The Island of Adventure
by Enid Blyton (Macmillan, 1944); audiobook read by Thomas Judd (Bolinda, 2021)
Blyton spends far too long on the pre-adventure, holiday-atmosphere buildup. While the children are slow to cotton on, the danger does at last manifest (and with a harder edge). Memorable mostly for Kiki the parrot and Philip and Dinah’s bickering sibling relationship.
The Secret of Spiggy Holes
by Enid Blyton (Basil Blackwell, 1940) [reprinted Armada, 1965]
![Book cover: “The Secret of Spiggy Holes” by Enid Blyton (Basil Blackwell, 1940) [reprinted Armada, 1965]](https://www.derelictspacesheep.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Blyton_Secret-Spiggy-Holes.jpg)
Predating the Barney Mysteries but very much in keeping, distinguished only by the absence of any animal companion and a return to the Secret Island (from the children’s previous adventure). The cover blurb anticipates reader fretfulness by giving away the entire plot.
Five Go to Mystery Moor
by Enid Blyton (Hodder & Stoughton, 1953); audiobook read by Jan Francis (Bolinda, 2021)
The children’s classist (pitched as precocious) assumption of superiority remains off-putting, but the supporting characters are memorably drawn and the set-up pays off in a sudden breathless rush, transforming the meander into a boys’ own (and girls-as-boys’ own!) adventure with real stakes.
The Secret Island
by Enid Blyton (Basil Blackwell, 1938)
Blyton’s first full-length adventure novel is low on peril but pleasantly diverting, and more substantial than later efforts. Pitched at younger readers, it sees four children run away to fend for themselves on a bountiful island—memorably taking a cow with them!
The Famous Five: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know
by Normal Wright; ill. Eileen Soper (Hodder, 2000)
An odd, rather pointless reference book, bolstered by colour illustrations and snippets of information about Enid Blyton’s life and inspirations, yet mainly just a plodding recapitulation of Famous Five characters, plot lines and themes—which readers would already know from the novels.
The Mystery of Banshee Towers
by Enid Blyton (Methuen, 1961)
The Five Find-Outers’ swansong comes after a four-year break and proves sadly anticlimactic. Banshee Towers is a breezy read but Fatty is a shadow of his former self and the mystery itself is lamentable. (In fact, the villainy makes no sense whatsoever!)
The Mystery of the Strange Messages
by Enid Blyton (Methuen, 1957)
A return to form, despite some glaring continuity issues. There’s a freshness to the storytelling (less happenstance and more from Goon’s perspective) and Blyton structures the plot more tightly around the mystery and its investigation. One of the better Five Find-Outers books.
The Mystery of the Missing Man
by Enid Blyton (Methuen, 1956)
The arrival of Eunice (plus dieting!) deflates Fatty of his pomposity and self-assuredness. The plot is more original than those of the preceding mysteries; at the same time, the other Find-Outers are near absent and the ending comes as a damp squib.
The Mystery of Tally-Ho Cottage
by Enid Blyton (Methuen, 1954)
A rather sombre mystery. Blyton rehashes several familiar plot devices but scripts little investigation and few hijinks. Goon is at his least likeable and Fatty his most fallible, while the other Find-Outers contribute virtually nothing (save yet another epiphany-inducing comment from Bets).
The Mystery of Holly Lane
by Enid Blyton (Methuen, 1953)
An enjoyable bit of detective work for the Five Find-Outers (and dog), stumbling upon another mystery and outwitting Goon. As ever, the investigation itself doesn’t amount to much. Fatty, however, remains irrepressible, and has much the same conceited appeal as Sherlock Holmes.