Enid Blyton - what's been edited out/changed??

Hard disagree. It’s the accurate historical details like “old fashioned” names and older currencies which make the magic and help children imagine what it was like being in a boarding school at that time. When I read Mallory Towers I loved it because it was obviously from a different era and wasn’t trying to be Grange Hill by the sea.

I think I would also have realised that they wouldn’t have had pounds in those days, in the same way that Daryl and Felicity aren’t banging on about Mr Beast and Ariana Grande and checking out Gwen’s tic tok videos. So it actually detracts from the believability to make it a hotch potch.

In the BBC series of Mallory Towers (which my daughter refused to watch, it was like sodding Katie morag all over again) the slap still happened- it was the title
of a whole episode.

[Edited to add I do agree with removing obviously offensive racism and liked the BBC’s diverse cast for the girls]

That’s very sapphic erotic sounding

I think that it was two separate incidents. Darrell slaps Gwendolyn in First Term, and then shakes a younger child (Alicia’s cousin, maybe?) in Upper Fourth.

I think @RubyEspadrilles answers the question well. But I was born in 1973, and lived in a mono-cultural village, and can still remember being horrified by the descriptions of the man. They were horrendously racist - and I can still remember them, nearly half a century later. I have first editions of these books - and they are about the only books I refused to let my dc read until they were old enough to understand, and place the racism in context.

The Story of the Amulet (obviously not Enid Blyton) should be read with caution too. Horribly anti-Semitic.

So strange. My edition is 2019 and it’s a slap!

“There came the sound of four stinging slaps and Gwedoline squealed with pain. Darrell’s hand was strong and hard and she had slapped with all her might…”

they must have changed it back!

It depends on their age, I think. When they were three, I used to change things I found super-objectionable (partly because it made me feel better after a long, difficult, frustrating day of toddler childcare - like a little assertion of will). They were too young to have the discussion, and too young to understand why Mummy was suddenly telling the story through gritted teeth.

When they got older, and could read the words themselves, that was when we had the conversations.

Some damage was already done, though - as I realised when DD told me it was Daddy who made the money for our family. In fact I was working more and earning three times as much, which she was surprised to hear. Thanks for that, Farmer Alfalfa

I’m lucky enough to have a 1st edition of Five on a Treasure Island, and he’s definitely called Timmy/Timothy.

Thank you
I did consider something such as that! But needed to ask in case it was some cultural connotation that I had missed. Kind of dehumanising a name I suppose.

It really does feel like sometimes she was doing it on purpose, although I assume she wasn't.

I think it is that calling him Jo-Jo, which is a child's or even a pet's name, rather than Joe or even Jo was infantilising him or worse, quite apart from all the racist language used to describe him.

Forgive my ignorance (I've read the books but forgotten a lot of details) what was the racial element of Jo-Jo to Joe?

Nude tennis anyone ?

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/naughty-enid-was-jolly-beastly-1.118366

This is valid too. 'It's plenty too! Twenty pence a week!' In the Naughtiest Girl Series. Why? That's not plenty and never has been but four shillings in the appropriate era would have been. That said, I read those books in the 80s.

They changed the bit where Dame Slap (now Snap) visibly ‘gets off’ on being ‘belted’ by Dick (now Rick). That was an uncomfortably sexual scene

They have been updating them for years. I remember reading a 1970's version of The Naughtiest Girl in the School. In my sister's 1960's copy, Elizabeth wore black stockings at school. In the 1970's one, she wore white socks at school and pocket money was decimalised.

I dont think this is just a new thing though. When I was in last year of infants around 1980 I remember our class teacher reading aloud the Magic Faraway Tree including the name Frannie. I corrected her (in my 6 year old avid reader way!) that the name was wrong and should be Fanny. I got THE LOOK 😂

I can't comment on the racial elements but I was working class and I didn't pick up on being any different to the children in the books. I just felt it was a story, a different time, different people. We all interpret things differently I suppose.

My problem with all this bowdlerisation is that over time it makes the past look lovely and cuddly and feeds a more sinister narrative of "Why were black people fighting for their rights when they were so well treated ?" to be instilled from an early age.

It also gives the false impression we have advanced more than we really have. (If you think equality and inclusion are advances. I know not everyone here does)

🤣

I remember an elf/pixie character called Chinky in one of her books.

I bet he fucken does

Problems in the 'Magic Faraway Tree? '

The beginning of chapter 16..

Dick Gets Everyone Into Trouble

"When Jo and the others heard the angry voice behind them, they turned in surprise. Nobody but Dick knew what the angry little man was talking about. "Knocker?" said Jo, in astonishment. "What knocker? We haven't got your knocker." "That bad boy is eating my knocker!"

No sniggering at the back please.

What is it now? Reusable bottles filled with artificially sweetened soft drinks?

Maybe they could introduce a new "teaching moment" where Darrell loses her shit with a tethered bottle top and accidentally takes out a dolphin.

It's always good to challenge readers and spark curiosity rather than just dumb down to what they already know

This.

And on a different note, why change the language of a classic book? If you want modern, 2025 views, you need to read contemporary 2025 authors.

Every book is a child of it's time and readers need to be aware of that. It's great to teach children to become critical readers through these books.
Language and society evolves, the best way to record the change is through literature.

There was no need for the snarky comment at the end I’ve already realised my mistake thanks