As with all Jacqueline Wilson books, this was thoroughly enjoyable! Even better because it also included the joy and adventure of the magic faraway tree characters! Great read.

Love Jacqueline Wilsons stories - full confession I didn't read this in full, but really enjoyed what I did and have been recommending it to lots of small fans. Her retellings are great to reinvigorating older stories - I hope there will be more of these!

For anyone that enjoyed the Faraway Tree books by Enid Blyton as a child it is worth reading this book from the extension of the series that Jacqueline Wilson, the acclaimed children's author, has written.

Following the magical adventures of the original characters from Blyton's books, this is the fifth addition to the classic series to continue the fun for another generation of children and I'm sure that they will love it as much as children for decades have.

Silky, Moonface and Saucepan Man all make appearances in this story as well as many other residents of the magical tree and the lands at the top of the tree are as varied and exciting as they were when you were a child. If you loved Enid Blyton's books as a child you should read this and bask in nostalgia!

A really lovely Christmassy book which tied in so nicely with the Magic Faraway Tree book that I read recently by Jacqueline Wilson. A nice festive read for children.

As a long time fan of Enid Blyton’s Faraway Tree stories, I am really enjoying this modern version courtesy of Jacqueline Wilson. This one was a lovely, nostalgic and Christmassy read.

I would recommend the story of these three children, Milo and Mia and Birdie, as well as the familiar characters from the series - Silky, Moonface, Dame Washalot and the Angry Pixie - and some new favourites too.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review.

My children both loved Enid Blyton’s original Faraway Tree books (even though they somehow passed me by) so although they are probably a bit old for this being 9 and 12 we thought it would make a nice festive read.

My eldest was a bit unsure about the change in names and the modernisation of the story but all the old favourites were there and Wilson has done a brilliant job at bringing the Enchanted Wood to a new generation

It's not just the lashings of ginger beer that make these pages sickly sweet. The tweeness level is set to twelve out of ten and never gets to change, unfortunately. Our three children and the parents go back to the cottage on the edge of the Enchanted Forest, and despite the weather (cold, miserably wet and with no working boiler in the cottage, at least initially) have a whale of a time when they climb the Magic Faraway Tree and find the different worlds at the top. The first is where they can actually get a little sunburnt, playing and frolicking by the perfect seaside, the second is arctic cold and winterland-styled, and as for the rest, well I didn't get that far.

This is just stuffed – characters assuming there's mild peril when there absolutely is not, until somehow there is as things have to change tack for a while. But after that it's back to lists of what they wear, all the ice creams they eat, and far too much detail. This was definitely over-egged, and felt like a 200pp book of dramas padded out over 300+. Just take the journey to the flippin' cottage in the first place, as all their foodstuffs and successes with the toy grabber thing are itemised at laborious length.

Yes, keep a young reader firmly ensconced in a world so detailed it feels real, which I have to assume is the reason behind the style here. But if this is supposed to be the charm of these books (and this is my one and only visit to this world) then it was completely lost on me. The characters feel padded, and cosseted, stuffed into an ideal world with brilliant parents (always having their second cup of coffee and being persuaded to let the kids do what they want), and if it isn't obvious padded and stuffed are what the pages they're on feel like. While many people are expected to be bloated at Christmas, it shouldn't apply to kids' books about it as well.

A generous two stars.

The Magic Faraway Tree is a classic by Enid Blyton, loved by so many. Jacqueline Wilson is a great author and I read a few of her books when I was younger. Wilson does a fantastic job of bringing some festive magic to the classic and I loved it.

I'd recommend reading The Magic Faraway Tree before reading this if you haven't already, but you don't need to. However, knowing the original story will help you appreciate the referees to Blyton's original characters which are lovely.

Wilson has done a great job of bringing the magic of the original story up to date with a festive twist, which will bring a whole new generation into this magical world. Loved it and highly recommend!

A magical return to the Faraway Tree at Christmas time! I loved this epic return to the Enchanted Wood and felt that, this time, Jacqueline Wilson truly managed to capture the spirit of Enid Blyton within her tale. This book is perfect for fans of the original series and would be enjoyed by both parents and children alike - ideal to read in the run up to Christmas.

I absolutely adored the Magic Faraway Tree as a child so I was a bit worried this book wouldn't live up to my love for it. I shouldn't have worried though as I am also a Jacqueline Wilson fan and she wrote it beautifully!

The main story is based around a visit to the cottage at Christmas, but there are many more lands the reader is invited to as well. There are some lovely references to Enid Blyton's original characters. This is a great book to help spark the imagination of the children reading it. There is adventure and fantasy combined.

