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menticott's review
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
sloth34jc's review
5.0
I grew up a huge fan of the original magic faraway stories and despite trying to get my daughter to love them, I haven’t managed to get her interested. When I saw that Jacqueline Wilson had written a modern version I was interested to see if she had been able to recapture the magic and also what my 9 year old thought of it. I was worried that rewriting would take away some of the specialness but luckily this was not the case! We both adored Wilson’s story, we felt the lands were described in wonderful detail and we were hooked from start to finish. I hope she continues on the series as I want to read more and so does my daughter! Thank you so much for this arc
allthingsbooks20's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
sarahlee2000's review
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
mollyj099's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
somelatenightreading's review
2.0
Read 2022: ⭐️⭐️
I read the original Magic Faraway Tree books growing up, and maybe I’ve put them on a pedestal in my head, but this “new adventure” just didn’t live up to my expectations. It felt very juvenile and the four lands we see are quite mediocre; for a tree that can have infinite number of lands come to it, Jacqueline Wilson sure chose the dullest and most cliche ones. The characters were all one dimensional, and it just lacked the magic that the original stories had.
The first half of this book I was dragging my feet. While it did pick up in the second half, it wasn’t enough for it to make up for the pages before. I didn’t like that Silky and Moonface took half of the book to explain to Milo, Mia, and Birdy how the tree actually worked (i.e., the lands change daily). This miscommunication was solely there to upset poor Mia; there was just no need for this overused trope.
While I’m definitely no longer the target market for this story, I do think that even children deserve better than a story that is basic and surface level. I think children are more intelligent than people give them credit for and this book just does not do them justice.
I’m calling it now that there will likely be a sequel and it will be set at Christmas time. Watch this space.
I read the original Magic Faraway Tree books growing up, and maybe I’ve put them on a pedestal in my head, but this “new adventure” just didn’t live up to my expectations. It felt very juvenile and the four lands we see are quite mediocre; for a tree that can have infinite number of lands come to it, Jacqueline Wilson sure chose the dullest and most cliche ones. The characters were all one dimensional, and it just lacked the magic that the original stories had.
The first half of this book I was dragging my feet. While it did pick up in the second half, it wasn’t enough for it to make up for the pages before. I didn’t like that Silky and Moonface took half of the book to explain to Milo, Mia, and Birdy how the tree actually worked (i.e., the lands change daily). This miscommunication was solely there to upset poor Mia; there was just no need for this overused trope.
While I’m definitely no longer the target market for this story, I do think that even children deserve better than a story that is basic and surface level. I think children are more intelligent than people give them credit for and this book just does not do them justice.
I’m calling it now that there will likely be a sequel and it will be set at Christmas time. Watch this space.
sharonleavy's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Having grown up loving the original Faraway Tree series, I was slightly concerned upon seeing this revamp that some of the original magic would have been lost (ok, I was worried they'd do an "And Just Like That" on it) but thankfully, this is as magical and engaging as the original .
The gang's all here - Silky, Moonface, Dame Washalot, Saucepan Man, Whatzisname.
The children have slightly more 2022-friendly names than Fanny and Dick - we have Milo, Mia and Birdy. All three are interested in different things, and all three are reasonably likeable - Birdy, the youngest, does kind of talk like a thirty year old but we've all seen the precocious TikTok toddlers so it's not *entirely* beyond the realms of possibility.
There was one part where a dragon mistook Milo for a girl because of the length of his hair and a pink top which I felt a bit unnecessary, but we used it as a prompt at home to talk about how anyone can wear anything they want and have their hair however they like it. Apart from that, there really wasn't a whole pile of difference between the actual stories from years ago and this new one. My two youngest children (both 8) really enjoyed it and have asked if we can get more from the series. I hope there will be more.
The gang's all here - Silky, Moonface, Dame Washalot, Saucepan Man, Whatzisname.
The children have slightly more 2022-friendly names than Fanny and Dick - we have Milo, Mia and Birdy. All three are interested in different things, and all three are reasonably likeable - Birdy, the youngest, does kind of talk like a thirty year old but we've all seen the precocious TikTok toddlers so it's not *entirely* beyond the realms of possibility.
There was one part where a dragon mistook Milo for a girl because of the length of his hair and a pink top which I felt a bit unnecessary, but we used it as a prompt at home to talk about how anyone can wear anything they want and have their hair however they like it. Apart from that, there really wasn't a whole pile of difference between the actual stories from years ago and this new one. My two youngest children (both 8) really enjoyed it and have asked if we can get more from the series. I hope there will be more.
han2709's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
lybrarie's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
There are three authors that I often say are the reason I read as much as I do now. Two of those authors are Enid Blyton and Jacqueline Wilson, and I absolutely adored the Faraway Tree series when I was younger. So needless to say, I was very interested to see Wilson's take on this story.
Though I am now far from the target demographic for this book, I had a very enjoyable time reading it. It was incredibly nostalgic for me, and I think Wilson perfectly captured the magic of the original series whilst still adding a small flair that made it undeniably Jacqueline Wilson, too. I loved it. Though I doubt I would pick up more if this was to become a series, simply because I do not typically pick up a lot of children's books, I am glad I read this one. It was a perfect little stroll down memory lane and I am still very grateful for both of these authors for their past works that gave me the love for reading that I have now.
Though I am now far from the target demographic for this book, I had a very enjoyable time reading it. It was incredibly nostalgic for me, and I think Wilson perfectly captured the magic of the original series whilst still adding a small flair that made it undeniably Jacqueline Wilson, too. I loved it. Though I doubt I would pick up more if this was to become a series, simply because I do not typically pick up a lot of children's books, I am glad I read this one. It was a perfect little stroll down memory lane and I am still very grateful for both of these authors for their past works that gave me the love for reading that I have now.
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