Uncle Quentin experiments with Tidal Energy12 June 2012tThe Famous Five are on holidays again, and this time it is Easter, however I never realised that in England the Easter Holidays last at least a couple of weeks. It doesn't here in Australia, usually being only the Monday and the Friday (and sometimes Anzac Day falls around the same time). However, I am now working so the nature of holidays have changed, and since the school terms changed from three to four, one of the school holidays does fall over the Easter period. That is not really the point though, but it is an interesting observation. tThe Five have returned to Kirrin cottage for the holidays and much to George's dismay her uncle has taken over the island for an experiment that he is trying to keep secret. So, they decided to while away their time exploring the moors and the cliff tops. In their travels they meet a boy named Martin who wants to be an artist, and his 'Father' who doesn't want him too go down that path. They also find a hidden cave in a local quarry and make friends with the coast guard. However, it cannot be a Famous Five book without them falling into an adventure, and it turns out that there are some nefarious business interests that want Quentin's experiment.tIt is interesting that Blyton talks about atomic bombs in this book, particularly since this powerful and destructive weapon had only just been developed. Obviously the five do show some concern about the weapon in this book, however Quentin insists that he is not interested in developing weapons. It turns out that he is experimenting with tidal energy, which is theoretically an unlimited source of clean energy. However, things have not necessarily worked out that way, and while there are companies experimenting with it, the economic will of the business community is not interested in waiting too long for such developments to come to light.tI have explored energy companies that are experimenting with clean energy sources and the catch is that you have to be prepared to lose a lot of money and to wait a long time to see if the idea actually works. If you have some spare money that you wish to throw into a risky venture such as that, I am all for it, I just have to warn you that with developments like this there is always the possibility that they will simply run out of money before they can get to the finished product. My recommendations (which is not financial advice) is that you invest the absolute minimum and write off that investment. Further, keep an eye on their announcements so if, and when, they attempt to tap you for more money (as will inevitably be the case) you will need to consider whether you want to front it up or not.tPeople have commented on the idea of the endless holidays of the Famous Five, however they are not the only group of detective children that Blyton has created. In fact there are quite a few of them: the Secret Seven, the Adventurous Four, the Five Finder-outers, just to name a few. I guess the one thing that sets the Famous Five apart from the rest is the fifth companion: Timmy. I cannot comment on the Secret Seven just yet, however it is noticeable that Timmy plays a much more significant role than many of the other dogs (they seem to always have dogs with them; I suspect Blyton liked dogs). In the other groups the dog simply seems to tag along, and occasionally do something, whereas Timmy is always in the thick of the action. If he is not attacking and capturing bad guys, he is leading the five around dark tunnels.tThe best use of Timmy though I thought was in Five go to Smuggler's Top. Here he was hidden in a secret passage which entered into an underground cave system (the Five always seem to find extensive cave systems, but then as a kid I loved exploring caves) and Timmy spent most of the time in the background. We knew he was there and we knew he was doing stuff, but we were never quite sure what. Further, he would disappear and the re-appear just in time to save the Five when they got into trouble. Personally I thought that was a wonderful use of Timmy, and it will be interesting to see if he continues to play such an important role in books to come.
After finishing this book i found out that this is one of the many books which you read and you want to continue it,Why? it is because of uncle Quentin you want to know what will happen to him and what is the invention he is working on.The most annoying character was Georgina i hated how she was so self concerned she does not want her dad to work on his "secret" invention on her island or Timmy to be with him.This story had the same typical ending as other stories.The most thing i liked about this was the how the climax was you can hardly know what will happen to Georgina's dad.Other than that the story was good to read it took me 2 days to finish this book which meant that this has this feel which makes you want to continue this story.
Do You like book Five On Kirrin Island Again (2015)?
It's funny how the same book can make you feel different things as time goes by. When I was a kid, reading Famous Five series made me want to go on a journey. I wanted to have a dog too, and perhaps a private island with ruins of castle on it, per favore (although after reading/watching Woman in Black, perhaps it's better if I don't have a private island). Ten years later, Famous Five series mostly made me hungry.Still, it's a good nostalgic read. Annoyed sometimes at how George thought of girls as lowly creature, but well...still okay I guess.
—Vera Maharani
As with all Famous Five books, this is of the same trusted and successful formula. I loved these books as a child and I am delighted that my girls loved them as children too.The stories are adventures of a byegone age, yet still hold the attention of children, around the world...... they have stood the test of time well - and for a great reason.The stories are plausible, fun, adventurous and contain an excellent mix of young characters... with a little bit of everyone in each of them - something that children have obviously known for decades.
—John
The five plan to go on Kirrin island but Georges father Mr Quentin has to do his latest invention so the five have to go to Kirrin cottage.Mr Quentin said that he would give 6 flashes of light with his lantern at a time.So one day he gave 18 and the five with Mrs Fanny go to Kirrinisland to check on uncle Quentin.Before they did that they met Mr Curton and his son Martin.While they were at Kirrin island Uncle Quentin told them that he feels that he is not alone and that someone is watching him.They decide that Timmy should stay as a watch dogfor Uncle Quentin.One day Mr Curton who is actually Martin's guardian kept Uncle Quentin and George in a cave,he wanted to blow up the cave.In the end Uncle Quentin and George were saved and Mr Curton was arrested.
—Saarah
