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The Five Find-Outers #1
The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage
The Find-Outers is a clever mystery series from bestselling author Enid Blyton, and perfect for fans of The Secret Seven.
Someone has set fire to Mr Hick's cottage, but who could it be? Fatty, Larry, Daisy, Pip, Bets and Buster the dog have their very first case to solve. But it's not easy being detectives with policeman Mr Goon telling them to "clear orf". The Find-Outers are determined - they have to solve the mystery before Mr Goon does!
First published in 1943, this edition contains the orginal text and is unillustrated.
225 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1943
267 people are currently reading
2347 people want to read
About the author
Enid Blyton
5,214 books6,354 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 279 reviews
August 16, 2017
Enid Blyton was my favourite author growing up and I devoured everything she wrote. I decided to re-read a few of her novels as an adult and I wasn't disappointed with this first novel in the mystery series. Naturally the mystery of the burnt cottage was very straightforward as an adult, but as a child I remember marvelling at the twists and turns in the plot.
A must -read for children!
A must -read for children!
September 1, 2007
My dad used to read this series to me and I just love them. There are other series that are more famous by Enid Blyton, but this is the best. I highly reccommend them. Brilliant writing, good plots, and all about friendship and imagination. Who could go wrong with that?
April 11, 2017
As weekend approaches, it is nostalgia time. Even though this was the first mystery in the series, I read it quite later on. Now I remember only Fatty and Buster the Dog, though.
Considered as mysteries, these were simple to the point of silliness, but I read most of them at the right age. So the stars are from my childhood self.
I liked Fatty because he was fat - like me. It somehow boosted my ego that a fat boy could be clever.
Considered as mysteries, these were simple to the point of silliness, but I read most of them at the right age. So the stars are from my childhood self.
I liked Fatty because he was fat - like me. It somehow boosted my ego that a fat boy could be clever.
February 6, 2023
This is a really great crime procedural. A bunch of annoying kids solve the mystery of a burnt cottage. Blyton created a few annoying child investigator gangs - the famous five, the five find outers and the secret seven. I had so much fun consuming all this as a teenager. Thank you Enid Blyton.
October 28, 2017
Findouters Challenge: Book 1. Among Enid Blyton’s mystery series, the Five Findouters have always been my favourite (though I read and loved the others too), one reason being the very imaginative solutions to so many of their cases. This time around I’ve decided to read all 15 of the books chronologically for the first time.
The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage is the first of the series and opens with siblings Laurence “Larry” and Margaret “Daisy” Daykin waking up to the smell of a fire. They and their friends Philip “Pip” and Elizabeth “Bets” Hilton step out to investigate and find that a wooden cottage which serves as workshop for one of their neighbours Mr Hick is on fire and valuable documents have been destroyed. Mr Hick himself was on his way back from London at the time, but most of the people he employed, and his “rival” of sorts in the study of documents pretty much dislike him, and justifiably so. At the scene of the fire, Larry, Daisy, Pip and Bets meet a fat boy who’s been staying at the local inn with his parents, and who they (the first three) don’t much take to, and his little Scottie who they all love. Soon they find themselves forming a “detective” club of sorts (thus becoming the Five Findouters and Dog) in which they reluctantly include Fatty (who they name after his initials F.A.T. and appearance) and little Bets, starting on their investigations and trying to stay a step ahead of their village constable Mr Goon, who pretty much enters the scene with his trademark clear orfs. Towards the end they also make the acquaintance of Inspector Jenks who turns into a good friend to the children, as the series progresses.
This was a fun first book in the series but for me lacked the full flavour of the later books. I enjoyed the mystery element though it wasn’t among the best of the lot (instead the kind that one has come across in other books too and can guess at). Fatty is of course a bit of a boaster and one can see why the other children find him annoying but I thought they treated poor Bets rather shamefully, considering as in the other books in the series, it is she that finds the most important clues. Bets in this one is eight years old but EB seems to have made her a little too young for her age. And while there is some food and eating in the book, it is nowhere as much as the later books where there were many many trips to the tea shop and plenty of eating in Fatty’s shed. Still this was a good beginning to the series, and a nice enough mystery which I enjoyed revisiting. Three and a half stars.
