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The Famous Five #17
Five Get Into a Fix
New and contemporary cover treatment brings the famous five into the 21st century, and to a whole new generation of readers!
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1958
96 people are currently reading
1893 people want to read
About the author
Enid Blyton
5,093 books6,224 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 177 reviews
March 22, 2025
I'm going to tear this book a new orifice. My tongue will be in my cheek - this book just seems to be a particularly fine example of Blyton's worst habits. Bear with me. Apologies to Enid Blyton but I've read 30+ of her books and she's been dead 47 years, so I doubt it will worry her.
I've read a lot of Enid Blyton, most of it when I was 10. Recently I've been reading the books to my daughter, Celyn. This is one of the ones we have on audiobook. It's set in Wales and not helped by the fact that none of the voice actors even come close to the Welsh accents they're attempting. Many sound Pakistani.
To be fair this book was probably written in a couple of weeks. Enid Blyton is the author of 762 books!
Also note that the stories are a product of their time, racist and sexist in equal measure.
Dick famously says to Georgina "it's really time you gave up thinking you're as good as a boy" and that does seem to sum up the ethos of the books.
Our intrepid children are at Julian's parents' house over Christmas and develop nasty coughs ... so of course the parents send them off to a remote Welsh farmhouse ... where they ... go skiing. Because when your children (who seem to range in age from perhaps 10 to 13 years of age) are sick at Christmas you naturally send them off into the wilds by themselves.
Some of the Famous Five series have a marginal degree of realism. By book 17 Blyton appears to be struggling for ideas. This book is far closer to a Scooby Doo episode than the earlier volumes in terms of how it hangs together.
This book centres around the illicit mining of "a strange metal". This phrase is repeated over and over. "A strange metal". It's never named.
Here are some things to bear in mind about the "strange metal".
i) It is worth 100 times its weight in gold. So at today's prices that's about $3,500,000 a kilo. A handful of it, weighing the same as a decent sized bag of sugar, is worth millions of dollars / pounds.
ii) It is ridiculously magnetic. Having some far below a hill means that cars and bicycles are pulled towards the ground with such force that they become hard to drive/cycle.
iii) It causes mysterious fogs and lights.
Now, perhaps it's just me, but I think that people would have a keen interest in a metal that's worth millions of dollars per handful. I further think that such a metal would have a name. And moreover, if its presence was betrayed by subtle signs like EXTREME MAGNETISM, STRANGE LIGHTS and FOG, then people might put two and two together and start digging long before they construct a frikken house on top of the deposit then walk away and leave the house for decades...
Anyway, nobody does. It's left to our strange cast of illiterate Welsh/Pakistani peasant girls and gruff shepherds to aid the fabulous five in unravelling this profound mystery.
I particularly like how the cunning thieves are using an underground river to float away the "strange metal" they have mined. The stuff is worth millions per handful and they are making off with regular barge-loads of it. We're starting to talk sums here that dwarf the gross national product!
Fortunately it's all sorted out in the end thanks to a Welshman's ability to shout very loudly and the power of a small pack of dogs to overpower / intimidate a middle-sized pack of organised criminals engaged in incredibly lucrative illegal activity. Yay! Go goodies!
In short then, this is the lowest point in the series so far, remarkable only for the fact that no gypsies were maligned within its pages.
Edit: I should give a shout out for the ridiculous cover on this edition. The Famous Five look like James Bonds skiing down the Alps with machine-gun toting baddies on their trail... these are four posh pre-teens on a Welsh hill in the 1940s/50s... and the book spends all of two pages talking about skiing.
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I've read a lot of Enid Blyton, most of it when I was 10. Recently I've been reading the books to my daughter, Celyn. This is one of the ones we have on audiobook. It's set in Wales and not helped by the fact that none of the voice actors even come close to the Welsh accents they're attempting. Many sound Pakistani.
To be fair this book was probably written in a couple of weeks. Enid Blyton is the author of 762 books!
Also note that the stories are a product of their time, racist and sexist in equal measure.
Dick famously says to Georgina "it's really time you gave up thinking you're as good as a boy" and that does seem to sum up the ethos of the books.
Our intrepid children are at Julian's parents' house over Christmas and develop nasty coughs ... so of course the parents send them off to a remote Welsh farmhouse ... where they ... go skiing. Because when your children (who seem to range in age from perhaps 10 to 13 years of age) are sick at Christmas you naturally send them off into the wilds by themselves.
Some of the Famous Five series have a marginal degree of realism. By book 17 Blyton appears to be struggling for ideas. This book is far closer to a Scooby Doo episode than the earlier volumes in terms of how it hangs together.
This book centres around the illicit mining of "a strange metal". This phrase is repeated over and over. "A strange metal". It's never named.
Here are some things to bear in mind about the "strange metal".
i) It is worth 100 times its weight in gold. So at today's prices that's about $3,500,000 a kilo. A handful of it, weighing the same as a decent sized bag of sugar, is worth millions of dollars / pounds.
ii) It is ridiculously magnetic. Having some far below a hill means that cars and bicycles are pulled towards the ground with such force that they become hard to drive/cycle.
iii) It causes mysterious fogs and lights.
Now, perhaps it's just me, but I think that people would have a keen interest in a metal that's worth millions of dollars per handful. I further think that such a metal would have a name. And moreover, if its presence was betrayed by subtle signs like EXTREME MAGNETISM, STRANGE LIGHTS and FOG, then people might put two and two together and start digging long before they construct a frikken house on top of the deposit then walk away and leave the house for decades...
Anyway, nobody does. It's left to our strange cast of illiterate Welsh/Pakistani peasant girls and gruff shepherds to aid the fabulous five in unravelling this profound mystery.
I particularly like how the cunning thieves are using an underground river to float away the "strange metal" they have mined. The stuff is worth millions per handful and they are making off with regular barge-loads of it. We're starting to talk sums here that dwarf the gross national product!
