Five on a Treasure Island is a popular children's book by Enid Blyton. It is
the first book in The Famous Five series. The first edition of the book
was illustrated by Eileen Soper. Plot
When siblings Julian, Dick and Anne learn that they cannot go for their
usual summer holiday to Polseath, they are invited to spend the summer with
their Aunt Fanny and Uncle Quentin at their home Kirrin Cottage, in the
coastal village of Kirrin. They also meet their cousin Georgina, a surly,
difficult girl, who tries hard to live like a boy and only answers to the name
George. Despite an uncomfortable start, the cousins become firm friends and
George even introduces them to her beloved dog Timothy, who secretly lives
with a fisher boy in the village after George realises that her parents will
not allow her to keep Timmy. George agrees to take her cousins to the
nearby Kirrin Island, which belongs to her mother's family. On their way to the
island, she shows them a shipwreck, which George explains was her
great-great-great grandfather's ship. He had been transporting gold when the ship
was wrecked in a storm, but despite divers investigating the wreck, the gold
was never found. After visiting the wreck, the five arrive on Kirrin Island
and are exploring the ruined castle when a huge storm blows up, making it too
dangerous for them to return to the mainland. Deciding to take shelter on
the island, they witness the sea throwing up the old shipwreck, grounding
it on the rocks surrounding the island. Excited by these developments, they
decide to come back at dawn the next day to investigate the wreck before it is
discovered. The next day, the five visit the wreck
and discover the captain's cabin, where they find some objects belonging to
George's great-great-grandfather, including an old box which they take
back to Kirrin Cottage, hoping to find out what's inside. The box proves
difficult to open however, so they decide to throw it from the highest
window of the house. The box is broken open, but the noise disturbs Uncle
Quentin who confiscates it. Not willing to give up their quest, Julian sneaks
into Uncle Quentin's study and takes the box, which contains an old map of Kirrin
Castle. The children realise that it is a treasure map showing the location of
the Kirrin's lost gold, so after taking a tracing of the map and returning the
box, they make plans to find the gold themselves.
To the children's shock, they are told that the box containing the map has been
sold to an antique collector. The same man also makes an offer to buy Kirrin
Island. The children realise he has unearthed the secret map and wants the
gold for himself, and so begins a race for the five to get to the gold first.
Thinking the children want to spend time there before it is sold, Uncle Quentin
and Aunt Fanny agree to let the children go camping on Kirrin Island, and they
set off hoping to find the lost gold. Arriving on the island, the five start
searching the castle ruins to locate the old dungeons where the gold is hidden.
Chasing a rabbit, Timmy the dog accidentally falls down the old well,
which the children use to help them find the dungeon entrance. Exploring
underground, they find the gold still there in a locked vault. Trouble soon
arrives, as bad men come to the island hoping to steal the gold. They capture
George and Julian, locking them in the dungeons. Unable to find Anne and Dick,
they leave the island, taking the oars from the children's boat so they can't
escape. Anne and Dick use the well shaft to rescue Julian and George from the
dungeon and the children hatch a plan to trap the men when they come back to the
island with a boat to steal the gold. The plan is a success and they manage to
leave the men stranded on Kirrin Island. They return to the mainland to tell
Uncle Quentin, Aunt Fanny and the Police what has happened. The gold is recovered
and it is decided that it legally belongs to George's family, making them
rich and enabling them to afford everything they have ever wanted.
George's only wish is to be allowed to keep Timmy the dog and her parents
agree. George also agrees to go to boarding school with Anne, because she
and her cousins have become close friends.
Main characters Julian
Dick Georgina
Anne Timothy
Quentin Fanny
Other Characters Alf
Buyers for Kirrin Island Film adaptations
An 8-part Children's Film Foundation film serial was produced in 1957,
directed by Gerald Landau. In early 2010, rumours appeared that
there might be a Five on a Treasure Island film to be released in 2012. On
31 May those rumours were confirmed by film maker Sam Mendes on an interview
about the upcoming Skyfall. Mendes stated, "A script is under way and is
hoped to be in cinemas Spring 2012." Progress on the film was stopped when
MGM went bankrupt later in the year. Miscellaneous
In 1992, Fabbri published Five on a Treasure Island as No.50.
External links Enid Blyton Society page
Review at EnidBlyton.Net