The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage is the first of the series and opens with siblings Laurence “Larry” and Margaret “Daisy” Daykin waking up to the smell of a fire. They and their friends Philip “Pip” and Elizabeth “Bets” Hilton step out to investigate and find that a wooden cottage which serves as workshop for one of their neighbours Mr Hick is on fire and valuable documents have been destroyed. Mr Hick himself was on his way back from London at the time, but most of the people he employed, and his “rival” of sorts in the study of documents pretty much dislike him, and justifiably so. At the scene of the fire, Larry, Daisy, Pip and Bets meet a fat boy who’s been staying at the local inn with his parents, and who they (the first three) don’t much take to, and his little Scottie who they all love. Soon they find themselves forming a “detective” club of sorts (thus becoming the Five Findouters and Dog) in which they reluctantly include Fatty (who they name after his initials F.A.T. and appearance) and little Bets, starting on their investigations and trying to stay a step ahead of their village constable Mr Goon, who pretty much enters the scene with his trademark clear orfs. Towards the end they also make the acquaintance of Inspector Jenks who turns into a good friend to the children, as the series progresses.
This was a fun first book in the series but for me lacked the full flavour of the later books. I enjoyed the mystery element though it wasn’t among the best of the lot (instead the kind that one has come across in other books too and can guess at). Fatty is of course a bit of a boaster and one can see why the other children find him annoying but I thought they treated poor Bets rather shamefully, considering as in the other books in the series, it is she that finds the most important clues. Bets in this one is eight years old but EB seems to have made her a little too young for her age. And while there is some food and eating in the book, it is nowhere as much as the later books where there were many many trips to the tea shop and plenty of eating in Fatty’s shed. Still this was a good beginning to the series, and a nice enough mystery which I enjoyed revisiting. Three and a half stars.
July 5, 2018
3,75 stars - English pocketbook - I have dyslexia -
Youth sentiment. 😀😁😀🦋🌺🌹🌸
Youth sentiment. 😀😁😀🦋🌺🌹🌸
October 31, 2010
Having read most of these delightful whodunnits by the age of 10 I still hadn't got hold of the first book in the series which gives a lot of important background for a fan. For some reason the local bookseller never had it in stock and when I asked about it he told me that they'd had some in, but they went like "hot cakes". He didn't offer to order me a copy and I didn't realise that he could have done. No wonder independent booksellers go out of business. I had to resort to re-reading so many books I felt I knew them by heart which is why I can recall this one 40 years later. It's why I never throw or give books away; I know they'll be read again, perhaps by my sons (fat chance). When I found this book (at long last) I was so excited.
The pattern for the series is set in this story. I thought Enid Blyton was a genius for her ideas, not realising that they are hardly sophisticated crimes and any policeman (other than the hapless Goon) would have wrapped up the cases by the end of chapter 2. The framework is; "Crime" happens; Self-important policeman tells pesky kids to "Clear Orf" before jumping to the wrong conclusion; Fatty isn't convinced and leads a parallel investigation in which he makes use of a bewildering array of disguises; Larry, Daisy and Pip are there so that Fatty can show off (and help to pad the stories out by following up unimportant leads); Various clues are found and discussed; Bets solves the case without knowing why; Fatty realises this (like Poirot who sometimes needs Hastings); The Find-Outers go over Goon's head to a superior (Inspector Jenks) who recognises Fatty's brilliance and the criminal is arrested. Very satisfying.
The pattern for the series is set in this story. I thought Enid Blyton was a genius for her ideas, not realising that they are hardly sophisticated crimes and any policeman (other than the hapless Goon) would have wrapped up the cases by the end of chapter 2. The framework is; "Crime" happens; Self-important policeman tells pesky kids to "Clear Orf" before jumping to the wrong conclusion; Fatty isn't convinced and leads a parallel investigation in which he makes use of a bewildering array of disguises; Larry, Daisy and Pip are there so that Fatty can show off (and help to pad the stories out by following up unimportant leads); Various clues are found and discussed; Bets solves the case without knowing why; Fatty realises this (like Poirot who sometimes needs Hastings); The Find-Outers go over Goon's head to a superior (Inspector Jenks) who recognises Fatty's brilliance and the criminal is arrested. Very satisfying.
