The Mystery of the Strange Bundle: Book 10

The Five Find-Outers #10

by Enid Blyton

The Find-Outers is a clever mystery series from bestselling author Enid Blyton, and perfect for fans of The Secret Seven.

There's been a robbery at Mr Fellows's house, but nothing has been stolen. It's the most peculiar mystery yet for Fatty, Larry, Daisy, Pip, Bets and Buster the dog! And it's the perfect case for Fatty to practice his new skill of ventriloquism.

First published in 1952, this edition contains the orginal text and is unillustrated.

Genres: Childrens, Mystery, Fiction, Adventure, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Novels

257 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1952

About the author

See 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

Reviews

[Nandakishore Mridula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another nostalgic remembrance. My first "Find-Outer" novel. Nothing great, but this introduced me to Enid Blyton's mysteries. I was rather attached to Fatty, as I was also somewhat portly. :D

[Kavita · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book, Fatty and Co. take on a mysterious scar-faced man. Goon and Fatty have a scuffle, but it all ends badly for the policeman and on a good note for the children. This book has a special place in my heart because it was my first ever Find Outer book. It's also great fun, and one of my favourite Blyton scenes is in this book. Fatty and Goon explore the house and hear all kinds of strange noises. It's downright hilarious!

[Teresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was quite boring. The mystery is hardly a mystery at all and takes place late on in the book. The children have been ill with flu at the beginning and we're treated to a lot about them recovering. Fatty has a new talent, he is now practicing ventriloquism and of course he's wonderful!! at it. His story was tiresome again in this book. Once again Mr Goon comes out of it in a bad light. Definitely not one of the best of the series!

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

The tenth entry in Enid Blyton's Five Find-Outers and Dog series, in which a group of British schoolchildren play detective on their holidays, The Mystery of the Strange Bundle sees Fatty, Larry, Daisy, Pip and Bets involved in a puzzling case of house-breaking. When Larry and Daisy's neighbor, Mr. Fellows, disappears, leaving behind a scene of utter chaos, burglary is suspected, and the Find-Outers are immediately on the case. What was the thief looking for? Where had Mr. Fellows gone, and what was in the strange bundle he'd taken with him? Could it have anything to do with the little red mitten Fatty had found in his house? And would the children discover the secret before their nemesis, police bobby Mr. Goon?

I enjoyed this installment of the series, particularly the scenes where Fatty uses his new ventriloquism skills to play tricks on the pompous Mr. Goon. As mentioned in my reviews of some of the other Five Find-Outers and Dog books, these aren't terribly original (or plausible) stories, nor are they particularly well-written. But the humor, when Blyton gets it right, can be infectious, and the characters appealing.

I did feel that the resolution of the mystery was a little too much in the "world conspiracy involving ALL the traditional bugaboos of the upper-class British mind-set" vein. It reminded me a bit of the conspiracy uncovered in Agatha Christie's N or M? , in which everything from Irish Republicanism to labor unrest was depicted as being part of one monolithic whole. In a similar fashion, the nameless intelligence agent here reflects upon all the fifth column activity going on, including all those "people undermining every industry in our country - provoking strikes, sabotage, anything that would harm Britain." The idea that strikes occur because of unjust labor practices was (and probably still is) somewhat difficult for a certain demographic to grasp. Ah well!

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's so hard to believe that this book (and the rest of the series) was written over 60 years ago and yet is still being read by children around the world. This was the book that compelled me to launch a quest to track down and obtain all the other books in the series. I read this book when I was around 11 and I enjoyed it a lot. In fact I enjoyed it so much that I bought the rest of the series. So far out of the 5 or 6 that I have read (yes I know I should be ashamed) this was the story that really stuck in my memory. I will get down to reading the rest (before they rot in my shelf) and maybe I'll review those then.

[Vinay Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book because Fatty's voices and Goon's reaction to them are absolutely hilarious, and made me laugh out loud. From the series, I wouldn't say this is one of my favorite books. It's an okay read, the "bundle" comes into the picture quite late in the story, and well, the mystery doesn't really feel "mysterious" most of the time. But it was fun.