Fortunately it's all sorted out in the end thanks to a Welshman's ability to shout very loudly and the power of a small pack of dogs to overpower / intimidate a middle-sized pack of organised criminals engaged in incredibly lucrative illegal activity. Yay! Go goodies!
In short then, this is the lowest point in the series so far, remarkable only for the fact that no gypsies were maligned within its pages.
Edit: I should give a shout out for the ridiculous cover on this edition. The Famous Five look like James Bonds skiing down the Alps with machine-gun toting baddies on their trail... these are four posh pre-teens on a Welsh hill in the 1940s/50s... and the book spends all of two pages talking about skiing.
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Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes
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July 24, 2019
This one was pretty great. Intrigue, high stakes, sinister plots, spooky old houses, secret underground passages, dog attacks, dog rescues, mysterious noises and lights at night, bizarre unexplained magnetism, tobogganing... you name it.
The only problem with it really is... Well, you know that episode of The Big Bang Theory where they realise Indiana Jones doesn't really affect the plot of Raiders of the Lost Ark at all? This book is a bit like that. If you removed the Famous Five from this story, it would all still have happened anyway; they're basically just observers.
Still, I had fun.
The only problem with it really is... Well, you know that episode of The Big Bang Theory where they realise Indiana Jones doesn't really affect the plot of Raiders of the Lost Ark at all? This book is a bit like that. If you removed the Famous Five from this story, it would all still have happened anyway; they're basically just observers.
Still, I had fun.
February 13, 2014
Would just like to comment in relation to the uneducated amongst you, who are commenting stating the book as disgusting and confusing and offensive. All of the terms, characters and names were acceptable in the society and age Blyton wrote them! Dick was and is a shortened name for Richard? The only reason it is deemed offensive now as modern society has altered this word so it means something rather different! This was normal and acceptable and you'd have to be stupid not to realise that and be offended by a simple name. Secondly, the reference to black characters by the five, yes, okay, this may be slightly different to us, and even slightly racist or offensive, HOWEVER, again, th kind of attitude was common place in society when these books were written, it is common sense and a historical fact that black people and people of different cultures/race were regarded as an oddity, people during this time did not and could not travel so were not used to these people and had little understanding, there whole values were entirely different to ours now so we cannot apply our own values and thoughts on something written years and years ago! It's entirely stupid, and if you claim to love Enid Blyton, yet find these books offensive, you are ridiculous and should go out and educate yourself.
Rant over.
On the other hand, this book, as all of the Blyton books thrilled me as a child and I loved the characters and the set up. The mysteries and adventures the five encountered kept me interested all the way through my childhood.
Fantastic writer.
10/10
Rant over.
On the other hand, this book, as all of the Blyton books thrilled me as a child and I loved the characters and the set up. The mysteries and adventures the five encountered kept me interested all the way through my childhood.
Fantastic writer.
10/10
August 1, 2022
The mystery in this one took too long to get going and when it did happen it was all wrapped up too soon. I think Blyton was running out of ideas for this series when writing this or she just got fed up with it. I'm going to finish the books but I am getting a bit bored with them.
I liked it better this time. 3.5*'s.
I liked it better this time. 3.5*'s.
August 18, 2018
Lo leí en mi niñez, no sé qué pensaría ahora de esta colección si la volviera a leer.
January 19, 2015
This is the updated review since the last one I did years ago was not up to the mark.
I have to admit. After reading this piece of work written by one of my favorite childhood authors, I was profoundly disappointed. I didn't expect this from Enid Blyton at all.
This book had major hints of racism and sexism and the only explanation or shall I say, excuse, that I can come up with was that this book was set and written in a different era and now that I am reading it 2010-11, this book seemed really strange to me and failed to live up to its name.
To start out, the book was honestly very confusing. Starting with the names of the famous five; Julian, Timmy, Dick, George and Anne.
Julian being a boy, George being a girl, I was thoroughly confused about these characters, about their genders, until I finished reading nearly half of this book.
I took out some lines which I found a bit surprising and I would let you guys be the judge of it.
"'What a funny little creature!' said Dick."
This takes place when they met a poor, dark-skinned child, in the snow.
Any normal child would run to help her, but they just stood and there and remarked, "What a funny little creature!"
"What a strange and impressive old man - yet he was only a shepherd."
Like, excuse me? What do you mean by "hes only a shepherd"? They are people too. Not every intelligent man on the street you meet is a professional.
"Aily followed Julian about the room like a little dog."
-yes, Aily is that poor soul, I mentioned above.
Maybe this all was acceptable at that time or maybe I am just naive when it comes to reading these kind of books, but, I couldn't understand the story. I couldn't relate to it. It was hard for me to come to terms with the famous five.
Might be because my childhood was way too different or maybe it's just the difference in their way of living from mine.
But in the end, would I whole heartily recommend this book to my sister or kids? Not really. I would make them go for her classic reads instead. Or maybe make them read it when they are mature enough to understand the time difference and not get confused, like I was. I would give this book a solid 2 out of 5 and maybe, just maybe, I will pick up another book in order to comprehend and get the hype and the impact it had throughout my childhood years.
(This was read and reviewed by a 14 year old me. My reaction might me different now so please be considerate when reading and commenting.)
I have to admit. After reading this piece of work written by one of my favorite childhood authors, I was profoundly disappointed. I didn't expect this from Enid Blyton at all.
This book had major hints of racism and sexism and the only explanation or shall I say, excuse, that I can come up with was that this book was set and written in a different era and now that I am reading it 2010-11, this book seemed really strange to me and failed to live up to its name.
To start out, the book was honestly very confusing. Starting with the names of the famous five; Julian, Timmy, Dick, George and Anne.
Julian being a boy, George being a girl, I was thoroughly confused about these characters, about their genders, until I finished reading nearly half of this book.
I took out some lines which I found a bit surprising and I would let you guys be the judge of it.
"'What a funny little creature!' said Dick."
This takes place when they met a poor, dark-skinned child, in the snow.
Any normal child would run to help her, but they just stood and there and remarked, "What a funny little creature!"
