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Jane's Adventures #1
Jane's Adventures In and Out of the Book
Left behind when her parents go on vacation, Jane finds a kingsize book, recites a couplet, and magically falls into the pages, thus starting an adventure in dreamland.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1966
About the author
Jonathan Gathorne-Hardy
29 books5 followersBritish author born in 1933, nephew of the English garden writer Robert Gathorne-Hardy.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 19, 2021
This is an indulgent reread for me from my childhood. I've always loved this book since I first read it back in the seventies. It was just so different from anything I'd read before and was the result of a wonderful imagination.
It would probably seem very dated now to the children of today. Also Jane in the book had so much freedom to come and go as she pleased which would seem strange to us in the world we live in.
Jane is a young girl who lives in a castle with her parents. Mrs Deal is the housekeeper who is always frantically dusting and cleaning. When Jane's parents go to America she is left with Mrs Deal and has to amuse herself for the holidays. Feeling especially bored one day she heads for the tower which is farthest away and reputed to be haunted. Inside she finds a very large book. Not just any old book though and so begin her adventures.
it's a brilliant fantasy read and I'll be rereading it again I'm sure.
It would probably seem very dated now to the children of today. Also Jane in the book had so much freedom to come and go as she pleased which would seem strange to us in the world we live in.
Jane is a young girl who lives in a castle with her parents. Mrs Deal is the housekeeper who is always frantically dusting and cleaning. When Jane's parents go to America she is left with Mrs Deal and has to amuse herself for the holidays. Feeling especially bored one day she heads for the tower which is farthest away and reputed to be haunted. Inside she finds a very large book. Not just any old book though and so begin her adventures.
it's a brilliant fantasy read and I'll be rereading it again I'm sure.
March 1, 2014
I first read this book when I was a young child and it stayed with me all these years. My copy was exhausted from use and when I went to the library I was told there was no such book. Thank goodness for the internet where a dear friend tracked me down a copy. It was like coming home. Even after all these years it is a great bit of fun and quite well written. I would recommend it for any child to get their imagination going and for you if you would love that trip down memory lane.
It has it all going on, a castle, a lonely child, a big disaster and a happy ending, what more could you want?
It has it all going on, a castle, a lonely child, a big disaster and a happy ending, what more could you want?
January 9, 2026
This might be the first book I chose and paid for myself. Bought at age 10 from a shop in a small country town when my family were on holiday together.
Jane is a resourceful, compassionate person, who sensibly packs her satchel (she’s British) with some essentials before she sets out on an adventure, exploring the huge castle she lives in. Although she is at times scared or upset she is always quite determined to keep exploring and help people she meets along the way.
My favourite chapters are when she meets Clarissa (wonderful illustration of her in the kitchen turning transparent) who seems content, but Jane regards as a somewhat tragic figure. They form an almost sisterly bond very quickly and I would have loved a few more chapters about her life in Lily Town.
Events move along briskly and Jane has an adventure “out of the book” (as the title tells us) that is just as exciting as those inside the book.
The ending disappointed me as a child, and probably still does today. Her absent parents returning makes a great ending, but why do we have to have a sudden decision to sell the castle and move away? Jane and her mother don’t want to but her father persists.
Jane takes the magic book with her when they leave. Even as a child I thought it unlikely that she could sneak a 5 foot by 4 foot book into the car and hide it under a blanket. I also thought that the book may lose its magic if taken from the castle. And what of Clarissa, who seems to have to return from the book a few times a year? Is she going to suddenly appear in their council house?
I wish they had remained at the castle and it ended with Jane contemplating future adventures.
I did find another Jane book once in a library but I did not like it half as much as I do this one.
Jane is a resourceful, compassionate person, who sensibly packs her satchel (she’s British) with some essentials before she sets out on an adventure, exploring the huge castle she lives in. Although she is at times scared or upset she is always quite determined to keep exploring and help people she meets along the way.
My favourite chapters are when she meets Clarissa (wonderful illustration of her in the kitchen turning transparent) who seems content, but Jane regards as a somewhat tragic figure. They form an almost sisterly bond very quickly and I would have loved a few more chapters about her life in Lily Town.
Events move along briskly and Jane has an adventure “out of the book” (as the title tells us) that is just as exciting as those inside the book.
The ending disappointed me as a child, and probably still does today. Her absent parents returning makes a great ending, but why do we have to have a sudden decision to sell the castle and move away? Jane and her mother don’t want to but her father persists.
Jane takes the magic book with her when they leave. Even as a child I thought it unlikely that she could sneak a 5 foot by 4 foot book into the car and hide it under a blanket. I also thought that the book may lose its magic if taken from the castle. And what of Clarissa, who seems to have to return from the book a few times a year? Is she going to suddenly appear in their council house?
I wish they had remained at the castle and it ended with Jane contemplating future adventures.
I did find another Jane book once in a library but I did not like it half as much as I do this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 12, 2020
Amusing story of Lady Jane, often left alone, except for the housekeeper, in a very large castle. There she discovers a very large book and its secret, which allows her to take fantastic journeys, and then return safely home again — if she remembers the words! Fun and fast-paced.
October 1, 2018
Read this when I was 10ish and absolutely loved it. It fired my imagination and I have often thought of it through the years. I would recommend all children, particularly girls, to read this.
August 25, 2015
A Strange, Dreamy, Nifty Girl's Own Adventure
Young Lady Jane is left behind at her family's massive Cornish castle, with only the housekeeper Mrs. Deal to keep her company. Jane, bored beyond belief, finds a book that she can magically enter, and a multitude of adventures follow. Neither Jane, nor Mrs. Deal, nor the reader need worry any further about the matter of boredom.
The 2006 book is composed of three novellas, published over the period from 1966 through 1975. The first novella, "in and out of the book", was published as a standalone in 1981 and is the volume most reviewers recall from their childhoods and is the signature Jane Adventure. The three story collection, which includes the magical book story but also adds many other additional adventures, was issued by Overlook Press in 2006, and is probably the edition you should look for.
As to the stories, the setups are crisp and the pacing is brisk. Jane is an engaging, can-do, heroine. She is resourceful, bright, a bit reckless, and loaded with the right stuff. Given the period over which the stories were written, it seems to me that the author managed to preserve the best of what came before, (the almost Victorian calm and elegance of the stylized adventures), and what was to come - an independent heroine with a no-nonsense approach and great self-reliance.
While the action is tight and the narrative is clear and precise there is also a dreamy and surreal aspect to the story telling. (Indeed, Jane spends a lot of time in the first novella exploring a place called Dreamland.) In this the book is similar to "Alice in Wonderland" and "The Wizard of OZ", or, even more so, the old "Nemo in Slumberland" adventure comics. And in the remaining two novellas we have airships, some school daze adventures, submarines, moon rockets, explosions, floods, and innumerable lesser events.
There is much sly wit on display, and loads of quirky characters and odd situations. It's all vaguely surreal and slightly unmoored, but anchored by solid and appealing Jane. This is good natured and literate reading for an adventurous, confident reader. A nice find.
Young Lady Jane is left behind at her family's massive Cornish castle, with only the housekeeper Mrs. Deal to keep her company. Jane, bored beyond belief, finds a book that she can magically enter, and a multitude of adventures follow. Neither Jane, nor Mrs. Deal, nor the reader need worry any further about the matter of boredom.
The 2006 book is composed of three novellas, published over the period from 1966 through 1975. The first novella, "in and out of the book", was published as a standalone in 1981 and is the volume most reviewers recall from their childhoods and is the signature Jane Adventure. The three story collection, which includes the magical book story but also adds many other additional adventures, was issued by Overlook Press in 2006, and is probably the edition you should look for.
As to the stories, the setups are crisp and the pacing is brisk. Jane is an engaging, can-do, heroine. She is resourceful, bright, a bit reckless, and loaded with the right stuff. Given the period over which the stories were written, it seems to me that the author managed to preserve the best of what came before, (the almost Victorian calm and elegance of the stylized adventures), and what was to come - an independent heroine with a no-nonsense approach and great self-reliance.
While the action is tight and the narrative is clear and precise there is also a dreamy and surreal aspect to the story telling. (Indeed, Jane spends a lot of time in the first novella exploring a place called Dreamland.) In this the book is similar to "Alice in Wonderland" and "The Wizard of OZ", or, even more so, the old "Nemo in Slumberland" adventure comics. And in the remaining two novellas we have airships, some school daze adventures, submarines, moon rockets, explosions, floods, and innumerable lesser events.
There is much sly wit on display, and loads of quirky characters and odd situations. It's all vaguely surreal and slightly unmoored, but anchored by solid and appealing Jane. This is good natured and literate reading for an adventurous, confident reader. A nice find.
November 6, 2008
I bought this book for 10 cents at the Levittown pubic library and it's one of my favourites. It is the story of a wealthy girl who finds a book in the tower of her castle which she is able to leap in and out of, having adventures.
August 14, 2009
Stare at an illustration and fall in! Try to get out alive!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews