What do you think?
Rate this book
Treffpunkt Keller
Tom and Bob both wish they had a happy settled family like the Mackenzies next door, and as they spend more time away from their unhappy homes, they discover 'The Four Terrors' and their secret hideout. But trouble soon comes their way when they join the gang.
Three friends from different families live next door to each other and go to the same school. When two of the boys join a gang that meets in a cellar under a derelict house, they soon find that trouble is not far behind.
Three friends from different families live next door to each other and go to the same school. When two of the boys join a gang that meets in a cellar under a derelict house, they soon find that trouble is not far behind.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1951
9 people are currently reading
199 people want to read
About the author
Enid Blyton
5,134 books6,318 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
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
October 25, 2012
Oh my. Oh golly, oh god, oh why.
I read this book when I was very young- young enough to understand every bit of it. I remember this book with awe- it is truly one of the best books I remember reading. It is not happy and obviously a moral-type of book where everything ends nicely because of peoples efforts- it is a sad, disappointing book with a mind of its own- I think I cried at the end because I felt so sorry and sad for one of the boys.
It is about six boys who are bad, I think two of them the main people- one comes home and finds a deserted, cold house and a mother that doesn't care about him and orders him about with a bitchy air, and the other has a mother and father and siblings, and the mother always fights and argues with the father, being as annoying as Proffessor Umbridge from Harry Potter. Both boys are sad and lonely, and join a group of boys who live in a small shed of some sort, with books, stolen cakes. The two boys with actual houses, steal their own families food and clothes and furniture to add to the groups hide-out, recieving respect and thanks.
Friendships start and school, stealing, and trouble. It ends very sadly and I almost felt like throwing the book on the floor because I wanted to think the end was lies! Yet it is a very good book, and Enid Blyton 'was' extremely talented as a writer, writing in an average oldfashioned style, secretly one of the best- the suspence, and the uniqueness, creativity of the storyline, so alike a real life situation.
But this book is very much rarely spoken of amongst now! All it is today and now that are popular and talked of are the bold classics or the new money-making and yet great books, but this book deserves more popularity than it has had. But perhaps it was made to be a bit of an unknown book- though now I am desperately looking at bookstores for this book so I can own a copy of my own.
I read this book when I was very young- young enough to understand every bit of it. I remember this book with awe- it is truly one of the best books I remember reading. It is not happy and obviously a moral-type of book where everything ends nicely because of peoples efforts- it is a sad, disappointing book with a mind of its own- I think I cried at the end because I felt so sorry and sad for one of the boys.
It is about six boys who are bad, I think two of them the main people- one comes home and finds a deserted, cold house and a mother that doesn't care about him and orders him about with a bitchy air, and the other has a mother and father and siblings, and the mother always fights and argues with the father, being as annoying as Proffessor Umbridge from Harry Potter. Both boys are sad and lonely, and join a group of boys who live in a small shed of some sort, with books, stolen cakes. The two boys with actual houses, steal their own families food and clothes and furniture to add to the groups hide-out, recieving respect and thanks.
Friendships start and school, stealing, and trouble. It ends very sadly and I almost felt like throwing the book on the floor because I wanted to think the end was lies! Yet it is a very good book, and Enid Blyton 'was' extremely talented as a writer, writing in an average oldfashioned style, secretly one of the best- the suspence, and the uniqueness, creativity of the storyline, so alike a real life situation.
But this book is very much rarely spoken of amongst now! All it is today and now that are popular and talked of are the bold classics or the new money-making and yet great books, but this book deserves more popularity than it has had. But perhaps it was made to be a bit of an unknown book- though now I am desperately looking at bookstores for this book so I can own a copy of my own.
June 14, 2020
This time Enid Blyton does not take you to a world peopled by pixies, elves and goblins. You do not got to Kirrin Cottage either for a high tea with two types of cake and sandwiches. There is no adventure with Inspector Jenks beaming at Fatty and Bets because a gang of counterfeiters has been caught with their counterfeiting machine.
No, this time very uncharacteristically, Enid Blyton pushes you into the lives of two little boys, sadly unloved, sadly uncared for.
Bobby, lives with his widowed Mother, tries his best to be a model son for her. Helps her in whatever way he can just to make her happy, but the Mother very slowly starts distancing herself from Bobby, she does not allow him home for lunch, she gets a job, later on locks him out of the house till 6. 30 which is the time she returns home from work. Understandably Bobby is terribly depressed, because strictly speaking he does not want much in his little life, just a happy family like his neighbours the Mackenzies.