October 5, 2016
A student member of our book club read this, so I decided to give it a read. What a charming story about 5 kids and a dog. It took me back to my childhood, although I wasn't around at the writing of this book. I loved the English phrases/accents! "I'll be ready in a tick." Love that! And of course the kids called the copper "Ol Clear Orf," because he always told the kids to clear off. Childhood innocence, with a tad of mischief, and always in good manners. Again, quite charming and fun, even though it was a bit predictable. I enjoyed it primarily for the 1940s, English countryside, kids viewpoint of the world, reading experience. Just a simple, feel good read. I guess I am a kid at heart!
June 3, 2017
Seems like I'll be diving back into my childhood... Came across these series again and it reminded me of the days when I bunked lectures just to read these books in library.. Got an urge to read them back...;) Can't help it these were the books that made me keep on reading...
July 4, 2023
⭐3.1
Goosebumps
Kids
Gives Vibes
Goosebumps
Kids
Gives Vibes
July 1, 2018
I was struggling a bit to think of a children's classic that was not a young adult novel (I Capture the Castle) or a picture book (Winnie the Pooh) or anything by Frances Hodgson Burnett (ha, well, I might read The Secret Garden anyway...), when luckily Christophe came along and suggested his childhood fav
The Find-Outers
.
I would have easily loved this series when I was eight. It's still very charming now. It has a fantastic sense of humour -- the 'Find-Outers' being kid-speak for detectives, naming the grumpy policeman Clear-Orf because he's always yelling 'Clear off!', for example.
It's also very kid appropriate. If you're old and read a lot of mysteries (i.e. me), it's kind of obvious from the first chapter who is most likely to have set fire to the burnt cottage. But the suspense made sense here and wasn't the result of the children ignoring outright clear signs. (They're quite clever kids, and I enjoyed following along with their antics!) It required them to know some dark things about how people are, why they act in certain ways; so it felt appropriate that it wasn't immediately apparent to them.
I love mysteries that explore human motivations more than ones that are grand displays of a detective's brilliance. Here, Enid Blyton included really wonderful portrayals of the different adults in this village. It's a short and quick children's book, and yet a lot of the adults feel fully formed, with their own mannerisms and defects, loyalties and blind spots. There were also some parts that seemed to go beyond the children's comprehensions at this moment -- the treatment of 'the tramp' by the townsfolk, Frederick's absentee parents... etc. I'm not sure if some sort of growth happens to the kids throughout the rest of the series or if they stay perpetually young, but I do enjoy this hint of darkness lurking at the edges of their awareness.
I would have easily loved this series when I was eight. It's still very charming now. It has a fantastic sense of humour -- the 'Find-Outers' being kid-speak for detectives, naming the grumpy policeman Clear-Orf because he's always yelling 'Clear off!', for example.
It's also very kid appropriate. If you're old and read a lot of mysteries (i.e. me), it's kind of obvious from the first chapter who is most likely to have set fire to the burnt cottage. But the suspense made sense here and wasn't the result of the children ignoring outright clear signs. (They're quite clever kids, and I enjoyed following along with their antics!) It required them to know some dark things about how people are, why they act in certain ways; so it felt appropriate that it wasn't immediately apparent to them.
I love mysteries that explore human motivations more than ones that are grand displays of a detective's brilliance. Here, Enid Blyton included really wonderful portrayals of the different adults in this village. It's a short and quick children's book, and yet a lot of the adults feel fully formed, with their own mannerisms and defects, loyalties and blind spots. There were also some parts that seemed to go beyond the children's comprehensions at this moment -- the treatment of 'the tramp' by the townsfolk, Frederick's absentee parents... etc. I'm not sure if some sort of growth happens to the kids throughout the rest of the series or if they stay perpetually young, but I do enjoy this hint of darkness lurking at the edges of their awareness.
March 22, 2014
Before I choose the book, I was afraid from not completing it. I bought it in 2009 when I decided to read an english books. I read it twice but I could not complete it because of the hard vocabulary. To let you know english is my second language. Furthermore I challenged myself to read The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage even if it is children book. I liked the begging of the story when the cottage was burnt and how the 5 children and Buster the dog decided to know who burnt the cottage because they know the police man will be late from solve the crime. I knew the children will know who burnt the cottage but really I was surprised from the ending. I recommend you to read this book and I am going to read other series.
