The Famous Five series
By Enid Blyton
London
Hodder and Stoughton
First published: 1942
These editions: 2004
Rating: 
EXCELLENT
I first read the Famous Five series (all 21 books) in the 1970’s. At the time I had no idea that they were already 30 years out of date. My daughter has just read the whole series in the first decade of the 21st century. She is a bright, Internet-savvy, texting 10-year old. Obviously, she can use the DVD (nearly said VHS) and cable TV far more competently than I can. Despite the fact that the Internet, cell phones, iPODs, TV, and telephones for the most part, are absent from the world of the Famous Five my daughter LOVES them. I read all the books again, too, and I couldn’t stop until I’d read the lot.
A quick note about Enid Blyton. She was a genius at speaking to children at their level without being condescending. She wrote over 700 books for children of all ages. Without exception, the books are obviously and joyously centred around kids having fun. Nothing more and nothing less. There are many resources dedicated to Enid Blyton:
- The Enid Blyton Society
- Enid Blyton.net
- Fantastic Fiction: Enid Mary Blyton
- BBC Interviews: Enid Mary Blyton 1897 - 1968
The Famous Five series features four intrepid school children and their adventures with Timmy the dog. The simplicity of the plots is stunning, but totally adequate. For example, the theft of Uncle Quentin’s important scientific papers. That’s it. No more explanation. But it’s quite enough to make it all hang together. The formula is pretty much the same every time. The kids vacation together and accidentally find themselves embroiled in an adventure. It works every time, too. There are secret passages and tunnels galore, traveling circuses, treasure maps, kidnappings, and lashings and lashings of ginger beer, Joanna the cook’s fruit cake, and excellent ham sandwiches.
As befits books written by a British author in the 1940’s, a soupcon of sexism prevails. It’s not offensive, though. It manifests itself with the boys getting slightly more than their fair share of the action, but they also have to pitch tents and look after the girls. The girls, meantime, have to tidy up and do more of the cooking. Except George, that is. George is really Georgina, a tomboy who would give her right arm to be a boy. She cuts her hair short and thrives on being mistaken for a boy and compliments like, “You’re as good as a boy, any day.” Another favorite British expression used often is, “You’re a brick.” Oddly enough, this is not an insult, but a very nice compliment.
These books will enchant children and parents. We bought a set for my daughter’s class and the teacher thinks they’re marvelous. Actually, thinking about it, it wasn’t a Famous Five set, it was the “Adventure Series,” by Enid Blyton, featuring four children and a parrot (same idea).
Here is a complete list of the 21 books in the Famous Five series:
- Five on a Treasure Island (1942)
- Five Go Adventuring Again (1942)
- Five Run Away Together (1942)
- Five Go to Smuggler’s Top (1945)
- Five Go Off in a Caravan (1946)
- Five on Kirrin Island Again (1947)
- Five Go Off to Camp (1947)
- Five Get Into Trouble (1946)
- Five Fall Into Adventure (1945)
- Five on a Hike Together (1951)
- Five Have a Wonderful Time (1957)
- Five Go Down to the Sea (1953)
- Five Go to Mystery Moor (1954)
Five Have Plenty of Fun (1954)- Five On a Secret Trial (1956)
- Five Go to Billycock Hill (1942)
- Five Get Into a Fix (1942)
- Five on Finniston Farm (1942)
- Five Go to Demon’s Rocks (1961)
- Five Have a Mystery to Solve (1963)
- Five Are Together Again (1962)
I can’t explain why some of the later books in the series appear to have been published earlier. When I read them in the 70’s, the books weren’t numbered and I didn’t read them in any particular order. The editions I bought (from Navrang.com) for my daughter online are all published in 2004 and are numbered as I have indicated. The cover page also proclaims “For sale in the Indian Subcontinent only.” They arrived (from India, I believe) tied up with string in a battered grey box.
A jolly good read for adults and children alike.
The Brit
Posted under Book Reviews
Xeiro Theme
Good to know that the young generation still can enjoy reading Enid Blyton books even though the books lack the technology being used nowadays. I do hope that they don’t modify them, that is by adding in cell phones and the like! It’d be absolutely abominable.
I actually haven’t read any of the books in the Famous Five series but I’ve read the Five Find-Outers! I’m trying to get my hands on as many Enid Blyton books nowadays to add to my book collection.