[Deity World · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is it me or are the last few books bland and boring

[Lady Clementina ffinch-ffarowmore]

Findouters Challenge: Book 10. Christmas Holidays again but the Findouters are all down with the flu passed on by Bets (much to Mr Goon’s delight). Bets upset about being the cause of the others’ woes spends her time and money cheering them up. When she spends the day at Fatty’s house, he shows off his newest skill―ventriloquism. As soon as the children are well enough to get outdoors again, a robbery occurs in a house near Larry’s, and the owner Mr Fellowes is seen escaping in his dressing gown and pyjamas with only a bundle in his hand. Mr Fellowes soon returns and insists he had gone of his own volition only to visit a friend, and nothing has been stolen. But before Mr Fellowes’ return, the children (and Mr Goon) have already begun investigating and the only clues they’ve found are some footprints and a very small red glove. And while the children may not have started off tricking Mr Goon in this one, Fatty soon enough uses his ventriloquism and disguises to lead poor Goon on a bit of a wild goose chase, with the result that poor Goon thinks the real clues he finds are only a trick the children played. So it is upto the findouters again to put two and two together and solve the mystery of the strange bundle.

As far as food and eating is concerned, this one was pretty much overflowing with it. Fatty and in fact all the others having recovered from the flu seem famished all the time and are happy to eat helping after helping of their dinners and suppers besides scrumptious teas and hot chocolate and endless macaroons at the dairy, and then some ore when they come back home. It makes one positively hungry :) Mr Goon I again felt rather sorry for in this one―his reaction to the tricks played on him was certainly a little extreme (him being an adult and a policeman) but the children do tend to take their tricks a little too far. The mystery I thought was also one their more interesting ones, with the children really applying their minds to Mr Fellowes strange behaviour and equally strange clues that this mystery has thrown up attempting to work out what they could all mean―in the process applying all their skills (Fatty’s marvellous disguises included). The solution too was quite interesting though overall the end doesn’t leave one feeling entirely satisfied. This time it turns out to be Buster who plays a key part. A somewhat unusual mystery but still good fun. Three and a half stars.

[Musab Abuasi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Musab Abuasi Nov-3-2014
8-Purple Mr.Wehbi


This a story about 5 kids called the Find Outers who got the flu and are on christmas vacation. They complain that they can't solve mysteries because they have the flu. When they get better they find out their neighbor, Mr. Fellows, house is trashed and there is nobody there to be found. Mr.Goon, a police officer, hates the kids because they steal his job every mystery. Witnesses say that Mr.Fellows ran out carrying a bundle in his hand, and the robber stole nothing. One Day, Mr.Goon is sick of Fatty's(One of the find outers) tricks to lead him off the mystery after Mr.Goon was fishing for clues(literally) and stuffs a sack he found near the river down Fatty's throat(literally). A scarred man was also fishing and was very satisfied with what he saw. The Find outers get all the clothes out of Fatty's throat and discover some very interesting clues. According to the police commissioner, the clothes belonged to a secret government agent who gathered secret information from other countries and cities that has been kidnapped and Mr. Fellows was his apprentice. The information was hidden inside the clothes, but the scarred man steals them for the information. But their dog (buster) hid one piece of clothing in the dirt. It had all the information inside. The commissioner thanked the kids and left. They all had a cup of tea with Mr.Goon and live to mystery another day.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got to like this one for just how far-fetched it is. Also how yet again Fatty has learnt a new skill that consistently is at the forefront of the mystery

Ventriloquism and children saving England from traitors - what else can you ask for?

[Kajoli Tankha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful
I still re-read the Enid blyton books and this series is my favorite. Glad they are available in Kindle. Such perfect escapism

[Ali Molenaar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pure nostalgie. Ik heb ze allemaal gelezen in mijn jeugd, maar ik weet er niet veel meer van.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just when the Five Find Outers think they won't have a mystery to solve in the Christmas hols, strange things happen. Another enjoyable read.

[miné · Rating 3 out of 5]

Awalnya karena semua anak-anak pada flu pas liburan natal, mereka ngirain gak bakal ada kasus atau misteri yang terjadi. Ternyata ada dong! Ada kasus pencurian di rumah Pak Fellows, tetangga rumah Larry & Daisy. Anehnya walau itu rumah kemasukan maling tapi nggak ada satu pun barang yang diambil. Sampai kemudian Pak Goon si polisi desa menemukan bungkusan di sungai dan ngirain bungkusan itu adalah hasil keisengan Fatty dkk.

Judulnya misteri bungkusan aneh, tapi bungkusan anehnya muncul di hampir setengah bagian menuju akhir ceritanya. Seperti biasanya gue walau gak suka Pak Goon, tapi kadang keisengan Fatty agak di luar nalar dah. Kali ini Fatty belajar teknik pemindahan suara buat ngerjain Pak Goon. Udahlah Pak penisun dini aja dah kalo ngadepin anak kayak si Fatty. Tapi untungnya Fatty sendiri mengaku kalo prank dia kali ini tuh agak ter-la-lu (nada Rhoma Irama), jadi sudah sewajarnya kalo si Fatty dapet konsekuensi juga atas perbuatannya.

