Please help me identify this story.

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torchlight
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Please help me identify this story.

Post by torchlight »

Hi there forum, I hope that everyone is good.

I sincerely hope that you can help.

I am trying to find a short story that I can remember reading from my childhood and after searching for what feels like forever I think that it is Lazy Luke by Enid Blyton.

The only thing is that I cant remember very many details about the story except for,

It was in a large red hard back book with colour illustrations (I am guessing that this was one of the daily mail childrens books that reprinted some of Enid Blytons stories)

It was two to three pages long but we are talking about memory not being what it was so in that I could be wrong.

It showed two or three coloured illustrations one of the bigger boy in the story looking down on the younger one who was laying on the floor.

And so to the meat of the story, from what i remember it was the tale of a young, selfish, lazy boy who wouldn't help his mother with house work and be generally good for her. She said that if he didn't help maybe she would get another little boy in to help her.

Lo and behold the next day a new lad turns up at the home and helps his mother with all the fetching and carrying and various chores. At one point our boy tries to intervene but the mother sternly tells him "No, you can do what you want now, you don't have to help me, I have ........ to help.'

This upsets our young friend and he decides that aggression and fighting is the only way forward so confronts the new kid (I have a memory that maybe the new kid is fetching washing in from the garden at this point) but because the new kid is bigger and stronger it just ends up with our hero laying on the floor. He heads for the bedroom and a unhappy night alone pondering the error of his ways.

In the morning, rested and willing to change his ways he says sorry to his mother, and fetches her a blanket or an apple and this is the start of him doing the 'right' thing.

The other little boy leaves (for the orphange, childrens home) with the threat of coming back and staying permanently if ever he slips back into his idle ways, and that he should be grateful for having such a wonderful mother.

Throughout the story I can not for the life of me think that the father of the household was mentioned.

I was looking through some of her works the other day online and i recognised the story about the little boy who will not go to bed and wants to stay up all night. He has a spell put on him to make him dance and to tire him out doesn't he? Well the story that I am trying to find was written in a similair style and ilk.

Am I right is this the Lazy Luke story, have I got it mixed up with another EB short or do i have the wrong author (I hope not).

Thanks in advance for your help.
Nair Snehalatha
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Re: Please help me identify this story.

Post by Nair Snehalatha »

I think you have got thoroughly mixed up-- Lazy Luke is about a small fellow , who goes to borrow something next-door--- {I forget what}-- but to get what he wants, he has to run errands for several people---- making Lazy Luke pant and puff with tiredness--- but he learns his lesson not to be lazy.
The story you have mixed up is The other Peter--- This is about a lazy, disobedient little boy, --Peter. He always hides up trees ,when his calls him for errands--- until another Peter pops his over the wall --- and becomes the nice, helpful Peter that his mother wants . The disobedient Peter, can't bear it--- he shouts and fumes--- and fights--- but the obedient Peter is no match for our naughty-- ultimately they both become friends. It's a very nice story as all Blyton stories are.Ihope I have been of some help. 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)
torchlight
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Re: Please help me identify this story.

Post by torchlight »

Thanks for getting back to me.

I am not surprised that I am mixed up it was a long while ago. :shock:

Would the second story if my synopsis better? Does the second Peter tell him that he will come back permanently if he doesn't carrying on helping his mother?

Does Peter 2 tell bad Peter that he has such a lovely mother or that he is lucky to have a mother as nice as her?

You are right Lazy Luke isn't right. I also remember the boy who stayed up all night, but the Peter story left a massive impression on me and would like to find it.

I will look to see if it was published in an Annual at some point because that is most definitely where I saw it.

Thank you so much for your help so far.
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Courtenay
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Re: Please help me identify this story.

Post by Courtenay »

Hi Torchlight,

I haven't heard of the story you're looking for, but you might like to explore the excellent Cave of Books in the main part of the Enid Blyton Society website.

I've done a search there after reading Snehalatha's response, but can't find any Blyton story called "The Other Peter" - however, here's a list of all her short stories with "Peter" in the title: http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/sear ... howstories" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Do any of those titles, or the collections they were published in, ring a bell with you?
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Anita Bensoussane
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Re: Please help me identify this story.

