'The sun has drowned itself in the sea," said Lucy-Ann at last, as it disappeared.'
Another winning series from Enid Blyton which I adored when I was a kid and still adore today. Last year, I read some and listened to others, losing myself in the adventures of brother and sister Philip and Dinah and their friends, brother, and sister Jack and Lucy-Ann, and Jack's vocal parrot, Kiki. Kiki is absolutely hilarious and honestly the star of all the books!
Each of the eight books, see the children fall into another adventure, how they find danger is beyond me! 🤣 They jump on aeroplanes on their own, hide in caves, camp on islands and search for lost treasure, all with barely a parent in sight. They have so much fun and take the reader (or listener) along for the ride. I mean I know kids had more freedom decades ago, but these children are feral. Drinking from streams, picking berries to eat and tackling villains all alone. I wish I could get my grandkids to read these books, but they're just not interested! But who cares, I'm 52 and still get as much enjoyment from them as I did when I was 10.
Enid Blyton's Adventure series was written in the 1940s and 1950s and is very much indicative of its time. Taking that into consideration, I would thoroughly recommend anyone trying these and encouraging their kids or grandkids to venture into Enid Blyton's adventurous world.
About the Books
The Island of Adventure
Philip, Dinah, Lucy-Ann and Jack escape their tutor for a lovely holiday in Cornwall, right by the sea. They can see the sinister Isle of Gloom from their window, covered in mist and harbouring strange secrets. Are they prepared for the dangerous adventure that awaits them there?
The Castle of Adventure
Why are the locals so afraid of the deserted old castle on the hill? When lights are seen there in a distant tower, Philip, Dinah, Lucy-Ann and Jack decide to investigate - discovering a very sinister plot concelead in its gloomy rooms and secret passages.
The Valley of Adventure
Philip, Dinah, Lucy-Ann and Jack are going for a night flight on Bill's plane and soon find themselves flying into a truly amazing adventure. What has happened to Bill? Who are the two strange pilots, and what is the secret treasure hidden somewhere in the lonely valley the children have landed in?
The Sea of Adventure
A mysterious trip to the desolate northen isles leads to another exciting adventure for Philip, Dinah, Lucy-Ann and Jack. Bill is kidnapped, and the children are marooned far from the mainland. Will they rescue Bill in a dangerous game of hide-and-seek with an unknown enemy?
The Mountain of Adventure
A peaceful holiday in the Welsh mountains should be on the cards for Philip, Dinah, Lucy-Ann and Jack, but they once again manage to land themselves in another dangerous adventure. Wolves, rumbling mountains and mysterious strangers are the order of this holiday ...
The Ship of Adventure - listen
All aboard for a quiet cruise among the Greek Islands! But when Philip's pet monkey breaks a birthday present, Philip, Dinah, Lucy-Ann and Jack are plunged into an exciting quest to find the lost treasure of the Andra - with some ruthless villains hot on their trail.
The Circus of Adventure
Philip, Dinah, Lucy-Ann and Jack are not pleased when the wimpish Gustavus has to come with them on holiday. Even Kiki the parrot dislikes him! But when Gustavus is kidnapped along with Philip, Dinah and Lucy-Ann, Jack bravely follows them to a faraway country and unravels a plot to kill the king ...
The River of Adventure
A river cruise through ancient desert lands will be an adventure in itself, think Philip, Dinah, Lucy-Ann and Jack. An adventure it certainly is, especially when Bill disappears and the children, along with Kiki the parrot, are trapped beneath a forgotten temple where no one has set foot for 7,000 years.
Enid Mary Blyton was born on 11 August 1897 in East Dulwich, South London and spent her childhood in Beckenham, Kent. She had two younger brothers, Hanly and Carey. Enid’s father, Thomas, to whom she was very close, was a clothing wholesaler. Her mother, Theresa, devoted her time to housework, expecting her daughter to help with the household chores.
Enid Blyton was a bright, popular and sporty girl, and was appointed Head Girl in her final two years at St. Christopher’s School for Girls in Beckenham. In her spare time, Enid created a magazine called Dab with two friends, for which she wrote short stories.
