Before The Famous Five, before long series and thicker novels, there were The Wishing-Chair Adventures.

These were, as far as I can remember, the very first proper novels I ever read. I must have been around nine or ten. I was living in Mumbai then, and I wasn’t going out much. I used to fall sick often, and a lot of my time was spent indoors. Books quietly filled that space.

The Wishing-Chair series was my introduction to Enid Blyton’s world, and in many ways, my introduction to reading as something more than just a pastime.

The stories were simple but magical. A chair that could grow wings and fly. Children who didn’t overthink things. Adventures that started almost accidentally and unfolded naturally.

The first book, The Adventures of the Wishing-Chair, introduces us to Mollie and Peter, who discover a strange chair that can fly when its wings appear. Along the way, they meet unforgettable characters like Chinky the pixie and Moon-Face, who quickly became favourites. The adventures are playful, slightly chaotic, and full of imagination.

The second book, The Wishing-Chair Again, builds on that world. The chair returns, so do the characters, and the adventures become a little bigger. There’s more confidence in the storytelling, more flying, more mishaps, and more moments where you feel like anything could happen next.

By the time you get to the third book, More Wishing-Chair Stories, the world feels familiar. You know what to expect, but you still want to go along for the ride. The joy comes from revisiting the characters and slipping back into that imaginative space that Enid Blyton created so effortlessly.

What I loved about these books was how accessible they were. They didn’t demand much from you. You didn’t need to remember complicated plots or timelines. You just opened the book and went along for the adventure. For a child who spent a lot of time indoors back then, they were the perfect companions.

Looking back, I realise how important these stories were. They made reading feel fun and effortless. They opened the door to Enid Blyton’s work, and eventually to The Famous Five and many other books that followed.

They’re simple stories, but sometimes that’s exactly what makes them special.

If you’re curious to read them, or revisit them after many years, you can find the books here*.

— Raulito

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.