But it does not happen and Bobby’s Mother does not want Bobby in her life any longer, she wants a life of her own without the responsibility of Bobby.
It is at this juncture that Bobby joins a gang of other boys.
On the other side, there is Tom who lives with his parents and twin sisters. The trouble is Tom’s father has lost his job and as a result they live in a smaller house as Tom’s father cannot afford a larger house on his salary. So Tom’s Mother nags and nags the entire day about her terrible life, there is nothing absolutely nothing that makes her happy. Sadly, the kids are forced to take sides, there is so much fighting in the house, so many quarrels, that one fine day Tom’s Father just walks out of the house.
This is when Tom joins Bobby’s gang.
Actually, the Gang consists of four other little boys, unhappy at home for similar reasons, small houses, loneliness, a father beating his son. The Gang does not do all that much but go to a basement which they have tried their best to make cozy and homely. They chat and read comics and try and stay warm.
Christmas is around the corner and just when they are wondering where to get money for gifts for their families one of the gang members finds a wallet loaded with money. Now instead of giving the wallet at the Police Station they divide the money and spend it gifts for their family, hardly anything on themselves.
Bobby spends all his money on gifts for the Mackenzies who love him dearly and who he loves with a passion.
The Gang is caught quite easily and of course has to go for hearings at the Juvenile Court.
Bobby’s Mother refuses to take him back and so Bobby has to go to a foster home and Tom does not want anything to do his own family so he is sent to remand home.
Just a simple story about children whose parents abandon them in their hearts, or refuse to take their responsibilities seriously. Heartbreaking I would call it.
No, this time very uncharacteristically, Enid Blyton pushes you into the lives of two little boys, sadly unloved, sadly uncared for.
Bobby, lives with his widowed Mother, tries his best to be a model son for her. Helps her in whatever way he can just to make her happy, but the Mother very slowly starts distancing herself from Bobby, she does not allow him home for lunch, she gets a job, later on locks him out of the house till 6. 30 which is the time she returns home from work. Understandably Bobby is terribly depressed, because strictly speaking he does not want much in his little life, just a happy family like his neighbours the Mackenzies.
But it does not happen and Bobby’s Mother does not want Bobby in her life any longer, she wants a life of her own without the responsibility of Bobby.
It is at this juncture that Bobby joins a gang of other boys.
On the other side, there is Tom who lives with his parents and twin sisters. The trouble is Tom’s father has lost his job and as a result they live in a smaller house as Tom’s father cannot afford a larger house on his salary. So Tom’s Mother nags and nags the entire day about her terrible life, there is nothing absolutely nothing that makes her happy. Sadly, the kids are forced to take sides, there is so much fighting in the house, so many quarrels, that one fine day Tom’s Father just walks out of the house.
This is when Tom joins Bobby’s gang.
Actually, the Gang consists of four other little boys, unhappy at home for similar reasons, small houses, loneliness, a father beating his son. The Gang does not do all that much but go to a basement which they have tried their best to make cozy and homely. They chat and read comics and try and stay warm.
Christmas is around the corner and just when they are wondering where to get money for gifts for their families one of the gang members finds a wallet loaded with money. Now instead of giving the wallet at the Police Station they divide the money and spend it gifts for their family, hardly anything on themselves.
Bobby spends all his money on gifts for the Mackenzies who love him dearly and who he loves with a passion.
The Gang is caught quite easily and of course has to go for hearings at the Juvenile Court.
Bobby’s Mother refuses to take him back and so Bobby has to go to a foster home and Tom does not want anything to do his own family so he is sent to remand home.
Just a simple story about children whose parents abandon them in their hearts, or refuse to take their responsibilities seriously. Heartbreaking I would call it.
May 30, 2015
One of Enid Blyton's few truly excellent books, as opposed to the mass market ones she often produced. An interesting look at delinquency in post-war England.
August 1, 2021
I have read this book multiple times. Borrowed it again and again from the library. It will always be my favourite childhood book.
It taught me the importance of family, friendship and love.
It may be a kiddie book but it STILL makes me emotional.
Re-read: I felt so sad while reading this book. It's so important for children to have a good home, a place where they can feel safe and happy.
Made me internally cry. It was probably my fifth time reading it. I'll never get tired of it!
It taught me the importance of family, friendship and love.
It may be a kiddie book but it STILL makes me emotional.
