Who grew up reading Enid Blyton books?

[OldFred]

Just seen that The Magic Faraway Tree movie is to be released in the UK on 27 March 2026 🙂

I will hold judgement until I've seen it on it compares to the books but as a child, I devoured EB books.
I loved them all but TMFT holds a special place in my heart so fingers crossed!

I know EB books rightly so have had their fair share of criticism but (immigrant) childhood me just took them at face value, and as an adult and parent, my enduring love for them remains.
The Mini Old Freds have inherited all my copies and love them too.

What are your favourite EB books?
(Hoping to come across some I've not heard of!)

First Enid ones I remember my mum reading to me were the naughty Amelia Jane ones. My favourites were Mallory Towers and absolute favourite was The Secret Island, I have fond memories of a copy of it at my nans house I used to read every time I stayed there.
I read the Secret Seven to my daughter recently and she loved them but got annoyed that the boys always got to do all the important and exciting things and told the girls what to do!

But Summerhill sounds quite different — the liberty principle runs throughout. Attendance at classes is voluntary, there aren't forms or year groups etc. Whereas Whyteleaf seems pretty traditional apart from the collective pocket money and the disciplinary-by-the-pupils thing.

If the parents of the richer kids knew that all the money was handed in, it makes you wonder why they’d send any more than the poorer parents did.

Although it’s years since I read those books & I can’t remember exactly how it worked.

I did!
I loved them 😍
I get so surprised when many people haven't even heard of them.
I probably read most series tbh.
From the faraway tree and wishing chair adventures, to the secret seven and famous five, the five find outers, the secret series, i.e the mountain of adventure,the circus of adventure, and the secret of spiggy holes, and the rhubadub mysteries etc, the naughtiest girl in school books, mallory towers, St clairs, mistletoe farm, even the noddy books (even tho there was so much controversy around that series, it didn't bother me)
And many others!
Every so often i reread the circus of adventure and I'm trying to get my daughter into them 🤣

I think we’re shown some child who was sent a big sum of money by a family member who is terribly proud to be making such a big contribution!

I agree, though. Surely you’d just arrange for all your birthday money out of termtime so it wasn’t absorbed into the collective pot?

Yes, St Claire's was EB. I loved these books too. 😊

Loved Noddy as a toddler, then Secret Seven, Famous Five and Mallory Towers as I got older.

DS actually really loved the Secret Seven too! He was absolutely shocked and appalled when one of the villains hit Peter or Jack or somebody in one of the stories though - goes to show how much life has changed that the idea of a stranger hitting a child was so deeply shocking. And he also thought Peter was unbelievably bossy, and thought Susie mocking him was hilarious.

Does anyone recall the mystery books featuring children including one called ‘Fatty’ who was a master of disguise? I remember laughing out loud reading one of them. I think Larry and Dinah were perhaps the other children’s names.

Ooooooh I still adore EB books! The Magic Faraway Tree was my favourite but I loved Cherry Tree Farm, secret seven, famous five, Children of Willow Farm, St Clares and Malory Towers. Brings back memories.

I wonder if the family member realised they were donating to the school?

Yes, these were the Five Find Outers and Dog! They called the annoying policeman 'Clear Orf'. Loved that series and the '...of adventure' series (mountain of adventure etc) in particular.

Yes I do. They were my favourite. The five find outers - Fatty, Pip, Larry, Daisy, Bets and Buster the dog. I remember ‘ the mystery of the burnt cottage’ where there was a laugh out loud part. Something to do with the constable, Fatty disguised as a tramp, a real tramp and looking on the soles of shoes for footprints. !

The TV drama they made about her life stating Helena Bonham Carter as Enid was quite eye opening. I believe one of her daughters acted as an advisor on it and really didn't hold back.

Also all the talk of the forthcoming film made me Google the cast list, got as far as seeing Mark Heap's name and realised there is no way I could watch this without expecting Mr Oom-Boom-Boom to keep saying "hello all" in a slightly creepy way.

I loved them, an older cousin had all the Famous Five and Mallory Towers books. They were then passed down to me, I looked forward to going to my aunties house and take a few books home.
i didn’t think they were badly written and this was the early 80s. My cousin only recently retired as a school teacher

Yes, and Little friend Susan with her best silver bangle. No idea why I remember that!

I loved EB so much and was massively influenced by her stories. I honestly think I fell out with girls in late primary school because I just treated everyone like the Malory towers girls treated each other 😳 luckily I grew out of the books by secondary school!

On a simillar thread some years ago a poster said her old childhood books are like therapy for her and I feel the same, I still have loads of my EB books and I read them when I need some comfort or to destress. My absolutely favourites are the Find outers and the Barney books.

my mum bought me loads but also bought lots second hand so I have some really old editions as well as the 1980s ones from my childhood.

My DC have not been interested in them at all. DD has read some of the FF books but she didn’t like Malory towers at all - thought the girls were terrible bullies!

I think i had all of them. I loved books, particularly Enid Blyton, and was horrified when a teacher told me I shouldn't be reading them because they weren't any good.

I ignored her!

My favourite was the Malory Tower boarding school series

I read the Faraway Tree and some famous five books to DC. I also loved the five find outers, wishing chair, secret seven and school stories as a child.

Suffice to say in My version for DC there was some judicious on the fly editing of the division of domestic labour (so the girls were not doing all the housework), and also some editing of language.

The Faraway tree is such a lovely idea though. Who wouldn’t want to visit.

What were the books that your teacher wrote like?!

I didn't realize it's been adapted from the books by Garfunkel. Very pleased by this - I really like Simon Farnaby

@Mydadsbirthday On a simillar thread some years ago a poster said her old childhood books are like therapy for her and I feel the same, I still have loads of my EB books and I read them when I need some comfort or to destress.

I am exactly the same. There's a situation happening in my life right now that is giving me a bit of a pounding and so when I get a free couple of hours in the evening I'm losing myself in the SS world (Seven rather than Nazis) and it's lovely. Partly because it reminds me of happy childhood memories reading them for the first time and partly because Enid has created a fabulous world of lemonade, picnics, badges, sluthing and everything is always alright at the end. Unfortunately Peter remains something of a knobhead but you can't have everything.

My favourites were; The Naughtiest Girl In The School series, The Enchanted Wood and The Wishing Chair. (I never was into The Famous Five or Secret Seven) I also liked her short stories.

I loved Malory Towers...

The Wishing Chair series is also quite good. I liked how the siblings had a playhouse in their garden.

70’s child and grew up with EB, Famous Five, Secret Seven. Then graduated to Nancy Drew mysteries, Wind in the Willows, Swallows & Amazons, and Cap W E Johns, ‘Biggles’ books (which my DM had read).

Dont remember TMFT at all - must have missed that completely!

The Faraway Tree is probably my favourite book ever. Every time i look at a tall tree i think of it. Read it so many times, it's part of me. Loved famous five too. Had a 'gang' no doubt inspired by it, creating and looking for adventure. Not a bad thing at all to be brought up on EB.