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The Magic Faraway Tree (The Faraway Tree #2)

4.29 of 5 stars 4.29 · rating details · 11,457 ratings · 250 reviews

Jo, Bessie and Fanny take their cousin Rick on an adventure he'll never forget to the magic Faraway Tree, where he meets Moon-Face, Silky the fairy and Saucepan Man, and visits all the different lands at the top of the Faraway Tree. Like the Land of Spells, the crazy Land of Topsy-Turvy, and the land of Do-As-You-Please, where the children ride a runaway train!

Paperback, 177 pages

Published January 2002 by Egmont (first published 1943)

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Mar 07, 2013 Somerandom rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. So I never actually read Enid Blyton at any time during my childhood. Although, I did watch the TV shows based on her works such as; The Magic Wishing Chair, The Faraway Tree and Noddy (at least before they took it off air here after some stupid "gay scandal" or some such nonsense. Who the hell cares if Noddy is gay anyway?! He's a freaking toy!)

Anyway, I was more into the Roald Dahl and R.L Stine crowd myself.

However, I chanced upon this book series at my 6 year old Nephew's home and he told me...more

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Oct 17, 2012 Lauren Welch rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was my favourite book when I was younger because it’s such an enchanting story. The story takes place in an enchanted forest in which a gigantic magical tree grows - the enormous "Faraway Tree". The tree is so tall that its top branches reach into the clouds and it is wide enough to contain small houses carved into its trunk. Three children find the tree in the enchanted forest, which is the start of their adventure. They meet lots of new friends in different parts of the tree like moon fac...more

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Mar 11, 2012 David Sarkies rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens

Well, I have now read this book, though I will continue to do what I normally do when I wish to revisit a review and that is to keep my older one below (normally because there are still things there that are relevant despite me having reviewed this book without reading it in like 25 years). Now I can also legitimately add it to my reading list as I have now read the book as opposed to my Dad reading it to me when I was six.
Once again the adult world seems to hang in the background. We have a n...more Well, I have now read this book, though I will continue to do what I normally do when I wish to revisit a review and that is to keep my older one below (normally because there are still things there that are relevant despite me having reviewed this book without reading it in like 25 years). Now I can also legitimately add it to my reading list as I have now read the book as opposed to my Dad reading it to me when I was six.
Once again the adult world seems to hang in the background. We have a new child enter the story, Dick, who was sent out to the country because his mother was sick. I initially thought that this was a euphamism for the time when British children were sent out to the country to avoid the blitz, but I actually do not think that is the case. I suspect Blyton is simply creating a device that could be plausible in any situation. Anyway, in Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Lewis is quite specific about the children going to the country to escape the blitz though it does tend to lock the story into the early 1940s as opposed to keeping it timeless as Blyton does.
It is also noticeable that the family is self sufficient (and mother and father do not have names) but much of that self-sufficience does rely upon the existence of the Enchanted Wood and the Faraway Tree. I mentioned previously about how there could have been a reflection of the Depression in the earlier book, and in this book Dad seems to play a really minor role (Mum is more noticeable) but we do note that everybody tends to work around the house tending to the garden among other things. I also previously questioned whether there was anything that the adults would have seen in the Enchanted Wood, but in both stories we do have characters from the wood coming out to the cottage. Mother even watches the children return home flying on a table.
I should mention a bit about the children, the main characters, and maybe some of the characters who live in the tree. The children do not seem to be fully fleshed characters. I do get the impression that Jo is the oldest, and to the extent the wisest, so takes a leadership role, and Bessie is the youngest. I also get the impression that Dick is rash and does not think things through, but the children are all willing to learn from their mistakes, and thus grow (though occasionally we do see a rather nasty side to the children). The characters in the tree are a little more developed, but they are also fairy creatures as well. Out of the fairies, the one I dislike the most is Saucepanman.
Don't get me wrong, Saucepanman is a unique and interesting character, but he just really annoys me. He seems to be incredibly stupid, in addition to being partially deaf. Also he seems to cause more problems than to solve, though the children seem to love him nonetheless. Moonface seems to be the wisest, though once again seems to defer wisdom to the children. Silky seems to be a pretty face that simply hangs around but has little in the way of personality. Ironically, it is the angry pixie, Mrs Washalot, and Watzisname, that seem to have the fuller characters, probably because they are flawed and have a mean streak.
Once again the children go on five adventures, four of them being them stumbling around the fairyworld getting into trouble and then finding their way out of it. There is no real antagonist and no storyarc connecting the entire book together. However, also like the first book, we also have an invasion of the Faraway Tree that the children must step in to solve. In the first book it was the Red Goblins (who wanted a magic spell), this time it is the Land of Temper (or temper tantrums) where a couple of inhabitants imprison our friends in the tree, and the children must rescue them.
Blytons world of the Enchanted Wood is a realm of very high magic, though it is noticeable that most of the magic occurs within the wood, though all of the characters in the wood are magical in one way or another. This is obviously the nature of fairy tales as opposed to more adult orientated fantasy novels. Granted, many of the fantasy novels are set in a high fantasy world, but magic seems to take on a different form. The term high and low magic tends to refer to how common magic is in a world. A low magic world would be something like Song of Fire and Ice (Game of Thrones) though some could also point to our world. However, while I would agree that our world is certainly not high magic, my position is that it is not a no-magic world either. I guess the closest that I have seen to what magic in our world could be like would be the Eric series, however Melnibone does seem to be more magical in other senses than our world is (Melnibone would actually be considered a high magic world, but the aspects of demon summoning that permeate the world reflect some of the ideas that come out of real world literature).

