Further Adventures of the Family From One End Street

Reviewed on 29th July 2023

I had one memory of this book from reading it when I was a child, and I’m pleased to see that scene plays out just the same. The rest of the book was like reading an entirely new story.

Unlike the first book, this one is presented more as a continuous novel, rather than almost a collection of short stories with continuity between. After a bout of measles, three of the children are sent off to the countryside to recover. This provides for the best part of the narrative, taking up the central half of the book, and unsurprisingly seems to be the part that will be repeated in the following book.

Unfortunately, as the book reaches its conclusion, it takes a surprisingly racist turn. Being from the 1950s, I’m sure the terminology used was in common parlance. But being from the 2020s, it’s utterly out of place and, repeated as it is four times or so, completely threw me out of the narrative and really ruined the end of the reading experience. It’s exceptionally irritating as it’s not evening meaningful to the plot. There feels to be no reason whatsoever for it being included, and with a modern mindset that just makes it feel like the author has done it for shock value.

So, a really nice, nostalgic read… until the last couple of chapters which spoiled it. I really hope that modern reprints have tweaked the ending to make this appropriate again for small children.