By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions. These books feature the same child characters: Philip, Jack, Dinah, and Lucy-Ann, along with several adult characters. That, of course, has always been part of its appeal – underdogs appeal to us, and making your heroes into Dickensian orphans goes a long way. At another point, one of the boys thinks to himself: “ If I were a girl, I bet I’d burst into tears… But as I’m a boy, I must just grin and bear it.

Aunt Polly, for instance, won't hear of having a bird in the house until Kiki says soothingly, "Poor Polly, poor old Polly, dear old Polly. Dinah first meets the Trents on the station platform, and is very surprised to see them (as is Jo-Jo) as Philip had kept their arrival a secret. She says she's been without him all through the school term and doesn't want to be without him during the holidays too. Aunt Polly, who looks "tired and faded," is over-worked and struggles to make ends meet, causing her to be sour-tempered. Rhys-Davies continues to play the Bond villain, explaining his entire operation and plans to Bill because it won’t matter, he’s going to die.When the four go looking for eagles, they find that the castle isn't as abandoned as they were led to believe. An amazing voyage around the beautiful Greek islands becomes an exciting quest to find the lost treasure of the Andra!

There have been a few adaptations of the Adventure Series over the years, and this is (to my knowledge) the very first. Refreshingly, however, Blyton acknowledges just how nightmarish this all is, and there’s a definite edge of brittle trauma to many of the characters. According to the first book, The Island of Adventure, Philip guesses Jack is "about fourteen" and believes himself to be a little younger. In 1988, The Castle of Adventure was adapted as part of the Radio 4 children's programme Cat's Whiskers, [3] while in 1993, The Island of Adventure was read on the old Radio 5. Anyway, it turns out that Bill has been after this gang for some time, and that the baddies have been using the island as the perfect secret place for their illicit operation.We start off the book with two separate sets of children (not very happily) living with aunts and uncles.