December 5, 2016
Finally, I've already finished this book. I like to read mystery book. I chose this book because I used to read books that Enid Blyton write.
This novel is easy to read because The writer, she used easy vocabulary and didn't have complex sentences. This novel is about five children and one dog. They want to find that who burnt Mr. Hick's cottage. All of them are clever and really observant. If you want to read a childreb novel with easy vocabulary and funny, I will suggest you to read this book!
This novel is easy to read because The writer, she used easy vocabulary and didn't have complex sentences. This novel is about five children and one dog. They want to find that who burnt Mr. Hick's cottage. All of them are clever and really observant. If you want to read a childreb novel with easy vocabulary and funny, I will suggest you to read this book!
August 5, 2017
This book is about 5 children who would like to find the truth about the person who burn the cottage. I enjoyed to read this book and want to be one of the find-outers too. In my opinion, I think the hero of this story is Buster if he doesn't good nose for snuff, maybe they can't find the real suspect.
March 4, 2023
Oh, the nostalgia!
This was one of the very first mystery books I ever read in my life, when I was like 8 years old, and this still slaps almost 20 years later.
This was one of the very first mystery books I ever read in my life, when I was like 8 years old, and this still slaps almost 20 years later.
April 11, 2019
It seems incredible to think that Enid Blyton, the world's sixth most popular author (right up there with Shakespeare), is virtually unknown in the United States, but so it is. Whether this strange reality is owing to the anti-American prejudice some have perceived in Blyton's work, or simply to the fact that the U.S. has a long-standing and very prolific tradition of children's series of its own, I couldn't say. But as someone with a great interest in children's literature, I have long thought that I should familiarize myself with her work.
The first entry in her Five Find-Outers and Dog series, also sometimes styled the Mystery series, which began publication in 1943, The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage introduces the reader to five young children who, together with Buster the dog, join together in a detective club. Larry and Daisy (Lawrence and Margaret Daykin), Pip and Bets (Philip and Elizabeth Hilton), and Fatty (Frederick Algernon Trotteville), join forces when horrible Mr. Hick's cottage is destroyed by fire, determined to find the culprit. As the children search for clues (or, as Bets would have it, "glues"), and interview suspects, they find themselves one step ahead of their nemesis Mr. Goon, the village bobby. Will the Find-Outers solve the mystery in time? Will the authorities pay any attention if they do?
I found this first foray into the Blyton universe moderately entertaining, and rated it at two and a half star. While I can certainly understand why children's literature scholars criticize her work - the language here was somewhat choppy, the characters rather shallow, and the narrative seemed cookie-cutter convenient - Blyton still delivers a fairly engaging story, that "reads" quickly. Some have argued that the very qualities which especially irk the critics - repetition and easy digestibility - are great aids in the acquisition of reading skills. I tend to agree.
The first entry in her Five Find-Outers and Dog series, also sometimes styled the Mystery series, which began publication in 1943, The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage introduces the reader to five young children who, together with Buster the dog, join together in a detective club. Larry and Daisy (Lawrence and Margaret Daykin), Pip and Bets (Philip and Elizabeth Hilton), and Fatty (Frederick Algernon Trotteville), join forces when horrible Mr. Hick's cottage is destroyed by fire, determined to find the culprit. As the children search for clues (or, as Bets would have it, "glues"), and interview suspects, they find themselves one step ahead of their nemesis Mr. Goon, the village bobby. Will the Find-Outers solve the mystery in time? Will the authorities pay any attention if they do?
I found this first foray into the Blyton universe moderately entertaining, and rated it at two and a half star. While I can certainly understand why children's literature scholars criticize her work - the language here was somewhat choppy, the characters rather shallow, and the narrative seemed cookie-cutter convenient - Blyton still delivers a fairly engaging story, that "reads" quickly. Some have argued that the very qualities which especially irk the critics - repetition and easy digestibility - are great aids in the acquisition of reading skills. I tend to agree.
