The Story of the Treasure Seekers: Complete and Unabridged

The Treasure Seekers The six Bastable children are determined to restore their family fallen fortunes. They do not know exactly what it was that made their fortunes "fall" but it had something to do with mother dying, father being sick and his business partner running away. This depressing information is brought about casually and is merely the background for what is about to follow - a (very funny) treasure hunt practiced upon in different ways. Dora, Oswald, Dicky, Alice, Noel and H.O. all have different plans to get to their goal, ranging from helping an elderly gentlemen in distress (absence of apparent distress is a small obstacle) to answering a newspaper ad promising 2 pounds a week earned in your spare time - and are about to systematically try out all of them. The story is told by one of the Bastable children, one that does not wish to reveal his identity. It is a great wonder therefore that Oswald gets such a favorable description..."Oswald put lumps of coal on the fire with his fingers, so as not to make a noise. He is a very thoughtful boy, and he did not wipe his fingers on his trouser leg as perhaps Noel or H.O. would have done..." This is a lesser-known story of Edith Nesbit but is the first book published by her and a real masterpiece. This book is just as lovely as her more famous "Railway Children" and like that story works on both the adult and the child level. The book is full of detailed descriptions of conversations, food (very British), grave decisions and pretend play. The Bastable children do not feel miserable unless reminded and the book is a great, very amusing read. The language (which can sometimes be quite difficult for the modern reader) is, as Oswald explains, sometimes taken out of books and especially the "Jungle Book" ("Good Hunting" they wish each other). Contrary to other reviewers, I enjoyed the "air of another time" even if I did not always understand all the expressions. This is a story of children in another era, trying to entertain themselves when they cannot afford school and need to struggle alone without the presence and explanations of adults (their self made explanations to unclear expressions, such as "seven times removed from the queen" are hilarious). The story is very cosmopolite in the sense that these are really stories of human kindness and nobility in all its forms. This is something adults and children alike can share, each according to his perceptions. The story is so rich with a sense of a different time, adventure, humor and human sociology that anyone can find something to suit his heart.

A word about me--I am the mother of four children ages 7-17 and have always loved to read. My favorite books as a child are still a pleasure for me today, although I read them more critically now: the Narnia books (where I first read about the Bastables on the first page of "The Magician's Nephew"); "A Little Princess," "The Secret Garden," "Little Lord Fauntleroy," and "Toinette's Philip;" "Little Women," "Ivanhoe," "Tom Sawyer," "Uncle Tom's Cabin," "Hans Brinker," "Tales of King Arthur," "Scottish Chiefs," etc. After my children were born I discovered new classics: Edward Eager, "The Phantom Tollbooth," Philip Pullman, Diana Wynne Jones, Lloyd Alexander, and of course Harry Potter.The Bastable books were written for literate children of 8-14 almost a hundred years ago, and may be a little difficult for the easy-reader child of today, who thinks Harry Potter is full of hard words! It also has an "I" narrator, which many children do not like. But E. Nesbit was one of the first great children's writers, and in my opinion this is the best of all her books. Although E. Nesbit is rightly well-known known for fantasies like "The Phoenix and the Carpet," "The Enchanted Castle," or "Five Children and It," this book is not a fantasy. The Bastables are six lively children who live in a dreary London suburb in a row house. Their mother is dead, their discouraged, rather milquetoast father has lost all his money. The children are left to their own devices, since they can no longer afford to go to school (this is the turn of the 19th century). They decide to go about seeking their fortune, and do so in the most imaginative and amusing ways. They often get into trouble, bicker, pout, and basically act like real children; but their emphasis on old-fashioned honor and bravery is a welcome change from modern books. Many of the scenes are very funny, especially to older readers who can figure out what is really happening, versus what the children think is happening. It is also fascinating to see how creative the children have to be to entertain themselves-- which they are very good at! and to marvel at how much more freedom of movement children had in those days. No one is worrying about their safety as they travel around London alone all day long. The narration itself is clever, both because the narrator, who is one of the children, tries to write in a literary style (with funny results), and because the narrator is trying to fool the reader. The children accidentally bury alive a neighbor boy who "doesn't know how to play," ruin a fishing contest, kill a pudding, play with a real princess, meet a famous politician and a poet, and set out to catch a burglar. They quarrel over lost balls, who should pay for treats, and who has to take care of the youngest brother, whom they have nicknamed after a cereal ad, and who always insists on tagging along. You find yourself laughing and realize that these could be children you know today. There is almost no Victorian/Edw

The Treasure Seekers concerns a family of six children in turn-of-the-century England. Their mother dead and their father impoverished through the malfeasance of his business partner, the Bastable kids try a number of schemes to renew the fortunes of the House of Bastable. The story is charming, but the narrative style will win both children and adults. Oswald, the second-eldest sibling, narrates the tale without holding back on his opinions as to how a story should be told. (Example: "There are some things I must tell before I begin to tell about the treasure-seeking, because I have read books myself, and I know how beastly it is when a story begins 'Alas! said Hildegarde with a deep sigh, 'we must look our last on this ancestral home' -- and then some one else says something -- and you don't know for pages and pages where the home is, or who Hildegarde is or anything about it.") I'm happy to find this book is in print in the US -- now I'm going to look for The Wouldbegoods...

I'm 26 years old, but my library still contains some of my all-time favorites. Edith Nesbit's "The Story of the Treasure Seekers" is definitely one of them. The loveable siblings, who would do anything to get rich, became my friends. I wished I could go with them on their wild escapades. I've read this book several times, of course, and after "growing up" I began to understand some of the things which puzzled me as a child, such as the adults' reaction to the "poor orphans". Still, I hope that I'm closer to the poor orphans than to the adult society they lived in. The funny thing is that I don't really know this book in English, as I read it in Hebrew, but I'm sure it's as good in the original version...

This is Nesbit's first and best novel for kids. It is terrifically funny, and witty, and anyone aged ten to a hundred should enjoy it. It's not one of her fantasy books, so don't expect phoenixes or amulets--just expect a lot of laughs, and a book you'll want to read over and over, and share with everyone you meet.