In September 1916, Enid, an accomplished pianist, turned down her place at the Guildhall School of Music and enrolled on a Froebel-based teacher-training course at Ipswich High School. She completed her teacher training in December 1918 and went on to teach at a boys’ preparatory school in Kent before becoming a governess to four brothers in Surbiton, Surrey.
In the early 1920s, she began to achieve success with her writing – her first book, Child Whispers, a slim volume of poetry, was published in 1922. She became a regular contributor to Teachers World magazine and wrote many articles and a number of educational books during the 1920s.
In 1924 Enid married Hugh Pollock, an editor at the publishing firm George Newnes, which had commissioned Enid to write a children’s book about London Zoo – The Zoo Book (1924). They lived in London before moving to Elfin Cottage in Beckenham in 1926. The following year, encouraged by Hugh, Enid bought her first typewriter and switched from writing her books longhand to typing them. This was a critical move in her evolution as a writer and businesswoman.
Enid Blyton’s first longer fiction book, The Enid Blyton Book of Bunnies, was published in 1925. The following year Enid began writing and editing a magazine, which went onto become the popular weekly magazine, Sunny Stories.
In 1929 Enid and Hugh moved to Buckinghamshire where their two daughters, Gillian and Imogen, were born in 1931 and 1935. In 1938, Enid moved the family to a house called Green Hedges in Beaconsfield. Enid continued writing during the war years and Hugh rejoined his old regiment in Surrey. They divorced in 1942, and in 1943 Enid married surgeon Kenneth Waters. In the 1950s, Kenneth and Enid bought Manor Farm in Dorset, which was to provide the inspiration for many of Blyton’s works.
Enid’s first full-length novel for children, The Secret Island, was published in 1938. Throughout the 1940s and early 1950s, she wrote prolifically, frequently having over 20 books per year published. This period saw the launch of most of her most well-known series including The Famous Five, The Secret Seven and Malory Towers.
Altogether, Enid Blyton wrote around 700 books and about 2,000 short stories as well as poems and countless magazine articles. In 1950 she set up her own limited company, Darrell Waters Ltd., to manage the fortune she was amassing. In addition to her writing, she invested a lot of energy and time in fundraising for charity. She encouraged thousands of her young fans to do the same, through special clubs she set up. They raised huge amounts in support of the PDSA pet charity and several charities devoted to helping children with disabilities.
In the late 1950s Enid Blyton’s health began to deteriorate. By the early 1960s it was apparent that she was suffering from dementia. Kenneth was ill too, with severe arthritis. He died on 15 September 1967 and in 1968, Enid was admitted to a Hampstead nursing home where she died in November 1968, aged 71.
Enid Blyton was born in the Victorian era and wrote most of her work in the middle of the twentieth century. She expressed attitudes towards race that cannot be condoned and for this reason, some of her work is no longer in print and other books have been edited to ensure they cannot cause hurt or offense to readers.
Reviewing and editing the text of Enid Blyton’s books has been an ongoing process, beginning in her own lifetime and continuing now and, we anticipate, into the future. At Enid Blyton Entertainment (owners of the Enid Blyton estate and copyright, and part of Hachette UK), our intention is to keep Enid Blyton’s books and stories at the heart of every childhood, as they have been for generations. To do so, we work to ensure that there are no offensive terms in the books – changing words where the definition is unclear in context and therefore the usage is confusing, and where words have been used in an inappropriate or offensive sense – while retaining the original language as far as is possible. This enables a very wide international audience of children to enjoy the books, while also understanding that they were written and set in the past. For further information on the editorial history of each series, please refer to the relevant page in the books section of this website.
She remains one of the world’s best-selling and most beloved children’s authors. Sales of her books are in excess of 500 million copies, and they have been translated into over 40 languages. Many of her stories have been adapted into highly successful stage shows, TV series and films, all round the world. In the UK this widely loved author continues to sell more than one book every minute.
