What do You think about The Secret Island (2002)?
Yes, this is a re-read. I lost this book in 1990, when I moved from one country to another. The box that had this precious book just went missing, and by the time I was old enough to ask bookstores to order books in for me (before the age of Amazon), it went out of print... and now it's back.The story is about four children who run away and live on a secret island. It's about their adventures, and their survival skills, about how they built a house for themselves, how they kept themselves fed. I love Enid Blyton for her portrayal of smart, strong, resourceful children, and these kids are no different. And yes, reading this book 24 years later, it is a little cheesy, and I think of things that are unresolved (eg, loo issues!) but I still love it!!!
—Dav
Now I own two very different copies of this book, and I want it to be clear that I am I reviewing the original story, and not the horrible, butchered version I found when I first opened one of them. I read the first few sentences in disgust; something was wrong and I knew it. As soon as "Thaddeus" mentioned a mobile phone, all bets were off. How dare they market that drivel as Enid Blyton's 'The Secret Island'? But I digress. My now disliked copy of what is apparently based of the TV show will be forever forgotten, and I can remember instead the original that I read instead.I loved the concept! Of course, kids are always going off by themselves in Enid's tales, but this was something more. This was surviving by yourself, with absolutely no one else to provide things for you. The book has a happy ending too, which I enjoyed. I've read a few other Secrets series books, but this was by far the best. Look out for my review on book two, 'The Secret of Spiggy Holes" as well- thankfully I don't have a TV series copy of that one to compare to!
—Kirsti
This book was my childhood When I was a kid, I read ALOT of Enid Blyton. Her stories of escaping into different worlds ignited my imagination and she was probably one of the main reasons I decided to go into writing. Enid Blyton inspired me to no end.But I think my favourite book of hers was probably this one. The Secret Island. I don't know. The idea of escaping to an island and making a home of your own there. Using the grass and twigs to build a house. Bringing a cow across the lake to get milk. Building a pantry in a cave. It was something that I thought a lot about as a child. And when I discovered this book, it was like everything I could ever want in a book. I would recommend this book to every child ever and my kids will most certainly be having this book read to them multiple numbers of time.
—Camillia Dass
