Five Go Adventuring Again
by Enid Blyton (Hodder & Stoughton, 1943); audiobook read by Jan Francis (Bolinda, 2021)
Something of a one-note story. The only possible suspect has thin lips and doesn’t like dogs, so George and Timmy take an instant dislike to him. Everyone else thinks George is just being difficult. She is vindicated via the inevitable secret passage.
Upper Fourth at Malory Towers
by Enid Blyton (Methuen, 1949); audiobook read by Beth Eyre (Bolinda, 2021)
Upper Fourth introduces more new characters, including Darrell’s little sister Felicity and Alicia’s brazen cousin June. The dynamics are rather fraught, with some of the girls on the cusp of real maturity but others cruel and sly and Gwendolen reaching her nadir.
Five Have a Puzzling Time and Other Stories
by Enid Blyton (Red Fox, 1995); republished as “The Famous Five Short Story Collection” (Bolinda, 2021)
For completists only. These short stories are aimed at very young readers, and the mystery/adventure elements are slight at best. The audiobook omits dialogue tags in favour of multiple voice actors, of whom Julian in particular sounds like a self-parodying boarding-school pretzel.
The River of Adventure
by Enid Blyton (Macmillan, 1955)
audiobook read by Thomas Judd (Bolinda, 2021)
All the usual adventure elements but peppered with best British bias. The children travel to the Middle East with Bill and ‘his wife’ (aka their aunt/mother!) and win through thanks to the locals—especially the villainous element—being credulous, craven and unchristian.
Third Year at Malory Towers
by Enid Blyton (Methuen, 1948)
audiobook read by Beth Eyre (Bolinda, 2021)
Once again, Darrell is largely sidelined, Blyton leaning a little too heavily into everyday depictions… while reserving all the drama for three new characters! Still, the term breezes by and offers some tear-jerking highs amidst all the idyll of Malory Towers life.
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.