The Enid Blyton Society
Granny's Lovely Necklace
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Book Details...

First edition: 1968
Publisher: Brockhampton Press
Illustrator: Jacques Fromont
Category: John and Mary
Genre: Family
Type: Short Story Books

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Review by Terry Gustafson

A visit to the seaside is always a welcome event so once again John, Mary, Mummy, and Daddy are holidaying on the coast. Granny has accompanied them on this occasion and she's enjoying herself. Getting right into the plot, a slight problem mars their complete happiness because it appears Granny's crystal beaded necklace could have dropped off while they were on a boat trip this morning. Her speculation is that it must have fallen into the briny, which means the necklace is gone for good because how could any one retrieve a lost item from the sea's expanse?

Mummy definitely remembers seeing it on Granny's neck so the recovery of her treasure can be placed in the not blooming likely category. Everyone's sorry for their elderly relative and the children decide to put off their planned afternoon picnic. Mummy was to take them whilst Daddy went off to play golf leaving Granny at their lodgings to read all by herself, but John and Mary don't think it would be right to depart from her so soon after the tragedy. John then suggests to Mary that it might be a good idea to see if they can catch some shrimps for Granny's tea and his sister agrees wholeheartedly. A net is fetched and both children run down to the seashore.

Mary tries first and is successful - lots of jumping shrimps appear in the net and some are very big indeed. Then John has his turn and we all know that he's bound to get piles of shrimps because, after all, Mary's only a girl. He shoves the net in and lifts it up. How many has he bagged? Twenty? Forty? None! That's right - None! Hold on, something's in the net ... yes there is but it's only a tiny crab. One asks oneself - is this really an Enid Blyton story; but perhaps there's simply been a temporary lapse in continuity.

Mary has another try and comes up with fourteen healthy shrimps so here we have a girl who definitely possesses the technique, and now it's John's turn again. This time if the theme follows that of other Blyton tales, he'll obtain more shrimps in one go than Mary has pulled up with her two attempts. John plunges the net in and yes, he comes up with something live alright - a piece of seaweed!

This is scandalous. Maybe Miss Blyton entertained second thoughts about male superiority because in the end Mary catches forty-three shrimps and John's attempts yield him 'Zilch!'

However, one has to bear in mind that Enid Blyton likes surprising us and, as always, things turn out happily for everyone.
Some of EB's children are wicked, some are extremely intelligent, some are stupid, and others are simply 'very nice kids.' John and Mary probably qualify for the latter category.

This book's pictures are as reasonable as ever and there's one of Granny sitting down by a collection of sewing boxes; so, reading can't be her only occupation when left all alone.

The moment a trip to the seashore with their net was suggested, a fairly educated guess as to what might happen began to form.

The children play a little trick on their Granny at tea-time and it nets them a steamer and a spade.
Now what on earth does that mean?

This particular volume is of smaller dimensions - round 6½" x 7½". It cost 2/6, is labelled 'Brockhampton Press,' and was printed in France.