, she wanted to read some more Famous Five (we have all the Secret Seven, so it reignited her interest in that!). I can understand that if you were a fan when you were a kid why you’d want your kids to read this, it avoids some of the dodgy ideas of Blyton but has lashings of good clean fun where children fight against the baddies and win. I was more of a Mallory Towers girl myself so I’m not exactly the target audience and I do wonder if there really is a place for Enid Blyton anymore and if this kind of thing is really necessary. As it is, she already has a room of books, good, interesting books that are written by people who are not celebrities or jumping on someone else’s fame. As an adult this left me cold, with too many plot holes and not enough tying up at the end. So, I’d say buy it for your kids if they are a voracious reader but perhaps let them read it on their own?

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for giving me an ecopy of this novel in exchange for a honest review.

This felt like a very nostalgic read, it brought me back to my childhood and I absolutely loved it overall.

Rating: 3.75-4/5 ⭐

Review:
✨Thank you to Hachette Children’s Group and NetGalley for this ARC! This review was voluntarily written by me.
✨Inspired by Enid Blyton and set a few decades after the original series, the story is about the new generation of Famous Five solving a mystery that is a continuation of an old case of the Famous Five.
✨I think I read several Malay translations of Famous Five during my childhood but I don’t remember the stories. So, I read this book with an open mind.
✨In terms of writing, it is good for me and suits the targeted audience. Plot-wise, the story is good with the mystery and adventure, but I am ambivalent about the flashback.
✨I understand that the flashback part is to link the old and new Famous Five and to get the new kids to understand what is happening, but I still think the flashback part is a little bit too long for me.
✨The ending makes me wonder if there is any second book in the near future?
✨Currently, the link between the old and new Famous Five is Professor George or George. However, I see her as more of a mentor figure in the group. Hence, I actually prefer that another cousin become another part of the new team in the future. But, this is only my opinion.
✨Plus, I also want to see Julian, Anne, and Dick in the next sequel please…*insert pleading eyes*
✨I do recommend this story for anyone who wants to read an adventure story but in my opinion it's still a gentle one.
✨Lastly, can you guess who Fran, Tom, and Maddy’s grandparent is?

Very nostalgic and I'm so happy that I read it. I am an old school Famous Five lover and it was so good! Obviously I'm a lot older now so the plot is not as deep as I thought it would be - but for the age range of the book, it's perfect!

I LOVE how it shows the past and present and how those link together. Loved seeing all the older characters as well as new ones

When Fran, Tom, Maddy and Gilbert the dog go to stay with Professor George Kirrin for the holidays, they are not prepared for the adventures they are about to face. Finding themselves caught up in the theft of a treasure map, they soon find out that the professor has an interesting past, one that also involved their grandfather. In order to solve the mystery, the children must find out about an old problem faced by the Famous Five and how it links to what is happening to them now.

Growing up, Enid Blyton was my favourite author and so I was immediately drawn to this new Famous Five series, inspired by the originals. I was happy to see that the author has not merely written a book featuring the same characters but has, instead, set this in the present day with brand new protagonists, albeit the grandchildren of one of the original five. I did like the inclusion of George Kirrin, however, providing a link back to the stories that we all know and love.

This is written very much in the vein of Enid Blyton’s classics with the children undertaking a dangerous adventure, using their wits to try to outsmart the adults who are definitely on the wrong side of the law! The inclusion of the original characters in a flashback was a nice touch and, hopefully, will encourage new readers to look up copies of the older books.

This brought back lots of memories and I will definitely be reading the rest of this new series.

Five and the Forgotten Treasure by Chris Smith, is the first book in The new Five series and these books have been brought up to date and they have given us an exciting adventure, and with a new group of children, When I was a child I adored the Famous Five series by Enid Blyton and read them several times with my 3 sisters, they were our go to books. So I was so glad they have been updated.

This book is Brilliant and I am back in my childhood bedroom with my sisters re-reading these books all over again!

But this time I am reading this with my nephew O, we both enjoyed reading Five and the Forgotten Treasure together especially as it helped O read out aloud to me and his mum. It was a great read and a kick start for a new generation of readers and a great introduction to Enid Blyton in this a modern world. Thank you Chris x

Fran, Tom, Maddy and Gilbert the dog stay with Professor George Kirrin for the holidays, they soon find themselves caught up in a robbery of a top-secret treasure map. Professor George will have to tell them about an old case of the Famous Five if they're ever going to catch the thief and rescue the forgotten treasure. . . . . . . .