I don't really know if I can truly say that I read this book because technically I didn't, my Dad read it to me when I was really, really young, and while I cannot remember all that much about this book, I can remember that I was enchanted by it. Personally, I really cannot say whether I should include a book that was read to me, but in this case I will simply because Blyton is one of those authors that stands out from the rest as a true children's author. There have been children's books around for a long time (though I wonder if the Grimm's fairy tales were originally for kids) but here we have a author that would stand the test of time.
Blyton was never really a fantasy writer, she actually wrote a lot of other stories that were more like mystery stories for kids, however here we have a fairy tale about a magical tree that upon climbing to the top you find yourself in a new magical land. However, it wasn't just the top but also the adventure of climbing the tree as well because I remember there were lots of characters who lived in this tree as well.
As I said, I cannot truly remember the plot, even if there was a plot to this story. It could easily have been an excuse to go on a magical journey and visit magical places. It is interesting because looking at when it was written it was not really a time when people could have gone on holidays. It was the middle of World War II, travelling outside of the country was dangerous, and one could not go to any of the wonderful places in Europe. Travelling by sea was dangerous as well since the German U-boats had no qualms in targeting passenger liners, so instead of travelling the world, one would end up having to travel in their imagination.
I am probably reading too much into this, but it was a book that I remember being read to me as a child, and it is a real shame that I suspect that I no longer have it, however, what I might do is I might try digging through our back shed later on to see what has actually been hidden up there. Maybe, if I am lucky, I will discover that we still have these books up there gathering dust. That would be really good, in my opinion.(less)

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Oct 14, 2012 Charlotte rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As a child I loved to read and would read a lot of books but the books that stand out to me the most are The Magic Faraway Tree and Adventures of the Wishing-Chair, both by Enid Blyton.

Her stories were full of mystery and fantasy and I used to spend all night finishing a book and being exhausted all the next day because I just had to read the last 'few' pages.

Within these stories the children (and of course you)visit the magic Faraway Tree, and meet the magical characters that soon become their...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Meridith rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was one of the great books of my childhood. However, "Rick" was Dick and the cover was completely different. I still have the book and the pages are all yellowed with age but I think I'll hold on to it until I really can't anymore. Such a magical book and great reading for a young child. Such memorable characters also!!

The Saucepan Man was such a darling with his hearing problems and funny little songs. I always wanted to go into Moon Face's house and try one of his cookies or get hit...more

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Oct 08, 2012 Jo rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bbc-100-books, yay

Some of the books aimed at children on my 100 books list are easy for adults to read and enjoy too; this is the first one I've come across that is really only going to be enjoyed by children. So my star rating is meaningless.