Re-read: I felt so sad while reading this book. It's so important for children to have a good home, a place where they can feel safe and happy.
Made me internally cry. It was probably my fifth time reading it. I'll never get tired of it!
March 14, 2012
Two families move into a suburban street, either side of the Mackenzies. On one side are Bob and his vain, selfish mother and on the other are Tom, his two sisters, his unemployed father and a mother who bickers at everyone. Disharmony rules in what has to be the most gut wrenching book Enid Blyton wrote. This is no off the cuff potboiler, this is proper social commentary and Blyton even went so far as to check her facts first with a senior youth magistrate. Both boys escape from their families and find solace in a gang with inevitable consequences. This is a morality tale from the suburbs rather than a make believe story. Even the happy ending is relative. A great read and, unbelievably in parts, a Blyton tearjerker.
April 11, 2017
This was one of the disturbing books written by Enid Blyton, dealing with themes of abandoned children and juvenile delinquency. Even though it has got a typically sentimental, fairy-tale, impossible ending, it disturbed me a lot.
July 9, 2017
My favourite of this series.
Touching and awesome.
Touching and awesome.
November 5, 2009
I was pleasantly surprised by this book, which is very different from most of Enid Blyton's other work. It's the story of six young boys, though focussed on one in particular. There's a rather unpleasant and convincing family break-up and the way the boys get into trouble and then find themselves in far deeper than they anticipated, ending up in a serious mess, is very realistic though told in Enid Blyton's usual simple manner. Of course there is a fairytale happy ending for the boy on whom the story is focussed but not all of the others end happily, which again is unusual for an Enid Blyton book.
February 4, 2025
I've known about this for a while and this week, finally picked up a copy of it. It is, shall we say, a lot? I don't think I've ever read a Blyton dedicated to the chairman of the East London juvenile court or indeed, any children's book ever dedicated to a justice of the peace. Maybe I'm missing out? I don't know. But anyway, this is a ride and it starts with that dedication and goes all the way through. Blyton does social commentary (this book is "written for the whole family" and the whole family better hecking read it). Blyton goes brutal (and for an author who could be very brutal, that's a statement). Blyton scars an entire generation? (I was reminded very much of Roald Dahl's Guide to Railway Safety which scarred my generation entirely...).
Okay; so. Plot. Two new families move in, one on either side of the Mackenzies who, inevitably, have a Charming Dog called Frisky (Blyton gotta Blyton). One of the new families is a couple with three children and the other, a single mother with a son. Each family has their problems, however, and things rapidly escalate to dramatic, sad proportions. Like - super sad. People walk out on each other, children get abandoned, people end up hiding out in shelters by the canal? And for some reason packed lunches are the route to delinquency?
This isn't remotely coherent so far and I do apologise for that. It's because this book was clearly written to make a point and that point is made but also, it's kind of terrifyingly made. It is powerful and sad and genuinely challenging, particularly if you think about Blyton's own personal experiences in her life (what was she if not a working mother?). There's just this weight to everything here that makes you wonder if this is an exercise in Working Out Feelings or whether the author even saw that similarity to her own situation - and not just to her professional situation but also her personal?
The Six Bad Boys is a startling, often oppressive thing. The portrayal of women in it is complicated at best as is pretty much everything else. Yet it still works and this, I think, is a typical thing for Blyton; even when all of the horrible bits and the complicated stuff stare you in the face, the story still works. It works. It works, even when you need to write a scattergun review, even when you don't remotely know how you actually feel about it, it works.
Okay; so. Plot. Two new families move in, one on either side of the Mackenzies who, inevitably, have a Charming Dog called Frisky (Blyton gotta Blyton). One of the new families is a couple with three children and the other, a single mother with a son. Each family has their problems, however, and things rapidly escalate to dramatic, sad proportions. Like - super sad. People walk out on each other, children get abandoned, people end up hiding out in shelters by the canal? And for some reason packed lunches are the route to delinquency?
This isn't remotely coherent so far and I do apologise for that. It's because this book was clearly written to make a point and that point is made but also, it's kind of terrifyingly made. It is powerful and sad and genuinely challenging, particularly if you think about Blyton's own personal experiences in her life (what was she if not a working mother?). There's just this weight to everything here that makes you wonder if this is an exercise in Working Out Feelings or whether the author even saw that similarity to her own situation - and not just to her professional situation but also her personal?
