Your Top Three Enid Blyton Books?

[Courtenay]

I'm afraid I'm another Rubadub naysayer — I read it a couple of years ago and I'm afraid it just didn't grab me. It was good, but not fantastic. I actually preferred Rilloby Fair and Ring O'Bells, and even those wouldn't be anywhere near my absolute top favourites. But then, we're all different and that's how it should be!

Picking just three is so hard, but if I absolutely had to, my list (at least at present) would be:

Third: The Treasure Hunters (it was my and my sister's favourite when we were little and brings back lots of happy memories — and I have never forgotten how overjoyed I was (as a 4-year-old) at Susan's ingenious idea for how they could go on hunting for the treasure without going against their grandparents' orders!)

Second: The Sea of Adventure (incredibly difficult to choose a top one out of this whole fantastic series, but I think Sea JUST edges in front for sheer thrilling drama and emotional satisfaction too, as it's the first book where it becomes obvious the children and dear old Bill are practically a family already)

First: Circus Days Again (the final and best book of the series I've always been most attached to (hence my avatar) — one of Enid's most emotionally wrenching build-ups, and then Lotta takes matters into her own hands and everything comes out right again!!)

[Irene Malory Towers]

I didn't particularly like the Treasure Seekers but love The Sea of Adventure, for me it is my favourite and also Circus Days Again. As a kid I read them and didn't rate them that highly, but as an adult I appreciate them more. Like Courtenay this last of the Circus books I think is the best and has a lot of depth and emotion. Re the Rhubadub mystery - yes it is not everyone's favourite, or even well liked. I didn't particularly like the Ring O Bells mystery as i found the mystery rather weak and slow moving, but I know a lot of people love it. Good that we don't all have the same tastes though.

[Nair Snehalatha]

I agree with Anita- Rub a dub will be among my top ten, if not twenty-- Ring o bells is lovely-- a fairy tale book--.with Rng o bells cottage -- away out in Ring o bells wood.And Rilloby.fair follows suit-- great uncle Robert shouting and the woman opposite who told him that his yelling and Loonys barking kept her baby awake half the morning
And og course the Green Gloves etc--.scrumplitious!!!

[Anjalli]

1) The Secret Island - loved the way it was planned and carried out. I admired the way they made the tree house, planted their garden, brought the cow over, looked after the hens, caught fish and rabbit, cooked and generally looked after themselves spearheaded by Jack ..he was wise beyond his years.
2) The Enchanted Wood - was amazed at the way you could climb the tree and go through a ladder at the top and be in another land - unreal. I was so fascinated by those different lands and thought if only they were real. I used to look at every forest or copse of trees to see if I could see the Faraway Tree.
3) Mystery of the Hidden House - the make believe mystery for Ern to find clues whereas he found the actual mystery without even knowing it. Was so scared of the movable floor and the rooms way underground. And Ern and his poetry but glad it came good in the end. I actually felt sad for Mr. Goon, figured he had learned a hard lesson.

[IceMaiden]

Oh dear this 'pick your favourites' never gets any easier! The truth is they are all so good it is really and truly impossible to pick a select few as it somehow feels like it's doing a disservice to the others. If I have to choose 3 though it would be

1. The Valley of Adventure - Enid's jewel in a seriously glittering crown
2. Five On a Hike Together - again picking a favourite Five is as hard as picking a favourite book, but this one would be my choice
3. The Adventurous Four - a cracking story best read in a lovely warm bed on a dark night when the wind's blowing a gale and the rain's lashing down to really appreciate the atmosphere of the storm

[MysteryMagic]

The Secret Island: My favourite Blyton. A timeless adventure that is exciting and emotional, it doesn’t get any better than this.

The Treasure Hunters: My first Blyton. My mother read this to me when I was 6 or 7 and I was immediately addicted to the genius that was Blyton.

The Mystery Of The Secret Room: My favourite Blyton series. The Winter scenes are wonderfully descriptive, Fatty becomes leader of the FFO, the villains are evil and dangerous, there is a lot of detection going on, Goon is on his best form, it all comes together marvellously.

[Jomo]

The Secret Island: My favourite Blyton. A timeless adventure that is exciting and emotional, it doesn’t get any better than this.

Great choices Mystery Magic
Though my favourite series is the Famous Five, I have to agree with The Secret Island as a Number 1.
My number 2 is Five on a Treasure Island, which delivered on the promises that the title of the book implied (though no no actual pirates)
Number 3 is the Book of Brownies, so full of amazing new lands and adventures as the three banished Brownies seek and find their goodness. Thrilling (and frightening) stuff as a six year old, reading my second ever full length Blyton book.

[Irene Malory Towers]

I have just reread the Mystery of the Secret Room and forgotten how good it was. As you say (Mystery Magic) this where Fatty officially becomes leader but it is also the darkest of the mysteries as it is the only one I think where Fatty is in real danger. And just as he becomes leader and feels invincible he also becomes too big for his boots and learns a humiliating and fundamental lesson - never underestimate your enemies. And there is lots of humour.

Reading through everyone's top 3 I had forgotten how good the Adventurous Four were - and wondered whether I should push one of my top 3 out to make way for it. But no, I will stick to my original top 3 which are :
Rubadub Mystery - the best - and I have said so in lots of threads so I won't go on about it,
The Sea of Adventure - so evocative, thrilling and the one where Bill is on an equal footing to the kids
In the Fifth at Malory Towers - I see that I am in the minority for this choice but I loved this more than any other school book. It captures the development of the fifth formers' characters beautifully - as they grow from teenagers to young adults - and they learn to pull together - to say sorry to each other, to realise they have overdone the teasing (Maureen) and to work together to produce a fabulous pantomime plus loads of humour (eg Measley Manor). I am embarrassed to say that when I read the final page with Darrell taking a bow at the end I feel tears in my eyes, partly as I have finished such a lovely book.

[MysteryMagic]

@Jomo - I love Famous Five too and there would be some of those in a Top Ten!

@Irene Malory Towers - Yes, The Adventurous Four is a marvellous book and another that would make my Top Ten