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The Famous Five #9
Five Fall Into Adventure: Book 9
Julian, Dick and Anne are really worried - George and her devoted Timmy have just disappeared! Not only that, somebody has broken into Kirrin Cottage. Could there be a connection? The Famous Five think so, but it's going to be tough getting to the bottom of this mystery when there's only three of them . . .
These classic editions feature Enid Blyton's unchanged text and Eileen A. Soper's original illustrations.
211 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1950
About the author
Enid Blyton
5,222 books6,384 followersSee also:
Ένιντ Μπλάιτον (Greek)
Enida Blaitona (Latvian)
Энид Блайтон (Russian)
Inid Blajton (Serbian)
Інід Блайтон (Ukrainian)
Enid Mary Blyton (1897–1968) was an English author of children's books.
Born in South London, Blyton was the eldest of three children, and showed an early interest in music and reading. She was educated at St. Christopher's School, Beckenham, and - having decided not to pursue her music - at Ipswich High School, where she trained as a kindergarten teacher. She taught for five years before her 1924 marriage to editor Hugh Pollock, with whom she had two daughters. This marriage ended in divorce, and Blyton remarried in 1943, to surgeon Kenneth Fraser Darrell Waters. She died in 1968, one year after her second husband.
Blyton was a prolific author of children's books, who penned an estimated 800 books over about 40 years. Her stories were often either children's adventure and mystery stories, or fantasies involving magic. Notable series include: The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, The Five Find-Outers, Noddy, The Wishing Chair, Mallory Towers, and St. Clare's.
According to the Index Translationum, Blyton was the fifth most popular author in the world in 2007, coming after Lenin but ahead of Shakespeare.
See also her pen name Mary Pollock
Ένιντ Μπλάιτον (Greek)
Enida Blaitona (Latvian)
Энид Блайтон (Russian)
Inid Blajton (Serbian)
Інід Блайтон (Ukrainian)
Enid Mary Blyton (1897–1968) was an English author of children's books.
Born in South London, Blyton was the eldest of three children, and showed an early interest in music and reading. She was educated at St. Christopher's School, Beckenham, and - having decided not to pursue her music - at Ipswich High School, where she trained as a kindergarten teacher. She taught for five years before her 1924 marriage to editor Hugh Pollock, with whom she had two daughters. This marriage ended in divorce, and Blyton remarried in 1943, to surgeon Kenneth Fraser Darrell Waters. She died in 1968, one year after her second husband.
Blyton was a prolific author of children's books, who penned an estimated 800 books over about 40 years. Her stories were often either children's adventure and mystery stories, or fantasies involving magic. Notable series include: The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, The Five Find-Outers, Noddy, The Wishing Chair, Mallory Towers, and St. Clare's.
According to the Index Translationum, Blyton was the fifth most popular author in the world in 2007, coming after Lenin but ahead of Shakespeare.
See also her pen name Mary Pollock
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 281 reviews
November 19, 2025
So this one yet again revolves around "bad men" after Uncle Quentin's marvelous inventions.
We see again the repeated theme of a dirty gypsy child (or sometimes just a child of the serving classes) in need of betterment being befriended and ultimately parted from their criminal lone parent/guardian. This one happens to look exactly like George ... clearly this will come in useful later.
First papers are stolen, then Timmy is drugged and George is kidnapped in circumstances that mean the others don't notice for ages. Then there is a ransom note demanding Uncle Quentin's science writings. The phone line is cut but using a cunning ruse they manage to get Dick out of the house without detection ... but rather than tell the nearby police he dives right back in again on his own.
There's some malarky with gypsy caravans (smelly & dirty, though I have always heard that the Roma keep their caravans fastidiously clean) and it turns out that George and Timmy are being held by a mad American scientist who wants her uncle's secrets. It rather misses out on the fact that the first thing a scientist who discovers something new does is write a paper about it and publish it before anyone else can - so the American could just go to his nearest university library and read about the 'secrets' in the appropriate journal.
It's true that in the 17th and 18th centuries mathematicians would hide new discoveries from each other.
The mad scientist has his lair above a cave system of course. Every Famous Five book needs caves. And he plans to escape in a helicopter, which would be pretty far fetched in 2018 and in 1949 when this book was written was arrant nonsense. My guess is that Enid had heard of them as exciting new things just beginning to find service in the military.
Once again someone is going to shoot Timmy, but with the help of the gypsy urchin, Jo, who appears in a later book via her connections with circus folk, everything ends happily.
Jo is rewarded by being fostered with a friend of the family cook, and all is well.
This wasn't a stellar entry in the series. It seems to hit most of EB's repeating themes and to be rather a lazy tale.
This one scores on the perennial themes of gypsies, Uncle Q's science, Timmy being poisoned, Timmy threatened with shooting, men with guns, kidnapping, caves, bad Americans, twins (well look alikes), a spare child, and the betterment of a poor child.
The title is lazy too. There's no falling involved. Five Assemble Another Generic Adventure From The Standard Kit of Pieces would be more accurate.
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...
We see again the repeated theme of a dirty gypsy child (or sometimes just a child of the serving classes) in need of betterment being befriended and ultimately parted from their criminal lone parent/guardian. This one happens to look exactly like George ... clearly this will come in useful later.
First papers are stolen, then Timmy is drugged and George is kidnapped in circumstances that mean the others don't notice for ages. Then there is a ransom note demanding Uncle Quentin's science writings. The phone line is cut but using a cunning ruse they manage to get Dick out of the house without detection ... but rather than tell the nearby police he dives right back in again on his own.
There's some malarky with gypsy caravans (smelly & dirty, though I have always heard that the Roma keep their caravans fastidiously clean) and it turns out that George and Timmy are being held by a mad American scientist who wants her uncle's secrets. It rather misses out on the fact that the first thing a scientist who discovers something new does is write a paper about it and publish it before anyone else can - so the American could just go to his nearest university library and read about the 'secrets' in the appropriate journal.
It's true that in the 17th and 18th centuries mathematicians would hide new discoveries from each other.
