66th out of 573 books
—
213 voters
The Story of the Treasure Seekers (Bastable Children #1)
When their father's business fails, the six Bastable children decide to restore the family fortunes. But although they think of many ingenious ways to do so, their well-meant efforts are either more fun than profitable, or lead to trouble -- until one adventure has quite unexpected results.
Paperback, 242 pages
Published
February 1st 1994
by Puffin
(first published 1899)
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I tried reading this once as a child, maybe about the age of seven and eight, and put it down because I found it very bizarre. I can now see that it's the kind of book which is intended to be read to children by their parents as there are plenty of amusing comments which only adults would understand (e.g. finding the coins in the garden). It's an excellent book, written in the way of many books from that time - each chapter has its own plot, meaning that you can read one chapter every night befo...more
I read a volume that included both The Story of the Treasure Seekers and The Wouldbegoods with an incredible introduction by Noel Streatfeild - if you can find this volume, do read it. I come to Nesbit quite late in life - she wasn't an author I enjoyed as a child. She's a very modern writer - she's certainly the grandmother of modern fantasy for children with books like Five Children and It. The Bastable stories are ancestors to Judy Blume's Fudge books and The Penderwicks The Penderwicks: A Su...more
FIrst read of this Victorian author, Edith Nesbit. This also was her debut novel.
The story is of the Bastable siblings, set in England during the Victorian era. Their mother has died and their father's partner has absconded with the profits of the business, leaving the children to devise their own methods of restoring the family fortunes...
their creative imagination in solutions and escapades carry the reader along a genuine experience of childhood in the society of the day. Ms Nesbit herself ha...more
The story is of the Bastable siblings, set in England during the Victorian era. Their mother has died and their father's partner has absconded with the profits of the business, leaving the children to devise their own methods of restoring the family fortunes...
their creative imagination in solutions and escapades carry the reader along a genuine experience of childhood in the society of the day. Ms Nesbit herself ha...more
An interesting book, and one that I'm glad to have read, but sadly not one that I loved. Of course I loved bits of it, like I love at least bits of each book I finish- you can always get something out of every book I think. It is wonderful to read a book about children who are imaginative and can amuse themselves for vast amounts of time- long before tv, computers and ipods. As an adult reading this book we see how naive the children are- the Bastable family has fallen on hard times- their mothe...more
The "Five Children and It" trilogy is among my favorite childhood books, so before rereading them I decided to try this one. I have to say that I didn't enjoy it as much as I expected, probably because it has no magic at all and the characters of the children seem a bit too stereotypical - the eldest sister who acts as mother to her orphaned siblings, the sensitive poet, the brave and chivalrous boys, and so on. All right, it's not the author's fault that she didn't include supernatural elements...more
The novel is narrated by the not-always pleasant Oswald Bastable. Oswald is truthful, but not particularly perceptive. In an early example, Oswald airily tells us that a confused servant took off with his sister’s silver thimble entirely by mistake:
We think she must have forgotten it was Dora’s and put it in her box by mistake. She was a very forgetful girl. She used to forget what she had spent money on, so that the change was never quite right.
The Bastables were once middle-class, employing...more
We think she must have forgotten it was Dora’s and put it in her box by mistake. She was a very forgetful girl. She used to forget what she had spent money on, so that the change was never quite right.
The Bastables were once middle-class, employing...more
This is a cute book about a family with 5 children who are suffering the loss of a mother and financial woes of their father. The story is told by one of the children. Young readers can learn some quite valuable lessons while the children in the story try to restore the family fortune all by themselves! Adults enjoy heartfelt chuckles as they read of the innocent encounters the children have with people in their community.