Wilson has reworked this classic story to ensure that younger readers can enjoy it in its more modern form.

I first read Enid Blyton at the age of 7. The magic faraway tree is my all time favourite children’s book. I couldn’t wait to share it with my own children. Jaqueline Wilson has worked her magic and reinvented it so that my children can enjoy it being read to them just as much as did when I was a little girl.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for my ARC

I hold my hand up and admit that whilst I own the original Enid Blyton Faraway Tree stories, I haven't actually read them. But I adore Blyton, I adore Jacqueline Wilson (I grew up on her books), I adore children's stories, and I adore Christmas, and so I really wanted to give this a read.

The illustrations by Mark Beech are just perfect. There is a definite Quentin Blake influence on them and at first glance, they may even be mistaken for them, but for me, they have something that makes them Mark's own, and they hold a sort of nostalgic magic for me.

I know this is a children's book, and I know it's just a bit of fun and festive entertainment, and it isn't necessarily advertised as a hugely important moral story. But for me, it was. To see Christmas through the eyes of children, to rediscover the magic that we start to lose as we age. When Christmas becomes less about the magic and surprises and goodwill, and more about the stress and the expensive of it; so it's a rare treat to be able to spend a few hours amongst the joy of it all.

Like I said, I grew up on Jacqueline Wilson books, and owned every age-appropriate one, and I continue to read them today. And she is the perfect successor to the great Enid Blyton. I feel there's a kinship between the two of them and their writing, and it is so seamless to read between the two/ Even though the original series was first published in 1939, it still feels very now. Jacqualine Wilson has updated what made them successful, but added more relatability and modernity for the time, without losing any of its childhood spark, and I think Blyton would be thrilled at the continuation of her story.

Whilst I did enjoy it, it was cute and fun and warming, I do think I missed out a bit by having not read the originals. But I still managed to be swept away by the magical descriptions.

Where I think Jacqueline Wilson excels - and it is similar with Enid Blyton's books too - is that she inspires generations of children to read. Children that may be reluctant to pick up a book, for whatever reason, can read this with no pressure. It's all about fun and, not to keep using the word, magic, and I think it's a great book to get kids into reading longer stories. Especially when it's within a series. It gives them something to engage in, something to follow and commit to.

Overall, I'd say it isn't the most Christmassy of Christmas books. Yes it is set in the Christmas period, but it does take some getting into, revisiting old friends and exploring new worlds, before we really get to the festive element about halfway through. Which isn't the end of the world, and I imagine children will just love it for what it is, but for a Christmas nut like me, I wanted just a smidge more a smidge earlier.

What I love about Jacqueline Wilson's work is that she has this amazing quality to make the mundane beautiful. The descriptions of the weather, the coldness, the forest, the food - it all leaps off ththe page. And by doing so, she makes the mundane important. Everything in this book has a reason for being there and a reason for getting excited about.

Amazon says this is aimed at 5-7 year olds, and so at 30 I am vastly over this age. I have children in the family aged between 3 and 11, and I think they'd all enjoy it. And for us adults, it gives us a chance to reminisce about Christmases of old, and gives us an excuse to be a child again, even if it is just for a few hours.

This is a fun book that I think will spark the imagination of children who love fantasy and adventure. Once again Jacqueline Wilson has captured the magic of the original Faraway Tree. I loved the original books as a child, especially visiting the different lands at the top of the tree. This story is all based around a Christmas visit to the cottage, so I'm sure people can guess some of the lands that appear during the story. Although in all honesty, I think the land of sunshine was my favourite, mainly due to the weather we've been having recently. I would definitely recommend this book to the children in my school as I think they'll love it.

To be perfectly honest I was a little apprehensive starting this book. I'm 50 and the Magic Faraway Tree was one of my absolute favourite books growing up so I was concerned about what a modern take would be like (I haven't read the previous book by Jacqueline Wilson). I needed have worried though - Jacqueline Wilson is, of course, a brilliant children's author and she has taken the story and modernised it but stayed within the feel of the original Enid Blyton books. It's a perfect companion piece for modern children - the lands and characters still feel magical, there are some lovely little nods to previous Enid Blyton characters (the children are brought ginger beer on a beach picnic and aren't quite sure about it - the explanation is that the other children who come love 'lashings of ginger beer' which is a perfect reference for us older readers!) and the stories are engaging and fun.

I'll certainly be recommending it to any younger readers and it was also lovely for me to read. It made me feel nostalgic for my childhood books, which is quite a feat considering I'd never read this one before, so parents and grandparents should enjoy it too!

Thanks to NetGalley for the copy in return for an honest review.

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