The mad scientist has his lair above a cave system of course. Every Famous Five book needs caves. And he plans to escape in a helicopter, which would be pretty far fetched in 2018 and in 1949 when this book was written was arrant nonsense. My guess is that Enid had heard of them as exciting new things just beginning to find service in the military.
Once again someone is going to shoot Timmy, but with the help of the gypsy urchin, Jo, who appears in a later book via her connections with circus folk, everything ends happily.
Jo is rewarded by being fostered with a friend of the family cook, and all is well.
This wasn't a stellar entry in the series. It seems to hit most of EB's repeating themes and to be rather a lazy tale.
This one scores on the perennial themes of gypsies, Uncle Q's science, Timmy being poisoned, Timmy threatened with shooting, men with guns, kidnapping, caves, bad Americans, twins (well look alikes), a spare child, and the betterment of a poor child.
The title is lazy too. There's no falling involved. Five Assemble Another Generic Adventure From The Standard Kit of Pieces would be more accurate.
Join my Patreon
Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes
...
September 17, 2018
Another book from my childhood that is also loved by my children and grandchildren.
Enid Blyton was my absolute favourite author when I was a child and she still is today.
I was reading a bit of the information on this book about Enid Blyton and apparently she was going to be a musician but changed her mind and became an author.
I'm sure Enid Blyton would have been successfull in whatever choice she made in her chosen path but I'm so very glad she became an author.
Thank you Enid Blyton for bringing so much joy to my childhood with all your wonderful stories.
You certainly where a very gifted author and the gift of joy and happiness was one of your greatest gifts you gave to so many children.
Enid Blyton was my absolute favourite author when I was a child and she still is today.
I was reading a bit of the information on this book about Enid Blyton and apparently she was going to be a musician but changed her mind and became an author.
I'm sure Enid Blyton would have been successfull in whatever choice she made in her chosen path but I'm so very glad she became an author.
Thank you Enid Blyton for bringing so much joy to my childhood with all your wonderful stories.
You certainly where a very gifted author and the gift of joy and happiness was one of your greatest gifts you gave to so many children.
October 6, 2025
This instalment of the Famous Five series (number nine if you're counting) is pretty high on the thrills-and-spills-meter, what with its international espionage, multiple kidnappings and cliffhanger chapter endings.
The reason for my only giving it three stars are twofold:
1. Due to being abducted pretty early on in the story, are absent for most of this book. I wasn't over keen on this as they are my favourite characters! I appreciate that Blyton realised this might have been an issue and brought in the Welsh ragamuffin (I love that word) Jo as a kind of replacement for , the characters even note how similar the two are in the dialogue, but it wasn't enough to stop me missing .
2. Speaking of Jo, she's directly involved in my other reason for deducting a star from this book. Several times throughout the book, she relates how her father regularly beats her for no reason. Pretty horrifying, huh? Not for the Famous Five it's not. They barely bat an eyelid at Jo's tales of child abuse. The attitude seems to be that of course poor children get beaten by their parents! That's just part and parcel of being poor, isn't it? If these kids don't want to get beaten they just shouldn't be poor, should they? Anyway, pass me some more cake, Anne.
Perhaps it just reflects the attitudes of the time but, from my modern perspective, it was more than a little horrifying.
Still, if you can look past this, it's certainly a rollercoaster of a tale.
The reason for my only giving it three stars are twofold:
1. Due to being abducted pretty early on in the story, are absent for most of this book. I wasn't over keen on this as they are my favourite characters! I appreciate that Blyton realised this might have been an issue and brought in the Welsh ragamuffin (I love that word) Jo as a kind of replacement for , the characters even note how similar the two are in the dialogue, but it wasn't enough to stop me missing .
2. Speaking of Jo, she's directly involved in my other reason for deducting a star from this book. Several times throughout the book, she relates how her father regularly beats her for no reason. Pretty horrifying, huh? Not for the Famous Five it's not. They barely bat an eyelid at Jo's tales of child abuse. The attitude seems to be that of course poor children get beaten by their parents! That's just part and parcel of being poor, isn't it? If these kids don't want to get beaten they just shouldn't be poor, should they? Anyway, pass me some more cake, Anne.
Perhaps it just reflects the attitudes of the time but, from my modern perspective, it was more than a little horrifying.
Still, if you can look past this, it's certainly a rollercoaster of a tale.
July 28, 2018
5 🌟 love the characters that get added to the adventures. Jo was amazing in this one.
August 16, 2019
The last book I read gave me nightmares, so I needed a change of pace. It was time to crank up the nostalgia – what better way than by revisiting my favourite childhood author, Enid Blyton?!
I felt it fitting that the author who kickstarted my love for reading, was also responsible for me reading my first fiction book in over a decade. In this adventure, George and Timmy get kidnapped by sketchy men trying to get Uncle Quentin’s scientific papers. It’s up to the rest of the gang to try rescue you them! Five Fall Into Adventure also guest stars a “little ragamuffin” girl called Jo, who reads like a rougher version of George. In some ways, she steals the show.
This one had a bit of a Cold War vibe. Given its target audience, this doesn’t shy away from confronting issues. Child abuse, kidnapping, threatening to kill a dog, socio-economic issues. It has a bit of everything; though the one recurring theme throughout is food. In another life, Enid Blyton would've probably been a world-renowned food critic - such are the delicious food descriptions I encountered in almost every chapter! The whole book felt like a wonderful throwback to a time where you’d get excited over simply eating a muffin. Childhoods filled with adventures from dawn to dusk, without a mobile phone in sight. These days it’s called “off the grid”, but I prefer to think of as pure “freedom”. Five Fall Into Adventure is the perfect book to read outside, beside a picnic basket overflowing with tasty food.
Blyton’s vivid description of events strongly paint a picture in the reader’s imagination. It features short, punchy chapters that end in cliffhangers – sometimes quite literally! Blyton’s work may offend some more sensitive readers in 2019. In the first ten pages, Dick had already punched a girl and gender roles and class division had already reared their heads. While I’m strongly against all violence towards women, there was a refreshing element to how non-politically correct Blyton’s books seem these days. In that sense, they’re even more of an escape than they were back during childhood.