This was the first of Nesbit's successful children's books which began life as a serial and published in book form in 1899. Dedicated to the scholar and journalist Oswald Barron, its dedicatee furnished the name of the narrator who recounts the 'adventures of the Bastable children in search of a fortune' to revive the failing career of their widower father. The children (Dora, Oswald, Dicky, Alice, Noel and Horace Octavius) use the time when their father cannot afford to send them to school to s...more
Dec 21, 2012
Valerie
added it
Children in Nesbit's books give up too easily. They know (as children tend to) when adults are lying to them. or at least holding out. So, as children also do, they tend to make up stories, which often don't even come close to the truth.
Given the kind of books the Bastable children would have read, it might have seemed more obvious to the children to set out to find buried treasure than anything so mundane as a lemonade stand. That's not unusual even now--why else would portable metal detectors...more
Given the kind of books the Bastable children would have read, it might have seemed more obvious to the children to set out to find buried treasure than anything so mundane as a lemonade stand. That's not unusual even now--why else would portable metal detectors...more
Oct 25, 2011
Bryan
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone
Recommended to Bryan by:
Karen Savage—kind of, it was just one of the books she read on audio and I couldn't help checking it out
I was charmed from beginning to end as I read this story.
The events of each adventure were like those little Chinese boxes within boxes that have a new surprise at each layer.
A brief synopsis:
The Bastable family has come upon sorrowful times: their mother has perished, their father is going broke, and there is not enough money to send the children to school. Seeing their difficulties, the children take it upon themselves to "restore the fallen fortunes of the house of Bastable." Naturally, the...more
The events of each adventure were like those little Chinese boxes within boxes that have a new surprise at each layer.
A brief synopsis:
The Bastable family has come upon sorrowful times: their mother has perished, their father is going broke, and there is not enough money to send the children to school. Seeing their difficulties, the children take it upon themselves to "restore the fallen fortunes of the house of Bastable." Naturally, the...more
DATE:October,9 TIME:80 minutes
BOOK TITLE: The Story of Treasure Seekers
AUTHOR: E.Nesbit
NOTES: The family is poor and the children doesn't have a mother. One day, they started to dig a hole to find treasure. They wanted to be a rich. I thought that it was exciting to fall into a hole. That was Albert who is the one of the family. Moreover, I didn't think I become a robber.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1, Do you have any brothers or sisters?
A Yes, I have. I have one sister who is a junior high school stud...more
BOOK TITLE: The Story of Treasure Seekers
AUTHOR: E.Nesbit
NOTES: The family is poor and the children doesn't have a mother. One day, they started to dig a hole to find treasure. They wanted to be a rich. I thought that it was exciting to fall into a hole. That was Albert who is the one of the family. Moreover, I didn't think I become a robber.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1, Do you have any brothers or sisters?
A Yes, I have. I have one sister who is a junior high school stud...more
The Story of the Treasure Seekers by E. Nesbit
Edith Nesbit is one of my favorite children's writers and this first novel from 1898 is one of three written about the six Bastable children. In this book their widowed father has lost all his money and the children, who are not in school for lack of tuition, seek to find a treasure to restore the family wealth. They are well-read and left on their own much of the day as they develop plans to find a fortune.
Related from the point of view of one of...more
Edith Nesbit is one of my favorite children's writers and this first novel from 1898 is one of three written about the six Bastable children. In this book their widowed father has lost all his money and the children, who are not in school for lack of tuition, seek to find a treasure to restore the family wealth. They are well-read and left on their own much of the day as they develop plans to find a fortune.
Related from the point of view of one of...more
I have got to read more by Nesbit. Only one in a hundred books can actually make me laugh aloud; the humour in this one was at times so exquisite that I couldn't help myself. When the Editor tells Noel that Lord Tottenham's throwing away his dirty collar is worth five shillings, I was shaking; when they cleared the dirt away from Albert-Next-Door's mouth so he could scream, I had to cover mine to avoid anxious glances in my direction.