[Kirsti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really felt like reading another Enid book after yesterday, and these are I think the second under appreciated series of her books. Fatty, Bets, Larry, Daisy and Pip stare in this one, along with Buster the Scottie dog. The police man Goon is always there, bumbling along and making it easy for the oh so smart kids to solve the mystery every time. There's a few laughs and a bit of fun, lovely food described, what's not to love about an Enid Blyton book?

[Jake Collins · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very poorly conceived, and often incredibly silly.

[Aakanksha Padmanabhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Our Five Findouters are down with the flu with only a few days of holidays left. They are bored and in need of excitement, but chances of stumbling across one seems impossible. However they stumble across a simple burglary case, which as it turns is not so simple at all. The children soon get wrapped in this strange mystery which more often than not leads to a dead end. Will they be able to solve this case before they go back to school or will Mr. Goon finally is able to solve one case without the unlawful meddling of the five find outers and the dogs as he claims.

This book like all others starts with Fatty having learnt a new skill, Ventriloquism, which the children test out on Mr. Goon. It is fun to see them mess around with him and having pure childlike fun. An innocence which seems to strike chord with me. We all have that one adult who seemed to always be fun to mess around with. That adult has always had problems with us no matter what we may or maynot have done and always is on a watch to get us in trouble. Messing with them is always fun.

This mystery unlike other mysteries is not very big or fleshed out. It was just a chance for milkmen finding out the house to have been roughed up and calling the police to tell them about the same. It soon opens into a much bigger plot.This mystery has the five find outers scratching their head, nothing is clear and no one is ready to shine a light on the same. Was it a kidnapping case or a simple robbery. Was the thief looking for something in particular or was he trying to hurt the owner. And why did the owner of the house run away in the middle of the night? The children are stumped and decide to let go of the case as it seems impossible to solve it before the school opens. As always Mr. Goon comes to the children's aid. When totally stumped he comes across the bag of clues and conveniently shoves it down Fatty's throat.

This book unlike the others doesn't have big disguises or hiding and collecting information, but it is super fun to read. I loved this book as it was always a mystery to us and the children as to what exactly happened. night. It was also a race against the clock as the children had to solve the mystery not only before Mr. Goon but also before their school reopens.

My favourite character is Fatty, he keeps on learning new things. And they are not exactly curricular limited, it is just something which caught his eyes and he wants to delve deeper into the topic. I believe I am somewhat like Fatty, learning everything other than school work. The other characters also retain their characteristics, with Bets always worshiping Fatty, Daisy read to help them with anything. Pip being the big brother he is always teasing little Bets and Mr. Goon is always in a rush to solve the mystery before the kids and committing a big blunder and making himself look like a fool in the end. This book is mainly written for children and I am not even its target audience, yet I fell in love with it. It was a simple book. The mystery has a smooth ending with everything getting sorted out and as always Mr. Goon is left feeling like a stupid person. I will be giving this book 3 stars, for its simplistic nature, fun pranks and providing the mystery with a neat ending

[Paul Barnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

[Dragon] (1974). SB. Reprint. 139 Pages. Purchased from G.D. Price.

Book 10 (1952) in a series of 15 (1943-1961).

Illustrated with poorly executed line drawings. Of shoddy quality, but beyond Tracey Emin.

Lacking in a few caricatures, for instance, there’s no working class child to be tolerated and patronised. The villian’s spot on, though:

“Big dark fellow - got a scar down his cheek, and something wrong with one eye. Not a nice piece of work at all, he wasn’t…”

The Five Find-Outers enjoy another spiffing adventure; ludicrously plotted. “Fatty’s” action-central; his infantile acolytes gaze on in loving admiration. Trespass, misappropriation of evidence, wasting police time ensue.

“Fatty always bruised very well, and was very ready to exhibit the best ones…”

“It was a very fine tea - hot, new-made scones, sweet and buttery, strawberry jam, bread and butter, and potted salmon and shrimp paste, small ginger buns, short-bread biscuits, and, of course, the large chocolate sponge, which had a thick cream filling… They all went down to the kitchen and gave them three cheers for their good tea. The two maids were tickled and pleased. ‘Go on with you,’ said the cook…”

Utterly nauseating!

This is a “Red Dragon” tale for “Younger boys and girls”. “Poppy-cock”, “asinine”, “casement”… a stretch for some modern English teachers.

