when the posh children in Enid Blyton have an "ice", I always thought it meant "ice lolly"...

[sadpapercourtesan]

...but I was reading "Five Go To Billycock Hill" last night, and they talked about having an "ice" in a tub with a little wooden spoon...surely that's an ice cream?!

Yes, I have too much time on my hands. I should be doing stuff

Yes, the vocabulary is very unchallenging, which both makes it easier for young children, but also produces the oddity that my eight year old is currently happily reading about Darrell, Sally and co all aged seventeen or eighteen and leaving school/preparing to go to university, because the vocab and characterisation is so simple.

I personally couldn't stand Mr Pinkwhistle or Mr Meddle and the ones aimed at younger children when I was small though I liked her version of Pilgrim's Progress and her retelling of classic myths, and some of the collections of short stories mentioned above but I think the Famous Five or the 'Secret' series is a good place to start. Though DS's favourites so far have definitely been the 'Adventure' series, and the Cherry Tree/Willow/Mistletoe Farm books. I think the Secret Seven are eminently skippable.

My dd1 read them as relaxation, she still reads a lot of bestsellers and harder literature mixed. My dd2 liked stories where nothing much happened. So a lot of Enid fitted the bill. She doesn't read much now.

Does anyone remember the one about a clumsy elf who is responsible for painting the sunset - and it is supposed to be only in gold - but he trips and pushes over a tin of red paint and the sunset turns pink? I think he was subject to an evil count or giant or something who is about to punish him, but a visiting dignitary comments on how beautiful the clouds are and he gets a promotion away from the evil boss? It was a beautiful story, but I've never been able to find it. I think it was called 'Pinky's Pink Clouds' and I was read it as a child in the late 60s.

I always wondered about the class sizes at Malory Towers. The focus was on the North Tower girls (and you had zero chance of being head girl or sports captain if you were in another tower seemingly)

There were usually about ten girls in the story. So I guess the other three towers had the same.

Therefore there would be forty girls in a class? And this was what the parents were paying expensive fees for? 😳

There was no mention of streaming either as the ‘slow’ girls like Gwen and Daphne were alongside the brilliant ones like Darrell and Alicia

A lot of stuff in EB's school stories either doesn't add up logistically or is sacrificed to the plots -- Darrell says there are 25 or 30 girls in her form when she starts at MT, and the head girl tells her there are 'about 60' girls in each tower, but as we're told that there are ten first-formers in Darrell's North Tower dormitory, it's not clear why there would be only fifteen or twenty girls from the other three towers combined in her form.

Plus it always annoyed me as a child reader that Darrell comes to MT for the first time in the summer term, and is one of only three new girls in her form - the others, not surprisingly, have all been at the school since the autumn before -- yet she, Sally and (academically weak) Gwen all go up to second form with the others, after only a term at the school.

But when Felicity and June also arrive at MT in the summer term to a form largely composed of girls who've been there two terms already, they stay in the first form for the next academic year, apparently along with the other girls who'd already done a year at the school already, like Susan, Felicity's friend.

I don’t remember the clouds one Spartacus but I did love EB’s fairy stories, they all seemed so magical yet attainable - fairyland was often literally at the bottom of your garden and all you had to do was cross a stream, or stand in a fairy ring, or climb a tree. I do remember a good few about fairies doing similar things - rolling up ferns to be helpful which is why they are all rolled up now, or hiding stolen jewels under wallflowers which is why they are that particular colour, etc.

I do remember a good few about fairies doing similar things - rolling up ferns to be helpful which is why they are all rolled up now, or hiding stolen jewels under wallflowers which is why they are that particular colour, etc

Gosh yes! I remember those stories! The ferns were rolled up because of the frost.

@blurpityblurp

I don't actually think this was Enid Blyton but I swear I had a book/story about a tiny little boy/baby found inside a peach stone... ?

It’s Rumer Godden. The little boy is a doll not a real child, but the dolls in the book are sort of alive and have thoughts and feelings (basically Toy Story). And it is a peach!

The first book is “Miss Happiness and Miss Flower” and the second is “Little Plum.”

Oh how weird, I have googled and this doesn't look at all like what I'm remembering! But surely there can't be two stories about babies in peaches?! It was quite a simple tale, perhaps a husband and wife who couldn't have kids but found a tiny one in a peach/apricot. Maybe in a book of stories?! More like a Milly Molly Mandy style or EB of illustration.

The Rumer Godden ones look lovely though.

I'm not posh, 'sarf' London, but we always said 'having an ice', when younger, and 'buying an ice' from the ice cream van, unless it was a 99. Mind you, we weren't allowed to do/say loads of things because they were 'common', despite the accent.

I have a vague recollection of a baby in a peach stone (or similar). Perhaps in a book of traditional tales or something.

I feel like the peach stone was the baby’s cradle or something? But I can’t remember anything else.

@HyggeTygge

OK, While I'm on a roll, I don't actually think this was Enid Blyton but I swear I had a book/story about a tiny little boy/baby found inside a peach stone... ? I just have a memory of the picture of it but not really about the story. Google insists I'm looking for James & the Giant Peach, but that's not it at all. It might have been an apricot!

Little Peachling. I don't know who it was by but remember the story from the early 60s.

www.abebooks.co.uk/first-edition/LITTLE-PEACHLING-Tales-Old-Japan-Faulkner/832734125/bd

A lot of stuff in EB's school stories either doesn't add up logistically or is sacrificed to the plots -- Darrell says there are 25 or 30 girls in her form when she starts at MT, and the head girl tells her there are 'about 60' girls in each tower, but as we're told that there are ten first-formers in Darrell's North Tower dormitory, it's not clear why there would be only fifteen or twenty girls from the other three towers combined in her form.

