Please Read Notes: Brand New, International Softcover Edition, Printed in black and white pages, minor self wear on the cover or pages, Sale restriction may be printed on the book, but Book name, contents, and author are exactly same as Hardcover Edition. Fast delivery through DHL/FedEx express.
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.
Even better than the Famous Five , this is the first book in Enid Blyton's 'Mystery ' series. Roger, Diana, Snubby and Barney plus Loony the dog and Miranda the monkey explore a deserted mansion and plunge headlong into their first adventure. Just as wonderful now as when I read it several times as a child.
I've read Famous Five Series way back when I was a child and I've read it numerous times. This series is new to me. My daughter and I have read this story together and we both loved it.
A very enjoyable novel, if a bit tame. The characters all seem like a nice bunch, especially Barney whose fun demeanour and aura of mystery means he is deserving of having the series named after himself. The general mystery doesn't quite live up to Blyton's 'Secret Series', which utilise derelict buildings, underground passages and smuggling rings much better. But this does feel like a very warm and enjoyable story so I'm giving it three stars.
CW: Hints of era typical sexism. Nothing overt, but it's there if you're paying attention.
Expanded Plot Summary: Three cousins and dog go on vacation and meet wandering circus boy with pet monkey.
1. This might actually be one of Blyton's better written books? The kids all have personalities, even if they mostly consist of them ribbing each other all the time. It's often pretty funny. The adults in the story are actually pretty great too- they are competent- they just didn't figure things out before the kids did. The weakest character in here is Barney, who's practically perfect in every way. I do dislike it when an ensemble cast becomes a one man show.
2. The animals are great, especially Loony. He's drawn so vividly on the pages and most scenes involving him are told with a very wet sense of humor.
3. Snubby "hadn't much opinion of women" and yeah that checks out. This trait is conveniently dropped in the later books, but it doesn't make him any less annoying in this one. Diana, the only girl of the ensemble, is usually the one who both volunteers to do and does all of the housework. None of this is a dealbreaker but this book was written in the late 1940s so it's pretty interesting to see the acceptable norms of the day on screen.
4. You can also tell it's an old book because "gay" and "queer" are used multiple times in the non-lgbt context.
5. It's a pretty unremarkable mystery, but the have some cool imagery associated with them.
Subjective (3 stars) v. Objective (4 stars) Rating: It was entertaining and occasionally funny and overall a pretty good book for kids I think. Points cut for the internalized sexism and Snubby being a malicious jackass.
Is people going to be mad of me if I said I never read this book as s child? I hope not!
I love this book. Every events have its values and I can see it. At first, I really hate Loony. In fact, if I ever encounter a kid like Loony, I'd dislike that kid as well. Up to all sorts of tricks almost all the time, I find that Loony is annoying. But as I keep reading it, he can be a nice kid. It's just he lacks attention and some people are just like that, annoying 😂
Tāda normāla bērnu/jauniešu grāmata. Nevaru teikt, ka dēls būtu mega aizrāvies, bet beigas viņam patika - tad jau bija vērts. Man pašam jau šķiet, ka visas šīs bērnu piedzīvojumu grāmatas ir ļoti līdzīgas ar pārāk vienkāršiem atrisinājumiem, bet varu derēt, ka savā bērnībā ar kaifu būtu lasījis.
A recent find in a box of childhood memorabilia...that early love of reading, with the help of Enid Blyton came flooding back. A must reread! My edition was 1966.
Roger, Diana and Snubby thought these would be the most boring holidays ever - staying in a sleepy village with coaching to catch up on schoolwork every day. But that was before they met Barney, the circus boy searching for his father, and his pet monkey Miranda, and discovered the decaying old manor house - and heard the strange noises in the night...
The Barney series is one of Enid Blyton’s best, and most sophisticated. Roger, Diana and Snubby are variants of her usual plucky, sensible middle-class children - but more subtly drawn than usual. Roger isn’t just the oldest and in charge, his real sense of responsibility comes across. Diana is a mix of teenage moodiness and kind-heartedness, while Snubby is clearly the product of an upbringing shunted around between school and relatives. And then there’s Barney, self-reliant and mature, yet wistfully longing to find his father. The scenes where Diana takes charge in a practical way or Barney sits in the window seat following the others’ lessons use Blyton’s usual simple language but subtly show us their characters.
In this first of the series, the mystery unfolds gradually, as the children explore Rockingdown and discover the manor house. The picture of a decaying, neglected house and the sad story the children uncover about its past is a striking one. The mystery has a real sense of menace to it, and we’re left in no doubt that these are serious criminals, though Roger, Diana and Snubby never see that behind their exciting adventure lie boxes of guns and people who are capable of using them.