I never read this as a child. I loved her school stories, especially Malory Towers, and the twins; and I liked the Famous Five. For whatever peculiar reasons, I hated the Secret Seven with a strong passion, though I'm sure if you took two of them away, they'd be very like th...more

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Apr 04, 2011 Kirsten rated it 5 of 5 stars

Is this the book that turned me into such a bookworm? I just read it to my six year old son and at times to my 39 year old husband. We all loved it. It was the first chapter book Ethan had the patience for. I asked him his fave character and of all characters it was the Angry Pixie. Would never have picked it. The humour is accessible to all which I don't always find as Ethan has yet to pick up references needed for jokes generally. But he loved all the descriptions of Saucepan's misunderstandin...more

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Aug 31, 2011 CekMoNSter rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, english

i`m giving this book a four..Its my first from Enid Blyton.. I love saucepan man, Dick irked me a bit as a boy who brings trouble..Moon-face is lovable...It`s basically the characters and the setting that made me fall for this one..Reminds me a lot of Roald Dahl`s books, cause Enid blyton`s was really creative and imaginative..
This is a story about a boy, Dick who was sent for a holiday at his aunt`s house. Spending a few days there with his four cousins, he was told about to magic faraway tree...more

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Jun 14, 2009 Sri rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: children

Kisah yang menggambarkan kehidupan anak-anak yang sewajarnya menurutku: selalu bermain-main. Tapi selain bermain-main, anak-anak ini juga patuh pada ibu mereka. Mereka selalu mengerjakan tugas-tugas dari ibu mereka seperti menyetrika atau membersihkan halaman. Dan kalau ibu mereka tidak mengijinkan mereka pergi bermain, mereka tak akan pergi bermain walaupun mereka sangat ingin bermain.
Khas Enid Blyton, makanan berlimpah ada di buku ini. Tapi kali ini lidahku tidak kemecer tapi malah eneg. He he...more

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Oct 29, 2012 Ama rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children-s-lit

I sat down with a cup of tea and a chocolate biscuit delighted at the prospect of re-reading a childhood favourite, 'The Magic Faraway Tree'. I hadn't had chance to go back to my parents and dig it out of the cupboard so I had picked up a copy from the local library. As I smiled and opened the first page my face dropped to the floor(and my biscuit plunged into my tea). In this edition 'Dick' was now 'Rick' and 'Fanny' was now 'Frannie'. As I flicked through the pages frantically it seemed that t...more I sat down with a cup of tea and a chocolate biscuit delighted at the prospect of re-reading a childhood favourite, 'The Magic Faraway Tree'. I hadn't had chance to go back to my parents and dig it out of the cupboard so I had picked up a copy from the local library. As I smiled and opened the first page my face dropped to the floor(and my biscuit plunged into my tea). In this edition 'Dick' was now 'Rick' and 'Fanny' was now 'Frannie'. As I flicked through the pages frantically it seemed that this was just the beginning of countless changes from the original text (or at least the version I remember from the '90')in this 2007 Egmont edition.

After I had recovered and brewed another tea, I decided to read it alongside a downloaded older edition copy I had found online. Although painstaking, it proved to be a very useful exercise. I was able to see how much had been changed and thus what was deemed as inappropriate in current children's literature. As a child I read countless Enid Blyton books in the 1990's and really liked her dated way of writing and actually (even as a child) found her many outrageous politically incorrect notions quite amusing. It seems that a lot has changed even since when I was growing up.

The Magic Faraway Tree is the 2nd book in a quartet of books with the same characters and theme. It tells the story of a group of 4 children who go on adventures to a magical forest. In this forest is the 'Faraway Tree' where many of their friends live, such as 'Moonface' and 'Silky'. At the top of the tree is a different land which changes at regular intervals. Some of these lands are good (eg. 'The Land of Goodies') and some are not very nice (eg. 'The Land of Tempers'). It is through visits to these lands that the exciting adventures in the book are formed. I think that this is a wonderful and magical book for a child aged 7 or 8 years of age to read independently, however it could be read to a younger child at bedtime or to a class at story time.

