#1

By chance I spotted this in a book-swap telephone box in Gnosall, thinking it was Five Go to Smuggler's Top which I remember reading about 40 years ago. It didn't take me long to realise this was Famous Five #1 as the three siblings Julian, Dick, and Anne are introduced as visiting their cousin Georgina/George for the first time. This edition of the book from 1997 (55 years after original publication) doesn't mention the other stories in the series, nor any kind of bibliography for Blyton - a missed marketing opportunity!

As expected the style of writing is quite simplistic and now terribly dated. The style reminds me of a radio play - just enough description for one's imagination to conjure up filler for the gaps. For a story written in 1942 there is a curious lack of mention of the then on-going war. Geography is kept vague too - the main detail is that Quentin, Fanny, and George live in a house overlooking a bay with a rocky island featuring a ruined castle. The other children live closer to London and it takes an all day motor car journey to arrive.

All the children have their parts to play, but the real star of this book is George. More than just a tomboy, she reads as transgender. Boy clothes, boy hair, boy strength, boy independence, and a rejection of everything perceived as girly.

I will admit that, when I was first offered a review copy of Postcards From Beyond Reality, I wasn't sure how well the project would work out. I knew how convincingly Bernard Jan had managed to inhabit Michael Daniels' personality within the novel Cruel Summer, but to repeat the feat for a whole poetry collection did seem ambitious to say the least. I should have had more faith!

I loved being given deeper insights into Michael's character through his poetry. It often felt as though I was surreptitiously reading his journal or diary instead. The work is so personal yet also addresses universal themes, particularly those that are important to young people. On remembering how the events of Cruel Summer affected Michael, I could see echoes within the poems however I don't think it is necessary to have already read the novel in order to appreciate Postcards From Beyond Reality. The two works are very much companions rather than a series so I can imagine that it would be just as rewarding to experience Michael's poetry before learning more about his life.

P.S. It's not often that I'm up on reading trends, but I spotted, on the day after Bernard Jan announced Postcards From Beyond Reality was available for pre-order, that it was already the #1 New Release in Amazon.com's Teen & Young Adult Poetry eBooks category!