I highly recommend this new series and O loved it and just started to read the very first Famous Five books.

Big Thank you NetGalley and Hodder Children's Books for this eCopy.

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder Children's Books for this eCopy to review

Five and the Forgotten Treasure by Chris Smith is a delightful and thrilling adventure that brings a fresh twist to the beloved Famous Five series by Enid Blyton. The story follows Fran, Tom, Maddy, and their dog Gilbert as they spend the holidays at Kirrin Cottage with their cousin, Professor George Kirrin.

The adventure kicks off when a top-secret treasure map goes missing, and a mysterious man bursts into George's study with a wooden club. The children must use their wits and bravery to catch the thief and save Kirrin Island from thieves.

Smith masterfully captures the essence of Blyton's classic storytelling while updating it for modern readers. The prose is brisk and engaging, filled with suspense and excitement. The characters are well-developed, each bringing their unique strengths to the team. Maddy's map-reading skills and Anne's detective instincts stand out, making the group a formidable force against the villain.

The book is a perfect blend of nostalgia and new adventures, appealing to both fans of the original series and new readers alike. The plot twists are clever and keep the reader on their toes, making it a page-turner from start to finish.

Having grown up reading the Famous Five stories, I was eager to read this one to both reminisce and to check the quality for my own children. It was interestingly put together, with a large section in the middle taken from an original Famous Five story - however the new parts of the plot were very well done. A new group of children (with obligatory dog) join Professor George (not Georgina!) on a new, old adventure! The presence of Anne at the end was welcome too. Overall I was impressed and will be eager to see what my children now think of it.

**Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an advanced e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own **

I did not read Blyton as a child and have only read a few as an adult (work related reads). Chris Smith has brought the series up to date and has given us an exciting adventure, with a new group of children, but with the addition of an old favourite. I really ended up enjoying this story and would be happy to read more and to tell others about it.

I adored the Famous Five series as a child but when I re-read them a few years ago I did notice some of the more problematic elements (such as how Anne is treated by her brothers!) and so I was delighted to see a new and updated series linked to the original stories.

In Five and the Forgotten Treasure, Fran, Tom, Maddy and Gilbert the dog (the grandchildren of Dick from the original stories) go to stay with Professor George and Kirrin Cottage and quickly find themselves swept up in a mystery of stolen treasure and dangerous criminals.

It was such a lovely nostalgic book and I'm sure there are so many parents and teachers who would be excited to introduce their young readers to this new series. It was really thoughtfully written with details from the original series and keeping the same feel but removing lots of the elements from the original books that seem out of date now. I loved how George was still the same character but details such as her carrying on the work her father started were such lovely additions. The adventure was exciting and fun with little bits of history woven in too.

I used to love the Famous Five, so was excited to see what this would be like. It didn't quite live up to my expectations, unfortunately. I enjoyed the new characters in the story, but wasn't so keen on the retelling of the story from the past. This didn't quite work for me, but I will be interested to hear what the children in my class think, as I'm obviously not the target audience for this book.

Loved this

It's a nice mix of ye olde Blyton stories, with the problematic bits removed and updated for a modern audience

This would be lovely for a parent/grandparent, who grew up with the originals, to read to their kid/grandkid

The famous five are back, but in a modern world. It was a good story and liked the link between the old famous five to the new age one, but it lacked adventure for me. It had the mystery that the children had to solve, but it was lacking for me. I would have wanted to see the new five to more, but I suspect that will come in the next book. It would appeal to children and I would recommend it. 3.5 stars
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy,

I loved the Famous Five as a child and I loved this book as an adult. It is so cleverly written, with throwbacks to the original books and the professor saying how children today are too mollycoddled to have the adventures George, Timmy, Dick, Ann and Julian had in earlier times. I don’t want to spoil any of the lovely surprises, so will just repeat what a brilliant book this is.

Loved the Famous Five as a child and Chris Smith’s nostalgic blast from the past is fabulous. I really enjoyed the clever link to the original series, the familiar setting and characters alongside a host of new explorers. A great story, felt a tad rushed at the end so not a perfect 5 stars for me but one I know that lots of children will enjoy reading.