Enid Blyton’s children’s classic The Magic Faraway Tree has enchanted loyal readers since its 1943 publication. Children longed to befriend Silky, to slide down the slippery slip, to explore distant lands and be home in time for tea.
The news that Jacqueline Wilson is writing a new faraway tree story is welcome to many, if not to the Enid Blyton Society, who claim that new version will detract from Blyton’s originals.
Wilson has been careful to emphasise that The Magic Faraway Tree: A New Adventure will be a continuation of the series rather than a rewrite, and she makes the point that Blyton, a shrewd businesswoman, would have welcomed the extra publicity. Her decision is a reminder that there is a tradition of continuation and prequel novels by new authors. Here are five reviewed.