I admit that I wasn't so impressed with the way the children...more
I admit that I wasn't so impressed with the way the children...more
This book was hilarious and delightful. I'm not sure how I would have felt about it as a kid--most of the humor would have gone right over my head, I'm sure--but take away the funny grown-up humor and you're still left with a great adventure story that isn't remotely patronizing towards children. (In the same way that kids and adults both find Sesame Street funny, but for totally different reasons.) The Bastable children stop receiving pocket-money, so they decide to become treasure seekers to r...more
As a child, I loved books with magic. I was often disappointed to discover that books with wonderful magical titles and wonderful magical covers had nothing magical in them.
This book sounded like it would be magical. It was not, but I liked it anyway.
A family of children hope to restore their family’s lost fortune. They engage in a series of attempts to recover their family fortune including digging for treasure and writing a book, all of which are doomed to failure and yet ultimately result i...more
This book sounded like it would be magical. It was not, but I liked it anyway.
A family of children hope to restore their family’s lost fortune. They engage in a series of attempts to recover their family fortune including digging for treasure and writing a book, all of which are doomed to failure and yet ultimately result i...more
The best children's books mix sweet innocence with wickedly funny humor. Nesbit perfected this mix in the Bastable children. The children have lost their mother and their standard of living - but there is no pity or maudlin moments here. When it comes up that they miss their mother it's dealt with in one paragraph where Oswald says, essentially "We missed her and we tried not to think about it and felt better." Nesbit knew perfectly well how children handle such serious subjects - and the key is...more
This is a lot of fun. For one thing, it makes amusing us eof the naive narrator, not only by the typical device of having him narrate things he doesn't fully understand but also by having him ineptly try to conceal his identity. The Bastable children's various plots to restore th efortunes of the house of Bastable are usually amusing, of ultimately a trifle too sentimental--which, to its credit, the book acknowledges by noting how the way things turn out is like something out of Dickens but then...more
E. Nesbit did not write for children.
Oh, yes, I quite enjoyed Five Children and It and The Phoenix and the Carpet and so on when I was a child; they're magnificent children's books. But listening to the Librivox recording of The Story of the Treasure-Seekers makes it very, very clear that the magnificent Ms. Nesbit had very firmly in mind the parents who would be reading the books aloud at bedtime. One beautiful example is a scene in which an adult abruptly rises from his seat and walks away to...more
Oh, yes, I quite enjoyed Five Children and It and The Phoenix and the Carpet and so on when I was a child; they're magnificent children's books. But listening to the Librivox recording of The Story of the Treasure-Seekers makes it very, very clear that the magnificent Ms. Nesbit had very firmly in mind the parents who would be reading the books aloud at bedtime. One beautiful example is a scene in which an adult abruptly rises from his seat and walks away to...more
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1899 children's book.
Interesting how much moralizing is in this book, and how much the children discuss the moral pros and cons among themselves. Can't imagine that.
Nesbit has a positive attitude to life and to children, but I don't find her storytelling successful.
Certainly children today would not 'get' a whole lot of stuff in the book.
Typical class consciousness here, but that applies to huge numbers of UK writers esp. of that period.
I will not go to any trouble to read more of her books.
Interesting how much moralizing is in this book, and how much the children discuss the moral pros and cons among themselves. Can't imagine that.
Nesbit has a positive attitude to life and to children, but I don't find her storytelling successful.
Certainly children today would not 'get' a whole lot of stuff in the book.
Typical class consciousness here, but that applies to huge numbers of UK writers esp. of that period.
I will not go to any trouble to read more of her books.
A children's story from the late 1800's. So well written and funny. From a child's point of view. Good for adults and children with a good understanding of Victorian literature. Or not. Actually my brother Don found this title listed under "Books that genius children read". Even if they are just plain old ordinary children, I think they will like the book.
Now I'm worried. What if I can't get my children to read the book? Are they something other than ordinary?
Now I'm worried. What if I can't get my children to read the book? Are they something other than ordinary?
My mother filled the house with E. Nesbit and Noel Streatfeild and their ilk when I was young, and it's always delicious to re-read them as an adult. I love the British-ness of the jargon and the dry wit and the stiff-upper-lip - British children were so resilient a century ago! I wonder if they still are?