March 27, 2024
Another new series to review wow what a start didn’t expect it to be this good
February 25, 2021
I loved this series so much as a kid and it was weird going back to it as an adult. It was also a challenging read for anyone who has a bee in their whatevers about all things PC. Lets be honest, Enid Blyton is dated-in her books the dads work fantastic jobs, rich mothers either stay at home or get their servants to deal with childcare, and the kids pretty much run riot all over the place, trespassing in the name of adventure. The local cop as usual is a child-hating idiot who couldn't find his way out of a paper bag with full instructions. Adults in general are pretty dim and never seem to spend any time with their kids. In this book, there is also a fair amount of fat shaming as Fatty is mocked for his weight, but I liked him best because he is the smartest in the group and is nicer to Bets.
However, putting it all aside, it's still a fun adventure to read. Fatty and his rich parents, with Buster the dog, move into town and he tries to make friends with local kids Larry, Daisy, Pip and Bets, who don't initially like the loudmouthed boastful new kid. But when the cottage goes on fire, the kids band together to see if they can solve the crime before the police. This involves scouting the area for clues, talking to the people at the college and following up leads. Mr Goon is there purely for comic relief and telling the kids where to go, but he is mildly amusing. I liked the way they set about solving the crime, and how the story fell into place. Niggles for me, other than spelling and grammar, include Bets being able to know the word 'rheumatism' yet is somehow incapable of saying 'clues', instead continually calling it 'glues'. That drove me a bit crazy. But overall it was fun to read again and I will read the rest of the series again at some point.
However, putting it all aside, it's still a fun adventure to read. Fatty and his rich parents, with Buster the dog, move into town and he tries to make friends with local kids Larry, Daisy, Pip and Bets, who don't initially like the loudmouthed boastful new kid. But when the cottage goes on fire, the kids band together to see if they can solve the crime before the police. This involves scouting the area for clues, talking to the people at the college and following up leads. Mr Goon is there purely for comic relief and telling the kids where to go, but he is mildly amusing. I liked the way they set about solving the crime, and how the story fell into place. Niggles for me, other than spelling and grammar, include Bets being able to know the word 'rheumatism' yet is somehow incapable of saying 'clues', instead continually calling it 'glues'. That drove me a bit crazy. But overall it was fun to read again and I will read the rest of the series again at some point.
August 5, 2024
This is the first book in Enid Blyton's "The Mystery Series", so as an Enid Blyton fan, I was anxious to read it. And it exceeded my expectations.
The story follows the Five Find-Outers and their dog trying to solve a mystery before their nasty local policeman Mr.Goon.
I really enjoyed the parts when the children find a number of suspects, and try to find out which one of them 'did it'. The story kept me in suspense because you don't really know who 'did it' until at the very end of the story, as the children keep ruling suspects out one by one. Just an amazing story,"The Mystery Series" may become one of my favorite series written by Enid Blyton!
The story follows the Five Find-Outers and their dog trying to solve a mystery before their nasty local policeman Mr.Goon.
I really enjoyed the parts when the children find a number of suspects, and try to find out which one of them 'did it'. The story kept me in suspense because you don't really know who 'did it' until at the very end of the story, as the children keep ruling suspects out one by one. Just an amazing story,"The Mystery Series" may become one of my favorite series written by Enid Blyton!
May 31, 2017
Cute but enjoyable short story from the mind of Enid Blyton. It's always a joy to read her novels - even when I disagree with a lot of the attitudes portrayed by the characters.
Look forward to reading more of this series c:
Look forward to reading more of this series c:
September 21, 2018
'The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage' is the first in the series (there are 15 titles in all) featuring the Five Find-Outers and Dog and we are introduced to the characters:
Frederick Algernon 'Fatty' Trotteville, a generous sole whose nickname comes from his initials FAT
Laurence 'Larry' Daykin, the eldest of the five and the leader in this first tale
Margaret 'Daisy' Daykin, Larry's younger sister. and the person who had the original idea for the Five Find-Outers
Philip 'Pip' Hilton, older brother of Bets
Elizabeth 'Bets' Hilton – Pip's younger sister and the youngster of the Five Find-Outers
Buster, Fatty's jet-black Scottish Terrier.
