3 1\2 stars.

Afternoon read-aloud selection. K gave it a 3. L gave it a 2 ("not enough plot, not enough Phoenix"). I also give it a 2. I think if we were living in 1904, reading it as a new best-seller, we would have rated it much more highly. Unfortunately we're modern readers and our experience of this book suffered for that--too many of the jokes fell flat, too many of the touchstones unfamiliar.

Oh-L saw me flipping through this book to write up this blurb and said "I liked that book, I change my mind. I give it three stars." Wow, high praise.

We did like it enough to read it all the way through, though, so we're not panning it entirely. I was glad when it was over though, won't lie. Recommended for those who really favor classic style.

This is a fun adventure tale of four children who happen to be the recipients of a magic carpet and a magical phoenix egg. They use the carpet for travel and wishes and take the often wise (but occasionally foolish) advice of the phoenix.

Nesbit uses the same family as in [b:Five Children and It|3429944|Five Children and It|E. Nesbit|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1418274955l/3429944._SX50_.jpg|975095], so this is technically a sequel. However, no familiarity is needed with the original to enjoy this book.

For modern readers, it does have a few cringy moments, including visiting an island/beach of some sort and having the inhabitants called savages. One visitor to the island even asks if they were "tamed." Totally cringe worthy.

This book is going in my literature basket for my 9 and 10 year old children. I was evaluating using it as a literature book, but think that it's better suited as a free time read or even a read-aloud. I may also hand it over to my tenth grader. He is doing mostly British literature this year, and this would be a light, easy read to have after one of the darker, heavier reads we have lined up.

Really funny, and smart; a great read-aloud.

'The Phoenix and the Carpet' is a childhood classic that many of us know and love. It follows on from 'Five Children and It', showing the lives of five siblings as they unexpectedly find themselves in possession of a carpet that grants wishes. The carpet comes with a phoenix egg which soon hatches into a brilliant (and conceited) Phoenix. This is a story full of magic, quests and good deeds; one that everybody should read at least once in their lifetime.

I've read 'The Phoenix and the Carpet' long ago when I was younger and so it was really nice to go back and re-read this old classic. Naturally, I didn't remember all the details of the book, and there were some things that I grasped more clearly as an adult, but I still really enjoyed reading it again.
In many ways I was slightly dissatisfied with the book because all their adventures seemed to be over incredibly quickly. So although the children do go on lots of adventures on the carpet they're all mini adventures. I enjoyed the fact that E. Nesbit divided her book among the children having adventures at home and adventures abroad on the carpet; it wasn't all daring foreign quests. Sometimes some of the worst scraps they got into was on their own soil; so it was good of Nesbit to create excitement out of everyday life.
I found the characterisation of the siblings enjoyable, and all the other characters were well portrayed, with a few exceptions. Due to the time the book was written there is slight insensitivity when describing the 'savages' they encounter on an island. In Nesbit's defence, considering the era she lived in Nesbit's writing is downright liberal. However, it does feel a bit odd being read in a modern day context. Secondly, I detested the character of the Phoenix because he was so conceited and big-headed I just couldn't stand how he boasted all the time.
Despite these petty grievances I really did enjoy reading this book again and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good children's book.

Read for uni.

Another childhood favourite, these childish adventures always make me smile - and even laugh out loud! Discovering both a Phoenix and a magic carpet, the children adventure to places they have only ever dreamed of - from tropical islands to an Indian bazaar - though not without their fair share of trouble. What larks!