This adventure series will appeal to kids of all ages, as the kids in the episodes are the heroes. But the adults can enjoy it too as they try to figure out how to solve the mysteries before the kids do. In two episodes, Five Go Off on a Caravan, and Five Go to Demon’s Rocks, they attempt to solve a mystery involving two circus workers and then a missing treasure in the second one.
The five are Julian, Dick, George (a girl, also called “Georgie”), Anne and their dog Timmy. Timmy is definitely a good resource for them when they are attempting to solve the clues to the mysteries they are handed. The kids are British and American kids will enjoy their accents.
Each episode runs approximately 25 minutes, with each one being a three-part episode, broken up into two ten-minute segments and then a five-minute segment. In the first episode, the kids have been out scouting and when they return to their caravan someone or something is in the caravan, and the sound of plates and various objects being tossed about is heard. A young man named Nobby (Ben Brazier) shows up and apologizes, explaining it is his goat, Gertie. “She’s just a bit mischievous” he confesses. Nobby explains he is from the circus which piques the kids’ interest. Just then an adult circus worker shows up, and berates Timmy, calling the barking dog a “brute.” The kids stand up to the man, who suggests they leave immediately in their caravan. Yet this isn’t private property. Their caravan is parked near the circus, but causing no harm. They learn the man’s name is Lou.
Lou tells them that if the barking dog comes near him, he’ll kick it. “You just try it!” says George, who is not about to let anyone bother their dog. When Lou finally leaves, Nobby apologizes, as he knows the circus man. “It’s not your fault, Nobby,” George replies. When Lou returns with a man named Tiger, and the men put more pressure on the kids to leave, they say they will but not before morning. But they can’t help but wonder, why do these men want them to leave so badly?
The kids manage to have some fun, swimming at a local lake, and they meet a lady at the circus who works with Nobby, and they even get to wash an elephant! Later, someone tries to poison Timmy, but instead it is Nobby’s dog, Growler, they poison. He survives but who would do such a thing? When the kids explore a cave and find a silver object, it is apparent that someone wants them to leave. Whoever is behind stealing various treasures, wants no one to know about it. How will it end? You will have to watch to find out.
The next episode, Five Go to Demon’s Rocks, features the kids trying to solve the legend of a lighthouse and gold that has gone missing. They meet a nice, elderly man named Jeremiah, a white-haired man who smokes a pipe. He tells them of the legends of shipwrecks at sea, and the building of the lighthouse. The five even get to go inside the lighthouse. But why are two men, Jacob and Ebeneezer, so rude to them, and trying to get them to flee? Do they know something about the missing treasure? After the kids find a gold piece, the adventure truly begins! A local man tells Anne that the lighthouse was built after the shipwreck which contained the gold. So, what is the missing clue the kids need to find the treasure? The kids have had their book, purse, and watch come up missing. So, what’s going on?
It all comes to a climax when the kids learn of a secret shaft and tunnels. Will they find the gold? Is Jacob and Ebeneezer after the gold? It all races ahead to a satisfying conclusion and these four British kids, five if you include Timmy, are fun to watch and to follow their adventures. This series has captured our Dove seal for All Ages, with its wholesome content.
The Dove Take
This is a terrific adventure series, as the four kids and their dog work hard to solve mysteries, and it’s family friendly as well.
