Scan barcode
bec82roo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
zaliha's review against another edition
4.0
this was such a cute book. I didn't know until finding it here that this was the second in a series, definitely checking the other books out. Magical story and good childhood memory.
alexsaunders's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
lillygabriella's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I had probably read this in my childhood, but had completely forgotten it. Just as good as I expect an Edith Nesbit book to be. You can really tell she had children from the scrapes our characters got into. It would be a rare child these days to think setting off fireworks indoors would do anything but get them into major trouble, just as one instance.
This is part of a series where a family of five children are regularly having magical adventures. I highly recommend the entire series.
The Phoenix, in this book, is quite a character!
This is part of a series where a family of five children are regularly having magical adventures. I highly recommend the entire series.
The Phoenix, in this book, is quite a character!
Content Warnings
Minor: Classism, Racism, and Sexism
dreamadeer's review against another edition
2.0
I had to force myself to finish this. The adventures were boring. I find myself rolling my eyes at the children's foolish wishes and almost pull my hair at the disasters that came with it. The Phoenix was a narcissistic bird but at least he had a good heart and the children were ungrateful.
steph_e's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
nickimags's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved this audiobook. In fact I loved it so much that I ended up buying it, even though it was included in the audible plus catalogue. It’s a lovely book full of fun, adventures, and magic. It was the perfect escape from real life.
There were so many funny moments throughout as the children went on adventures with both the carpet and the phoenix. Their parents were hardly around most of the time. Their father was at work, and their mother seemed to go off visiting relatives or getting away for health reasons, and just leaving the children with the servants. I know this book is over a hundred years old, but it was so odd!! The children weren’t bothered about being left by themselves, in fact they loved the adventures, because they were really bored stuck at home in Camden, in London.
I loved the BBC series when I was a child, but had never read the book, probably because it was considered a classic, and I didn’t read classics except for O’levels and the less said about that the better! I’ve just discovered a clip of the series from 1976 on YouTube and although it looks pretty ropey, it captures the book very well.
Johanna Ward’s narration was perfect, she brought all the characters to life brilliantly. I particularly liked her portrayal of the Phoenix, who although pompous at times was also good fun.
If you enjoy children’s books I highly recommend this lovely story, especially on audio.
There were so many funny moments throughout as the children went on adventures with both the carpet and the phoenix. Their parents were hardly around most of the time. Their father was at work, and their mother seemed to go off visiting relatives or getting away for health reasons, and just leaving the children with the servants. I know this book is over a hundred years old, but it was so odd!! The children weren’t bothered about being left by themselves, in fact they loved the adventures, because they were really bored stuck at home in Camden, in London.
I loved the BBC series when I was a child, but had never read the book, probably because it was considered a classic, and I didn’t read classics except for O’levels and the less said about that the better! I’ve just discovered a clip of the series from 1976 on YouTube and although it looks pretty ropey, it captures the book very well.
Johanna Ward’s narration was perfect, she brought all the characters to life brilliantly. I particularly liked her portrayal of the Phoenix, who although pompous at times was also good fun.
If you enjoy children’s books I highly recommend this lovely story, especially on audio.
quoththegirl's review against another edition
3.0
Continuing my E. Nesbit catch-up experience. I will say that the audiobook narrator (Johanna Ward) really makes these even more enjoyable than they would be ordinarily. She's extremely British and very good at narrating children's literature. I found this book to be very similar to the first and thus rather less fun the second time around, so I'll take a bit of a Nesbit break for the moment.