"What a strange and impressive old man - yet he was only a shepherd."
Like, excuse me? What do you mean by "hes only a shepherd"? They are people too. Not every intelligent man on the street you meet is a professional.
"Aily followed Julian about the room like a little dog."
-yes, Aily is that poor soul, I mentioned above.
Maybe this all was acceptable at that time or maybe I am just naive when it comes to reading these kind of books, but, I couldn't understand the story. I couldn't relate to it. It was hard for me to come to terms with the famous five.
Might be because my childhood was way too different or maybe it's just the difference in their way of living from mine.
But in the end, would I whole heartily recommend this book to my sister or kids? Not really. I would make them go for her classic reads instead. Or maybe make them read it when they are mature enough to understand the time difference and not get confused, like I was. I would give this book a solid 2 out of 5 and maybe, just maybe, I will pick up another book in order to comprehend and get the hype and the impact it had throughout my childhood years.
(This was read and reviewed by a 14 year old me. My reaction might me different now so please be considerate when reading and commenting.)
June 24, 2019
Another instalment in my re-read of this series and this one was definitely another fun one. We do have some odd voice acting on this audiobook, but other than that I think the story has again got a central mystery and although the children don't always make the best choices, they do their best to help and do good.
This follows the Five as they go to toboggan and stay high at a farm after all being trapped indoors and needing the fresh air after a cold at Christmas time. 2.5*s
This follows the Five as they go to toboggan and stay high at a farm after all being trapped indoors and needing the fresh air after a cold at Christmas time. 2.5*s
August 27, 2021
Its straight out nostalgic. And yeah, amazing of course.
May 23, 2019
... reading with my 10 year old daughter...
Oh, but we loved this one! Little Aily... so cute, and the story quite adventurous.
Oh, but we loved this one! Little Aily... so cute, and the story quite adventurous.
Read
August 4, 2016I have given this three stars as an average from the 5 stars the eight year old me would have given and the one the adult me would feel it necessary to give due to the nonpc undertones, and sometimes overtones, However the eight year old me loved this book! I wanted to be part of the adventures, usually as George, and in this volume I wanted to go skiing with them. My favourite line that has stayed with me for 52 years was that, when they were ill, the boiled fish tasted like "stewed knitting". Reading them in all innocence in the 1960s is very different to reading them now. I know I hankered after boarding school in the same way that young readers of Harry Potter did! The power of authors!
July 13, 2019
*4.5 stars.
Began my Famous Five rereads with this one, fun childhood nostalgia! Plenty of mystery in this one and twists too!
Began my Famous Five rereads with this one, fun childhood nostalgia! Plenty of mystery in this one and twists too!
February 11, 2020
It was very adventurous and full of interesting twists and plots!! It was very fun reading it!
August 9, 2025
3 stars
“Adventure! That’s what we’re always running into. Some people do, you know. They just can’t help it.”
In the first seasonal change of the series in a while, the Five go on a Winter holiday in the Welsh mountains. After hearing mysterious rumblings and seeing strange shimmering in the sky, the group uncover an eerie plot involving Old Towers, underground tunnels, and a strange girl.
Loved the location of this book, very different to the ones before. You’d think Blyton would have run out of ideas by now but this one remained pretty original. Didn’t think the Five actually solved anything in the end. They really just got in the way of something that was already solving itself. Oh well, they ate good food.
“Adventure! That’s what we’re always running into. Some people do, you know. They just can’t help it.”
In the first seasonal change of the series in a while, the Five go on a Winter holiday in the Welsh mountains. After hearing mysterious rumblings and seeing strange shimmering in the sky, the group uncover an eerie plot involving Old Towers, underground tunnels, and a strange girl.
Loved the location of this book, very different to the ones before. You’d think Blyton would have run out of ideas by now but this one remained pretty original. Didn’t think the Five actually solved anything in the end. They really just got in the way of something that was already solving itself. Oh well, they ate good food.
December 26, 2024
อ่านอะไรให้เหมาะกับความหนาว ให้สมมงความหนาวในปีนี้หน่อย กับบรรยากาศผจญภัยท่ามกลางหิมะขาวโพลน สกีและเลื่อนหิมะ ดีทุกอย่างยกเว้นจอร์จ !
December 6, 2017
seperti biasa, suka dengan cerita petualangan Lima Sekawan. apalagi klo ngomongin semua makanannya itu lho. selalu bikin laper pas baca XD
sampe menjelang akhir buku, gak tau sebenarnya ada apa sih di bawah tanah itu. walaupun udah ketebak ya dari judulnya "Logam Ajaib". tapi sayangnya, gak dijelasin si logam ajaib ini. kelebihannya apa, sampe disebut logam ajaib.
sampe menjelang akhir buku, gak tau sebenarnya ada apa sih di bawah tanah itu. walaupun udah ketebak ya dari judulnya "Logam Ajaib". tapi sayangnya, gak dijelasin si logam ajaib ini. kelebihannya apa, sampe disebut logam ajaib.
March 5, 2017
re-read, reminiscing childhood hohoho~
kalau dulu baca ini sekitar usia SD-SMP bikin diri ini jadi pemberani-soktau-alaala gitu wqwq tapi tetep berkesan, karena sisi petualangan lima sekawan bikin yg baca jadi berani dan pengen bertualang juga
kalau dulu baca ini sekitar usia SD-SMP bikin diri ini jadi pemberani-soktau-alaala gitu wqwq tapi tetep berkesan, karena sisi petualangan lima sekawan bikin yg baca jadi berani dan pengen bertualang juga
January 12, 2021
This is amazingly insane. As usual best to ignore the plot holes and just enjoy the usual - men being tall as a positive personality trait, an extra child in need of improvement, tunnels and dodgy people who aren't upper middle class.