I found myself smiling throughout this. It’s comfort food book-style. A bit like jumping into a Bob Ross painting, but in book-form. Thank you Enid Blyton, for not only igniting my love for reading when I was a child, but for perhaps re-igniting my interest in fiction so many years later.
Reading has always been an escape for me, and Enid Blyton has always been one of the best at providing that for me.
“You’re as cute as a bagful of monkeys!”
“Everything okay”
I felt it fitting that the author who kickstarted my love for reading, was also responsible for me reading my first fiction book in over a decade. In this adventure, George and Timmy get kidnapped by sketchy men trying to get Uncle Quentin’s scientific papers. It’s up to the rest of the gang to try rescue you them! Five Fall Into Adventure also guest stars a “little ragamuffin” girl called Jo, who reads like a rougher version of George. In some ways, she steals the show.
This one had a bit of a Cold War vibe. Given its target audience, this doesn’t shy away from confronting issues. Child abuse, kidnapping, threatening to kill a dog, socio-economic issues. It has a bit of everything; though the one recurring theme throughout is food. In another life, Enid Blyton would've probably been a world-renowned food critic - such are the delicious food descriptions I encountered in almost every chapter! The whole book felt like a wonderful throwback to a time where you’d get excited over simply eating a muffin. Childhoods filled with adventures from dawn to dusk, without a mobile phone in sight. These days it’s called “off the grid”, but I prefer to think of as pure “freedom”. Five Fall Into Adventure is the perfect book to read outside, beside a picnic basket overflowing with tasty food.
Blyton’s vivid description of events strongly paint a picture in the reader’s imagination. It features short, punchy chapters that end in cliffhangers – sometimes quite literally! Blyton’s work may offend some more sensitive readers in 2019. In the first ten pages, Dick had already punched a girl and gender roles and class division had already reared their heads. While I’m strongly against all violence towards women, there was a refreshing element to how non-politically correct Blyton’s books seem these days. In that sense, they’re even more of an escape than they were back during childhood.
I found myself smiling throughout this. It’s comfort food book-style. A bit like jumping into a Bob Ross painting, but in book-form. Thank you Enid Blyton, for not only igniting my love for reading when I was a child, but for perhaps re-igniting my interest in fiction so many years later.
Reading has always been an escape for me, and Enid Blyton has always been one of the best at providing that for me.
“You’re as cute as a bagful of monkeys!”
“Everything okay”
August 1, 2022
Really enjoyed this one. I remember reading it as a child I couldn't stand Jo but seeing her through an adults eyes changes everything. She did need friends badly. Thought the adventure was well thought out in this one.
July 3, 2022
Bookopoly 2022. – Middlegrade
Globalni ciljevi: s moje police, nastavak serijala
DRUGO ČITANJE
Napisana u istom stilu kao i ostale. Djeca upadaju u nevolje zbog strica Quentina i njegovog važnog istraživanja. Zabavno, napeto, na trenutke i pomalo ozbiljno. I naravno, stalno se nešto klopa. 😊
Globalni ciljevi: s moje police, nastavak serijala
DRUGO ČITANJE
Napisana u istom stilu kao i ostale. Djeca upadaju u nevolje zbog strica Quentina i njegovog važnog istraživanja. Zabavno, napeto, na trenutke i pomalo ozbiljno. I naravno, stalno se nešto klopa. 😊
April 12, 2015
This is one of my favorite Enid Blyton books being one fo the very first I have read. It was way back in 1989 my parents gifted this books to me for my Birthday when I was in hospital. Really loved this book. Reading it again it brought back the pleasent memories evoked the first time I read it. So probably this is my favorite in the entire Famous Five series - the series itself being one of my least favorite.
September 27, 2018
The Five are in a lot of trouble. Someone has broken into Kirrin Cottage in an attempt to steal Uncle Quentin's valuable scientific papers and George and Timmy have been kidnapped. Jo, the ragamuffin gypsy girl ( I note this has now been changed to 'traveller' in the newer copy I read this time around!)makes her first appearance in the series and shows how plucky and resourceful she can be. Thankfully all is resolved in the end and The Five (and Jo) can get back to eating their way through the rest of the holidays. Meat pie anyone?
January 20, 2018
There's a little part in this where Julian, after detailing the current predicament that the Famous Five have gotten themselves into, remarks, "...This is all very stupid and melodramatic" and it's kind of the highlight of the entire book for me. It's a breaking of the fourth wall, a moment where Blyton throws all of her stubborn fire at the critics and goes 'well, yes, it is kind of melodramatic but it's what happened and besides I'm writing this and not you' and I love it. The Famous Five are such iconic figures, even to those who maybe have never read any of the original books, that Julian's wry little comment sings of wall-breaking and authorial intervention, and it's great. Give me more of this Blyton, more of this author and her stubbornly determined narratives that barely pause for breath.
The ninth of her Famous Five adventures, this is a fairly standard sort of affair. Something happens, something else happens, somebody pops up, shenanigans, shenanigans, everything's fine and we're back at home in time for tea. And oh the food in this book! It's great, and a reminder of Blyton's childish eye for detail. Note that I don't use childish in the pejorative manner, but rather as a recognition of Blyton's eye for perspective. She got children. She understood them. And, for a book first published in the 1950s, she knew what made them tick. Food. Fun. Friends.
This isn't high literature, and that's a debate that, in a way, I'm bored of when it comes to Blyton. What I find interesting and exciting about her work is how it is so fiercely determined to make sure the reader has a good time. These are books that will be read even when the reader isn't sure that they want to do such a thing and they're still remarkably accessible even to present-day readers, what with her use of syntax and bluntly direct prose. It's not pretty, but it is remarkable and so very, very, brilliantly readable. I suspect that it's long past time to bring Blyton in out of the cold, and let her be remarked upon as one of the canonical lights of children's literature.