The Barney series is also about families and parents, centred on Barney and his quest to find his father, though that is only hinted at here, as he reads Shakespeare as the only way he has to get close to his actor father. But the theme runs through the book - at the very start Roger and Diana are alone, with their parents away; the story of Rockingdown Manor is a sad one of parents who lose their children; the villain is a son-in-law who abuses the trust of his law-abiding father-in-law; by the end of the book Miss Pepper, Barney and Snubby have all become part of Roger and Diana’s found family. And at one point the children are extremely glad to hand over to a responsible adult who can parent them.
With the evocative atmosphere of the abandoned manor house with a table left ready for a meal and ivy and other greenery covering everything outside and its strong and interesting characters, this is one of Blyton’s best.
This is the first in yet another Blyton series, this one known either as the "R mysteries" or the "Barney" books, after lead character Barney, a wandering fairhand/circus boy whom siblings Roger and Diana, together with annoying cousin Snubby, meet while staying for the holidays in a cottage in the village of Rockingdown. I read most of these as a kid, and loved them, but for some reason never had this one. It reads like it was pitched at a slightly older readership than most of her books - the kids are a bit older (Barney himself is fourteen) and the backstory is darker -Snubby has lost both his parents and Barney is searching for his father who walked out on his now dead mother when Barney was a few months old. This time we have not one but two memorable pets - Snubby's appropriately named spaniel Loony and Barney's monkey, named Miranda by her Shakespeare-loving owner. There's the usual dated sexism - at one point Diana puts a pocket handkerchief on her head and sets about spring cleaning the abandoned manor house while the boys have fun checking out the toys in the nursery. A few other little period details might raise an eyebrow (their tutor Mr King takes out a cigarette after breakfast and puffs away happily, blissfully unaware of the perils of passive smoking) and overall it was an enjoyably nostalgic read.
(FYI I tend to only review one book per series, unless I want to change my scoring by 0.50 or more of a star. -- I tend not to read reviews until after I read a book, so I go in with an open mind.)
I decided to make a 'childhood favourites' shelf for those books I grew up enjoying.
First time read the author's work?: No
Will you be reading more?: Yes
Would you recommend?: Yes
------------ How I rate Stars: 5* = I loved (must read all I can find by the author) 4* = I really enjoyed (got to read all the series and try other books by the author). 3* = I enjoyed (I will continue to read the series) or 3* = Good book just not my thing (I realised I don't like the genre or picked up a kids book to review in error.)
All of the above scores means I would recommend them! - 2* = it was okay (I might give the next book in the series a try, to see if that was better IMHO.) 1* = Disliked
Note: adding these basic 'reviews' after finding out that some people see the stars differently than I do - hoping this clarifies how I feel about the book. :-)
A new Blyton series I never read as a child! Pity, because I would have enjoyed it, just like I enjoyed the Famous Five and the Adventure series. I liked the characters, although Roger and Diana were a bit generic. I loved the overeager Stubby and his dog Looney, though. Having one of the group (Barney) be from a very different social class was an interesting twist, and I look forward to seeing how Barney's story progresses.
The book kind of reminded me of Five Go Adventuring Again, with the children spending the holidays at a house with adult supervision and a tutor so they can catch up with their school work. A suspicious tutor, too, although I won't say any more about that.
For a first book of a series, where we are still learning how the characters behave together, we spent a lot of time with the main characters separated, each following their own story line.
The adventure was fine. The children never went on holiday on their own, so it was more of a mystery/crime adventure kind of story. I wonder if that's going to be a regular feature of the series.
Baca ulang buku ini dalam rangka membaca ulang buku-buku Enid Blyton.
Dulu beli buku ini tahun 2010, di bookfair Jakarta, yang masih diselenggarakan di Istora Senayan. Sumpah kangen banget sama bookfair di Istora. Entah kenapa 'feel'nya beda sama bookfair di JCC. Dulu waktu masih di istora, banyak toko-toko buku jadul yang ikut buka stand di sana. beberapa kali dapet buku anak klasik cetakan lama dengan harga murah (tetapi waktu tahun 2010 dan masih mahasiswa, harga segitu masih berasa lumayan mahal sih, hehehe).
Kenapa jadi cerita tentang bookfair?
Ceritanya sendiri cukup menarik, walaupun udah pernah baca, tetapi ternyata saya benar-benar lupa dengan isinya. Tentang empat orang anak yang menemukan gedung tua yang kelihatannya tidak terpakai, tetapi ternyata masih digunakan untuk tindak kriminal. Mencurigai seseorang yang kenyataannya malah pihak berwajib yang ditugaskan menyelidiki tindak kriminal tersebut. Formulanya mirip-miriplah dengan cerita Enid Blyton yang lain.