The true mystery of the Famous Five remains. or you might say the mystery thickens. How the four are cousins related? We've discovered that all of them have the surname Kirrin (last book) and we have been told on separate occasions fathers are brothers and also the mothers are sisters. Quentin is apparently a Kirrin, but it's Fanny whose family is the Kirrin Family (and owns Kirrin Cottage, Kirrin Island and Kirrin Farm). This book we find out Julian, Dick and Anne's lesser-spotted mother is a Barnard.
Also, in this book, we discover that Anne doesn't believe in dogs: "She didn't believe in either dog or witches, but somehow she did not like that hill!". (Possibly a mistake, missed in editing - though I'm suspicious Blyton's books weren't that well-edited!)
The true mystery of the Famous Five remains. or you might say the mystery thickens. How the four are cousins related? We've discovered that all of them have the surname Kirrin (last book) and we have been told on separate occasions fathers are brothers and also the mothers are sisters. Quentin is apparently a Kirrin, but it's Fanny whose family is the Kirrin Family (and owns Kirrin Cottage, Kirrin Island and Kirrin Farm). This book we find out Julian, Dick and Anne's lesser-spotted mother is a Barnard.
Also, in this book, we discover that Anne doesn't believe in dogs: "She didn't believe in either dog or witches, but somehow she did not like that hill!". (Possibly a mistake, missed in editing - though I'm suspicious Blyton's books weren't that well-edited!)
December 13, 2018
In all fairness, I don't think it was one of Enid Blyton's better efforts. The story was a bit weak and the plot very thin. However, it was still enjoyable and good to be in the company of the Five and their adventures.
February 25, 2009
I read these books when I was ten years old or so. They tell me that Enid Blyton was racist. I didn't get the feeling when I read the books.. Perhaps I was too young to see it.
July 17, 2012
Queridos amiguinhos.
Aqui têm a décima-sétima aventura dos Cinco. Espero que gostarão dela - desta vez é que eles estão em apuros.
Boa sorte lhes deseja
Enid Blyton
Contracapa
Aqui têm a décima-sétima aventura dos Cinco. Espero que gostarão dela - desta vez é que eles estão em apuros.
Boa sorte lhes deseja
Enid Blyton
Contracapa
March 18, 2020
Back to the rereads because at this point in time, I need my childhood escapism books.
October 16, 2022
As a kid I absolutely adored the adventures of The Famous Five by Enid Blyton and I've reread the entire collection of 21 books several times.
A few years ago I reread the first few books and was disappointed. Thus I gave 2* to the first installments.
Now I started to read the rest of them.
Have I become even harsher in my ratings?
Probably, because - despite my love for these books as a kid - I can't bring myself to give more than 1*.
A few of my biggest gripes:
What an utterly sexist nonsense
Annie does nothing else than 'playing mother/housekeeper': cooking, doing the dishes, …
Actually Dick and Julian should've switched names, as Julian often really acts like a real dick by being condescending towards girls.
This may be a representation of the zeitgeist, as the first book was published in 1942.
But then again, there exist lots of older books that were more 'modern' in thoughts.
So much eating and sleeping
What are those kids: marmots?
They just finished breakfast and they're already thinking about lunch. Oh, and of course they have to get food for the afternoon tea and for dinner.
It's true that I already heard of the importance of food in children's books. As you can read on this blog: "In Blyton’s books, eating food is the central focal point that brings children together. This in turn ingrains the value of having a bond with family and friends."
Taking into account when the first books about The Famous Five were published, I can understand that World War II and the aftermath were of influence. And thus, that food played a big role in people's lives.
But to me, there's a big difference between mentioning the meals or using them as pure page-filling.
Just out of curiosity I scanned one of the books for mentions of food and sleep and it turned out that they appeared on more than 45% of the pages.
Which brings us to the remaining (approximately) 55%:
Plot holes
In between all the eating and sleeping, our protagonists also solve some 'mysteries' that are either unbelievable or totally clear from the beginning.
There are lots of situations that aren't credible to begin with: young children from 10 years old who go on camping trips all alone, they can buy cigarettes, …
And it doesn't get better as there are definitely many plot holes in the described adventures (they hadn't the bag with food within reach, but still managed to eat without going back to get it; etc.).
Some of the errors could be due to a bad Dutch translation, but not all of them.
Line work
Did you know that Enid Blyton (° 1897 - † 1968) wrote hundreds of books and at some periods even 50 books per year?
762 of them are listed on Wikipedia.
But if you want a more detailed list of all her works (> 1.000) you can take a look at https://www.enidblyton.net/ or https://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/list-all.php.
Bearing in mind the amount of written books, it's understandable that they often come across as pure line work with a lot of page-filling content.
The conclusion
If I had children, I wouldn't let them read this crap.
It's true that as an adult, you rate books in another way than you would've as a child.
But there are so many really good children's books out there that definitely deserve more attention than this overrated and outdated series.
And as George Bernard Shaw said: "Make it a rule never to give a child a book you would not read yourself."
A few years ago I reread the first few books and was disappointed. Thus I gave 2* to the first installments.
Now I started to read the rest of them.
Have I become even harsher in my ratings?
Probably, because - despite my love for these books as a kid - I can't bring myself to give more than 1*.
A few of my biggest gripes:
What an utterly sexist nonsense
Annie does nothing else than 'playing mother/housekeeper': cooking, doing the dishes, …
Actually Dick and Julian should've switched names, as Julian often really acts like a real dick by being condescending towards girls.
This may be a representation of the zeitgeist, as the first book was published in 1942.
But then again, there exist lots of older books that were more 'modern' in thoughts.
So much eating and sleeping
What are those kids: marmots?
They just finished breakfast and they're already thinking about lunch. Oh, and of course they have to get food for the afternoon tea and for dinner.
It's true that I already heard of the importance of food in children's books. As you can read on this blog: "In Blyton’s books, eating food is the central focal point that brings children together. This in turn ingrains the value of having a bond with family and friends."
Taking into account when the first books about The Famous Five were published, I can understand that World War II and the aftermath were of influence. And thus, that food played a big role in people's lives.
But to me, there's a big difference between mentioning the meals or using them as pure page-filling.
