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 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.
The Valley of Adventure
by Enid Blyton (Macmillan, 1947)
audiobook read by Thomas Judd (Hodder, 2018)
The Valley of Adventure proves memorable for its setting, its intrigue, and of course for Kiki the parrot. Judd’s audiobook reading continues to make the girls sound like wet dishrags, though in fact they show a bit more gumption this time around.
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.