The ninth of her Famous Five adventures, this is a fairly standard sort of affair. Something happens, something else happens, somebody pops up, shenanigans, shenanigans, everything's fine and we're back at home in time for tea. And oh the food in this book! It's great, and a reminder of Blyton's childish eye for detail. Note that I don't use childish in the pejorative manner, but rather as a recognition of Blyton's eye for perspective. She got children. She understood them. And, for a book first published in the 1950s, she knew what made them tick. Food. Fun. Friends.
This isn't high literature, and that's a debate that, in a way, I'm bored of when it comes to Blyton. What I find interesting and exciting about her work is how it is so fiercely determined to make sure the reader has a good time. These are books that will be read even when the reader isn't sure that they want to do such a thing and they're still remarkably accessible even to present-day readers, what with her use of syntax and bluntly direct prose. It's not pretty, but it is remarkable and so very, very, brilliantly readable. I suspect that it's long past time to bring Blyton in out of the cold, and let her be remarked upon as one of the canonical lights of children's literature.
January 31, 2023
This book is amazing. If you like adventure stories, you will definitely enjoy this book. I like how George and Jo became firm enemies and at the very end of the story a friendship started to form. I didn't like how Timmy was treated in the book. He was drugged and doped. This is really one of my favourite famous five stories. This book is recommended. Timmy and George suddenly go missing and Julian, Dick and Anne are so worried. There must be a huge connection with when somebody breaks into George's father's study and steals some of his important work as he is a scientist. Read this book to find out what happened.
November 13, 2011
I've been in an Enid Blyton reading mood all day, so I decided to go with this one again 'Five fall into adventure". I've always thought this book was a little darker than some of the others, from Jo's blatant child abuse at the hands of her father and his friends, to George's kidnapping and the doping of Timmy. The adventures aren't as light hearted as the ones before it, but that doesn't keep me from enjoying it.
A bright spark is Jo herself; she's a plucky but downtrodden version of George. She's a bright spark, and joins the five for later adventures, and this is her introduction. I've always loved that these adventures occur when the parentals are out of the picture, and very rarely are police involved until the very end- as is the case in this one.
Red Tower is one of the scarier villains in the five books- I've always thought that by the way the men treated him that he is in fact a little bit mad. I'm always glad to see his capture in the end, and the helicopter crashed but no one dies ( a very important point, no one ever dies in these books, even after crashing a helicopter lol)
Timmy comes through for the five again- even if Anne is left out at the end, she did get to go to Raven's wood and although it's probably sexist, it's nice to see that her brothers put her comfort above all else, making sure she is warm and reassured.
I think I may read another in the series before moving on, but I know I'll always come back to these, my favorite of Enid's books.
A bright spark is Jo herself; she's a plucky but downtrodden version of George. She's a bright spark, and joins the five for later adventures, and this is her introduction. I've always loved that these adventures occur when the parentals are out of the picture, and very rarely are police involved until the very end- as is the case in this one.
Red Tower is one of the scarier villains in the five books- I've always thought that by the way the men treated him that he is in fact a little bit mad. I'm always glad to see his capture in the end, and the helicopter crashed but no one dies ( a very important point, no one ever dies in these books, even after crashing a helicopter lol)
Timmy comes through for the five again- even if Anne is left out at the end, she did get to go to Raven's wood and although it's probably sexist, it's nice to see that her brothers put her comfort above all else, making sure she is warm and reassured.
I think I may read another in the series before moving on, but I know I'll always come back to these, my favorite of Enid's books.
June 3, 2017
"Anak itu memang aneh. Tapi hatinya baik, benar-benar anak yang budiman."
Petualangan kesembilan Lima Sekawan!
Di liburan kali ini giliran George dan Timmy diculik segerombolan penjahat yang mau mencuri dokumen paman Quentin! Julian, Dick dan Anne bingung dan sangat khawatir dengan keselamatan saudara sepupu mereka. Belum lagi ada ank jahil nan liar yang selalu merepotlan mereka. Waduh!
Yay, saya suka buku ini karena Dick mendapat peran yang penting disini. Kebetulan selain George dan Timmy, Dick karakter yang paling saya sukai. Dick anak yang kocak, cerdas dan baik tapi tidak sok seperti julian (Ups!).
Saya juga suka dengan karakter baru buku ini, Jo. Memang sih dia liar dan bandel tapi terbukti kita tidak bisa judging a book by its cover. Karen toh dia memang anak yang baik hanya karena diasuh salah oleh ayahnya makanya dia jadi bandel.
Petualangan di buku ini juga seru dan cukup menegangkan dengan penjahat yang cukup menyeramkan. Menurut saya buku ini salah satu buku seri lima sekawan yang paling menegangkan mulai dari pencarian George sampai penyelamatan diri mereka.
Salam Limun Jahe!
Petualangan kesembilan Lima Sekawan!
Di liburan kali ini giliran George dan Timmy diculik segerombolan penjahat yang mau mencuri dokumen paman Quentin! Julian, Dick dan Anne bingung dan sangat khawatir dengan keselamatan saudara sepupu mereka. Belum lagi ada ank jahil nan liar yang selalu merepotlan mereka. Waduh!
Yay, saya suka buku ini karena Dick mendapat peran yang penting disini. Kebetulan selain George dan Timmy, Dick karakter yang paling saya sukai. Dick anak yang kocak, cerdas dan baik tapi tidak sok seperti julian (Ups!).
Saya juga suka dengan karakter baru buku ini, Jo. Memang sih dia liar dan bandel tapi terbukti kita tidak bisa judging a book by its cover. Karen toh dia memang anak yang baik hanya karena diasuh salah oleh ayahnya makanya dia jadi bandel.
Petualangan di buku ini juga seru dan cukup menegangkan dengan penjahat yang cukup menyeramkan. Menurut saya buku ini salah satu buku seri lima sekawan yang paling menegangkan mulai dari pencarian George sampai penyelamatan diri mereka.
Salam Limun Jahe!
July 29, 2021
Such a good book so well thought out enjoyed it thoroughly and do glad I found it really way to spend your time would recommend it to everyone who loves adventure novels, Also try the whole series you will be holding BRILLIANCE IN YOUR HANDS.