Just out of curiosity I scanned one of the books for mentions of food and sleep and it turned out that they appeared on more than 45% of the pages.
Which brings us to the remaining (approximately) 55%:
Plot holes
In between all the eating and sleeping, our protagonists also solve some 'mysteries' that are either unbelievable or totally clear from the beginning.
There are lots of situations that aren't credible to begin with: young children from 10 years old who go on camping trips all alone, they can buy cigarettes, …
And it doesn't get better as there are definitely many plot holes in the described adventures (they hadn't the bag with food within reach, but still managed to eat without going back to get it; etc.).
Some of the errors could be due to a bad Dutch translation, but not all of them.
Line work
Did you know that Enid Blyton (° 1897 - † 1968) wrote hundreds of books and at some periods even 50 books per year?
762 of them are listed on Wikipedia.
But if you want a more detailed list of all her works (> 1.000) you can take a look at https://www.enidblyton.net/ or https://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/list-all.php.
Bearing in mind the amount of written books, it's understandable that they often come across as pure line work with a lot of page-filling content.
The conclusion
If I had children, I wouldn't let them read this crap.
It's true that as an adult, you rate books in another way than you would've as a child.
But there are so many really good children's books out there that definitely deserve more attention than this overrated and outdated series.
And as George Bernard Shaw said: "Make it a rule never to give a child a book you would not read yourself."
May 11, 2022
This is one of my favourite Famous Five books. It was very exciting and had a lot of adventure and detail and the characters were very interesting.
Morgan had a REALLY REALLY loud voice, he called his dogs that had weird names. It was very funny.
My favourite character was Timmy because, as usual, he was very brave.
- AJH (age 7)
Morgan had a REALLY REALLY loud voice, he called his dogs that had weird names. It was very funny.
My favourite character was Timmy because, as usual, he was very brave.
- AJH (age 7)
September 16, 2024
Une aventure des Cinq bien sympa, les sports d'hiver nous dépaysent un peu du bord de mer habituel et il y a toujours des choses improbables et datées telles que un coup de froid hivernal nécessitant 15 jours de convalescence à la neige, par exemple.
On y retrouve aussi pas mal de paternalisme et de classisme concernant Miette et les fermiers, mais le livre est un reflet de son autrice.
On y retrouve aussi pas mal de paternalisme et de classisme concernant Miette et les fermiers, mais le livre est un reflet de son autrice.
May 15, 2023
Hehe... Koji povratak u djetinjstvo. Idealna knjiga za čitanje kad sam bolesna. Obavezno uz domaći pekmez na maslacu i kruhu. Nešto se mora pojesti uz 5 prijatelja koji 40% radnje u knjizi ili jedu ili planiraju što će jesti ili pripremaju obroke ili ih netko poslužuje s obrokom. Nema veze što je hitna situacija, oni će "po putu" jesti.
June 13, 2020
I loved the Famous five as a child i spent many hours reading all the books over and over again, it helped me escape into another world. I wasn't close to my cousins and family so it helped me imagine what adventures could be like. I notice people have reviewed and said it's racist and thinking about it, yes today it probably would come across as being racist, but let's not forget that back when Enid Blyton wrote these books some of the terms were acceptable i'm not saying it's right but I guess that's the beauty of writing and being a fan of reading, it's a part of history we can learn right from wrong, i think as society we have come along way in terms of how we write and what we regard as offensive. As a child though it never even entered my mind that this could be viewed as racist or anything else because i was just grateful for a fantastic series of books i could escape into.
August 2, 2025
With Five Get Into a Fix, our heroes are having their 17th holiday from school in the same year (judging by the fact that they are still the same age, as far as we can tell. I guess we can see why none of the adventures are set in either of the schools that the children attend, since they are hardly ever there.
This means a lot of trouble for the mother of the Kirrin children, who is exhausted looking after sick children. Or maybe she is exhausted from having to spend any time with her children, since she usually palms them off on George’s parents, or sends them off on their own.
Incidentally, do we ever know the name of the parents of Julian, Anne and Dick? Here she is only referred to as their mother. Given how little time they spend with their parents, I doubt the Kirrin children know their parents’ first names either.
Sadly, the Five are all down with a very bad cold, since the action is set around Christmas. So no adventure this holiday. Just a doctor treating them for a cold. This means I guess I have nothing more to say about the book. Goodbye everyone.
Oh wait, there’s more. The doctor thinks they should stay off work and recover by having another trip away from home. Hurrah! Is that really good advice for children with an infectious illness that leaves you feeling tired and feverish?
Switzerland is proposed, but another option is found nearer to home – much to the relief of Enid Blyton, who is spared the need to do any research or use her imagination by choosing an unusual setting for Book 17.
The idea comes from their gardener, Jenkins. Yes, they have a gardener, and they refer to him by his surname. Not that they are posh or anything. Jenkins, who apparently is Welsh (!), has an aunt in Wales with whom they could stay. The aunt is Glenys Jones, a name that does not suggest that Blyton needed to put much thought into a good Welsh name for Jenkins’ relative.
Naturally, the children are delighted to go away, and naturally their mother has no qualms about sending her sick children into the middle of nowhere, and not offering to accompany them. Anything to get away from them for a few weeks, I suppose. “What a sigh of relief you’ll give when we’re all safely away in the car!” Julian tells his mother. I’ll say!
Along the way, Jenkins gets lost. The car moves slowly due to a mysterious magnetic force under the ground, and they arrive at a residence that has a KEEP OUT sign and a dog. There is also an electric fence, or fence that bites you, but we learn of this later.
Of course we know that all of this will be part of the mystery later, but for now there are a few Little England remarks of indignation about the land being closed off, a common problem during the Cold War when public land started vanishing to mysterious organisations, some of them making weapons. Indirectly, that is what is happening here, but this is not a government operation.
Our heroes arrive at the residence of Mrs Jones, who has one of those uncommunicative sons that Blyton likes so much. As with many of the people with whom the Five stay, she is an over-feeder. At this rate, the Famous Five will have to be renamed the Fasting Five when they put on so much weight from their hosts that they are put on a severe diet.
