The Magic Faraway Tree: what to Read Next

The Magic Faraway Tree features many bite-sized adventures in different lands; one day it might be the Land of Treats and the next, the Land of Do-As-You-Please. These next book recommendations also feature stories in short instalments – perfect for a quick read or a bedtime story.

Welcome to the wacky world of Chudland, where Kid Potato and his pals Raven and Chomp are ready to embark on a series of hilarious and chaotic adventures! There are five fun stories in this book, each of which is accompanied by fantastic black and white illustrations. With a more modern and anarchic style to Blyton’s works, this is a great choice for fans of quirky humour.

Nature and the magic of the woods are important themes in The Magic Faraway Tree, and they are central to this book, too. As the name suggests, Beti lives in a little round house in the woods with her family. In four separate stories, she explores the natural world around her and has light-hearted adventures along the way. With great full-colour illustrations, this is a perfect, gentle bedtime read for nature lovers.

This beautiful book is a treasure trove. There are 7 original short stories here, and each one makes a perfect bedtime read. They have the classic feel of fairytales or trips to lands via the Faraway Tree, but they are new tales set in different countries around the world. Each story starts with a poem, and they are stunningly illustrated by Katarzyna Doszla, which adds a depth and wonder that will make children want to come back and read them over and over again. 

As well as the magic of the Faraway Tree, it is the many wonderful characters that make Enid Blyton’s tales so captivating – with Moon Face, Silky and Saucepan Man to name a few. Here, we recommend more books that are filled with more quirky, fantastical characters that will capture children’s imaginations. 

Meet Pip, the most impressively annoying, inquisitive and impatient fairy in the whole of Oakhold. When the winter food stores turn mouldy, Pip is inadvertently caught up in a whirlwind adventure filled with ridiculously funny dialogue, tricky mysteries to unravel and plenty of action. This graphic novel is heaps of fun and is largely set in a magical oak tree inhabited by mini mythological creatures and monstrous minibeasts.

When Iggy’s mum and Cal’s dad get together, the four of them move from the city to Greenacres, a quaint thatched cottage in a little village on the edge of Wildtop Wood. Together with their new neighbour, Mae, the stepbrothers excitedly set off to explore the wood and are astonished when the trees entwine their branches and reveal their magic. The children must work together to save the woodland in this magical and beautifully illustrated story.

The Night Train is heading to Sleepy Town with a very strange set of passengers on board. There’s a yeti, a princess with a dragon and a scary looking monster, all preparing to be the main characters in children’s dreams. Each of the passengers share their stories, which are full of imagination and are brought to life with great illustrations throughout. 

In the branches of the Faraway Tree, the Thompson children discover a ladder through the clouds that leads them to new, magical worlds. Here, we recommend more books that feature similarly fantastical gateways or portals that lead characters to wonderful adventures.

Clem, Ash and Zara love mudlarking: finding lost objects washed up on the banks of the Thames. But one day when they find an unusual object, the children find themselves transported to a secret underwater world filled with the strangest of characters. Here, they become embroiled in a magical adventure to save Underwater London. This story has a lot of the same transportive imagination as The Magic Faraway Tree, but in a modern, urban setting. 

The adventures of Murray the cat and Bun (the bun) are brilliantly funny and imaginative with great illustrations throughout. In this tale, the pair of friends travel through a magic cat flap back in time to the Viking era and have heaps of fun battling trolls and searching for missing warriors. If you enjoy this book, look out for others in the Murray and Bun series.

For slightly older readers, Pari Thompson’s Greenwild series offers a gateway into a rich fantasy world where Botanists use green magic to protect the environment. It is a longer read than The Magic Faraway Tree at 416 pages but offers much of the same awe and wonder as its protagonist Daisy discovers the secrets of the Greenwild. There are plenty of brilliant illustrations to add to the magic too.