The Six Bad Boys is a startling, often oppressive thing. The portrayal of women in it is complicated at best as is pretty much everything else. Yet it still works and this, I think, is a typical thing for Blyton; even when all of the horrible bits and the complicated stuff stare you in the face, the story still works. It works. It works, even when you need to write a scattergun review, even when you don't remotely know how you actually feel about it, it works.
September 6, 2025
Another well-remembered gem from my childhood, this is Blyton Goes Social Realism (sort of). When she was criticised by teachers and librarians for being snobbish and bourgeois, I suspect this was Exhibit A. The underlying attitude, while probably fairly standard for 1951, is undeniably small-c conservative - chidren need a mum and dad, mums belong at home, and don't have more kids than you can look after. Two of the Bad Boys are not Bad Boys at all really - just kids who are suffering from what we are clearly meant to regard as bad parenting. Bob's mother is a still young widow who commits the unforgiveable sin of Getting A Job, meaning that poor Bob has to make his own breakfast, while Tom's nagging mother drives his father away. The moral is pretty clear - Kids Need Dads, preferably pipe-smoking ones who are not afraid to mete out a dose of corporal punishment when required. Put me in mind of George Harrison's lines from "Piggies"
"In their eyes there's something lacking
What they need's a damn good whacking"
Bob and Tom fall in with a gang of genuine Bad Boys, distinguishable by their oikish names (Len, Fred, Jack and Patrick) and start a slide into delinquency. All quite believable, actually, and the kids are depicted with sympathy, though it's a pity the only really irredeemable Bad Boy had to be Irish.
"In their eyes there's something lacking
What they need's a damn good whacking"
Bob and Tom fall in with a gang of genuine Bad Boys, distinguishable by their oikish names (Len, Fred, Jack and Patrick) and start a slide into delinquency. All quite believable, actually, and the kids are depicted with sympathy, though it's a pity the only really irredeemable Bad Boy had to be Irish.
May 27, 2020
Another one of her stand alone works, where she dealt with somewhat darker themes than usual. It’s a moral story, with the expected reformation taking place amid some heavy morality.
Two of the six bad boys are our heroes, living on either side of a happy family. One, coming from a 2-parent family with older sisters, is miserable because of a harping, bitter mother and a self-described weak father. The other is the only son of a widowed, self-absorbed mother who considers him a noisy nuisance.
Both boys are pitied for their home lives, and there’s quite a bit of discussing the importance of stay at home mothers. The working mother is described as selfish for wanting to go out, and is asked if she didn’t consider it her obligation to stay home.
The outdated gender roles aside, it’s a well crafted story that brings home the value of having strong family support in the lives of young children. The trial also showed the best of the youth justice system, with kind hearted foster parents and well run correctional schools.
Two of the six bad boys are our heroes, living on either side of a happy family. One, coming from a 2-parent family with older sisters, is miserable because of a harping, bitter mother and a self-described weak father. The other is the only son of a widowed, self-absorbed mother who considers him a noisy nuisance.
Both boys are pitied for their home lives, and there’s quite a bit of discussing the importance of stay at home mothers. The working mother is described as selfish for wanting to go out, and is asked if she didn’t consider it her obligation to stay home.
The outdated gender roles aside, it’s a well crafted story that brings home the value of having strong family support in the lives of young children. The trial also showed the best of the youth justice system, with kind hearted foster parents and well run correctional schools.
March 14, 2018
Read The Six Bad Boys-Enid Blyton when I was in Grade School. I have read almost the entire Enid Blyton collection. The Six Bad Boys is the best and The Secret Island second. My daughter stumble into my rare collection and she cry after reading Six Bad Boys. We bought a copy of The Secret Island and are considering buying the whole collection of "Secret series" and "Adventure Series". We even consider reading "The Land Far Away" although we are Muslim just for reading about the good human value system.
September 6, 2018
An awesome book with an excellent plot... Hard to say anything, it is a must read for kids as well as 'parents', it discusses the various issues of society related to family, why kids get into wrong paths just because of their parents' negligence. I would not like to give any spoilers but it is the story of a few kids who envy an almost perfect family and compare their own families with them, how they are neglected or literally hated by their families turn into Bad Boys. The title itself suggests some of the story plot...
November 20, 2018
I really enjoyed this funny, sad little moral tale. My first Blyton book and I wasn’t disappointed. It’s horribly tragic, but there are some lovely silver linings. I think the book teaches some much needed lessons about bad children and their parents. This book will be really useful in my research into masculinity and trauma.