After reading it again at age 24 I would still like to believe that a magical Faraway Tree exists somewhere in a forest nearby but maybe the lands would be different...
How about 'The Land of We Will Pay-off-your-Debts (For Free!)' or even better 'The Land of Free-Clothes-Shopping'? Well, I can dream can't I? (less)

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Jun 24, 2012 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars

When Joe, Beth and Frannie move to a new home, an Enchanted Wood is on their doorstep. And when they discover the Faraway Tree, that is the beginning of many magical adventures! Join them and their friends Moonface, Saucepan Man and Silky the fairy as they discover which new land is at the top of the Faraway Tree. Will it be the Land of Spells, the Land of Treats, or the Land of Do-As-You-Please? There'll be adventures waiting for them, whatever happens; funny, magical adventures that will delig...more

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Oct 17, 2012 Karis Wormald rated it 5 of 5 stars

I used to love this book when I was younger, I read it again and again. I used to image that the trees on the moor behind my house had lots of interesting characters living in them, just like the faraway tree. I also loved trying to invent my own lands to visit at the top of the tree. The perfect book to spark a child's imagination. It does look like they have gone all politically correct though and changed Dick's name to Rick and Fanny's name, but I supposed that's not what today's children are...more

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Feb 14, 2013 Adam Howell rated it 5 of 5 stars

As a child, my sister read this book to me (along with the previous one in the series), and, once we were finished, she/we ended up making up her own stories - continuing the adventures. This book, and its characters and magical lands, really stirred our imagination like no other.

Now my sister has a young daughter and she has the pleasure of reading this story to her. Her daughter can be quite a manic girl and this is probably the only book that will make her sit still for any length of time. I...more

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Sep 11, 2012 SarahBubblyMe 7-2 rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book because I read it when I was little and I grew up believing in the fantasy's so I actually went looking for the magic faraway tree. I used to play games and pretend I was in the story with them. Therefor I absolutely adore this book. I also like the little old toymaker by enid blyton too. This book is about a fantasy tree and some really cool features in this tree and around it. I won't spoil this lovely story for you, but tell me what you think about it. I suggest thi...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Maryam rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was the story my father read to me as a bedtime story. After reading it by myself many years later I have come to realise why. This book is so magical and keeps you reason throughout. This books takes you on the same journey as Joe Bessie and Fanny as they climb te magical faraway tree and go down the amazing 'Slippery Slip'. I so wish this tree was real. Enid Blyton has done an amazing job writing this and the other two books as Everytime I read these books I feel like a child again going...more

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Oct 29, 2012 Trak rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, art, book-club, childrens-books

So Book Club decided it would be a good idea to revisit a children's classic and ask why? Why did we like this story, Why did we gobble these books up as children. When you look back with adult eyes, some of the magic is lost as you realise just how English these books are. You also realise how very good the children are and you find yourself wondering where is Father?
These books are great, the worlds are wonderful and you do want to escape into some of them. Would it not be nice to have a land...more

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Feb 21, 2008 Natasha Soderberg rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book shaped much of my childhood.

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Apr 15, 2013 Josephine rated it 5 of 5 stars

My favourite book of all time throughout my middle school years. Re-read it again this year and awesome memories started flashing back. GREAT!!
Quick Summary:
A group of cousins find this faraway tree which has magical powers to transform the tree into this type of world. The cousins go inside the tree and each time they climb higher they meet a new person who takes them on a journey higher through the magical tree and each time they kep climbing higher they go into a different of the tree and it...more

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Sep 12, 2012 Meo rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: bedtime-stories

More magical adventures, as the three children (and naughty Cousin Rick) explore lands atop the Faraway Tree. Nasty people from the Land of Tempers turf Silky and Moon-Face out of their houses and must be dealt with: Rick is shrunk to the size of a flea in the Land of Magic Medicines; and the Old Saucepan-Man gets into trouble in the Land of Toys, having to be rescued from a fort full of Toy Soldiers. Enchanting and funny, with just enough peril for a young audience and more stories wanted!

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Oct 21, 2009 Saloni . rated it 5 of 5 stars

i have only enid blyton to thank for introducing to me the wonderful and fascinating world of books. i started pretty late but hers were the books which were a part of my childhood. the faraway tree, the wishing chair, the famous fives, secret sevens, mystery series, noddy series and the circuis books were and still are an all time favourite. somehow all my enid blytons are still kept tucked in a cloth in my cupboard ...i just seem unable to give them away.