Re-read a childhood favourite. Very exciting and quite dangerous adventures for children. Barney is a mystery himself,he's been sleeping rough,the explanation is he is looking for his long lost father and has left the circus with his pet monkey,Miranda. Roger,Diana and Snubby are on holiday with their governess however are still having lessons from a tutor. The tutor is acting very suspiciously and the children are very wary. Snubby has a spaniel called Loony who is a joy as he runs about mad and gets up to a lot of mischief to the joy of the children. The mystery involves an abandoned mansion with a sad story behind it. The children get into the mansion and Barney sleeps there at night,he starts to hear noises and eventually he goes missing. Maybe a bit old fashioned but that does not detract from an exciting and quite scary adventure with adorable characters.
Zaman kecil dahulu, jelas saya sudah pernah membaca dan memiliki buku ini. Namun karena dipinjam tapi tidak dikembalikan oleh salah satu saudara (plus banyak buku yang lain), begitu menemukan di lapak daring dengan harga bersahabat, langsung tertarik untuk membelinya.
Ini merupakan buku pertama dari serial Komplotan. Dalam kisah ini untuk pertama kalinya anak-anak yang menjadi tokoh utama dalam cerita bertemu. Roger dan Diana yang merupakan kakak adik, berserta sepupu mereka yang dipanggil Snubby, dengan Barney. Snubby memelihara anjing-Sinting namanya, sementara Barney memelihara monyet yang diberi nama Miranda.
Begitulah, namanya juga kisah untuk anak-anak. Kalau dipikir-pikir, nekat juga ya, anak-anak melawan orang dewasa walau ada bantuan dari Miranda dan Sinting. Saat kecil dulu tak terpikirkan bahaya yang mereka hadapi.
This is one of my favorite Enid Blyton series. It's not very well known and not widely reprinted as far as I know. I only knew of it from very old books at our school library. I only completed the series as an adult by finding used books on ebay.
The children in this series are 2 siblings, their cousin, his dog and a circus boy and his pet monkey. You may say that the cousin/dog and circus boy/monkey is the gimmick in the series. This is one of my favorite series because I feel it's better written, has more mystery and more depth than some other series. This is also called the "R" series because all the books start with R.
Chtěla jsem změnu a hlavně přečíst i knížky, ke kterým jsem se v dětství nedostala, ale na poličkách stále čekají. Tato kniha, ač je určena mladším čtenářům umí vtáhnout do děje lehkou dějovou linkou, ve které se objeví i napětí a nebezpečí. Je to něco jiného, než ten dospělý stereotyp - tady je vše rychle vyřešeno bez jakýchkoli průtahů. Takže jako oddychové čtení to není pro dospělé čtenáře vůbec špatné a mladší to musí posoudit sami, ale věřím, že se jim to bude líbit a sáhnou po dalších dílech.
I don't remember much about the content anymore, but I know that books of Enid Blyton were on my bookshelf at my childhood. It was mostly mystery that was captivating and round characters (fully developed). I remember that the ending was always something that I didn't see coming and that is what I liked - this unexpected plot twist and how everything fits together.
I'm sure that this and other books from the collection would be interesting to re-read or read for a bit older people. It doesn't have to be only children's literature to enjoy a fine writing.
A solid introduction to the ‘Barney’ (or ‘R’) mystery series. Standard Blyton characters Roger and Diana are superseded by their mischievous cousin Snubby, vagabond circus boy Barney and his monkey Miranda, and of course Snubby’s (actually Blyton’s daughters’) memorably madcap dog Loony.
Bought this book on eBay . I am 56 and read this as a10 or 11 year old. This edition is from 1956 with a few gorgeous illustrations in it . I never intended rereading it but this lockdown makes time For all kinds of things so I did and it was an innocent joy.
Enid Blyton is a talented writer - indeed she is my favourite author! My 10 year old son read this book and said, "Mum, you really have to read this book. It's so exciting!" I found it to be a great read, with the mystery unfolding bit by bit and a satisfying ending.
I can remember really enjoying the "Barney mysteries" when I was young and delighted to find them available on kindle. Just as enjoyable, Barney the circus boy and young Snubby are delightful characters along with their pets, Miranda the monkey and Loony the dog!
I never read this series when I was growing up. What a great story and good characters too. Enid Blyton knew how to write so many different stories and I still find ones I've never heard of before. I need more EB books on my shelves.
What I don't understand is how something so big and noisy could have happened for months in a quiet village at night without anybody noticing anything.