Enid Blyton Famous Five Series 21 Books Box Set Titles in the Set Five on Treasure Island, Five Go Adventuring Again, Five Run Away Together, Five Go to Smuggler's Top, Five Go Off in A Caravan, Five On Kirrin Island Again, Five Go Off to Camp, Five Get Into Trouble, Five Fall Into Adventure, Five On A Hike Together, Five Have A Wonderful Time, Five Go Down to the Sea, Five Go to Mystery Moor, Five Have Plenty of Fun, Five on A Secret Trail, Five Go to Billycock Hill, Five Get Into A Fix, Five On Finniston Farm, Five Go to Demon's Rocks, Five Have A Mystery to Solve, Five Are Together Again
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.
The Famous Five books were favourites of mine as a child and I was delighted to buy this boxed set of the entire series in a recent sale. Of course, these are wonderful mysteries and the entire series of books include: Five on A Treasure Island, Five Go Adventuring Again, Five Run Away Together, Five Go To Smuggler's Top, Five Go Off In A Caravan, Five On Kirrin Island Again, Five Go Off To Camp, Five Get Into Trouble, Five Fall Into Adventure, Five On A Hike Together, Five Have A Wonderful Time, Five Go Down To The Sea; Five Go To Mystery Moor, Five Have Plenty Of Fun; Five On A Secret Trail, Five Go To Billycock Hill, Five Get Into A Fix, Five On Finniston Farm, Five Go To Demon's Rocks, Five Have A Mystery To Solve and Five Are Together Again.
I am really looking forward to both re-reading these and enjoying them with my children. Julian, Dick, Anne, their cousin George (Georgina) and Timmy the dog had endless adventures. There was George, with her scientist father and her very own island; plus the trips to castles, farms, caves, camping and trips where the five would solve all kinds of thrilling mysteries. These are brilliant books and have never been out of print.
Over the years these books have been illustrated by some of the greatest artists in literature – including Quentin Blake and Chris Riddell. However, the illustrations of my childhood were the original ones by Eileen Soper and I am delighted that these editions contain those original, charming illustrations. For me, Eileen Soper’s illustrations are perfect and capture those books – which were written between 1942 and 1963 and which enriched my childhood.
The books are obviously five stars, but I will say that the box was very flimsy cardboard. In fact, it is not really a box at all, just a thin, cardboard slipcase which is entirely unable to hold the weight of the books it is holding. I have put it on a shelf and it will keep the set nicely together, but I would have been disappointed if I had purchased this at full price and received such a flimsy outer case. I have no wish to make the books themselves lose a star, as they are ideal, but if you are thinking of buying this as a present, it is worth pointing out that the ‘box’ is absolutely useless and simply falls apart once you take off the plastic. The books themselves though, are still brilliant whatever edition you decide on, but personally the original illustrations make them perfect nostalgic reading for me.
The books which got me into reading, and will always hold a special place in my heart. While my 8-year-old self was filled with wonder and awe, and wanted to accompany Julian, Dick, George, Anne and Timmy on every single one of their adventures, I now realise that these books have some problematic ideas. Still, good enough for their times. 4 stars, for the nostalgia.
Lectura recomendada: saga ''Los Cinco'', de Enid Blyton. RBA Coleccionables. Colección 21 libros. Juvenil, aventuras, amistad, familia... Me encantaban las aventuras de ''Los Cinco'', hasta el punto de haberlas leído más de una vez. Sigue siendo un recuerdo de otra época que guardo con cariño. Fácil de leer y empezar a encariñarse con libros y personajes. Una niña muy valiente y su amigo de cuatro patas, acompañados de sus tres primos, van a correr un montón de aventuras, mientras conocen personajes muy entretenidos en variopintos lugares, a la vez que el padre de Jorge: así le gusta ser llamada a Jorgina, tan despistado, ni se entera. Y no nos olvidemos de las latas de galletas de la cocinera Juana... Inolvidable.