March 24, 2015
I wish I had read all these adventures when I was a kid. I still find these marvelous and intriguing to the max.
September 20, 2024
The Famous Five unravel a break-in, a kidnapping, a doped dog, and missing secret documents.
Just a great read.
Just a great read.
January 12, 2022
boooring. all of this could've been avoided if they'd just gone to the police. least favourite in the series so far.
October 9, 2020
"You're as good as a boy." This was the highest compliment that George could ever pay any girl.
Real nice. But even apart from all the sexism and racism, this book was kinda meh. My favorite thing about Blyton's books is the food. It always gives me a warm fuzzy feeling (hygge?) On that front, I wasn't disappointed. Everything else combined, this book was quite a letdown.
My least favorite thing though was how insouciantly child abuse was normalized. Nobody batted an eye when Jo talked about getting beaten up by her father. It felt like everyone thought this abuse was to be expected in less privileged households. This general nonchalance made me uncomfortable. Not to mention the privileged children were actually quite uncivil and mistreated Jo for most of the book.
February 25, 2016
Kao maloj Pet prijatelja su mi bili za pet sa zvezdicom. Serijal mog detinjstva. Mislim, kakve pustolovine, kakva hrana! Danas su mi, međutim, tako nekako meh... Sve vidim, i što treba i što ne treba (formulne zaplete, rodnu, klasnu problematiku). I ne mogu a da se ne upitam koliko godina ta deca imaju? Avanture doživljavaju za vreme praznika, knjiga u serijalu ima oko petnaestak, možda i više... Oni kao da se iz knjige u knjigu pripremaju za veliki svet, svet odraslih u koji ipak nikako ne odlaze. Mora biti da me je taj mit o večitom detinjstvu toliko i opčinio kao klinku.
November 14, 2021
This is the book version of comfort food. Admittedly, with characters called Dick and Fanny, and phrases like 'crazy on Dick' or 'you've got as much spunk as any boy', I keep spluttering with childish giggles, but perhaps we all need to feel childish now and again.
November 27, 2017
I love this book because I love adventure books. I like all of them Julian,Dick,George,Anne and Timmy the dog.
November 19, 2025
I’m 10 and I’ve just finished reading this book. I’d recommend this book for 9-12 year olds. This book brings you on an adventure like you’re right there watching it. It’s about four wonderful kids and one amazing dog. It’s a long book series, I myself have read two, and both of them are amazing. The book series is so good that you don’t have to read the first one before you read the others.
George: cousin of Julian, Dick and Anne - a very adventurous girl, doesn’t care what anybody thinks. She dresses in boy clothes, she has short brown hair and she is as brave as any other person.
Julian: father figure of the others. Short blonde hair, very brave and looks after all of them.
Dick: best friends with George, short brown hair. He is the brother figure to all and siblings are Julian and Anne.
Anne: sweet loving girl, long blonde hair and even though she’s not as adventurous as the others, she’s just as brave.
Timmy the dog: Goes on lots of adventures, not always with the others, most of the time saves the day.
This book takes place on an ocean-side cottage and they meet a wonderful person called Jo. They don’t like her at first, but they’ll be lucky they met her. I think it’s funny how George and Jo are so alike but they absolutely hate each other.
They go past lots of obstacles on the way. One of the kids goes on their own adventure and the others save the day. There are some adults helping them along the way, but it’s mainly just them on their own.
There are a lot of fight scenes, they affected me when I was reading them, like I was one of them. There is a lot of heart-pounding moments.
They’re having a very nice holiday in Kirrin Cottage and they have a lot of people on their side. But along these adventures there are a good few people who want to stop them.
When I was reading the book I felt angry, sad and anxious, worried, happy, excited. There are a lot of moments that will bring you to all of those emotions. I felt, when I was reading this, that the lady who wrote it really got into the mind of people who want to read these. This is a wonderful book, anybody interested in exciting books I think should definitely read it. I gave it 5 stars and I wouldn’t change anything about it.
George: cousin of Julian, Dick and Anne - a very adventurous girl, doesn’t care what anybody thinks. She dresses in boy clothes, she has short brown hair and she is as brave as any other person.
Julian: father figure of the others. Short blonde hair, very brave and looks after all of them.
Dick: best friends with George, short brown hair. He is the brother figure to all and siblings are Julian and Anne.
Anne: sweet loving girl, long blonde hair and even though she’s not as adventurous as the others, she’s just as brave.
Timmy the dog: Goes on lots of adventures, not always with the others, most of the time saves the day.
This book takes place on an ocean-side cottage and they meet a wonderful person called Jo. They don’t like her at first, but they’ll be lucky they met her. I think it’s funny how George and Jo are so alike but they absolutely hate each other.
They go past lots of obstacles on the way. One of the kids goes on their own adventure and the others save the day. There are some adults helping them along the way, but it’s mainly just them on their own.
There are a lot of fight scenes, they affected me when I was reading them, like I was one of them. There is a lot of heart-pounding moments.
They’re having a very nice holiday in Kirrin Cottage and they have a lot of people on their side. But along these adventures there are a good few people who want to stop them.
When I was reading the book I felt angry, sad and anxious, worried, happy, excited. There are a lot of moments that will bring you to all of those emotions. I felt, when I was reading this, that the lady who wrote it really got into the mind of people who want to read these. This is a wonderful book, anybody interested in exciting books I think should definitely read it. I gave it 5 stars and I wouldn’t change anything about it.
January 31, 2020
Kaum ist sind Georges Eltern zu einer Reise nach Spanien aufgebrochen und die fünf Freunde mit der Köchin allein, wird auch schon ins Felsenhaus eingebrochen. Jemand will wertvolle Aufzeichnungen von Onkel Quentin stehlen und schreckt selbst vor einer Entführung nicht zurück, um sie zu bekommen. Ergänzt wird die Gruppe der fünf mit Jo, einem vernachlässigten, streunenden Mädchen, das bei der Suche und Befreiung von George und Timmy hilft.