July 2, 2020
Just wow! Enid Blyton writes possibly one of her best books, dealing with the rise in youth crime. The overarching point to this story is how important a good home is, and especially how important the father is. Although titled the 'Six Bad Boys', it's really about 2 of them, Tom and Bob. Home descriptions are brilliant. A must read, and a far cry from Blyton's typical 'adventure' stories.
Read
October 15, 2023From my memory, this is probably the best book Blyton ever wrote, because it was realistic down to the unhappy ending and painted a remarkably moving portrait of emotionally neglected children who all too briefly find community in other children. It hurt me the way Jacqueline Wilson books could sometimes hurt me.
January 28, 2019
Rare exploration of social and family problems by Enid Blyton. My 11 year old son was very engaged and keen to read more in 2019. If Enid Blyton wrote any more books like this, please mention them in comments. Excellent book for parents to read to children.
December 18, 2017
Back to an Enid Blyton book after a while. One which I had not read earlier - "Six Bad Boys." I have read so many Enid Blyton books that it is difficult to imagine one I haven't read. But there still are. This lady is just so prolific! And this book happens to be the darkest Blyton book I have read. No goody goody stuff. Children of Green Meadows which is currently being sold as part of this series they are positioning as Family series, is so nice and fair, almost to the extent of blandness. But this one is more gritty. The ending has elements of typical Blyton but not for all characters. The issues she deals with in the book are probably relevant even today though Blyton's views on the issue and the solution may not be in line with modern ethos. The tale is of two boys whose life is impacted by their mothers. One - a mother who doesn't want to be bound my her son and lead her own life. The second - a mother - who constantly nags her husband for their reduced prosperity due to his career downturn and makes the home hostile for children. The first mother Blyton is not too sympathetic towards. She probably would take a view that she should have put child before personal life which people may not agree. A bit ironic since in recent biography of Blyton, the same accusation has been leveled against her. However I feel the real fault of the character is not in wanting to lead her own life but the lack of sensitivity towards her son's feelings, the way she communicates and puts across things to him. The second mother even I have no sympathy towards though it might be seen as propagating stereotypes of women as nags. But point is men or women, family, friend or boss at work, nags do make life miserable. I personally don't like people who keep harping on past mistakes and feel people should work together taking a pragmatic view of things as they stand, accepting reality and working for betterment. So because of these two women, the children end up taking a rather dark path. Though the title says six bad boys, it is essentially about two boys. We do get to know a bit about the other four but not so much. For usual Enid Blyton fans, this may be a different experience. Not the usual feel good and mood elevator.
June 9, 2020
I think this was the very first novel I ever read.I have very fond memories of reading this when I was 13 maybe.I remember loving this book so much that I made all my friends read it too.
January 13, 2021
Nice
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 31, 2021
This is an amazing book about the children and I recommend everyone to read this book.
November 6, 2021
F, HF, Social Commentary, Neglectful Parents, Juvenile Delinquency, Six Boys, Child Neglect, Child Abuse, Abandonment, Heartbreaking, Tearjerker, KidLit, JF, Tween, 1951, BritLit
July 1, 2022
Troubling, and unique for Blyton to talk about real issues of post war England. Heartbreaking truly in some parts.
November 1, 2016
(reread: 31 Oct 2016 to 1 Nov 2016)
I have no idea when I first read this book. My father has an entire shelf of old Enid Blyton treasures, and every day after school when I was smaller I would traipse off back to my grandparents' home and, bored stiff with dolls and television, sooner or later always end up standing on the same wooden chair, looking up at that shelf on the wall and contemplating which book to read next.
I also remember not really liking this book in particular. I had read some of Enid Blyton's other standalones, of which House at the Corner and Those Dreadful Children remain two of my favourite books to this day. I guess as a young Asian girl growing up in a culture that didn't expose me to the kinds of liberties the boys took (like being able to enter and leave their homes as they pleased and on their own) and, well, having a nice home and warm family, I couldn't empathise at all with any of their struggles. I probably quickly dismissed this book and moved on to the next.
Rereading this now, I'm just blown away by the whole story. Enid Blyton's books are written for children, and the writing is understandably simple, with some degree of caricaturising in the characters, but I think the beauty lies in how painfully accurately parallels can be drawn to families in reality. The six 'bad boys' in this story originate from homes that are dysfunctional in different ways, and already the two into which we are allowed closer looks are heart-breaking.