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Apr 11, 2012 Dee rated it 5 of 5 stars

ahhhh i wanna plant a tree to take me far far away into a world where i can buy unlimited amounts of books for FREE.
onto the review :P this book i have to say was my childhood, well the tv show was. i remember reading the book and my mouth watering at the cakes that exploded with honey mmmh. tbh this is a magical fun read, something you can treasure. a book in which you can see the development in childrens stories, a classic if i must say!

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Apr 26, 2011 Nardos rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

it is a very nice book which i always wanted to read.
it is about
Jo, Bessie and Fanny take their cousin Rick on an adventure he'll never forget to the magic Faraway Tree, where he meets Moon-Face, Silky the fairy and Saucepan Man, and visits all the different lands at the top of the Faraway Tree. Like the Land of Spells, the crazy Land of Topsy-Turvy, and the land of Do-As-You-Please, where the children ride a runaway train!

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Jan 25, 2010 K. Smith rated it 3 of 5 stars

So these kind of books are usually way too young for my interest, but an English friend bought me this and said she loved these as a kid. They are the quintessential easy read with the typical exclamation points that I usually can't stand. That being said, I found myself strangely addicted to this book. I liked the simpleness of the characters and the imagination of the author, even though the characters are really caricatures.

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Apr 24, 2013 Tracey rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: children

This was one of my best novels of the collection of Enid Blyton I own. It was a enchanting story and a beautiful story. I haven't read it since I was young but it would be a novel I would love to get for my daughter's to read and I would love to read it again to revisit my childhood. I highly recommend this novel for anyone with children or anyone young at heart to read. Another great novel from Enid blyton.

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Mar 25, 2013 Jo Read rated it 3 of 5 stars

Re-appropriated for modern audiences...in my day it was Fanny and Dick having adventures. Ahem, a fab bit of escapism if you don't the blatant middle class trappings of these rich little kids. Silky, The SaucePan Man and Moon Face more than make up for everything else. My mum used to read this to me before I could even read myself, so I'll always love it, even if I have a more cynical view of it these days.

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Jan 13, 2013 Sophie rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was probably my favourite children's book but some of the phrases were repetitive for example 'wishy wishy wishy wishy the trees went. Wishy wishy wishy.' It seemed quite outdated, for example using the word queer very frequently. A bit twee. However it is VEry imaginative in my eyes which is why I previously enjoyed it so much, just think it could have been written better, and the ending was very abrupt too.

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May 30, 2012 Fahim Chand rated it 5 of 5 stars

Joe, Beth and Frannie go on magical adventures with their cousin Rick. Read this book and come visit the land of topsy turvy, the land of spells, Mr
Change About, and the enchanter.This book that i have just read will beat any book in the universe. My favourite land of all is the land of presents and the land of spells! This review is written by my 7 yr old son.

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Dec 13, 2010 Ravenna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I FREAKIN LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!!! :)
My kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Stokamer, gave it to me on the last day of kindergarten. :) yup yup! it is pretty much amazing!! I RECOMMEND IT TO ALL Y'ALL WHO WANT A GOOD BOOK TO READ!! :) it's a little like Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle only different. More like Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle meets Boxcar Children and they write a book together. :)

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May 14, 2013 D.peabody rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens

Listened to this in the car with my 7 year old daughter. We both thoroughly enjoyed it! The story is fun and timeless. For me a walk down memory lane and a fun visit with favourite characters like Moonface and Silky. For my daughter it was an exciting adventure into imagination. Evelyn McLean is a wonderful narrator with excellent expression and pace.

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Jul 09, 2012 Caitlyn Steiner rated it 5 of 5 stars

Joe, Beth and Frannie move next door to an Enchanted Wood, and discover the Far Away tree with it's many diffenent lands. They meet Moon-Face, Saucepan Man and Silky the fairy, and get to slide down the slippery-slip! There's always a new land at the top of the tree. Will it be the Land of Treats, the Land of Secrets or the Land of Take-What-You-Want?

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About Enid Blyton

Born in 1897 in South London, Enid Mary Blyton was the eldest of three children, and showed an early interest in music and reading. She was educated at St. Christopher's School, Beckenham, and - having decided not to pursue her music - at Ipswich High School, where she trained as a kindergarten teacher. She taught for five years before her 1924 marriage to editor Hugh Pollock, with whom she had tw...more

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