Each tower had a number of years, so I could see how you got that 70 to each tower. People sometimes got moved up to the next form - or were left behind when the others went up - so there was an element of streaming, though only an element...

I agree though that details were often vague for the sake of plot. This is sensible in some ways, in that the author isn't restricted by details she set earlier - but I think sometimes it's just EB being forgetful, which is not entirely surprising with 600-odd books. I imagine if you have a very thorough reference system to back up the worlds you create, it would slow down your productivity - and if you are guaranteed to sell as well as EB, I suspect your editors give you a bit more slack than others.

@kierenthecommunity

I always wondered about the class sizes at Malory Towers. The focus was on the North Tower girls (and you had zero chance of being head girl or sports captain if you were in another tower seemingly)

There were usually about ten girls in the story. So I guess the other three towers had the same.

Therefore there would be forty girls in a class? And this was what the parents were paying expensive fees for? 😳

There was no mention of streaming either as the ‘slow’ girls like Gwen and Daphne were alongside the brilliant ones like Darrell and Alicia

25 years I’ve waited for someone else to agree with me that this is weird!!! I used to question my mum about the logistics and couldnt believe she wasn’t interested 😂

I also hated that while MT was one book per form, St Clares had 3 about the first form then only 3 more covering the remaining years. Very annoying.

Was it normal in those days for children to join schools throughout the school year I wonder? 3 new Girls in to a form 2 terms after the start of (what I assume Is) year 7 seems odd in a small school. Nowadays most children would start in the autumn term of y7, and children moving schools would generally wait until the next autumn term I would think? Especially boarding school where moving house doesn’t come in to it.

There’s a chance I’m overthinking this.

We occasionally had people join mid-year, when their parents relocated for jobs and so on. It's very exciting to get a new person mid-year. We weren't boarding, though.

Also, some of the ones in MT/SC had been chucked out of previous schools because of misbehaviour (to be miraculously transformed by their new school,) or had to leave for other reasons - death of a parent, posting overseas.

I also hated that while MT was one book per form, St Clares had 3 about the first form then only 3 more covering the remaining years. Very annoying.
Yes!

I remember that short story, Clawdy. It was possibly in a compilation called Stories for Eight Year Olds or something.
I also remember one about three candles. Two of the candles laughed at the third candle when it melted but it had formed the shape of a C and the little girl of the house, whose name was Connie, I think, was delighted that it was C for Connie.

@Papergirl1968

I remember that short story, Clawdy. It was possibly in a compilation called Stories for Eight Year Olds or something. I also remember one about three candles. Two of the candles laughed at the third candle when it melted but it had formed the shape of a C and the little girl of the house, whose name was Connie, I think, was delighted that it was C for Connie.

That's another one I've just remembered! The peach baby thing is weird. I was ready to say the Little Peachling was it, but the illustrations definitely weren't so Japanese. If it's a folk tale it's probably been re- written lots of times.

Yes to the candles story!!!!

Is the peach shell story thumbelina? I remember her cradle was a peach stone shell.

Was it normal in those days for children to join schools throughout the school year I wonder? 3 new Girls in to a form 2 terms after the start of (what I assume Is) year 7 seems odd in a small school. Nowadays most children would start in the autumn term of y7, and children moving schools would generally wait until the next autumn term I would think? Especially boarding school where moving house doesn’t come in to it.

Bobby and Carlotta started in Summer Term at St Clares, but went up to the second form at the same time as the twins did who had been there two terms longer!

Yes re the class sizes at Malory Towers too. It was just weird that no head of form ever came from any of the other towers! And all the new girls were always in North tower. The only girl from another tower who really featured was Betty, Alicia's best friend from West tower.

@Prettybluepigeons...I remember I had an illustrated story book which featured Thumbelina in a peach shell. Seem to recall that she was forced to marry an ugly toad which terrified me!

Also Gwen went up to the fifth form despite failing her school cert, while Connie, one of the Batten twins, also failed and had to stay in the Upper Fourth.

The children/ bedtime/ policeman story was also in Tales of Toyland, which was mostly stories about Tiptoe the fairy doll and Jolly the sailor doll but was padded out with other ones - I also remember something about cousins on a beach, and looking for a present and finding some money and buying a brooch.

Each tower had a number of years, so I could see how you got that 70 to each tower.

Yes, but I think the pp's point was that we're told there are ten first formers in the North Tower dormitory that Darrell sleeps in, therefore there are a minimum of ten North Tower first formers. But Darrell says there are 25 to 30 girls in her form, which means that there can only be fifteen or twenty girls from the other three towers combined.

I mean, obviously EB had zero interest in anyone who wasn't in North Tower, anyway and the weight of NT numbers maybe explains why no one who wasn't in NT got to be head girl of a form etc

I don't think who moves up a form and who doesn't makes any sense as a form of streaming, mostly. Darrell does reasonably well in her first term and moves up to the second form along with the girls who've been there two terms longer than her, but Gwen is very weak academically, and she moves up too -- while Felicity, whom we're told finds first form work very easy because she was at a 'good prep school', and brilliantly clever June join MT in the summer term like Darrell, but are kept in first form for another academic year, apparently, along with their cohort. (Or at least, they're all still first formers after the summer holidays.)

And yes, we're told clever Alicia is allowed into the fifth form because she can work for the School Cert independently after she fails due to illness, but Gwen, who also fails, is similarly allowed to progress with no such explanation, though Connie is kept in the Fourth to have another shot.

I mean, clearly EB just wanted to keep Gwen around as a Bad Example...