Your first and last Famous Five?

[Silky moon]

Funnily enough my first FF book was Five on a Treasure Island. I think the last was Five Have a Mystery To Solve

[Rob Houghton]

The first Famous Five I ever read was the annual version of Five Go To Smuggler's Top. I loved it so much I then read the proper paperback version which I also loved...but I think it had the Eileen Soper illustrations, which at the time I didnt connect with at all. This was my only Famous FIve reading (apart from Mystery Moor annual a year later!) until I was in my mid twenties. I can't recall the last one I read...as I've read most of them more than once. Probably it was 'Together Again' because I'd heard so many bad reports of it I never fancied reading it!

[Francis]

I believe my 'first' was 'Five go to Billycock Hill' - I thought it was amazing! I only managed to read a few in the 1950s but when I came back to the series many years later I galloped through them. My last was definitely 'Five get into trouble' - a great one to finish with.

[StephenC]

My very first FF read, at the age of nine, was Five Get Into A Fix, which was one of the best of the later FF books, and a pretty good introduction to the series. I was reading the Secret Seven at the time. The next FF book after that was Finniston Farm, which was always a disappointment to me. Then I read Five Have Plenty of Fun, which I thought was pretty good, because I hadn't read Five Fall Into Adventure. Then in no particular order, I read Five Get Into Trouble, FIve on a Hike Together, and Five Go To Billycock Hill. These were books I borrowed from my school library. Then I started receiving FF books as birthday and Christmas presents, and my love affair with the series, began in earnest.

[StephenC]

And the last Famous Five book I read, was the final book, Five Are Together Again. What a disappointing end to the series. But even worse was to come, I then read Fun For the Secret Seven, which was even worse!

[Moonraker]

Not to mention Banshee Towers!

[Daisy]

Not to mention Banshee Towers!

You just did!
Actually if the "worst" books have been the first you read I think they would rate a little higher even though they might become less popular in your eyes. Actually I don't think I could make a list which rates the books in any series in a best to worst order... each one has it's own appeal and is satisfactory at least in part.

[Poppy]

Actually I don't think I could make a list which rates the books in any series in a best to worst order... each one has it's own appeal and is satisfactory at least in part.

Inspired by an earlier thread, I was trying to think of a list of my favourite Enid Blyton series, the other day. But it is much harder than I originally expected! - as you said: each book or series has something unique and intriguing about it and a quality which none of the others have.

[sixret]

I think you have to decide on which group of characters do you like to be with the most, then only you know which series is the most favourite.

Each individual book has something to offer. Each book is special but which group of characters in which series that you like to be with.

[Poppy]

Yes, well that's the thing. Each group of characters are so unique and entertaining to read about. The Famous Five are such warm and friendly characters, and make the FF stories so amusing and fun to read. The Find-Outers are intriguing characters; we know Fatty best of all and his antics and tricks always have me laughing! The Adventure series Children are so unique and interesting. Philip's gift for bonding with animals is exciting and enthralling for the reader, and that fact that Jack owns a parrot is very unique. And the Barney Series characters are always interesting to read about. Barney and his jobs with circuses and fairs. Snubby and his idiotic mannerisms not forgetting Miranda and Loony!

Five Get Into Trouble, The Rat-a-Tat Mystery, The Mystery of the Missing Letters, The Valley of Adventure and The Sea of Adventure are longstanding favourite individual books, of mine. But that doesn't help at all with singling out a favourite series!!

[Rob Houghton]

The Mystery of the Missing Letters,

Never read that one...

[Courtenay]

Robert, you can easily join us in it on the Hangman thread.

[snugglepot]

My first Famous Five was "Five have Plenty of Fun" which I read when I was very young, probably, about eight or nine, and I loved it from the start and still do. It seems most people prefer the earlier, and similar, "Fall into Adventure" but not me.
My last was "Five Go To Demon's Rocks" which I read much later when it was the last one I purchased sometime during my teens. I enjoy it but it is not one of my favourites. At least, it is not one of my least liked either. That dishonour belongs to "Finniston Farm", "Mystery to Solve" and "Billycock Hill"

[Poppy]

The Mystery of the Missing Letters,

Never read that one...

[georgemillman]

My first Famous Five was Five On A Secret Trail. From looking on here, it's one of the less popular ones and I can kind of see why as the plot isn't very complex, but I do actually think that if you're a child (I was only about six at the time) if you're not starting at the beginning it is quite possibly the best to start with. The characters are introduced very differently to how they are in the other books, and if you don't already know the characters this is a good one to gain a quick understanding of them. The first chapter focusses almost entirely on George and Timmy, and we learn a lot about George, that she is very hot-tempered but deep down very kind and cares very much about Timmy. Then Anne comes in - we see a bit of a dynamic between the two, how George is naturally a bit more dominant and can be scathing of Anne's slight wimpishness but underneath it all they are firm friends. We don't see Julian and Dick for ages, but we hear a lot about them, so by the time they do come in you already understand the characters and how they all relate to each other. I think it's better to have them introduced like this at your first Five outing so you have a chance to understand them all individually, which is something that I don't think the other books have. The plot is admittedly a bit weak and even at the age of six I saw the twin thing coming a mile off, but it isn't so poor that it puts you off the whole series, and after that you can carry on appreciating the remaining books. I'd always recommend starting at the start, but failing that I'd suggest this one as a good starting point.

I haven't done my last one yet, as I didn't read all of them as a child (was more into Blyton's other series) but I am currently working through them in order via audiobooks on YouTube. My last one will be Five Are Together Again, which I didn't read as a child but I hear really isn't very good. I'll approach with an open mind though.