The Circus of Adventure
by Enid Blyton (Macmillan, 1952)
audiobook read by Thomas Judd (Bolinda, 2021)
A return to form, albeit predictable in parading out simple, salt-of-the earth circus folk, foreign villains, disguised princes, daring stowings-away, secret passages, and baddies who couldn’t recognise made-up languages or a parrot in the dark to save their lives—all Blyton staples!
Enid Blyton’s Brer Rabbit Book
by Enid Blyton (Dean, 1963)
audiobook read by Alan Davies (ABC Audio, 2015) [as “The Brer Rabbit Book”]
![Book cover: “Enid Blyton’s Brer Rabbit Book” by Enid Blyton (Dean, 1963); audiobook read by Alan Davies (ABC Audio, 2015) [as “The Brer Rabbit Book”]](https://www.derelictspacesheep.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Blyton_Brer-Rabbit-Book.jpg)
Forty-three tales of anthropomorphised animal trickery, mostly perpetrated by the cunning Brer Rabbit upon his dim-witted neighbours (though he occasionally receives a much-needed comeuppance). Alan Davies’ audiobook reading embraces the source material, bolstering the characterisations and making the deceptions seem almost plausible.
The Ship of Adventure
by Enid Blyton (Macmillan, 1950)
audiobook read by Thomas Judd (Bolinda, 2021)
While the animals (Kiki plus Micky the monkey) allow for chaos and key plot progressions, Blyton writes herself into a corner where adult intervention is the only way forward. Nowhere is her off-hand approach more evident than in Bill and Allie’s insta-engagement.
The Second Form at Malory Towers
by Enid Blyton (Methuen, 1947)
audiobook read by Beth Eyre (Bolinda, 2021)
Second Form introduces new characters and shifts the viewpoint away from Darrell (embracing an omniscient narrative). While the plot mirrors that of First Term, the girls have turned thirteen and the shading is less innocent. Thus the series grows alongside its readers.
The Mountain of Adventure
by Enid Blyton (Macmillan, 1949)
audiobook read by Thomas Judd (Bolinda, 2021)
Alternatively ‘The Magic Mushrooms of Adventure’. Blyton’s framing story is a delight and features quite the menagerie: Kiki the parrot plus lamb, slow-worm, donkeys and Alsatians. Then she reaches the point where she has to extemporise a mystery/escapade… and goes utterly bonkers.
First Term at Malory Towers
by Enid Blyton (Methuen, 1946)
audiobook read by Beth Eyre (Hodder Children’s, 2017)
The first book of what might be Blyton’s best series. First Term introduces the characters and setting while forever preserving the boarding experience within a spirit of post-war optimism. A delightful school story with ups and downs and an open, straightforward charm.
The Mystery That Never Was
by Enid Blyton; ill. Gilbert Dunlop (William Collins, 1961)
Often listed in appendage to the Barney Mysteries (perhaps due to Dunlop’s illustrations), in terms of characters and plot this simple one-off is much more like a Secret Seven adventure. The young protagonists invent a mystery… only to find it coming true!
Enid Blyton’s Secret Seven Annual: Well Done, Secret Seven
(Purnell, 1979)
Blyton’s novel, reworked and competently re-illustrated with half the chapters in (b&w) comic-book form, interspersed with games and activities. The artwork is inconsistent in depicting character ages, and overcluttered—especially when squeezing seven (or occasionally a miscounted eight!) children into treehouse scenes.
The Secret of Moon Castle
by Enid Blyton (Basil Blackwell, 1953) [Armada, 1991]
![Book cover: “The Secret of Moon Castle” by Enid Blyton (Basil Blackwell, 1953) [Armada, 1991]](https://www.derelictspacesheep.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Blyton_Secret-Moon-Castle.jpg)
Blyton’s ‘Secret’ series ends with a bit of a whimper. The villain is unambiguous and the mystery entails a nebulous mining scheme that, Scooby-Doo style, would have remained hidden if not for his trying to scare the kids off with manufactured spookery.
The Sea of Adventure
by Enid Blyton (Macmillan, 1948); audiobook read by Thomas Judd (Bolinda, 2021)
Blyton mixes the formula just right in this fourth adventure, adding a real sense of peril to the usual holiday atmosphere. The girls make genuine contributions. Huffin and Puffin, with only one syllable between them, enter the pantheon of great support characters!