***Mi colección es otra: especificada en la reseña. ***Releídos; pero no me acuerdo exactamente del orden ni la época...
I read in order books 1-21 the full series of Famous Five books in the 1970s edition paper backs . The illustrations are completely wrong! But the content takes me back to those lovely years of childhood freedoms ( when children were allowed to have such things) . I was struck by many things as an adult - the privilege of the children, the lack of working class children in them - all others are oddities- waifs, travellers, circus performers and others like them... the idiosyncrasies of the lives of all they contact - the open kindness and generosity of all their hosts, the well meaning cooks and unsurprised parents ( how little we know of Anne, Julian and Dicks parents...) But the life of harmless adventures - of bike rides and exploration of areas, or travelling on public transport and buying ginger beer and ice creams from lovely local shops - the descriptions of places and of the natural environment is so charming it is hard to criticise the improbability of the scrapes and whopping adventures they have.i was impressed by Blyton’s attempts at describing the clearly autistic traits shown by George and her father . Bit of a trip down memory lane and I prefer some adventures to others ( the adventure bit was my least favourite bits as an adult ) but I rate them all highly for fantasy escapism!
i had this whole collection (i think i still do its probs in storage boxes) as a child and i would be so obsessed with these books. i would be so excited when it was the end of the day and i would sit in bed to read the next couple of chapters. enid blyton books are the books that got me into reading and this collection holds a special place in my heart <33333
Here is where I freely admit my childish side comes out. I adored these books as a child, and yes, even have them in my collection now. When you read them, you can really totally just get lost in the childish adventures, and simple fun. I rate them as some of the best books I read when I was young, and I can't count the number of times I read them.
Absolutely adored these books when I was younger, I think I must have read these books at least 12 times each. Awesome novels to get your kids stuck into, although the old english language is a little bit interesting to wrap your head around. Would definitely recommend The Secret Seven by Enid Blyton. Extremely easy to get lost in the adventure.
The first series I ever read completely, dating back to my school days; These 4 kids inspired me to enjoy my life to the fullest and extract happiness from whatever we do; Loved the unique setup and storyline of each book; engaging read.
I literally grew up with the five!! Enid Blyton was my very first children's author whose books I started at the innocent age of 9. Amelia Jane being my introduction to her books! Fortunately, I began famous five with its first book but the best part about her book series is how uniquely she gives a detailed description of each character in every book since the parts are not related although they involve the same five as the main characters. George is a single child and up until she meets her three cousins, her only companion is a mongrel whom she names as Timothy. However, life turns into quite the adventure for the five once they befriend each other and so every book narrates a thrilling adventure and a different one at that and keeps the reader coming back for more! As an adult, if you've loved to read and re-read this series when you're a kid, I'm sure you would want pick it up again for a light reading, to go on a picnic with the five and sip on some ginger beer while having a swell time at George's island.
This was my favourite childhood book series. I would beg my dad to buy me the series because I loved the first ten so much. I’ve now currently got them all and every once in a while I have a flick through them. Going back in the story makes me feel quite upset and nostalgic though, I liked the adventure where the met the circus boy and his animals, never to be seen again. Even as a child, I always found it quite funny how all those hundreds of school holidays, they never get older than 12 and 11. No hate at all, I prefer it when they stay forever living in the past, having exciting adventures on Kirrin Island, bathing in the sea and eating all the delicious food people give them because it’s free. Julian was my favourite character I think but honestly I like every single character, when I was little I would imagine I would meet them and go on adventures too. I was so sad Enid Bylton couldn’t write anymore. She is such a good author. I much prefer these series over the Secret Seven (I am biased, I have never read it.)
