i got this book for my granddaughter , because i have loved enid blyton when i was a child . i have never seen or read any of her short story books . i read this book before i gave it to my granddaughter and i am glad i did . the writing is good , no clomplaints . the different stories are nice chapters for a girl 8- 10 or so . where i have a problem is , some of these stories have witches in it , that play pranks on people , sometimes to teach folks a lesson , other times to get something they want .there are other fairy tale characters that some people might find offensive . some of the stories are good [ and teach a lesson ] , but overall the few good stories do not justify to put up with all the rest .