Auf eine Weise ist dieses spannende Abenteuer der fünf Freunde düsterer und dramatischer. Es hat weniger idyllische Camping- und Ferienszenen, was wir von Jos Leben erfahren ist dramatisch und die Kinder befinden sich zwischendurch in durchaus bedrohlichen Situationen. So ist es passend, dass Anne äußert, dass sie Abenteuer hasse, und dieses mal auch die Jungen befürchten, es könne nicht gut ausgehen. Natürlich schaffen sie es mit den besonderen Fähigkeiten von Jo dennoch und auch für deren glücklichere Zukunft wird gesorgt - so unrealistisch das aus heutiger Zeit auch wirkt.
Auf eine Weise ist dieses spannende Abenteuer der fünf Freunde düsterer und dramatischer. Es hat weniger idyllische Camping- und Ferienszenen, was wir von Jos Leben erfahren ist dramatisch und die Kinder befinden sich zwischendurch in durchaus bedrohlichen Situationen. So ist es passend, dass Anne äußert, dass sie Abenteuer hasse, und dieses mal auch die Jungen befürchten, es könne nicht gut ausgehen. Natürlich schaffen sie es mit den besonderen Fähigkeiten von Jo dennoch und auch für deren glücklichere Zukunft wird gesorgt - so unrealistisch das aus heutiger Zeit auch wirkt.
June 7, 2022
Opnieuw een spannend verhaal van De Vijf waarin Enid Blyton de lezer weer meesleept in allerlei verwikkelingen die tot op vandaag erg spannend blijven. Ook al is de context erg veranderd en wat in dit boek als het recht van de ouder gezien wordt (en dat in die tijd ook zo was) is vandaag puur kindermishandeling en strafbaar.
Aan de andere kant worden adoptieregels dan weer als erg gemakkelijk gezien en is adoptie eigenlijk een soort beloning voor goed gedrag bij mensen die je echt wel liggen.
Oom Quentin is op vakantie en terwijl de kinderen alleen achterblijven met Joan, hun favoriete keukenmeisje/huishoudster, wordt er ingebroken. Uiteraard passeren weer de nodige merkwaardige figuren de revue, zowel bondgenoten als tegenstanders van de Vijf. George, maar vooral Timmy moet het ontgelden.
Humor, spanning en zoals gewoonlijk veel eten vullen de bladzijden van dit heerlijke boek.
Aan de andere kant worden adoptieregels dan weer als erg gemakkelijk gezien en is adoptie eigenlijk een soort beloning voor goed gedrag bij mensen die je echt wel liggen.
Oom Quentin is op vakantie en terwijl de kinderen alleen achterblijven met Joan, hun favoriete keukenmeisje/huishoudster, wordt er ingebroken. Uiteraard passeren weer de nodige merkwaardige figuren de revue, zowel bondgenoten als tegenstanders van de Vijf. George, maar vooral Timmy moet het ontgelden.
Humor, spanning en zoals gewoonlijk veel eten vullen de bladzijden van dit heerlijke boek.
July 14, 2013
Liburan lagi, petualangan lagi! Walaupun hanya menghabiskan waktu sekitar dua minggu untuk bersama-sama, petualangan seakan tidak mau menjauh dari kelompok Lima Sekawan ini.
Berlokasi kembali di Pondok Kirrin, kali ini Bibi Fanny dan Paman Quentin sengaja ingin berlibur ke Spanyol. Kedua orangtua George ini meninggalkan Lima Sekawan dengan pembantu mereka, Joanna. Memang, sejak semula anak-anak tidak yakin mereka akan mengalami petualangan kali ini, namun penemuan yang dilakukan oleh Paman Quentin membawa anak-anak dalam petualangan, bahkan bahaya!
Berawal dari pertemuan anak-anak dengan Jo, seorang anak yang di Inggris sana lazim disebut sebagai gelandangan. Jo ini seorang anak perempuan, namun ia mirip sekali dengan George, berperawakan sama, berambut ikal, dan juga senang memakai pakaian anak laki-laki. Jo ini memberi kesan buruk kepada anak-anak ketika pertama mereka bertemu, bukan apa-apa, pergaulan Jo dan anak-anak Lima Sekawan memang berbeda, jadi bisa dikatakan bahwa Jo sedikit liar, dan anak-anak kurang menyukai hal itu.
Petualangan kali ini melibatkan penculikan, pembiusan, penyamaran, bahkan penyekapan, bukan cerita yang enteng memang bagi anak-anak. Bisa dibilang pula yang berpetualang disini ialah Julian dan Dick, sebabnya adalah George dan Timmy diculik oleh para penjahat. George menjadi sasaran penculikan gara-gara para penjahat ini mengincar buku catatan penemuan-penemuan penting yang dilakukan oleh Paman Quentin. Sedangkan Anne, seperti biasa masih terlalu muda untuk berpetualang yang terlalu berbahaya, maka ia hanya menemani Joanna di rumah ketika ick dan Julian berusaha membebaskan George dan Timmy.
Tentunya ada alasan khusus mengapa Jo menjadi judul dalam buku Lima Sekawan ini, dari 21 judul Lima Sekawan karya Enid Blyton, hanya Jo seorang yang menjadi sebuah nama anak yang menjadi judul. Jo inilah yang menjadi kunci dalam petualangan kali ini, entah itu dalam proses penangkapan George, sampai pada proses penyelamatan George. Jo ini pulalah yang menyertai serta memandu Julian dan Dick dalam mengetahui tempat penyekapan George.
Seperti biasa, bahaya, bahkan kematian sangat dekat dengan anak-anak Lima Sekawan ini seiring dengan pertambahan umur dan pertambahan judul serial ini. Apa yang ada di pikiran Enid Blyton ketika menulis cerita yang katanya untuk anak-anak ini hanya ia dan Tuhan yang tahu, yang jelas diskusi antara anak dan orangtua sangat diperlukan ketika membaca buku ini.
