What was your favourite Enid Blyton book?

[Flapjacker48]

When I was a child (80s) read loads of Enid Blyton books (passed down from siblings, library etc) and in the past few months have read loads of these free online (original/early editions, none with updated texts) - prob way more than when I was a child!

Although dated in many ways I have a fondness for the "family" type EB books - (house on the corner, family at red-roofs, six bad boys) which were less well known than Famous five/secret seven etc.

Also I have read several books about EB (biography, book by her agent and a book by her daughter about her childhood) and found these really interesting, of course like all authors/famous people in general who you think you know their lives are more complex (and interesting!) and different to how one would expect and how they are "presented"

I love all the famous five with a passion but also have a soft spot for the secret island! So good

My outstanding favourite book was The Land of Far Beyond. My favourite series was The Something of Adventure, though I squirm a bit now thinking of the toe-curling racism in the one featuring the prince of (iirc) Tauri-Hessia.

My own daughters, born in the 1990s, read the St Clares and Mallory Towers stories, which I'd loved, and were horrified at the bullying that the in-crowd were allowed to engage in, and particularly vexed on behalf of poor Gwendoline.

The Five Find-Outers. The first one I read was the Disappearing Cat and I was completely gripped.

In fact those books are the reason I became a massive Agatha Christie fan in my teens and remain so to this day.

Five Go Down to Demon's Rocks for me. Have wanted to live in a lighthouse ever since.

Mallory Towers
Naughtiest Girl in the School
Were my faves.

Brilliant typo

I am a bit like you @Flapjacker48 . I still retain a certain fondness for Family At Red Roofs and Six Bad Boys. But one of my favourite girls names came from the St Claire’s books.

I loved the Magic Faraway Tree as a young child and then moved onto Famous Five and the Adventure series. I don’t recall re-reading any other books so many times as a child and I was a real bookworm.

Does anyone remember a EB book with, I think, four children that was quite moralistic. Not part of a more famous series. Possibly set in a 1950s council house, or at least dealing with issues related to “poorer” other kids. The kids had to learn to behave properly/be good/tidy etc? I think one of the girls was called something like Francesca or similar. Not the bad boys books since girls were involved. Aimed at similar age to the Famous Five type books.

Sorry, I realise this isn’t much to go on. This wasn’t my favourite book but I found it intriguing, but no clue what it was!

St Clares
Malory Towers
Adventure and Secret series
Naughtiest Girl series
Mr Pinkwhistle
Book of Brownies
Book of Fairies
Pip the Pixie
Mr Meddle
Amelia Jane
Galliano (I loved Tessa, his wife and her pies!)

The Happy House family stories
Brer Rabbit
and the short story books, particularly city kids going to stay in the country and solving old crimes (usually involving secret tunnels and stolen jewellery)

Five on Finniston Farm - my favourite too, mainly because of the huge farmhouse teas that were described throughout - jugs of yellow cream, plum cake and whole cheeses... The picnics were good too!

Was it the Put ‘Em Rights, @Debopo ?

i think it probably was!! Did you ever read that? Was a bit darker than a lot of her books if I recall rightly?

Could that have been Those Dreadful Children, @Debopo ? Three posh children and four rough children teaching one another life lessons.

I have about 10 of my original books from the 80s and read them to my kids. We got some new ones too so both edits. The original Faraway tree books had Jo Bessie and Fanny rather than Beth and Franny. I still used the new names though, just couldn't bring myself to say Fanny! Dame slap became Dame Snap. I thought they were just as amazing in my late 30s as a child.

Naughtiest girl in the school is very contemporary in many ways, instead of hating the bully they question their motives and support them to change, I was surprised at this. Anyone remember poor Joan whose mum never came to visit cos her twin brother died as a baby and she couldn't move on as she loved him more?

Also loved:
Five find outers
Willow tree / cherry tree farm
Mr Gallianos circus
Amelia Jane
Wishing chair series

The Secret Island - my absolute favourite as a child

The faraway tree!

Oh and that sounds right too. It was probably hugely infused with class issues.

I used to love the Malory Towers and St Claire's series. Now, rereading them, I roll my eyes a bit at how all the furriners were hot-tempered cheats who did not understand British fair play. But I guess they were of their time.

Anyone remember one where some kids on holiday I think discover some sort of secret naval base with submarines?

I loved that one. I vaguely remember Jack had a friend called Richard Lawson (?) who had a horse called Lordly One. Jane and Melisande both had a bit of a crush on him but he liked Melisande because she was so feminine and pretty and quiet, whereas Jane didn't wash her neck, was a tomboy and talked a lot (?). And then Jane's twin Jack told her he was ashamed of how she'd looked to his friend, so she started washing and being tidy, and next time Richard saw her, she was very demure and he really approved of her. My feminist sensibilities are screaming now.

Magic Faraway Tree and Five on a Hike Together were great too.

The Rubadub Mystery?

The Magic Faraway Tree. Loved The Famous Five too.

The Mr pink whistle books, I absolutely loved them and reading them with my gran.

This is a good site for free blyton PDF's - all the classics are there and some more unusual ones too:

https://www.fadedpage.com/csearch.php?author=Blyton,%20Enid

The faraway tree books
Mr Pink Whistle
Naughty Amelia Jane
Naughtiest Girl In the school series
The secret island
St Clares
The land of far beyond.