The Folk of the Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton

Cousin Connie has come to visit from the city and Jo, Bessie and Fanny have been told by Mother to make sure she has a good time.  When this young girl arrives, the three children find out very quickly she is very spoilt and outspoken for her age.  She had heard all the stories about Moon-face, Saucepan Man and Dame Washalot and thought they were downright silly and stupid; and said so to Jo on the way to the house from the bus.  Bessie and Fanny tell Connie that they were thinking of taking her to the Faraway Tree so she could meet all these people, but Connie is adamant about her disbelief in all things of fairies, magic and brownies.  But the three take her anyway, and what happens throughout this book is very much a learning experience for Connie... but will she believe in the Faraway Tree, even if she meets all the characters who live there?

I received this book when I was eleven years old; and I loved reading it over and over.  Even though it's the third book of the series of five and some names have been changed since its reprinting, I still love the storyline and how much it still entertains children today.  And from that age, I did want to own all the other copies of the series; however, my parents could never afford to purchase it for me.  So, as I got older, I vowed that if I ever became a parent or an Aunt, I'd make sure my niece/nephew owned the entire series of the Magic Faraway Tree.  And you know, I've got a darling niece who I bought the whole series for when she turned five.  She still has them in her bookshelves and still reads them now and she's the same age as I was when I first received my one and only.