The River of Adventure

A river cruise through ancient desert lands will be an adventure in itself, think Philip, Dinah, Lucy-Ann and Jack. An adventure it certainly is, especially when Bill disappears and the children, along with Kiki the parrot, are trapped beneath a forgotten temple where no one has set foot for 7,000 years.

What a great end to the series! The setting and atmosphere is excellent, and I could easily imagine myself walking the dusty streets of the small villages by the river and standing in a crowd watching a snake charmer at work, or lounging about on the deck of the boat and sweltering in the heat. There's also such a strong sense of "watch your back" in this foreign country that you can't help being glad you're not there yourself. This is Enid Blyton at her best.