What Enid Blyton book are you reading right NOW!

[Boodi 2]

Similar to Bertie, I see the Secret Seven series as perfectly readable, but very inferior to the other major series, especially the FFOs. However, I also came to it late, after I had already become familiar with the FFOs and FF, which no doubt spoilt it for me and I do think it was aimed at a younger audience.

[Anita Bensoussane]

As children, my sister and I read the Find-Outers books straight after the Secret Seven books. Elements from both series inspired us to form a detective club with two friends. We held meetings in our shed, had badges and passwords, tried a spot of shadowing (the man my sister and I were following turned round and told us off! ), donned disguises, wrote messages in invisible ink and practised escaping from a locked room. Like Fatty, we amassed a small collection of books about detecting which contained games to sharpen our observation skills, and instructions on how to make an identikit and a periscope. We also invented a secret code and used it to write messages to each other. Happy days!

[Boatbuilder]

Similar to Bertie, I see the Secret Seven series as perfectly readable, but very inferior to the other major series, especially the FFOs. However, I also came to it late, after I had already become familiar with the FFOs and FF, which no doubt spoilt it for me and I do think it was aimed at a younger audience.

I think you have hit the nail on the head there, Monique. Unlike yourself I read the Secret Seven before discovering the F5 or FFOs and I always enjoyed the S7 when I initially read them. I think they were possibly displayed in our library in a 'suitable for' age-related section which of course would have been where I would have looked for books first, hence the reason for probably reading them first. As you say, they were written for younger children and as an introduction to 'adventures'. I was probably six or seven when I first read them and they fitted nicely into that age group, although I wouldn't necessarily define them as inferior, just written for the minds of the younger reader to be able to understand.

[Boodi 2]

Yes, it is a pity that I did not discover the Secret Seven sooner, as I made a huge leap from Noddy and Brer Rabbit to the Five Find Outers at around the age of eight and while it made me feel very "grown up" I actually found the first book I read (The Mystery of the Invisible Thief) slightly beyond me and difficult to understand, thus I suspect that I did not finish it until a few months later! However, despite (or perhaps because of) that it has remained one of my favourites and I still have vivid memories of being absolutely baffled by the criss-cross marks at the scene of each crime!!!

[Anjalli]

I am reading this really big hard cover book called 'The house in the fog and other stories'. It has over 400 pages and about 30 stories, I just started it and look forward to reading it.

[Kate Mary]

I’m reading Five On Kirrin Island Again, Enid’s on top form with this one I think. I’m always amused to see references to television in this book, I can only recall one other reference to TV in the much later The Mystery That Never Was but perhaps there are others. Few of the first readers would have seen a television and would probably have Anne’s reaction! Is it known if Enid had a TV set at this time? I looked up some of the programmes for 1946/47, there was Cafe Continental, a variety show; Pinwright’s Progress, a sitcom that sounds like a cross between Are You Being Served? and Open All Hours, and for children there was Muffin the Mule and Toad of Toad Hall.

I’m also dipping into The Twelfth Holiday Book occasionally.

[Hannah]

I’m always amused to see references to television in this book, I can only recall one other reference to TV in the much later The Mystery That Never Was but perhaps there are others.

In the Mystery of Holly Lane the window cleaner has a TV.

[Katharine]

I have a feeling (but may be wrong) that Imogen Smallwood mentioned in her book, something about Enid watching TV, but I'm afraid I can't remember what she said, or whether there was a date mentioned - I can't access my books at the moment, so can't check it either.

I'm currently reading a 1970s paperback version of The Ship of Adventure. I don't know why, but it's taking me a while to really get into the book this time around. Maybe reading about Mediterranean cruises in the middle of a chilly January isn't the best idea? It probably doesn't help that there are very few illustrations in the book, and being a small paperback, rather than the lovely big hardback version, the print is very small, so seems to take more effort to read.

I'm now almost half way through and feel it's finally beginning to 'get going' as it were, so hopefully it will be a bit more enjoyable from this point onwards.

I also remember yesterday that I'd planned to start reading The Book of the Year, so have just read the first story in that.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Imogen Smallwood says in A Childhood at Green Hedges:

In good time for the 1948 Olympic Games, a black and white television set in an enormous mahogany cabinet was placed in the study, which thereafter became primarily the television room, with its wholesome smell of books replaced by the stale scent of cigars that my stepfather came to smoke each evening. My stepfather mainly watched sport and quite often I watched with him. My mother did not like television at all. I suspect it was too pedestrian for her quick mind. When, as she could, you can let stories form in your own mind already in visual and aural form, television is quite unnecessary.

[Katharine]

Thanks Anita - I thought Imogen had mentioned TV, but couldn't remember what she'd said about it.

[Bertie]

Half way through the seventh book, Circus of Adventure, in my latest re-read of that series. I know some don't seem to like it, but I always think it's one of the best of Enid's books that's (mostly) set abroad. After that, I'll finish the series by skim reading my least favourite book in it (River).

At this stage, I've got a real urge to re-read the Find-Outers (for the five hundredth time! ) so I think I'm going to move onto those next.

[Boatbuilder]

At this stage, I've got a real urge to re-read the Find-Outers (for the five hundredth time! ) so I think I'm going to move onto those next.

I bet your bedroom wall looks like a prisoner's cell wall, Bertie, where he counts and crosses off the days to his release, except yours is keeping count of the number of times you've read the FFO books.

[Katharine]

I've always thought Circus of Adventure was a good book.

I'm currently reading a 1997 printing of Five on a Hike. Ignoring the silly update to the currency where Julian pays the shop lady an extra 5p for the slices of fruit cake!! Even 25 years ago, I don't think 5p would have been a fair price.

When I first started this book, I didn't have the right 'feel' for it even thought it's always been one of my favourites, and wondered if perhaps I'd be better off reading it at a different time of year. However, just a few chapters in and I'm hooked again.

I think Enid's descriptions of the children's feelings when they hear the bells ringing is marvellous. The description of how the sound seemed to come and go depending on the gusts of wind was so realistic. Although I've read the book many times, I still got a great sense of how scary it must have been for them climbing styles and traipsing across fields in the dark and the rain, looking for the farmhouse.

I shall have to be strict with myself tonight and only read a couple of chapters before 'lights out' - I have a feeling I could quite happily stay up until the small hours and finish it.

[Bertie]

At this stage, I've got a real urge to re-read the Find-Outers (for the five hundredth time! ) so I think I'm going to move onto those next.

I bet your bedroom wall looks like a prisoner's cell wall, Bertie, where he counts and crosses off the days to his release, except yours is keeping count of the number of times you've read the FFO books.

I lost count some time ago, and just rounded it up - it's probably only my 473rd re-read or something pitiful like that.

Glad you also enjoy Circus of Adventure, Katharine.
It's the kind of Enid book I could easily not prefer, and yet I just think it works really well and I always enjoy it. It's my favourite of the last four Adventure books and the one I always most look forward to after the first four wonderful books.

[IceMaiden]

I'm still reading my way through the Hodder story books! I'm now on the Lucky story book and started a story called 'Sally Simple's Matches'. Thinking it sounded very recently familiar I looked in the other books and in the Sunny story book two books earlier is a story called 'Dame Thimble and her Matches', it's practically the same story! No wonder I thought I'd already read it recently!