One dark April night, Larry and Daisy are getting ready for bed when they spot flames in the sky. They decide to go and investigate and as they rush out they meet their friends Pips and Daisy who are also going to see what is happening. Once at the blaze they encounter Mr Goon the local policeman who regularly tells them to 'Clear-Orf' so the children use that as his nickname. They also meet up with a new boy in the village who has his dog with him and he turns out to be Frederick Algernon Trotteville who the other four eventually nickname Fatty, after his initials. He has no grievance about his nickname for he immediately says to the others, 'I am rather fat, aren't I?' And at his school he was known as Tubby and Sausage so he resigns himself to be called Fatty in the holidays!
After some discussion they decide to form a detective club, at first intending to have just the three older children as members but eventually all five get together and Bets comes up with the name 'The Five Find-Outers and Dog'.
From then on it is all action as they investigate the cause of the fire, much to Mr Goon's disgust - he is always telling them to 'Clear-Orf' and he continues to do so, that is until a police inspector arrives and praises the children's efforts - and they search for clues, or glues as Bets calls them - 'Glues? Oh, that sounds exciting. Are glues sticky?' she asks - before she is put right by the others. In addition to the fire there is a robbery in the village and that seems to be linked to the fire so the Five Find-Outers add that to their enquiries.
They are plenty of suspects, including a tramp, local residents Horace Peeks and Mr Smellie and even Mr Hick the owner of the property. The Find-Outers interview everyone in the village and a number of glues, sorry, clues, turn up that either help or hinder the investigations.
Eventually, in a surprising turn of events, the mystery is solved and it would seem that the career of the Find-Outers is over and Daisy sums it all up with 'What an exciting week we've had. I suppose now the Find-Outers must come to an end, because we've solved the mystery!' But Fatty is more far-seeing (or he was acquainted with Enid Blyton!) as he replies, 'No. We'll still be the Five Find-Outers and Dog, because you simply never know when another mystery will come along for us to solve. We'll just wait till it comes.'
And sure enough others did come along and if they are as enjoyable as this one, they will make excellent reading!
Frederick Algernon 'Fatty' Trotteville, a generous sole whose nickname comes from his initials FAT
Laurence 'Larry' Daykin, the eldest of the five and the leader in this first tale
Margaret 'Daisy' Daykin, Larry's younger sister. and the person who had the original idea for the Five Find-Outers
Philip 'Pip' Hilton, older brother of Bets
Elizabeth 'Bets' Hilton – Pip's younger sister and the youngster of the Five Find-Outers
Buster, Fatty's jet-black Scottish Terrier.
One dark April night, Larry and Daisy are getting ready for bed when they spot flames in the sky. They decide to go and investigate and as they rush out they meet their friends Pips and Daisy who are also going to see what is happening. Once at the blaze they encounter Mr Goon the local policeman who regularly tells them to 'Clear-Orf' so the children use that as his nickname. They also meet up with a new boy in the village who has his dog with him and he turns out to be Frederick Algernon Trotteville who the other four eventually nickname Fatty, after his initials. He has no grievance about his nickname for he immediately says to the others, 'I am rather fat, aren't I?' And at his school he was known as Tubby and Sausage so he resigns himself to be called Fatty in the holidays!
After some discussion they decide to form a detective club, at first intending to have just the three older children as members but eventually all five get together and Bets comes up with the name 'The Five Find-Outers and Dog'.
From then on it is all action as they investigate the cause of the fire, much to Mr Goon's disgust - he is always telling them to 'Clear-Orf' and he continues to do so, that is until a police inspector arrives and praises the children's efforts - and they search for clues, or glues as Bets calls them - 'Glues? Oh, that sounds exciting. Are glues sticky?' she asks - before she is put right by the others. In addition to the fire there is a robbery in the village and that seems to be linked to the fire so the Five Find-Outers add that to their enquiries.
They are plenty of suspects, including a tramp, local residents Horace Peeks and Mr Smellie and even Mr Hick the owner of the property. The Find-Outers interview everyone in the village and a number of glues, sorry, clues, turn up that either help or hinder the investigations.
