The Castle of Adventure
by Enid Blyton (Macmillan, 1946)
audiobook read by Thomas Judd (Hodder, 2018)
Another jolly dose of supercilious British youngsters lording it over the world around them. (One wonders what is to become of Button the fox cub and the Gypsy girl Tassie.) Dinah and Lucy-Ann are particularly wet this book. Kiki remains a highlight.
The Island of Adventure
by Enid Blyton (Macmillan, 1944); audiobook read by Thomas Judd (Bolinda, 2021)
Blyton spends far too long on the pre-adventure, holiday-atmosphere buildup. While the children are slow to cotton on, the danger does at last manifest (and with a harder edge). Memorable mostly for Kiki the parrot and Philip and Dinah’s bickering sibling relationship.
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street
by Natasha Pulley (Bloomsbury Circus, 2015); audiobook read by Thomas Judd (Bolinda, 2016)
A gently paced novel that, while slow to introduce its speculative element, bolsters this by way of historical detail. Pulley’s prose brings late 19th century London to life. The plot, when it emerges, is memorable, though perhaps too languorous to fully satisfy.