Petualangan yang terjadi di tahun 1950 ini (pertama buku ini terbit) masih melibatkan telegram, hal yang sudah sangta langka di zaman modern ini. Ini pulalah yang menghambat anak-anak dalam menghubungi Bibi Fanny dan Paman Quentin yang berada di Spanyol. Coba saja kisah ini terjadi di zaman smartphone seperti sekarang ini, mungkin tidak akan ada yang namanya penculikan George. Ya, tinggal sms atau telepon saja maka tindakan penculikan ini dapat dicegah ketika awal mula ada pencuri masuk ke Pondok Kirrin.Tetapi tak akan ada petualangan seru apabila hal tersebut terjadi, sms/telepon, Bibi serta Paman pulang, hubungi polisi, maka habis perkara, dan buku ini tak akan menjadi sebuah buku. Itu sudah.
Ada hal menarik yang ditambahkan penerjemah di dalam buku ini, tepatnya di halaman 139: “Memang, hutan di Inggris lain dengan di Indonesia. Di sana, jika ada tempat yang agak lebat ditumbuhi pepohonan, tempat itu sudah disebut hutan. Karenananya tidaklah mengherankan, jika bagi Anne tempat yang pepohonannya tumbuh rapat sudah dianggap sebagai rimba. Coba kalau anak itu bisa datang sebentar ke Kalimantan atau Irian, saat itu baru ia akan tahu bagaimana wujud rimba yang sebenarnya.” Saya yakin tak ada bagian ini di dalam edisi aslinya, namun penerjemah secara jeli ingin memperkenalkan kekayaan Indonesia kepada para pembaca yang notabene adalah anak-anak Indonesia.
Dewasa ini, sudah jarang ditemukan anak-anak membaca buku-buku Lima Sekawan ini. Padahal buku ini sudah sangat sering dicetak ulang. Tapi patut dipertanyakan pula, apakah anak-anak zaman sekarang ini memahami hal-hal yang ada pada zaman itu seperti telegram yang saya sebut di atas. Mungkin pula anak-anak ini akan mempertanyakan, mengapa anak-anak Lima Sekawan ini tidak berbekal telepon genggam dalam berpetualang? Ah, apa mungkin pemikiran saya yang terlalu cetek sehingga tak tahu bahwa zaman sekarang ini Lima Sekawan tetap banyak dibaca oleh anak-anak modern.
Kembali lagi ke perdebatan apakah Lima Sekawan ini cocok untuk anak-anak. Saya tetap berpikir bahwa Lima Sekawan ini merupakan buku awal bagi anak-anak guna mereka mendalami hobi membaca mereka. Saya sendiri masih ingat, bagaimana ketika SMP buku ii sangat berbekas di hati saya. Jujur saja, pada saat itu saya belum mencapai pemikiran bagaimana munculnya kata-kata kasar pada serial ini, pokoknya yang terpikirkan hanya bagaimana serunya buku ini. Sempat pula saya berbalas twit dengan Clara Ng dimana saya mengatakan buku ini harus dibaca dengan pengawasan orangtua apabila anak-anak yang membacanya, namun beliau membalas bahwa diskusi lebih diperlukan daripada pengawasan. Akhirnya saya pun menyadari bahwa saya keliru, dan bahwasanya diskusi dua arah lebih penting untuk memberikan pemahaman kepada anak-anak dibandingkan pengawasan satu arah dari orangtua kepada anaknya. Jadi, apakah cocok untuk anak-anak? Tetap, dari awal saya sudah berpendapat bahwa buku ini hanya cocok untuk anak Indonesia berusia 10 tahun ke atas.
Selamat hari anak Indonesia, tetaplah membaca karya untuk anak guna membuka diskusi dua arah antara anak dan orangtua. Juga walaupun buku anak, buku tetaplah buku, dan pastilah akan ada pengetahuan dibalik semua buku yang ada.
Berlokasi kembali di Pondok Kirrin, kali ini Bibi Fanny dan Paman Quentin sengaja ingin berlibur ke Spanyol. Kedua orangtua George ini meninggalkan Lima Sekawan dengan pembantu mereka, Joanna. Memang, sejak semula anak-anak tidak yakin mereka akan mengalami petualangan kali ini, namun penemuan yang dilakukan oleh Paman Quentin membawa anak-anak dalam petualangan, bahkan bahaya!
Berawal dari pertemuan anak-anak dengan Jo, seorang anak yang di Inggris sana lazim disebut sebagai gelandangan. Jo ini seorang anak perempuan, namun ia mirip sekali dengan George, berperawakan sama, berambut ikal, dan juga senang memakai pakaian anak laki-laki. Jo ini memberi kesan buruk kepada anak-anak ketika pertama mereka bertemu, bukan apa-apa, pergaulan Jo dan anak-anak Lima Sekawan memang berbeda, jadi bisa dikatakan bahwa Jo sedikit liar, dan anak-anak kurang menyukai hal itu.
Petualangan kali ini melibatkan penculikan, pembiusan, penyamaran, bahkan penyekapan, bukan cerita yang enteng memang bagi anak-anak. Bisa dibilang pula yang berpetualang disini ialah Julian dan Dick, sebabnya adalah George dan Timmy diculik oleh para penjahat. George menjadi sasaran penculikan gara-gara para penjahat ini mengincar buku catatan penemuan-penemuan penting yang dilakukan oleh Paman Quentin. Sedangkan Anne, seperti biasa masih terlalu muda untuk berpetualang yang terlalu berbahaya, maka ia hanya menemani Joanna di rumah ketika ick dan Julian berusaha membebaskan George dan Timmy.
Tentunya ada alasan khusus mengapa Jo menjadi judul dalam buku Lima Sekawan ini, dari 21 judul Lima Sekawan karya Enid Blyton, hanya Jo seorang yang menjadi sebuah nama anak yang menjadi judul. Jo inilah yang menjadi kunci dalam petualangan kali ini, entah itu dalam proses penangkapan George, sampai pada proses penyelamatan George. Jo ini pulalah yang menyertai serta memandu Julian dan Dick dalam mengetahui tempat penyekapan George.
Seperti biasa, bahaya, bahkan kematian sangat dekat dengan anak-anak Lima Sekawan ini seiring dengan pertambahan umur dan pertambahan judul serial ini. Apa yang ada di pikiran Enid Blyton ketika menulis cerita yang katanya untuk anak-anak ini hanya ia dan Tuhan yang tahu, yang jelas diskusi antara anak dan orangtua sangat diperlukan ketika membaca buku ini.
