A way, way back when the blog was relatively new Stef and I both wrote 10 facts about the Famous Five and ourselves. I’m now going to do the same for the Adventure Series.
1. The Circus of Adventure is my favourite in the series, though it seems to be quite low down on most people’s favourite lists.
2. I had some hardbacks and some Armada paperbacks when I was younger, and I was mortified that my mum had used felt-pen to colour in several pictures in The Valley of Adventure.
3. My sister borrowed The River of Adventure from the school library and then dropped it down the toilet. We bought the school a new copy and kept the water-damaged one which my mum covered in blue-and-white floral wrapping paper as the cover was ruined.
4. While Dinah clearly over-reacts to Philip’s pets I have to admit I am often on her side. I would not like beetles or spiders crawling over me, but I wouldn’t mind a mouse or (pet) rat quite so much as long as it wasn’t living inside my clothes.
5. One of my all-time favourite Blyton moments is “don’t forget Bill Smugs”, at the end of The Mountain of Adventure.
6. Bill and Jack feature in the fan-fiction universe Stef and I have created, Anatoly works for Bill, and through that they meet Jack who is a professional photographer.
7. I only watched the TV series (both the full series and the series based on The Castle of Adventure) as an adult and I thought they were both quite poor, though the full series was by far the worst.
8. When I first read The Circus of Adventure I believed that Tauri-Hessia must have been a real place, and was quite disappointed later when I discovered it wasn’t. In fact I’m still mildly disappointed even now!
9. It took me a long while of reading before I realised it was Dinah (a name I’d never seen before) and not Diana, and even longer after that before I could read it without having to correct myself.
10. I really, really wanted Jack to find a Great Auk and I was irritated by Bill and the others being so negative about his chances (even though I know they were right).
So those are mine, what would yours be?
Fiona
pippastef
worldofblyton
World of Blyton 
“Circus” was one of the first Adventure series volumes which I’ve read when I was probably 11 years old and it’s also one of my favorites right after “Valley”, “Castle” and “Sea”.
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1. Jack staying in the courtyard of the castle in that gorse bush wrapped in a blanket.
2. Buttons in “Castle”, the cutest pet that Philip ever had
3. the underwater tunnel passage in “Island”
4. The cave system in “Valley”
5. when the suitcases fall on top of the baddie in “Valley”
6. the children realizing they’ve entered the wrong plane in “Valley”
7. rescuing Bill in “Sea”
8. Philip’s flight to Scotland in “Valley” in order to get help for the others
9. the round tower at Craggy Tops in “Island” where Jack and Philip slept…ever since I wanted to sleep in a round tower room (and finally had my wish fulfilled in 2015 at the Sababurg Sleeeping Beauty Castle in Germany)
10. the scenes with Huffin and Puffin in “Sea”
11. Philip and Bill’s encounter in the self-catering cottage in “Castle”
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fiona, thank you for your blog post.Really thank you! Awesome.
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Hi there
I’m 46 now and still like this series. Its odd… but however i still like it aniway.
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Nothing odd about liking anything by Blyton, no matter your age!
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A beautiful post..
I do have one enquiry though..you mentioned that Bill and Jack appear in your fan fiction but I haven’t been able to find anything regarding that.Could you please guide me?
Thanks in advance
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I don’t think they appear in what we’ve published, but Bill is Anatoly’s boss, mentor and friend. And as Jack is Bill’s adopted son he appears now and again but much later on, after they leave university.
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Oh okay..thanks for clarifying.I suppose Jack and Bill appear in later fanfiction?
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Yes, Bill becomes a reasonably big character after they graduate and Jack makes a couple of cameos.
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jack as u mean jack trent in those 4 kids? hmm… what about philip?
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Yes Jack Trent has appeared (and briefly at that) as Bill has persuaded him to do the odd bit of wedding photography.
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I also did the Dinah/Diana thing as a kid
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Nice to know it wasn’t just me!
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