I stumbled across this copy for 48 cents at the Strand and will be on the lookout for further adventures of the Bastables.
I stumbled across this copy for 48 cents at the Strand and will be on the lookout for further adventures of the Bastables.
Full of treasure-seeking Victorian book references, this book is a fun read. Although I couldn't help but read in two minds: 1. These are very naughty children (especially in Victorian terms) but also 2. these are adventurous and creative children. The contrast caught me frequently. Oswald narrates but uses both "I" and third person and privileges his own "noble" qualities and frequently dictates proper vs. rude behavior, that girls shan't be given all the freedoms as boys, and that equality amo...more
Aug 08, 2011
Sam Woodfield
added it
I really enjoyed this lovely little tale of adventure. I like the fact that this book is a tale of childrens imaginations on their surroundings, not something too far fetched based in mysterious locations which could never happen in real life. This is the kind of story that could occur in any household with groups of children left tot heri own devises. A really enjoyable little read.
The Story of the Treasure Seekers by E. Nesbit is a classic children's book from years ago. But it had a timeless quality to it and I enjoyed it so much. The voice was wonderful, the characters, children who are conspiring to "restore the fortunes of their fallen house", were delightful. Their adventures were both touching and funny and I laughed out loud several times. A great relaxing read.
The Story of the Treasure Seekers is lots of fun and a little piece of history. It was published in 1899! Huzzah! I love reading about children in pre-television days when they pretended and pretended and pretended. This gave me some ideas for playing with my own kids. And, this book is funny! I laughed out loud. It's a good read, but I'm giving it four stars because it wasn't can't-put-it-down great.
This is a magnificent book to read aloud to children. The turn of the century writing required a little on the spot translation, and there were some obscure references, but those were actually fun to chase down.
I never could get enough of these big families of children's literature. (Or on television, either, for that matter ... the Partridges, the Osmonds, the Bradys, LOL). No wonder I thought I would have ten kids some day. I still love them, the chaos and adventure and lighthearted bickering...more
I never could get enough of these big families of children's literature. (Or on television, either, for that matter ... the Partridges, the Osmonds, the Bradys, LOL). No wonder I thought I would have ten kids some day. I still love them, the chaos and adventure and lighthearted bickering...more
As always Edith Nesbit delivers a delightful tale and I actually think this is her best yet. Aimed at children, but not any the worse for not having been read until the "ripe old age" of 29. I grew to love the Bastables and enjoyed seeing them getting in and out of scrapes all the time. There's not much too it, but it's a sweet little book that put me in a good mood to read.
I listened to the Librivox recording of this. I loved the story--it was fun, funny, uplifting, and rewarding. Nesbit is a gifted writer and this is really more of an adult book than a kid's book. There is simply too much adult humor that kids would miss. But I suppose older kids would still enjoy it. Highly recommended.
I was prompted to reread this wonderful children's classic (and a favorite of my childhood) by an essay by Michael Dirda, the Washington Post book reviewer. The story and characters remain fresh, humorous and honest as the Bastable children seek to restore their " family fortunes" with a series of creative ideas.
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Edith Nesbit (married name Edith Bland; 15 August 1858 – 4 May 1924) was an English author and poet whose children's works were published under the name of E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on over 60 books of fiction for children, several of which have been adapted for film and television. She was also a political activist and co-founded the Fabian Society, a precursor to the modern Labour Par...more
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“People think six is a great many, when it's children. ...they don't mind six pairs of boots, or six pounds of apples, or six oranges, especially in equations, but they seem to think that you ought not to have five brothers and sisters.”
—
39 people liked it
“This is why I shall not tell you in this story about all the days when nothing happened. You will not catch me saying, 'thus the sad days passed slowly by'--or 'the years rolled on their weary course'--or 'time went on'--because it is silly; of course time goes on--whether you say so or not. So I shall just tell you the nice, interesting parts--and in between you will understand that we had our meals and got up and went to bed, and dull things like that.”
—
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