#BookReview–> The Young Adventurers seriesBook 1- The Riddle of Holiday House By Enid Blyton

The very first book in the Riddle series which was first
published in Britain under the title Holiday House
in 1955. It was altered and
updated to become part of the Riddle Series in 1997 by Enid Blyton’s daughter,
Gillian Baverstock.

The book, The Riddle of Holiday House,
follows the brother –sister pair of Nick and Katie
who are sent to Holiday House on holiday. There is lots of exploring to do and
when they discover strange lights, a man in the window of the abandoned house
on the cliff plus the entrance to an underground tunnel and what with things
starting to disappear from the house, it soon becomes apparent that things are
not so calm and serene as they seem in Holiday House.

The book is expertly written and I was as much thrilled while
reading it as when I was 10. The description of the mansion like Holiday House
with its tower overlooking the sea and the abandoned house on the cliff with
its mysterious air all excite and take us on a journey where everything is
perfect with big beaches, deep blue oceans, mysterious houses, old stories of
pirates, secret tunnels, long holidays of leisure and most importantly no
hustle bustle of traffic.

I was so caught in the book that I couldn’t keep it down
until it was finished. 🙂

Enid Blyton has woven together mystery, laughter,
sadness, hope, guilt, evil, love, jealousy, triumph and justice all so expertly
in this story. There is the jealousy of Clare when she feels that she is forced
to share her mother with the other children; the love and duty that Gareth
feels towards his brother Peter that he strives to hide him from everyone; the
hope that Mrs Holly feels when she tries to make Clare understand that she
loves her above all; the evil that we see in Sam who is unrepentant of his
sins. All the emotions are simply yet effectively delivered to the reader and
which leave their impact on us long after we have read the book.

As always I have simply loved reading this book and highly
recommend it to all of you.

I give The Riddle of Holiday House
4.5 stars and wish that Nick and Katie find so
many more mysteries to solve and that they take me with them in all of the
adventures. 🙂