Secret Seven Readathon for Bonfire Night

[pete9012S]

Great idea, thanks Nick. I'll have a bash at re-reading the two books again.

[Viv of Ginger Pop]

Yes - I'll join in. When do we start reading?

Viv

[pete9012S]

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Just made a start on Good Work Secret Seven. A classic beginning to one of their escapades, with Susie, compromised passwords and the hint of an adventure at a sleazy location...

Here's the Derek Lucas illustrations to get you in the mood.

06. Good Work Secret Seven - Derek Lucas Knight paperback illustrations 1969:

http://share.pho.to/9tVvv"

11. Secret Seven Fireworks - Derek Lucas Knight paperback illustrations 1972:

http://share.pho.to/9vvyp"

Don't forget to check out the caves excellent original illustrations too of course!
https://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/secret-seven.php

[pete9012S]

..

Two covers from the 1980's. An unusual use of perspective, particularly in the second cover..

[Anita Bensoussane]

I quite like composite book covers, though the overly-highlighted faces and blank backgrounds on those 1980s covers don't appeal.

It's good to be reminded of Rob's childhood interpretation of Derek Lucas's 1969 cover picture for Good Work Secret Seven! It's one of my favourite Derek Lucas covers.

I haven't time to re-read the two Secret Seven books but will be following the discussion with interest. I've always felt that the "sleazy location" you mention gives Good Work Secret Seven an extra frisson, Pete.

[Irene Malory Towers]

I read them both - they are such light but delightful reads. Here are my thoughts - The Good Work Secret Seven has a great start, slightly reminiscent of the wonder Valley of Adventure where Janet and Peter's dad car is taken over by robbers and the kids are in the back. Could have been very sinister but fortunately the robbers run out. They use their brains in finding Sid's cafe and the mysterious Q code and I love it when Peter disguises himself as the Guy. Unfortunately the ending is weak where they just tell the police everything they know and there is no exciting round up, unlike say in :
The Secret Seven Fireworks. This book is great, I had forgotten how good it was - slightly tame and slow start but wow - what an ending. The baddy disguising himself as the Guy (slightly echoing Peter's disguise in the earlier book) and sitting on top the bonfire. And they even end up reconciling with Susie and her gang over a super fireworks display and presumably all the goodies to go with it. So in summary, Good work is like a squib that tails off at the end , and the Fireworks book like a slow burning fireworks, maybe a Catherine Wheel, not sure, and bursts into flames at the exciting finale.

[Nair Snehalatha]

Both Good work secret seven and Secret Seven fireworks are very good reads for Bonfire night--Good work is a kind of ' you.cannot.get the.better of us ' -- to Susie and her friends.who trick the.Seven

[Lucky Star]

I read Good Work Secret Seven last night. It really is one of my favourite SS books. Most of them tend to blur in my mind, not helped by the bland and generic titles but I've always loved the whole thing of Peter dressing up as a Guy. The interactions with Susie at the beginning of the book are hilarious and I have to confess that I rather agree with Susie and Co when they say that the stuck up Secret Seven look foolish. Peter's pomposity is on full display in the early parts of the book as he insists on passwords, loftily tells Pam that he doesn't think she's a very good club member and attempts to imprison Susie in the corner of the shed as a punishment for playing a joke on them! He's actually quite insufferable, a situation not helped by Enid herself who frequently injects lines like "Janet stared in admiration at her brother. He truly was a fine leader for the Secret Seven!!!

It's a fast moving and well paced book, packing a lot into it's short page count. The ending is maybe a little rushed but it doesn't detract from the story. And the original Bruno Kay and the Derek Lucas covers are wonderfully atmospheric. I grew up with the Derek Lucas covers and this is definitely one of the best in the series.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Good Work Secret Seven is the more memorable of the two for me, though I agree with Irene that the ending of Secret Seven Fireworks is exciting.

Despite being short, the Secret Seven books have some enthralling ingredients and the best of them are full of atmosphere even if the plots aren't complex. Go Ahead Secret Seven is probably my favourite of the whole series and, like Good Work, that also centres around a grimmer, more urban part of the district.

[Nick]

I'm not sure I can really add anything to this thread, I think this is the 11th year in row that I've dusted off Good Work and Fireworks and added something to this thread!

That said, it did occur to me that the location of the shed in my imagination may need to be updated. I've always assumed that the garden was walled (Susie mentions her ball going over it) and there being a gate at the bottom of the garden leading to the fields/farmland. My shed is towards the end of the garden but visible from the house. That would mean our 3rd robber brazenly entered the garden and risked been seen.

I think I'm going to have to adjust my 30 year imagination!

[Lucky Star]

I think I'm going to have to adjust my 30 year imagination!

A notoriously difficult thing to do.

Many of my childhood scene setting did not survive adult re-reads but despite this that early imagination still seems to triumph over later logic.