This is a lovely beginning to a wonderful series. I was fortunate enough to have read these several times as a kid and now several times as an adult. They are always pleasing and are among the books I wish I could re-read for the very first time.

This first book in the series is a very British sort of story with a collection of children on holiday in Cornwall who have an adventure that involves finding the Holy Grail. Yes, that Holy Grail. It's wonderfully well written and intricately plotted and the characters are so very real that you can't help but fall in love with them. The Drew children are not your typical icons of perfection that you often find in this type of literature. They are cranky and fight amongst themselves and put things where they shouldn't and make each other laugh and do all the silly things that all children do. Combine that with their rather absent-minded parents, the mysterious and wonderful Great Uncle Merriman (sort of a Great Uncle, but sort of not - they call him Gumerry), and assorted evil doers and you've got a delightful and imminently readable story. ( )

Not as compelling as later books in the series but a great, scary introduction. Sets up teh gud an teh ebil very nicely. A definite contender for my library studies 'good vs evil in children's fiction' bibliography. ( )

Three siblings, Simon, Jane, and Barney, find an old map whilst visiting their Uncle Merry. Though at first there doesn't seem to be anything special about it. However, they soon realize there are many people out there willing to do just about anything to get that map. They have to find out what it means before it falls into the wrong hands...

I really enjoyed this book. It was entertaining and I found the pace just about right. Lots of action with a perfect dispersal of resting points so you can take a break if need be. There was one particular chase scene between Simon and Bill that I just found absolutely breathtaking. For me, that was my favorite part of the entire book. I loved that this wasn't a conventional fantasy (though it did have a bit of a Narnia feel to it, what with the children finding the source of the adventure right within their own home and whatnot). There's no grand adventure, but rather everything just takes place within one town, which I also liked. And they had a dog. I'm very fond of dogs and Rufus was just adorable.

The only thing I didn't like about the book was the ending. It felt a bit rushed to me. It also gave the book too much of a prologue feel to it. I know this is just the first book in a series of five, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be a self-contained story, and that's what I thought the entire story was missing: a proper ending. Although from what I've heard, it fits with the next four books so really, it's a small complaint. I'm eager to start in on book #2! ( )

I first read this book many years ago, and the follow up books that make up the "Dark is Rising Sequence". I think these books are perhaps the best series I ever read. Certainly they are the best young adult series. The series is a timeless wonderful masterpiece.

This book is - in my opinion - possibly the weakest of the series. But that is not really a criticism. This book is still wonderful, exciting, fast paced classic treasure hunting adventure. Three children on holiday in Cornwall with their parents and a mysterious uncle discover an ancient treasure map lost in a secret room in the house they are staying in. The very idea is wonderfully captivating. Throw in some Arthurian legend too and it is no wonder that children and adults alike can and do love this book. This is an absolute classic.

Re-reading it, I noticed a few things that irritate me as an adult reader (although I did not care when I was younger). One such thing is the slightly Enid Blyton feel, where the adults can miss the obvious and thus the kids solve all the mysteries. However, some of that is explained in later books - and where it is not explained, it does not really ruin the story.

I highly recommend this book and even more highly recommend the rest of the series. Well written, wonderfully imagined and perfectly set with good characterisations, an engaging plot. I have read all this series several times. Once again, part of the best series I ever read. ( )