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

I'm wondering if you're thinking of 'The Other Little Boy', Torchlight:

http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/sear ... little+boy" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I don't have The Eighth Holiday Book (1953) but I've got that story in Enid Blyton's Bedtime Stories (1970).

The two boys are called Ronnie and Dan, but some of the details are a bit different. Ronnie fights Dan when Dan is bringing in the logs, Ronnie fetches a cushion for his mother, and in the end the two boys become friendly. However, when he leaves the house Dan does warn Ronnie that he'll take his place again if necessary. It's a great story - quite chilling.
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
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torchlight
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Re: Please help me identify this story.

Post by torchlight »

Anita, oh my goodness, I cant thank you enough.

That is the story I was thinking of, as soon as I saw the name Dan I knew it was right.

Do you mind if i ask you about it?

Where does Dan appear from?

Was I close with the details that I put in my first post?

I thought it was a blanket or an apple, but a cushion sounds right, I can see where I got muddled in the intervening 36 years from when I first read it.

Thank you so much, I can't even start to explain how much this means to me.
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Anita Bensoussane
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Re: Please help me identify this story.

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

I'm glad it's the right story, Torchlight! :D You remembered quite a lot of things accurately. Ronnie is rude, unkind, destructive and unwilling to help so his mother threatens to get another little boy instead. Ronnie doesn't think she means it, but one day he comes home from school to find a smiling boy doing things for his mother. The boy is helping to sort silver paper for salvage. Alarmed, Ronnie offers to help too but his mother says, "No, Ronnie. I've so often asked you to do this little job for me, and you've grumbled and never done it. Now Dan and I will do it together." We're told that Dan doesn't have a mother and he has missed out on being cared for, and caring in return. Ronnie feels angry and hurt and asks, "What about me?" His mother replies, "Well, you can do what you like. You can go to Dan's home for a bit, if you like - or you can go to boarding-school - or you can stay here if you don't interfere with Dan. He is going to look after me now and help me." A lot more happens, but I don't want to give away all the details as you might want to track down a copy of the story again.
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
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torchlight
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Re: Please help me identify this story.

Post by torchlight »

That is amazing Anita, the more you tell me the more it is flooding back. Memories are very strange are they not.

I remember the part where his mother dismisses his help very clearly, and also now that you mention the silver paper that rings a bell for me too.

A reading copy of the old book is available for £3 on ebay, I may have to get myself a copy.

Again you will never know how much you have helped me and what a massive deal it was for me to track this down, I thought it was fruitless this time last week.

Anything else you think would be useful let me know.
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Anita Bensoussane
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Re: Please help me identify this story.

Post by Anita Bensoussane »

I'm delighted to have been of help, Torchlight. I know how exciting it is to finally track down a half-forgotten book or story. I hope you're able to get hold of a reasonably-priced copy.
"Heyho for a starry night and a heathery bed!" - Jack, The Secret Island.

"There is no bond like the bond of having read and liked the same books."
- E. Nesbit, The Wonderful Garden.


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Tony Summerfield
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Re: Please help me identify this story.

Post by Tony Summerfield »

I'm glad that you have had success, Torchlight, as you sent me an email about this and I was still trying to get somewhere with it. I looked up both Lazy Luke in Enid Blyton's Annual and also Lazy Leonard in the Holiday books, but going from your description obviously neither was the right story!
torchlight
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Re: Please help me identify this story.

Post by torchlight »

Thanks for your time too Tony, no as you can see it was my fault as I was shooting somewhat in the dark.

However your lovely members sleuthed and helped me out.

Brilliant!
Nair Snehalatha
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Re: Please help me identify this story.

Post by Nair Snehalatha »

I have found the story torchlight was wanting--- It is THE BOY OVER THE WALL--- It is about the two Peters-- one ,the bad Peter, always hiding away-- the other is the smiley Peter ,who takes on the bad Peter's jobs and does them cheerfully for the bad Peter's mother. The name of the book in which this story is -- HAPPY DAY STORIES-- PUBLISHED IN THE U.K. in 1960, by Evans Brothers. I have got the Armada edition. :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)
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Re: Please help me identify this story.

Post by Nair Snehalatha »

I forgot to mention something---The obedient Peter,threatens to take over the bad Peter's jobs, if he does not come when his mother calls.But they become firm friends in the end.
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