Petualangan yang terjadi di tahun 1950 ini (pertama buku ini terbit) masih melibatkan telegram, hal yang sudah sangta langka di zaman modern ini. Ini pulalah yang menghambat anak-anak dalam menghubungi Bibi Fanny dan Paman Quentin yang berada di Spanyol. Coba saja kisah ini terjadi di zaman smartphone seperti sekarang ini, mungkin tidak akan ada yang namanya penculikan George. Ya, tinggal sms atau telepon saja maka tindakan penculikan ini dapat dicegah ketika awal mula ada pencuri masuk ke Pondok Kirrin.Tetapi tak akan ada petualangan seru apabila hal tersebut terjadi, sms/telepon, Bibi serta Paman pulang, hubungi polisi, maka habis perkara, dan buku ini tak akan menjadi sebuah buku. Itu sudah.
Ada hal menarik yang ditambahkan penerjemah di dalam buku ini, tepatnya di halaman 139: “Memang, hutan di Inggris lain dengan di Indonesia. Di sana, jika ada tempat yang agak lebat ditumbuhi pepohonan, tempat itu sudah disebut hutan. Karenananya tidaklah mengherankan, jika bagi Anne tempat yang pepohonannya tumbuh rapat sudah dianggap sebagai rimba. Coba kalau anak itu bisa datang sebentar ke Kalimantan atau Irian, saat itu baru ia akan tahu bagaimana wujud rimba yang sebenarnya.” Saya yakin tak ada bagian ini di dalam edisi aslinya, namun penerjemah secara jeli ingin memperkenalkan kekayaan Indonesia kepada para pembaca yang notabene adalah anak-anak Indonesia.
Dewasa ini, sudah jarang ditemukan anak-anak membaca buku-buku Lima Sekawan ini. Padahal buku ini sudah sangat sering dicetak ulang. Tapi patut dipertanyakan pula, apakah anak-anak zaman sekarang ini memahami hal-hal yang ada pada zaman itu seperti telegram yang saya sebut di atas. Mungkin pula anak-anak ini akan mempertanyakan, mengapa anak-anak Lima Sekawan ini tidak berbekal telepon genggam dalam berpetualang? Ah, apa mungkin pemikiran saya yang terlalu cetek sehingga tak tahu bahwa zaman sekarang ini Lima Sekawan tetap banyak dibaca oleh anak-anak modern.
Kembali lagi ke perdebatan apakah Lima Sekawan ini cocok untuk anak-anak. Saya tetap berpikir bahwa Lima Sekawan ini merupakan buku awal bagi anak-anak guna mereka mendalami hobi membaca mereka. Saya sendiri masih ingat, bagaimana ketika SMP buku ii sangat berbekas di hati saya. Jujur saja, pada saat itu saya belum mencapai pemikiran bagaimana munculnya kata-kata kasar pada serial ini, pokoknya yang terpikirkan hanya bagaimana serunya buku ini. Sempat pula saya berbalas twit dengan Clara Ng dimana saya mengatakan buku ini harus dibaca dengan pengawasan orangtua apabila anak-anak yang membacanya, namun beliau membalas bahwa diskusi lebih diperlukan daripada pengawasan. Akhirnya saya pun menyadari bahwa saya keliru, dan bahwasanya diskusi dua arah lebih penting untuk memberikan pemahaman kepada anak-anak dibandingkan pengawasan satu arah dari orangtua kepada anaknya. Jadi, apakah cocok untuk anak-anak? Tetap, dari awal saya sudah berpendapat bahwa buku ini hanya cocok untuk anak Indonesia berusia 10 tahun ke atas.
Selamat hari anak Indonesia, tetaplah membaca karya untuk anak guna membuka diskusi dua arah antara anak dan orangtua. Juga walaupun buku anak, buku tetaplah buku, dan pastilah akan ada pengetahuan dibalik semua buku yang ada.
December 2, 2022
Net zoals bij het vorige deel (De Vijf in de Knel) komt ook in Boek 9 alles veel sneller in een stroomversnelling terecht (en is dit trouwens ook niet de uitgave die ik nu gelezen heb). Het loopt al van in het begin goed mis (niet op de manier die in de korte inhoud beschreven staat, trouwens, die slaat nergens op, hij verklapt de tweede helft van het boek zo'n beetje) en er gebeurt doorheen het boek heel wat.
Ik heb ook altijd genoten van Sam, die hier de rol invult van de extra-aanwinst-voor-één-boek van de Vijf, zoals dat wel vaker voorkomt in de reeks. Maar zij heeft toch iets dat de anderen meestal niet hebben, misschien is het wel gewoon lef, of haar hele karakter. In elk geval: om van te genieten.
8,2/10
Ik heb ook altijd genoten van Sam, die hier de rol invult van de extra-aanwinst-voor-één-boek van de Vijf, zoals dat wel vaker voorkomt in de reeks. Maar zij heeft toch iets dat de anderen meestal niet hebben, misschien is het wel gewoon lef, of haar hele karakter. In elk geval: om van te genieten.
8,2/10
October 10, 2021
What a pleasure it was to read this early 1970's copy with none of the rewriting or correctness added. If a rollacking adventure is needed to pep you up, go for it.
The Famous Five never fail to thrill!
The Famous Five never fail to thrill!
November 2, 2025
Niveau histoire, c'est vraiment une très bonne aventure du club des Cinq pleine de rebondissements et un peu moins copiée-collée que de coutume, mais la manière de parler des gitans entre racisme et paternalisme est vraiment difficile à supporter lors d'une (re)lecture en 2025.
August 28, 2019
... reading with my 10 year old daughter...
This one was action packed! We loved it.
This one was action packed! We loved it.
June 12, 2020
The books is good and very interesting. Its about 2 boys 2 girls and a dog that have a nice holiday but something happened and they wanted to find out what was it. The book kept me reading till the end, I find this book really amazing.
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