Eventually, in a surprising turn of events, the mystery is solved and it would seem that the career of the Find-Outers is over and Daisy sums it all up with 'What an exciting week we've had. I suppose now the Find-Outers must come to an end, because we've solved the mystery!' But Fatty is more far-seeing (or he was acquainted with Enid Blyton!) as he replies, 'No. We'll still be the Five Find-Outers and Dog, because you simply never know when another mystery will come along for us to solve. We'll just wait till it comes.'
And sure enough others did come along and if they are as enjoyable as this one, they will make excellent reading!
June 19, 2018
Going back to days of carefreeness, the Series is Definitely one of my favorite when it comes to children's book. Read it whenever you want something light hearted to read. For some, it may be non realistic, hypothetical storyline, but come on! That's why we read books right?
Short, precise story, with a new plot twist in almost every chapter, it delivers what is takes to be called a mystery story to a decent level.
Short, precise story, with a new plot twist in almost every chapter, it delivers what is takes to be called a mystery story to a decent level.
February 27, 2019
Adventuristic
July 18, 2022
Melhor personagem: Bé Fax
December 25, 2012
The review is about all the 15 books of the series. They're all pretty much the same after all. The writing is awful, all books begin and end in the same way and the characters are stereotypical: the genius boy that does everything right, the smart girl who would probably be even smarter if she was a boy, and three more kids who have essentially supporting roles proving that the first boy is a prodigy! Still, there is something about these books which never stops fascinating me. I'm going back to them over and over again even today, many years after I've reached adulthood. Although I recognize their weaknesses, although I see the flawed ideas behind many seemingly innocent sentences, I can't help but enjoying them every time I pick one of them up to read it for 1000th time!
September 19, 2025
A nice start to the series. I get the impression that this one was aimed at younger readers than the more mature 'Secret' and 'Adventure' series, it just felt a bit childish and simple at times. None the less, a good mystery, good detective work and a nice twist at the end. 3 stars.
November 6, 2016
** Books 287 - 2016 **
3 of 5 stars!
I expect more from this children detective story but i think it is good enough for me :)
Thank you Bookmate!
3 of 5 stars!
I expect more from this children detective story but i think it is good enough for me :)
Thank you Bookmate!
July 13, 2025
Published in 1943, this introduced the "Five Find-Outers", Larry, Daisy, Pip, Bets and the unfortunately nicknamed Fatty, together with Buster the dog. This first book in the 15-book series establishes the characters (Fatty is clever but boastful, Bets is the youngest so a bit of a baby, the others virtually indistinguishable) and stupid village policeman "Old Clear-Orf", or P.C.Goon to his superiors. Enid Blyton wasn't trying to be Agatha Christie, and the "mystery" isn't exactly Murder of Roger Ackroyd-level complexity but still a great nostalgic read, even though (at a distance of nearly 60 years) I still remembered whodunnit.
August 17, 2022
Очень рекомендую эту книгу людям, которые тоже изучают иностранные языки. Почему?
Потому, что книги, написанные для детей, - это две вещи. Во первых, у нас нет никаких описаний природы, или как какой-то человек выглядит над луна. Нет. У нас просто действия, и много. Это очень важно, чтобы помочь нам сосредоточиться на какой-то книге. Во вторых, язык в этих книгах попроще, чем книгах для взрослых (конечно же лол) но намного (!!) сложнее, чем "graded readers". Поэтому, сильно рекомендую эту книгу и книги, которые похожие на эту.
Потому, что книги, написанные для детей, - это две вещи. Во первых, у нас нет никаких описаний природы, или как какой-то человек выглядит над луна. Нет. У нас просто действия, и много. Это очень важно, чтобы помочь нам сосредоточиться на какой-то книге. Во вторых, язык в этих книгах попроще, чем книгах для взрослых (конечно же лол) но намного (!!) сложнее, чем "graded readers". Поэтому, сильно рекомендую эту книгу и книги, которые похожие на эту.
January 12, 2018
Pertama ketemu Fatty, lucu juga. Masih anak-anak banget semuanya. Ketika disuruh tutup mulut karena jelas sekali sombongnya, Fatty masih tersinggung. Dibuku-buku selanjutnya Fatty sudah agak cool kalau digitukan, sedang Larry dkk juga sudah tidak terlalu sebal kalau Fatty sudah mulai menyombongkan diri lagi.
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