[Malakye Abel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enid Blyton wrote almost 800 books in her life. Although I have tried reading a bunch of them, I don't think they are all equally good. The Mystery of the Strange Bundle is worth 4 stars. The five children once again tackle a mystery that implies beating Mr. Goon to the punch. He is on the track too. Mr. Goon unfortunately isn't very bright and creates more problems than he solves, much to the five’s delight. Enid Blyton could have written this series a little more flamboyantly, but nevertheless, I have enjoyed reading it. After all, you cannot compare an early 20th century author to the standards of today. For me this story isn't super challenging to read (it was what I had in my house during Covid), but a joyous one. Though all it takes is a book that you enjoy for it to be worth your time. There have been books I have had to stop reading half way through, but thankfully this series wasn't that. Enid Blyton is a uniquely steadfast author who always seems to impress a particular audience well. Part of the reason she has become so world renowned. Keep up the good work - oh wait, she passed in 1968.

[Ahaana Javeri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, out of many mystery books that I have read, is one of the best.

This is the Tenth book of the Five Find-Outers. I suggest reading them in order or at least the first book prior to reading this one so that you are acquainted with the Five Find-Outers and how they got to know each other and form their mystery club.

This book is a lovely mystery book. When I read the book I thought that the mystery would never end. As Bets had given the flu to all the Find-Outers and their holidays were almost over, I was wondering what the solution of the mystery could be and if it would be solved in time.
In usual mystery novels the mystery gets obvious really fast, but this one put me on the edge of the seat the whole time.

In the book, Enid Blyton has described the setting and the characters really well. For instance he has even described the type of sole on the shoe that Mr. Fellow, Larry and Daisy's neighbour was wearing. Every little thing is described.

In conclusion, since the book was so captivating I really recommend that you should read itto know how the Find-Outers solve the mystery!

Happy Mystery Solving!

- Ahaana Javeri

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Five Find-Outers have spent the holidays suffering from flu - but don’t worry, it’s not too late for them to solve a mystery when they hear about a burgled house. Where is the owner - and what happened to the bundle he carried out of the house?

This is an unusual Find Outers book, with the mystery occupying a relatively small part of the book and turning out to be part of a bigger picture of postwar espionage that belongs more in the Barney mysteries IMHO. But spending time with the FFO is always pleasant, though this time Fatty is especially annoying in playing pranks on Goon that today would rightly be called gaslighting.

[Raphaela Strohmayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

So i really didnt know if I would finish this book but after 20 or so pages, I got really intrigued. The Mystery didnt arrive immediatly, first Fatty and his friends find out about a burglary without anything stolen and from then on they follow the clues and find out what might have happend, and they themselves become victims of theft! It really was a great story! Its hard to believe it was written almost 80 years ago, so good!

[Saffron Mavros · Rating 5 out of 5]

For young minds, these books proved to be so thrilling, the zest, the tumble into adventures, cracking puzzles, finding clues and finally putting criminals and robbers behind bars!

The mystery series were one of the best series in the Enid Blyton collection. The English highlands, and moors, the prolific city life and the extremely enigmatic children finding their way around, made for some of the best reads as a kid.

[Aine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always part of my comfort reading, the Five Find-Outers... this one is great for the focus on the tormented PC Goon.

Speaking of PC, as ever, nothing at all PC about Enid Blyton's books, but we can't judge them through today's lens, and they engage me as much now as they did nearly 40 years ago.

And FFO are MUCH less sexist and plain annoying than Peter and his Secret Seven crew :-)

[William Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Find Outers crack another case in an always entertaining, clever series. This entry spends several chapters just warming up, plot wise—the kids all recovering from the flu and “feeding up”…but Fatty entertains even here by practicing his new trick of ventriloquism, and toying with the ever-frustrated and gullible Officer Goon.

[Tiina · Rating 4 out of 5]

From time to time, I like to read books from my childhood. The mystery series is more about detecting than the Five series and I've been partial to them. This is a good mystery and all ends well - except for the villains.

[Derelict Space Sheep · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another mystery stumbled upon and solved largely by chance, the investigation aided by a fortuitous discovery arising from Fatty’s having played a prank on Goon! The usual fun but not very satisfying. Fatty at last has some comeuppance for all his Goon-baiting.

[Addina · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the few books I’ve read, which when I read it back is like nostalgic. I love this book because it makes me laugh. This book is interesting because it seems like the readers are in every case of mystery that can be solved.

[Ruvi Perera · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was a burglary in one of the neighboring houses of Larry. And the children find a mitten. The man of the house is missing and the house has been turned upside down. Five find outers and the dog are trying to find out what happened to the man and who is the burglar. Simply loved the story!

[Nathania Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been quite a while since I read my last Enid Blyton book. Mystery series is one of my favourite series of her and I think I will never become too old for Enid Blyton books. Loved the story, and the humour she put into this.