Unfortunately, Timmy is attacked by dogs owned by Mrs Jones’ son, Morgan (where does Blyton think up these original Welsh names? Must be a gift I guess). George is all set to go home, but the boys find a guest chalet in which they can stay. So they now must abandon the comfortable house with its warm fires and heavy meals, and live out in a glorified hut during the coldest time of the year. Good one, George!
Mrs Jones does not need much persuading to the Five to move out. So the next day she allows four children to leave her house in the snow and head for a deserted chalet with limited warm food and heating. I guess a little of the Five goes a long way with adults. They can’t wait to see them leave.
It is time for the guest child to enter the story, the child who is too poor and common to become a regular character, but who is allowed a guest appearance in one or two books. This time the child is ‘a funny little creature’ who runs around the hills wearing few clothes, and accompanied by a dog and a lamb. I was worried that Blyton would call our lamb-loving waif Mary, but instead she names our new character, Aily.
Aily is a divisive character for some, mainly because Blyton stresses her brown skin and poor grasp of English. She cannot read, and talks a kind of pidgin English to the boys. Is this a rare Asian character? There seems little reason to assume that Aily is intended to be anything other than a Welsh girl.
I would have thought most Welsh people had a good grasp of English, but Aily does not go to school, so perhaps this is possible. As for the brown skin, I suppose we are meant to imagine she is tanned from living in the wild, though how she got tanned in winter is anyone’s guess. Perhaps Aily attended a tanning salon, or has a sun lamp.
For most of the book, the Five do not get into a fix, but the mystery must develop sooner or later. It is based around the mysterious house that is locked up. There is an old woman living in the house, but Aily’s mother informs the Five that the house has a surprising number of visitors, is very noisy with vibrations underground, and has shimmering and a strange fog some nights.
The Five are so sceptical about this story that I had to read it again, as none of these events seemed especially improbable. I can only assume that it was the shimmering and fog that aroused their doubts.
It is not long before the Five see and hear these phenomena themselves, including a strange colour that nobody has ever seen before. The smoke and shivering are accompanied by a fetid odour, and exploration of the area nearly unleashes an eldritch horror on the Welsh village. Oh wait, I am getting confused with Lovecraft’s stories. Ok, no odour or eldritch horrors, but the rest is true.
Aily (who you just know is going to help the Five to get into the house via an underground tunnel or secret passageway, the staple of Famous Five books) informs them that the woman who lived in the house has tried to contact her. She has left notes for Aily, who cannot read. When the Five look them over, the notes suggest the woman is a prisoner, and the men have murdered her son.
Holy cow! A murder in a Famous Five book! That would be a first. Not to worry. It is not difficult to predict that her son is one of the villains and they are pretending to have murdered her.
The Five try to inform Morgan, who warns them to stay away, but our meddling fivesome will not do this. For once, this leads to a realistic finale where, instead of saving the day, our interfering children only get in the way, and nearly cause the villains to get away with it.
As for the secret activities? I dunno. Something about a mysterious metal that magnetises the area and can be converted into bombs, which is being mined by foreigners. Who are the foreigners? What is the metal? I have no idea. You have no idea. Enid Blyton has no idea.
As with all Famous Five books after the first few, this is another uninspired effort. The books are so samey that even my ability to snark on them becomes harder, as I do not wish to keep making the same jokes. Still, it passes along amiably enough if you lower your expectations.
There is a little tobogganing and skiing in the book, but don't let the covers to most copies fool you. It plays very little part in the action.
This means a lot of trouble for the mother of the Kirrin children, who is exhausted looking after sick children. Or maybe she is exhausted from having to spend any time with her children, since she usually palms them off on George’s parents, or sends them off on their own.
Incidentally, do we ever know the name of the parents of Julian, Anne and Dick? Here she is only referred to as their mother. Given how little time they spend with their parents, I doubt the Kirrin children know their parents’ first names either.
Sadly, the Five are all down with a very bad cold, since the action is set around Christmas. So no adventure this holiday. Just a doctor treating them for a cold. This means I guess I have nothing more to say about the book. Goodbye everyone.
Oh wait, there’s more. The doctor thinks they should stay off work and recover by having another trip away from home. Hurrah! Is that really good advice for children with an infectious illness that leaves you feeling tired and feverish?
Switzerland is proposed, but another option is found nearer to home – much to the relief of Enid Blyton, who is spared the need to do any research or use her imagination by choosing an unusual setting for Book 17.
The idea comes from their gardener, Jenkins. Yes, they have a gardener, and they refer to him by his surname. Not that they are posh or anything. Jenkins, who apparently is Welsh (!), has an aunt in Wales with whom they could stay. The aunt is Glenys Jones, a name that does not suggest that Blyton needed to put much thought into a good Welsh name for Jenkins’ relative.
Naturally, the children are delighted to go away, and naturally their mother has no qualms about sending her sick children into the middle of nowhere, and not offering to accompany them. Anything to get away from them for a few weeks, I suppose. “What a sigh of relief you’ll give when we’re all safely away in the car!” Julian tells his mother. I’ll say!
Along the way, Jenkins gets lost. The car moves slowly due to a mysterious magnetic force under the ground, and they arrive at a residence that has a KEEP OUT sign and a dog. There is also an electric fence, or fence that bites you, but we learn of this later.
Of course we know that all of this will be part of the mystery later, but for now there are a few Little England remarks of indignation about the land being closed off, a common problem during the Cold War when public land started vanishing to mysterious organisations, some of them making weapons. Indirectly, that is what is happening here, but this is not a government operation.
Our heroes arrive at the residence of Mrs Jones, who has one of those uncommunicative sons that Blyton likes so much. As with many of the people with whom the Five stay, she is an over-feeder. At this rate, the Famous Five will have to be renamed the Fasting Five when they put on so much weight from their hosts that they are put on a severe diet.
