Favourite Five Find-Outers book

[Nick]

Mysteries with dark, shadowy settings have a particular appeal for me. My favourite Secret Seven book is Go Ahead Secret Seven and my favourite Find-Outers book is The Mystery of the Strange Bundle.

I’m a big fan of that type of setting too.

I’ve just ordered Strange Bundle on eBay

[Anita Bensoussane]

Hope you enjoy it, Nick! I love the cosiness and humour as well as the darkness and solemnity.

My second-best Find-Outers book is The Mystery of the Missing Necklace, which is quite a contrast as the story is set in a blazing hot summer.

[Rob Houghton]

My second-best Find-Outers book is The Mystery of the Missing Necklace, which is quite a contrast as the story is set in a blazing hot summer.

Its quite 'dark' in some ways though, as a lot of it happens at night, I think? yes - one of my faves too.

[StephenC]

I am intrigued that Banshee Towers actually picked up 2 votes, as it is generally regarded as the worst of the series. And being the last of the series, published in 1961, it is also regarded in the same light as Fun For the Secret Seven, Five Are Together Again, and The Ragamuffin Mystery, the final books in Enid's 3 other great series. In all 4 series, each series went on for at least one book too many.

[pete9012S]

Maybe the Banshee votes are for sentimental reasons?

My favourite Find-Outers book,Tally-Ho Cottage was bought for me by my Mum, and that fact along with the story which had me laughing out loud when Fatty started 'Larkin' around probably has a lot to do with it.

I'm re-reading the whole series right now and can't believe how enjoyable I'm finding all the books again.

I finished Tally-Ho Cottage yesterday and still found a few things that I didn't recall reading.
The Find - Outers apparently had their own special whistle to summon/alert each other. It's mentioned in a few books including Tally-Ho.


I'm starting Missing Man today. I'm reading all the books out in the garden in a comfy but battered old Ercol chair (similar to the one above) with mismatching cushions under a large (state) waterproof garden umbrella.
I love it when the rain is lashing down and I'm wrapped up under a scarf and cap like Old Larkin himself, snug and protected from the persistent rain!



I have a little table next to me for snacks and a large mug of tea - reading is energetic work!
Over to the right is our bird feeder, and it's lovely as I sit quietly reading to see beautiful birds coming to feed on the seeds and fat balls hanging there.

A little black bird with an orange beak has now become quite friendly and I often find it almost at my feet whilst I am busy reading, hopping up and down as if to say 'Look at me!'.

So, Missing Man next and after I have read the last book,Banshee Towers I still have the first five books to read as I started my re-read on book six, Hidden House.

I love the way the children treat Ern in Tally-Ho Cottage. He loves the Find-Outers too and it has been lovely to see their friendship develop and deepen after they first got off on the wrong foot with each other.

Thinking Ahead:

I've enjoyed re-reading the whole series so much that I have decided to do the same with another series of Enid's books.

Which series to read again? I thought of The Barney Books, but I've not long read Rockingdown and a few others. Then I thought of The Secret Series. I decided that I did not want to read about so many exotic places after Peterswood!

The Secret Seven - maybe, but I would like something with more depth.
Then I thought what about The Adventure Series? This seems at the moment to be my best choice.
I have read The Island Of Adventure very few times for some reason.

Also, this was one of the very few series that I did not read in the correct order. I remember reading The River Of Adventure & Castle Of Adventure first, I think.

Also, I'm aware that many hold The Adventure series in very high regard, whereas I'm a bit of a Famous Five and Find - Outers freak myself.

So, Spring 2019 May be a good time to redress the balance and reappraise the whole of the Adventure series from a fifty one year old's perspective.


I always make a small note at the beginning of every Blyton book of the date and my age every time I read them - I have just checked The Island Of Adventure and I note I have written : Feb 2013 age 45 .

So, it's six years since I last read the book - that seems a reasonable amount of time to start reading the series again!

But, hey, yippee! - it's off to the garden first to complete The Mystery Of The Missing Man with some chocolate buttons and a large mug of tea!

[Courtenay]

Sounds like your afternoon is sorted, Pete! Happy reading!

Would be interesting to hear your thoughts on the Adventure Series when you re-read it, too. I would say it's one of the best series Enid Blyton ever wrote — and I didn't discover it until I was in my early 30s!! (Which is not all that long ago, I should add...)

[Rob Houghton]

Sounds great, Pete! I can imagine you sitting there wrapped up like Larkin with scarf and maybe fingerless gloves and a flat cap!

I was interested to read how you had chosen which series to read next - and amused to hear that you thought of the Secret series but didn't want to plunge into so many 'exotic settings' after the Britishness of the Find-Outers. I find this is similar to how I progress from book to book or series to series. Some books just don't 'rub up against' the others too well!

last year I read quite a few Famous Five books (I finished with Secret Trail) then I went onto The Island of Adventure and The Sea of Adventure. I've now progressed to The Adventurous Four - which I'm reading for 'research' lol.

I can't go from, say, Five On A Hike to the Family at Red Roofs, to Galliano's Circus - I have to make smooth transitions between genres and settings!

Enjoy the Adventure series, Pete. I have enjoyed reading The Famous Five and also The Adventure series in chronological order - but just lately I'm being a rebel and just picking out books I fancy reading, flipping from one series to another.

I haven't read any Find-Outer books for several years now, so I think it will be good to go back to them eventually...as long as I can find a suitable book to transition between The Adventurous Four and the Find Outers!!

[Anita Bensoussane]

Your outdoor reading does sound cosy, Pete!

I'm happy to flip from one genre to another but the Adventure series has always been my absolute favourite. I've found that reading The Sea of Adventure in early May makes it extra special (5th May is mentioned in the story), though that book feels wonderfully real and vibrant to me at any time.

[Hannah]

Late to the party , but I've just given a vote to Spiteful Letters. It was a tough choice, though. I was also regarding Disappearing Cat, Missing Necklace, Pantomime Cat and Invisible Thief.

Tally-Ho Cottage is great too and probably wasn't in my shortlisting just because it doesn't feel as familiar as the other books. I read all books except Tally-Ho Cottage when I was a child. I'm not completely sure why I missed out on that. Maybe the library didn't have it or it was always gone (quite unlikely seeing how often I was there ) but I also checked the lists in the books and never realized that I didn't know one of the titles. The most likely explanation is that I mixed it up with Banshee towers - the German title of Tally-Ho Cottage is "Mystery of a stolen picture" (Geheimnis um ein gestohlenes Bild) and Banshee Towers is "Mystery of a blue boat" (Geheimnis um ein blaues Boot). As the latter is about stealing pictures too I might have thought that I already knew the other.
I was thrilled when I discovered as an adult that there was an unknown book in that series to read .

I always liked the books about the Find-Outers but also St. Clare's and Malory Towers (including the German books that weren't genuine Blyton books - but I didn't know that back then) best. That doesn't mean that I didn't like the Famous Five or the Adventure books and the few titles that weren't part of a series that were available at our library. I knew the Secret Seven, Secret Series, Barney Mysteries and Adventurous four too but wasn't so keen on them. I absolutely love the Secret Island now (of which the translation was awful and missing half the plot while inventing some new parts - the other books in the series have some changes, too) and I also like the other books better now. Maybe except for Secret Seven, but I guess I should give them a reread. I don't remember much of them as I didn't read them very often. I remember Peter being bossy and making a dreadful a fuss about the key word to get into the shed and the badge.
Oh, and I knew the Naugthiest Girl books but they never appealed to me. I wouldn't have liked to go to a school like Whyteleafe.

But the FFO books are simply great with all the fun of disguises and clever solving of mysteries.

[Hannah]

That made me think: what was the most serious crime the Find Outers solved?
They did meet some dangerous brutal characters though didn't they- some even more brutal than PC Goon...Secret Room,Hidden House spring to mind...any others??

I won't pull up all the old comments where I would like to add something but I think this is an interesting question and there weren't any answers to it.
I think one mystery where really "big crime" is involved is Strange Bundle - they never meat the criminals, though. Kidnapping and spying is the most serious crime in the series that I can think of. That would bring Vanished Prince in, too, where they want to "get rid" of the prince. (Technically there's also kidnapping in Holly Lane but I would count that more as a family affair even though it was of course very wrong.)

[Nair Snehalatha]

Difficult to choose-- but I love Strange.messages.a.lot-- being set in winter-- and Ern being there.I also love the 'elevenses' the find outers have at the dairy-- coffee and macaroons and all

[Irene Malory Towers]

The most serious mystery that the FFO solved was the vanishing prince as that was the only one that would have ended up in murder (the Prince). That was also my favourite book, which I know is unusual as the actual mystery was not a proper "who dunnit" with clues and the FFO taking into turns to solve it, The mystery is solved by a few amazing coincidences and good luck really. However the weakness of the mystery is more than compensated for by the amazing humour - abounding from so many of the chapters. I quoted one very funny passage in an earlier post from Goon visiting the twins baby show and searching among the prams. From the earlier chapters when Fatty forgets to take his long dangly earrings off in front of the stuffy and very proper Mrs Hilton to the mention of "Goonflowers" on the marsh humour bursts out from the pages. To conclude this wonderful story is the unusual and marvellous ending when Fatty very kindly gives Goon undeserved credit to try and restore some dignity to him, and Superintendent Jenks publicly recognises it and applauds it. A real touch of humanity there - and it underpins one of Fatty's strengths - he is not only clever, funny, creative etc - he is also compassionate, even to his adversaries.

[Nair Snehalatha]

Yes-- Inspector Jenks commends Fatty saying-- Brains are good, courage is excellent, resourcefulness is rare-- but generosity.crowns everything., Frederick--.One of these days I shall be proud of you '-- Anyway.Fatty.was always generous.-- I think the others learnt a lot from him-- Ern ofcourse did-- and all of us too.

[Bertie]

This is a tough one for me as it's my favourite series with plenty of great books. I'd say it's Missing Necklace, which is what I've voted for. But there's a few others, Spiteful Letters in particular, that are very close contenders.

[Bertie]

I'm just re-reading the Find-Outers books yet again. I sometimes start from number 3 as that's when I feel the series as I love it starts to fully develop. But started from number 1 this time around and I enjoy the first two books more when it's been longer since I last read them.

It got me thinking how I'd rank them, and I remembered this thread. I think I'd, currently, go for...

1. Missing Necklace
2. Hidden House
3. Spiteful Letters
4. Missing Man
5. Pantomime Cat
6. Invisible Thief
7. Strange Messages
8. Tally Ho Cottage
9. Vanished Prince
10. Secret Room
11. Holly Lane
12. Disappearing Cat
13. Burnt Cottage
14. Strange Bundle
15. Banshee Towers

I think they split quite well into three blocks of 5, really. I'd say the same books would always remain within the top 5, middle 5 and bottom 5 - though the order within those groups may occasionally switch.