This series is what got 8 year old me into reading in the first place. I actually hated reading before this and remember being absolutely dismayed when I received the whole set as a present. I started reading it because I felt obliged (it was a present for goodness sake) and now here I am over 10 years later having consumed 100s of books since then. If you want to get your children into reading Enid Blyton is the perfect start. In fact I don't think you will find anyone who is as big of a fan of her books as I am. Its filled with adventure and mystery, and actually encourages readers to think alongside the characters. Although this series follows cousins/siblings the found family dynamics amongst each other are brilliant. And you can always count on Enid Bltyton to incorporate really yummy sounding feasts and picnics into her books!
This series was my absolute favourite when I was around 9-12 years old! Amazing stories full of lots of adventure, mystery, action, and moral lessons. The characters may not be based in a modern world, but are relatable and admirable all the same.
Some say that there is gender prejudice in these Famous Five books by Enid, but I think they have little right to say that. These books were written in the 1950s or so, and so there’s one reason why the gender roles are very defined. Even putting that aside, I personally don’t mind the way Enid portrays the roles of girls and boys, hence I really believe there is nothing wrong or prejudiced in this wonderful series.
I read the famous five as a pretty novice reader when I was much younger and to this day, it remains iconic. As a kid I loved George and I pretty much had a crush on Julian, and read every book like a dog devouring a proper meals after weeks of scraps. The books bring you to simpler time and I think it's safe to say there's a specific, warm, beach vibe to it, and when you read the books, you're up there with the kids and Timmy (who's like the cutest dog ever) and you're one of them, happy and ready to solve crimes on summer holidays. Overall, a definite read for kids, especially those that are being led astray by reading flimsy new novels like Haunting Adeline, which ruins the whole spectrum of innocent reading fun for kids who aren't ready for mature themes.
As a child these books were my absolute favourite!!! I've read them about a thousand times!!!!! They're absolutely amazing and I love them so much! Note to self: ( in my childhood books, I do not have all the books that I have read, since there are way too many and I can not add all of them so just assumes them about 100 maybe or don't include them in your count) Lol anyway, these are amazing ( how many times have I said that again) and these got me into reading as well, so that's absolutely greatt
I read all by the age of eight and I can’t remember the people in the stories very clearly now but I do remember Timmy the dog!
I clearly saw myself as Georgina who is very spirited and adventurous!
I recall the protagonists all traveling in caravans. I really want to travel in a caravan too! It’s one of my deepest wishes to travel in the caravan and toast s’mores at night. I suppose this is what is considered to be “glamping” today!
These were some if the first books I remember reading. I cut my teeth on these mystery novels and loved George for being the ill-fitting, tomboy, gruffly affectionate girl she was because she made me feel seen. Dick and Julian made me want to have an older brother and I love dogs. Literally, what is there not to love about these stories?
Five stars for colouring my childhood so well and for blooming my love for reading.
Enjoyed by children for over 80 years, 'The Famous Five' is a classic Enid Blyton series. The storytelling is excellent, although it should be stressed that the text is of its time, and certain themes (for example, gender roles and stereotypes) were viewed differently in the post-war period. When introducing this text to children, therefore, this difference should be explained; and children should be aware of the how these themes are viewed in the twenty-first century.
This is a good series for young readers to start reading. It is also a very good start as a bed time story book. I started with series with my 4 year old as bed time stories and I was more hooked to these books than him.
Eventually we ended up reading the complete collection of mystery series by Enid Blyton.
Enid Blyton is such a wonderful author. One of the first collections i can remember that got me into reading and loving creative and descriptive writing. Famous Five just marks nostalgia for me, i will forever enjoy reading this adventures. The characters are each so great, you truly feel like you are part of their group, going on adventures with them.
I loved reading the famous five adventures, I’ve had the books for years and I read half of them when I was little and I thought I’d best finish and them and I forgot how fun they was to read and to guess what was going to happen and who the criminals was
The Famous Five series is very personal to me, it's the reason I started and continued reading. Save to say it changed my life. It's extremely interesting for every age especially children who are just starting to read as I did myself many years ago.
I used to love this series when I grew up and even tried to relate the characters in it among my friends circle. All of us were crazy children back then.