Unfortunately, Timmy is attacked by dogs owned by Mrs Jones’ son, Morgan (where does Blyton think up these original Welsh names? Must be a gift I guess). George is all set to go home, but the boys find a guest chalet in which they can stay. So they now must abandon the comfortable house with its warm fires and heavy meals, and live out in a glorified hut during the coldest time of the year. Good one, George!
Mrs Jones does not need much persuading to the Five to move out. So the next day she allows four children to leave her house in the snow and head for a deserted chalet with limited warm food and heating. I guess a little of the Five goes a long way with adults. They can’t wait to see them leave.
It is time for the guest child to enter the story, the child who is too poor and common to become a regular character, but who is allowed a guest appearance in one or two books. This time the child is ‘a funny little creature’ who runs around the hills wearing few clothes, and accompanied by a dog and a lamb. I was worried that Blyton would call our lamb-loving waif Mary, but instead she names our new character, Aily.
Aily is a divisive character for some, mainly because Blyton stresses her brown skin and poor grasp of English. She cannot read, and talks a kind of pidgin English to the boys. Is this a rare Asian character? There seems little reason to assume that Aily is intended to be anything other than a Welsh girl.
I would have thought most Welsh people had a good grasp of English, but Aily does not go to school, so perhaps this is possible. As for the brown skin, I suppose we are meant to imagine she is tanned from living in the wild, though how she got tanned in winter is anyone’s guess. Perhaps Aily attended a tanning salon, or has a sun lamp.
For most of the book, the Five do not get into a fix, but the mystery must develop sooner or later. It is based around the mysterious house that is locked up. There is an old woman living in the house, but Aily’s mother informs the Five that the house has a surprising number of visitors, is very noisy with vibrations underground, and has shimmering and a strange fog some nights.
The Five are so sceptical about this story that I had to read it again, as none of these events seemed especially improbable. I can only assume that it was the shimmering and fog that aroused their doubts.
It is not long before the Five see and hear these phenomena themselves, including a strange colour that nobody has ever seen before. The smoke and shivering are accompanied by a fetid odour, and exploration of the area nearly unleashes an eldritch horror on the Welsh village. Oh wait, I am getting confused with Lovecraft’s stories. Ok, no odour or eldritch horrors, but the rest is true.
Aily (who you just know is going to help the Five to get into the house via an underground tunnel or secret passageway, the staple of Famous Five books) informs them that the woman who lived in the house has tried to contact her. She has left notes for Aily, who cannot read. When the Five look them over, the notes suggest the woman is a prisoner, and the men have murdered her son.
Holy cow! A murder in a Famous Five book! That would be a first. Not to worry. It is not difficult to predict that her son is one of the villains and they are pretending to have murdered her.
The Five try to inform Morgan, who warns them to stay away, but our meddling fivesome will not do this. For once, this leads to a realistic finale where, instead of saving the day, our interfering children only get in the way, and nearly cause the villains to get away with it.
As for the secret activities? I dunno. Something about a mysterious metal that magnetises the area and can be converted into bombs, which is being mined by foreigners. Who are the foreigners? What is the metal? I have no idea. You have no idea. Enid Blyton has no idea.
As with all Famous Five books after the first few, this is another uninspired effort. The books are so samey that even my ability to snark on them becomes harder, as I do not wish to keep making the same jokes. Still, it passes along amiably enough if you lower your expectations.
There is a little tobogganing and skiing in the book, but don't let the covers to most copies fool you. It plays very little part in the action.
May 5, 2025
(Of this series, I've read and reviewed Five on a Treasure Island, Five Go Adventuring Again, Five Run Away Together, Five Go to Smuggler's Top, Five Go Off in a Caravan, Five on Kirrin Island Again, Five Go Off to Camp, Five Get Into Trouble, Five Fall Into Adventure, Five Have a Wonderful Time, Five Go Down to the Sea, Five on a Hike Together, Five Go to Mystery Moor, Five on a Secret Trail, Five Have Plenty of Fun, Five Go to Billycock Hill, Five on Finniston Farm and Five Go to Demon's Rocks)
The Five have been sick over Christmas! That's just not on, old sports. Never you fear though, the cousins' mum has just the idea to aid in their recuperation: a skiing holiday. Wait, what?
I thought a skiing holiday would be a bit offbrand for the Five even in full health, but you'll be pleased to know the skis only come out once and it's in Wales, not some Swiss resort. For the most part, they're tobogganing and roughing it in a summer chalet, despite their hostess being a great cook with a big toasty farmhouse. It is nice to have a Christmas episode though, I guess, despite the awkward set-up. The original Eileen Soper cover is beautiful; a shame that the 2001 edition couldn't do something similar.
In general, this instalment tries to be a bit different. Its closest sibling is Five Go Down To The Sea, and I certainly preferred that one, but here's some things of note regarding Get In A Fix:
It ends happily for the Five (emphasis on 'for the Five') with a turkey dinner courtesy of old Mrs J, of course - it wouldn't be Blyton if it didn't end in a feast - but the finer details are strictly in the hands of the police and that's that. It's implied to be a pretty sorry ending for poor blameless
This is the part where I was going to rip the plot a new one for being just too bloody nuts, but I googled it out of sheer curiosity for how out of left-field it was for Blyton. I've since read that the whole concept could have possibly* been based off the works/ravings of a legit 'mad scientist' named Harry Grindell Matthews. He was an English bloke, but he really did attempt to develop a 'death ray' of sorts (as a superweapon) in a fenced-off property in South Wales. Whether he was a genius or a con-man depends on who you talk to, it looks like a hell of a rabbit hole to go down, but the plot of Get Into A Fix does seem just as out-there as the real story.
Aily is our guest kiddo and probably one of the youngest; she's very similar to Yan from the aforementioned Down To The Sea, although thankfully the Five are kind to her if patronising. Yan's language had been updated in the 2001 reprint but Aily's English has been kept as is, given the language barrier crops up in the plot (yet her ability fluctuates quite wildly...). Interestingly her dog was originally called Dave and was renamed by publishers to Dai sometime in the 1980s. Not sure where 'Fany' would've come from, in Cymraeg this wouldn't make sense even as a nonsense word, but then again our POV is from the Five, not from Aily.