I have no idea when I first read this book. My father has an entire shelf of old Enid Blyton treasures, and every day after school when I was smaller I would traipse off back to my grandparents' home and, bored stiff with dolls and television, sooner or later always end up standing on the same wooden chair, looking up at that shelf on the wall and contemplating which book to read next.
I also remember not really liking this book in particular. I had read some of Enid Blyton's other standalones, of which House at the Corner and Those Dreadful Children remain two of my favourite books to this day. I guess as a young Asian girl growing up in a culture that didn't expose me to the kinds of liberties the boys took (like being able to enter and leave their homes as they pleased and on their own) and, well, having a nice home and warm family, I couldn't empathise at all with any of their struggles. I probably quickly dismissed this book and moved on to the next.
Rereading this now, I'm just blown away by the whole story. Enid Blyton's books are written for children, and the writing is understandably simple, with some degree of caricaturising in the characters, but I think the beauty lies in how painfully accurately parallels can be drawn to families in reality. The six 'bad boys' in this story originate from homes that are dysfunctional in different ways, and already the two into which we are allowed closer looks are heart-breaking.
"Don't blame me," said Tom, resentfully. "You and Mother can take the blame! What sort of a home do you think this has been for me—or for the girls? Nagging and bickering and rowing in front of us ever since we can remember! No peace, no pulling together like the Mackenzies. I've hated my home for a long time, and so have you, Dad, or you wouldn't have cleared out. I just did what you did—cleared out, too, every evening."The third-person narrative gives us anguishing insight into the misunderstandings that take place in the Berkeleys' and the Kents' homes, where parents make mistakes, and children take cues from them, and then parents take cues back from the children... all spiralling into a vicious cycle of misery and mistrust. No wonder the boys found solace in their makeshift hideout, and in each other.
"It's really a home," said Jack. "That's what we've made it—a home!"I felt for them so much, and smiled through my tears for Bob.
June 8, 2025
A sad story in many ways, but sweet in other ways.
May 20, 2016
When two families move into the houses on either side of the Mackenzies, the children hope they will contain children they can be friends with. One family consists of the widowed Mrs. Kent and her son Bob; the other Mr. and Mrs. Berkeley, two daughters, and a son Tom. Both boys are about the same age as the Mackenzie twins, Donald and Jeanie, but even so Bob quickly becomes friends with their little sister, Pat. But troubles in the Kent and Berkeley households lead the boys into trouble themselves, as they join four other boys in a little "gang", and try to find the happiness together that is lacking in their home lives. This book is just a little bit "preachy" as it strives to point out the responsibilities of all members of a family in sticking together and sticking up for one another, but even so it is a memorable read.
January 31, 2025
One of the first Enid Blyton books I ever read as a child. Though written in a vastly different time and country/ culture, it opened my eyes to social issues surrounding family, child neglect, child mental health, and juvenile delinquency. Years later when I went to university and studied for my degree in social work, I often thought of the book's characters and related more to each boy as time passed.
Today, I still recommend this book to friends/ internet strangers who want to understand why some latchkey children and youth turn to the streets to find companionship and belonging, as well the impact of physically and/ or mentally absent parent(s) on a child's psyche. Overall, it is a fairly light read with a good ending (given that it is, after all, a children's book) that comes with a heavy dose of thought provocation.
Today, I still recommend this book to friends/ internet strangers who want to understand why some latchkey children and youth turn to the streets to find companionship and belonging, as well the impact of physically and/ or mentally absent parent(s) on a child's psyche. Overall, it is a fairly light read with a good ending (given that it is, after all, a children's book) that comes with a heavy dose of thought provocation.
January 15, 2017
Yet another Enid Blyton that I re-read again and again - even as an adult! I've had my copy for at least 30 years now, and I never tire of re-reading it. It's rather different than the usual Blyton fare, it's not all happiness. Yes, there's a happy ending - a little contrived but just about believable - but it shows how children can go off the rails with bad parenting. In fact I'd say it might even be a reflection of the modern day. Obviously the main characters are "six bad boys" who all have various family problems, as well as the "ideal Blyton family", who are more or less held up as a example. A great read. I wish Blyton had written a follow-up to it
December 27, 2014
This was a nice change from the usual Enid Blyton books. It felt a little bit like a Mrs. L.T. Meade book in some ways. I enjoyed this one but not as much as I've enjoyed some of the others in the Family Adventures set.
April 2, 2017
Another darker Blyton - this has parental conflict, parental neglect - and juvenile courts. It's very well done, but I think it would have scared the bejeezus out of me if I'd read it at the age it was intended for!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews