Time for another poll. It says on the poll creation options that up to 21 items can be listed - the same number as the number of Famous Five books! That seems to be too much of a coincidence to ignore!
So although we already have the thread where we can choose our top 3 Famous Five books, this time everyone gets to choose their one and only all-time favourite Famous Five book.
Just the one book! A tough choice, no doubt! But to help everyone, I have set up the poll so you can change your vote later - just in case you change your mind!
I have five already in the Top place, 'Smuggler's Top', 'Into Trouble', 'Into Adventure', 'On a Hike Together' and 'Treasure Island'. Which to vote?????
I just can't decide!
"A holiday — a mystery — an adventure — and a happy ending for dear old Barney!" said Roger. "What more could anyone want?" "An ice cream," said Snubby promptly. "Who's coming to buy one?"The Rubadub Mystery
I've thought, and gone for 'Smuggler's Top' at last.
I'm fairly soon that my choice will change soon, so I must thank booklover for setting it up that we are allowed to change our vote.
"A holiday — a mystery — an adventure — and a happy ending for dear old Barney!" said Roger. "What more could anyone want?" "An ice cream," said Snubby promptly. "Who's coming to buy one?"The Rubadub Mystery
Five on a Treasure Island for me. Its a toough choice with most of my favourites being in the first ten but Treasure Island is an extremely exciting story containing all of the best FF elements like Kirrin Island, castle and village. Its also the first book and, to me, reading it gives a feeling almost like the first day of a holiday. The remaining twenty books stretch out in an endless vista of fun and adventure in the company of some of my all time favourite characters. Magic.
"What a lot of trouble one avoids if one refuses to have anything to do with the common herd. To have no job, to devote ones life to literature, is the most wonderful thing in the world. - Cicero
Probably 'Treasure Island' which is an extremely exciting and dramatic story. A several hundred year old shipwreck being washed ashore that very night in front of the children? How brilliant is that?
I thought 'Run Away Together' was the funniest book with the usual dour Julian at his most hilarious. And despite the fact that 'Kirrin Island Again' is quite depressing with Dick and George sniping at one another and a rather boring baddie, I did like the idea of a subterranean route between the island and the mainland, no doubt copied from Blyton's own previous excellent 'The Island of Adventure'. And the almost Sci-Fi/Cold War touches.
Also very fond of 'Caravan', 'Down to the Sea' and 'Fall into Adventure' - the last of which featured the amazingly resourceful Jo. When I first read that story, I thought she was one of Enid's best ever characters!
This is tough!!! I'm leaning towards 'Smugglers Top' as being my favourite because of all of them that is the one I read the most, plus I love the passageways in that house - if only my house had such thrilling secrets!!!
"I should think that if it came to pushing, Eunice might send old Fatty flying" - Larry The Mystery of the Missing Man
Smuggler's Top for me! It's got it all - a grand old house in the middle of nowhere, complete with all those secret passages, a couple of clever but not-clever-enough villains, and a night time kidnapping scene, involving an adult rather than one of the children. Also, I think that Sooty Lenoir is one of the most likeable of the Five's supporting cast - second only to Jo.
Society Member
Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself.
Sorry, folks, but for two reasons old Aurélien has to pass on casting his vote here - I find that I'm totally [and probably most unfairly] prejudiced in favour of the title(s) that:
1) I read, and re-read as a youngster; and
2) the only older edition presently in my collection.
Afraid I'm sort of 'torn two ways', as it were. *Wonders muchly if younger generations ever get a buzz out of picking up and fondling the books that date back to their childhoods.*
Aurélien wrote:*Wonders muchly if younger generations ever get a buzz out of picking up and fondling the books that date back to their childhoods.*
I recently picked up Black Beauty again, and I loved every bit of it. It was used a classroom text around 3 years ago, and I also enjoy re-reading Enid Blyton's short stories.
Coming back to the Famous Five, it's hard to choose. There are one or two that I quite like, such as Smuggler's Top, and Wonderful Time, Trouble and Hike.
I have never yet read Black Beauty, although I'm certainly interested in it. Must pay a visit to the bookshop in April.
Five Have a Wonderful Time did not satisfy me as much as the others, although that remains only my opinion. The first half was great - but not so for the "adventure" half: too much repetition from other Fives. 'Go Down to the Sea' (somehow, I had not known before that it contained the article ) was even more poor for me.
"A holiday — a mystery — an adventure — and a happy ending for dear old Barney!" said Roger. "What more could anyone want?" "An ice cream," said Snubby promptly. "Who's coming to buy one?"The Rubadub Mystery
I selected Five Go Off in a Caravan on the basis that the idea of being able to go off caravanning without adults really captured my imagination (and envy) at the time I read it. My feelings about it have also stuck with me for more than 30 years. i am definitely going to have to re-read some Famous Five though.
Moonraker wrote:No contest! Smuggler's Top for me.
Maybe there is a contest, after all! I've just changed my vote to Trouble! I just love everything about this book; Middlecombe Woods, the mad farmer, the black Bentley, Aggie & Hunchy, Perton, Rooky - even weedy old Richard! And the star of the show? Why, Owl's Dene of course! How I'd love to explore that old mansion. Thanks to this book, I have always been intrigued by automatic gates, thinking of OD everytime I see some.
Which to vote?????
) was even more poor for me.