George is relegated to the background with Anne once more. It's down to Dick and Julian to discover the hut, chat to Morgan, etc. Sigh.
Not my favourite read, but it's interesting in its own way and it's the only winter story you'll get with the Five. If you like eccentric 1920s gents who may or may not have inspired this odd little plot, might be worth looking into the aforementioned Matthews - or at least reading the Enid Blyton Society threads on the novel.
2/5
* apologies for the weasel words, but Blyton unsurprisingly never elaborated
The Five have been sick over Christmas! That's just not on, old sports. Never you fear though, the cousins' mum has just the idea to aid in their recuperation: a skiing holiday. Wait, what?
I thought a skiing holiday would be a bit offbrand for the Five even in full health, but you'll be pleased to know the skis only come out once and it's in Wales, not some Swiss resort. For the most part, they're tobogganing and roughing it in a summer chalet, despite their hostess being a great cook with a big toasty farmhouse. It is nice to have a Christmas episode though, I guess, despite the awkward set-up. The original Eileen Soper cover is beautiful; a shame that the 2001 edition couldn't do something similar.
In general, this instalment tries to be a bit different. Its closest sibling is Five Go Down To The Sea, and I certainly preferred that one, but here's some things of note regarding Get In A Fix:
It ends happily for the Five (emphasis on 'for the Five') with a turkey dinner courtesy of old Mrs J, of course - it wouldn't be Blyton if it didn't end in a feast - but the finer details are strictly in the hands of the police and that's that. It's implied to be a pretty sorry ending for poor blameless
This is the part where I was going to rip the plot a new one for being just too bloody nuts, but I googled it out of sheer curiosity for how out of left-field it was for Blyton. I've since read that the whole concept could have possibly* been based off the works/ravings of a legit 'mad scientist' named Harry Grindell Matthews. He was an English bloke, but he really did attempt to develop a 'death ray' of sorts (as a superweapon) in a fenced-off property in South Wales. Whether he was a genius or a con-man depends on who you talk to, it looks like a hell of a rabbit hole to go down, but the plot of Get Into A Fix does seem just as out-there as the real story.
Aily is our guest kiddo and probably one of the youngest; she's very similar to Yan from the aforementioned Down To The Sea, although thankfully the Five are kind to her if patronising. Yan's language had been updated in the 2001 reprint but Aily's English has been kept as is, given the language barrier crops up in the plot (yet her ability fluctuates quite wildly...). Interestingly her dog was originally called Dave and was renamed by publishers to Dai sometime in the 1980s. Not sure where 'Fany' would've come from, in Cymraeg this wouldn't make sense even as a nonsense word, but then again our POV is from the Five, not from Aily.
George is relegated to the background with Anne once more. It's down to Dick and Julian to discover the hut, chat to Morgan, etc. Sigh.
Not my favourite read, but it's interesting in its own way and it's the only winter story you'll get with the Five. If you like eccentric 1920s gents who may or may not have inspired this odd little plot, might be worth looking into the aforementioned Matthews - or at least reading the Enid Blyton Society threads on the novel.
2/5
* apologies for the weasel words, but Blyton unsurprisingly never elaborated
November 19, 2011
This was definitely one of the better five books, although I love them all. I love the ones not set at kirrin, as I've said before. This story begins with the children all suffering from terrible colds, and being told they should not return to school until they've had a dose of bracing air and recovered. So it's off to Magga Glen, for tobogganing and skiing. Timmy for once cuases a bit of trouble and distress when he is bailed up by a few of the seven farm dogs, and it is decided the children will all go and stay in a holiday hut half way up a mountain to be away from the dogs. they can still have all the snow games they want, just they get to look after themselves as they like.
Introducing Aily and her animal friends, Dave and Fany the lamb. Aily leads the Five to save an old woman apparently being held prisoner, and the fire experience weird shimmerings and noises at night. Unexpected people turn out to be on the good side, and everything works out for the best. I'm not sure what kind of metal it was in the ground though, that could be so sought after.
Another great five book, almost finished the series again now :(
Introducing Aily and her animal friends, Dave and Fany the lamb. Aily leads the Five to save an old woman apparently being held prisoner, and the fire experience weird shimmerings and noises at night. Unexpected people turn out to be on the good side, and everything works out for the best. I'm not sure what kind of metal it was in the ground though, that could be so sought after.
Another great five book, almost finished the series again now :(
August 11, 2019
Famous Five and Enid Blyton was oxygen for my book crazy mind when i was a child . And now after so many years i did a re-read of all the books. And they still flame my imagination. All her books are simply marvelous of this series. As they were written some 47-50 years back to compare with today's situation is foolish.
Racist and discrimination are people who think they can make an impact on social media. And have not spend their childhood immersed in her books.
The plot is the children Julian ,Dick, Anne, George are down with fever and awful cough, and the doctor suggest some place in the mountain , their gardner suggest his Aunt's Farmhouse in Wales and off they go with Timothy of course. There on the way they get lost and they find a weird house with a n ferocious dog and the car behaves funny. Later they see lights and feel the place shuddering and they solve the mystery.
The food that the Five eat is wonderful, you crave to have it.
For me Enid blyton works and will always work
Racist and discrimination are people who think they can make an impact on social media. And have not spend their childhood immersed in her books.
The plot is the children Julian ,Dick, Anne, George are down with fever and awful cough, and the doctor suggest some place in the mountain , their gardner suggest his Aunt's Farmhouse in Wales and off they go with Timothy of course. There on the way they get lost and they find a weird house with a n ferocious dog and the car behaves funny. Later they see lights and feel the place shuddering and they solve the mystery.
The food that the Five eat is wonderful, you crave to have it.
For me Enid blyton works and will always work
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