The Enid Blyton Society
Five Go Adventuring Again
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Book Details...

First edition: 1943
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Illustrator: Eileen A. Soper
Category: Famous Five
Genre: Mystery/Adventure
Type: Novels/Novelettes

On This Page...

Reprint Covers
Artwork
Review by Terry Gustafson
Further Illustrations

Reprints
1. 1951 Hodder & Stoughton, illustrations and cover by Eileen A. Soper
2. 1967 Knight, illustrations by Eileen A. Soper, cover by Betty Maxey
3. 1969 Knight, illustrations by Eileen A. Soper, cover by Betty Maxey (*)
4. 1970 Knight, illustrations by Eileen A. Soper, cover by Betty Maxey
5. 1974 Brockhampton, illustrations and cover by Betty Maxey (*)
6. 1978 Knight, illustrations by Betty Maxey, cover from 1st TV Series
7. 1979 Hodder & Stoughton, illustrations by Jolyne Knox, cover from 1st TV Series
8. 1983 Knight, illustrations by Betty Maxey, cover uncredited
9. 1986 Hodder & Stoughton, illustrations by Jolyne Knox, cover uncredited (*)
10. 1987 Knight, illustrations by Betty Maxey, cover by Andrew Lloyd-Jones
11. 1991 Knight, not illustrated, cover uncredited
12. 1993 Award, illustrations by Jolyne Knox, cover uncredited
13. 1994 Hodder, not illustrated, cover uncredited
14. 1995 Hodder, not illustrated, cover by David Barnett
15. 1996 Hodder, not illustrated, cover from 2nd TV Series
16. 1997 Hodder, illustrations and cover by Eileen A. Soper
17. 2000 Hodder, illustrations and cover by Eileen A. Soper
18. 2001 Hodder, not illustrated, cover by Richard Jones
19. 2010 Hodder, not illustrated, cover by Adrian Chesterman
20. 2012 Hodder, not illustrated, cover by Helen Oxenbury
21. 2017 Hodder, not illustrated, cover by Laura Ellen Anderson
22. 2017 Hodder, illustrations and cover by Eileen A. Soper
23. 2017 Hodder, illustrations by Eileen A. Soper (hardback)
24. 2020 Arcturus, not illustrated, cover uncredited
25. 2020 Arcturus, not illustrated, cover uncredited



Dustwrapper from the 1963 edition, illustrated by Eileen A. Soper


Endpapers from the 1951 edition, illustrated by Eileen A. Soper


Frontis from the 1st edition, illustrated by Eileen A. Soper


1st American edition published by Thomas Y. Crowell in 1951
illustrated by Vera Neville


1st German edition published by Blüchert Verlag, Hamburg in 1953,
illustrated by C. Benedek with the title Five Friends in New Adventure


Early German reprint published by Blüchert Verlag, Hamburg,
illustrated by Nikolaus Plump


1st French edition published by Hachette in 1955,
illustrated by Simone Baudoin


1st Spanish edition published by Editorial Juventud in 1964,
illustrated by José Correas
Foreign Titles
American: Five Find a Secret Way
German: Fünf Freunde auf neuen Abenteuern
French: Le Club des Cinq
Dutch: De Vijf en de geheime doorgang
Spanish: Otra aventura de Los Cinco
Portuguese: Nova Aventura dos Cinco
Italian: I cinque attraverso i muri
Swedish: Fem på nya äventyr
Danish: De fem og spionerne
Finnish: Viisikon Uudet Seikkailut
Russian:
Slovenian: 5 Prijateljev novim dogodivscinam naproti
Serbo-Croat: 5 Prijatelja u novoj pustolovini
Czech: Spravna Petka opet v akci
Icelandic: Fimm í ævintýraleit
Basque: Bosten abentura Berri Bat
Catalan: Una Altra Aventura Dels Cinc
Indonesian: Lima Sekawan Beraksi Kembali



Brief Summary by Poppy Hutchinson: Back at Kirrin Cottage for the Christmas holidays, it seems as if the much anticipated festive season is ruined when Uncle Quentin announces that he has hired a tutor for the children. George hates Mr Roland from the very start and when he suggests that Timmy sleeps outside, she is outraged, and even becomes unfriendly with her cousins, as a result of him. And then the children discover a strange map behind a panel at Kirrin Farmhouse: at first it is regarded as a well-protected secret between them; but when curiosity gets the better of Julian, Dick and Anne, and they ask Mr Roland to decipher it for them – a mystery emerges and the adventure begins...


Full Review (This may contain spoilers):

Terry Gustafson's Review
This is a plot which involves the children in a battle with a tutor who is suspect! He has been employed at the Kirrin household to help Ju and Dick (former influenza patients) to catch up with their school work. He doesn't like Timmy so the dark clouds rise because Timmy belongs to George who is the dog's devoted Slave and Protector (and vice-versa of course). Even more degradation is manifest — the tutor refers to George as a girl and he even calls her Georgina! Heaven help us — can he go further? Yes! He banishes Timmy from the house and that's where he's going just a little too far. George will not take that sitting down so it appears that Mr Roland may have to experience Fire and Brimstone.

Unfortunately for George, the others don't seem to think that Mr Roland is all that bad so maybe it's just a personality clash! The plot runs its merry way and at one stage Uncle Quentin who is George's father finds that someone has been into his study with ill intent! Three of the scientist's very important papers are missing and Quentin learns that George had very recently been in there which is a pity because she's currently in disgrace and suspicion has a habit of attaching itself to such people.

One item which is found quite often in Blytonia is a Secret Panel. Enid Blyton, Eileen Soper, and the children come into their own where secret panels are concerned and this is just one of the exciting discoveries which the Famous Five encounter in this adventure. Timmy actually discovers it when they visit Kirrin Farm and Dick, feeling inside it, finds an old book and also a piece of linen on which there is printed a secret code. Do you know what Via Occulta means? You'll have to if you want to get on with this mystery but in reality we don't have to worry because the Five are past masters at gleaning information and so we can just follow them. A little later I was truly amazed. I can't recall ever seeing George in a skirt but at one stage of the proceedings she is and there's a picture of Dick looking up it. That's not really cricket but when you're climbing a wall and you happen to be next in line it can happen — quite innocently. I became curious about George and her clothing so I looked at a few other books and managed to find a picture of her in a school uniform — and I must say she looked very incongruous indeed!

The tale continues. There's a hidden Sliding Door, a second Secret Panel, and a Secret Way, together with the usual spying-on of Sinister Characters by George and also Julian from the safety of large rocks or dense bushes. The questions that need to be asked are these: 1. Is Mr Roland a villain or not? 2. Are the true crooks a suspicious couple who are holidaying nearby? Enid Blyton has often led us up the garden path so one needs to be very careful.

As the main body of the plot is based in the vicinity of Kirrin Cottage it's quite pleasant for those who like the day-to-day home atmosphere yet at the same time they can entertain the thought of Behind-The-Scenes thrills. Uncle Quentin who seems to have forgotten his glasses in one of the pictures, is well represented in this book as are George and Timmy. Enjoy! These illustrations are hidden by default to ensure faster browsing. Loading the illustrations is recommended for high-speed internet users only.