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Family #3

The Pole Star Family

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Mike, Belinda and Ann have had a miserable summer - they have all been ill. But then Granny decides to take them on the cruise of a lifetime. They sail away on the gorgeous Pole Star and have the most fun ever! They visit towns with palaces and exotic markets in wonderful countries such as Portugal, the Canary Islands and Africa.

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1950

6 people are currently reading
72 people want to read

About the author

Enid Blyton

5,137 books6,324 followers
See also:
Ένιντ Μπλάιτον (Greek)
Enida Blaitona (Latvian)
Энид Блайтон (Russian)
Inid Blajton (Serbian)
Інід Блайтон (Ukrainian)

Enid Mary Blyton (1897–1968) was an English author of children's books.

Born in South London, 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 two daughters. This marriage ended in divorce, and Blyton remarried in 1943, to surgeon Kenneth Fraser Darrell Waters. She died in 1968, one year after her second husband.

Blyton was a prolific author of children's books, who penned an estimated 800 books over about 40 years. Her stories were often either children's adventure and mystery stories, or fantasies involving magic. Notable series include: The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, The Five Find-Outers, Noddy, The Wishing Chair, Mallory Towers, and St. Clare's.

According to the Index Translationum, Blyton was the fifth most popular author in the world in 2007, coming after Lenin but ahead of Shakespeare.

See also her pen name Mary Pollock

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5 stars
63 (32%)
4 stars
53 (27%)
3 stars
64 (32%)
2 stars
14 (7%)
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2 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
Profile Image for Johara Almogbel.
Author 1 book56 followers
October 19, 2014
I should give it one star, for the horrible bit about Morrocco and the people in it in the end. What kind of adults would the children who had read this book make, if they thought only English people knew how to wash their faces or take baths or whatever? Shame. Such a shame.
Profile Image for Graham.
1,568 reviews61 followers
November 18, 2020
THE POLE STAR FAMILY is the third in this brief series, following on from THE CARAVAN FAMILY and THE SAUCY JANE FAMILY. This one's a quicker read than ever, with the family heading off for a much-deserved summer holiday with Granny along for the journey. The sightseeing cruise takes them to Portugal and the Spanish islands, before heading to Morocco for some off-colour descriptions from the era. Very little happens here and the characterisation is virtually non-existent; this felt to me more like a short story than a proper book.
Profile Image for Phillipa.
784 reviews21 followers
June 28, 2020
Some of the language has dated but I enjoyed being able to tell my daughter about some of the places I have traveled to previously while reading this book. However the way Blyton described Morocco was shocking and I had to reword and explain quite a lot (like about the smell of their tanneries) to my 5yr old. Luckily it was only a very few pages from the whole story, but I really hope it has been updated in newer editions!
Profile Image for K.L..
Author 2 books16 followers
September 26, 2021
After being ill, the family go on a sea cruise - note, this is NOT mentioned in Queen Elizabeth Family!!!!
Profile Image for Tokki.Reads.
80 reviews
March 23, 2025
Reread

Tina und Tini können ihr Glück kaum fassen: Sie dürfen an einer Kreuzfahrt teilnehmen, auf der Tinis Vater der Kapitän ist! Die Vorstellung, auf einem großen Schiff unterwegs zu sein und ferne Länder zu entdecken, begeistert die beiden Freundinnen. Noch ahnen sie jedoch nicht, dass die Reise mehr als nur Erholung und Spaß bringen wird.

Schon bald nach dem Ablegen bemerken Tina und Tini, dass an Bord merkwürdige Dinge vor sich gehen. Seltsame Personen huschen über das Deck, und sie belauschen fragwürdige Gespräche, die ihnen keine Ruhe lassen. Ihre Neugier ist geweckt, doch das Abenteuer nimmt eine ernste Wendung, als wertvoller Schmuck spurlos verschwindet. Plötzlich finden sich die beiden mitten in einem mysteriösen Fall wieder, der sie in Atem hält und ihre detektivischen Fähigkeiten auf die Probe stellt.

Was zunächst als entspannte Urlaubsreise begann, entwickelt sich zu einem aufregenden Abenteuer, bei dem Tina und Tini ihre Kombinationsgabe und ihren Mut unter Beweis stellen müssen, um das Geheimnis auf dem Schiff zu lösen.


Wieder einmal konnte ich nicht widerstehen und musste zu einem *Tina und Tini*-Buch greifen, weil mich die Abenteuer der beiden Freundinnen einfach nicht loslassen. Dieses Buch hatte ich bereits in meiner Kindheit gelesen, und obwohl ich die Handlung und das Ende noch gut im Kopf hatte, zog es mich doch erneut in die Geschichte hinein. Natürlich war das Finale für mich dieses Mal keine Überraschung, da ich mich noch genau daran erinnern konnte, wie die Geschichte ausgeht. Aber das hat meinem Lesevergnügen keinen Abbruch getan.

Was mir dabei besonders im Gedächtnis geblieben ist, war das Gefühl, das ich als Kind beim ersten Lesen hatte. Damals hat mich das Ende völlig überrascht, und genau das ist der springende Punkt: Für die eigentliche Zielgruppe, also Kinder und junge Leser, ist dieses Buch voller Spannung, Wendungen und Überraschungen. Ich erinnere mich noch gut daran, wie mitgerissen ich als Kind war, als Tina und Tini wieder einmal auf eine mysteriöse Spur gestoßen sind. Genau diese Spannung und das Unerwartete machen die Bücher so besonders und auch heute noch so lesenswert.

Auch wenn die Geschichte für mich jetzt vorhersehbar war, liegt die wahre Stärke darin, dass sie es schafft, junge Leser zu fesseln und ihnen aufregende Abenteuer zu bieten. Für Kinder, die die Geschichte zum ersten Mal entdecken, wird sie sicherlich genauso spannend und überraschend sein, wie sie es damals für mich war. Das ist letztendlich das Entscheidende – dass die Zielgruppe die Spannung und die Überraschungen voll und ganz erleben kann.
Profile Image for Ruvi Perera.
170 reviews1 follower
March 21, 2024
Just finished reading it. Everything was good until the very last few chapters. I did not like how the author portrayed the African countries and their claims of how lucky they are not being born in a dirty country etc. I guess in the time the story was written they weren't super sensitive like nowadays.
Profile Image for Tiana.
26 reviews
April 4, 2025
The German version of the book, which was adapted to German conditions in the 70s and 89s, is much more progressive
Profile Image for Kirsti.
2,499 reviews104 followers
December 4, 2012
Not my favorite series, and not my favorite book out of the series either. Still it was a nice quick read, and another book to add to my challenge that I have almost no chance of completing this year. Not much happens in this book, I suppose that's why I didn't like it as much as other Enid Blyton books.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews

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