Category Archives: Book reviews

Enid Blyton’s Holiday Stories then and now, part 8

This series was seeming to drag for a bit, but suddenly I’ve only got ten stories left to do! Previous parts look at story 1, stories 2 and 3, stories 4 and 5, stories 6 and 7, stories 8 to … Continue reading

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Enid Blyton’s Holiday Stories then and now, part 7

I am at the half-way point! Previous parts look at story 1, stories 2 and 3, stories 4 and 5, stories 6 and 7, stories 8 to 10 and stories 11 to 13. The Smugglers’ Caves Originally published in Sunny … Continue reading

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Enid Blyton’s Holiday Stories then and now, part 6

Nearly half-way through, now. Previous parts look at story 1, stories 2 and 3, stories 4 and 5, stories 6 and 7, and stories 8 to 10. The Donkey on the Sands Originally published in Sunny Stories #192 in 1940. … Continue reading

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If you like Blyton: The Secret of Flittermouse Cliffs by Zöe Billings

Two years ago I reviewed The Mystery of Tully Hall by Zöe Billings. This was followed up by the second book last year – The Secret of Flittermouse Cliffs. My first and only reading of this one (so far) was … Continue reading

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Enid Blyton’s Holiday Stories then and now, part 5

Here we are, already at story 8 of 26! Previous parts look at story 1, stories 2 and 3, stories 4 and 5, and stories 6 and 7. John’s Hanky It looks like this was originally published under a different … Continue reading

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Enid Blyton’s Holiday Stories then and now, part 4

I would like to say that I am whizzing through these short stories but in reality it’s more of a steady plod. Which is fine! Reading each sentence of every story twice does take up quite a lot of time, … Continue reading

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Enid Blyton’s Holiday Stories then and now, part 3

I have looked at the first three stories so far, and there were quite a lot of changes in the two I was able to compare. Let’s see what the next few stories bring. A Surprise for Jimmy This is … Continue reading

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Enid Blyton’s Holiday Stories then and now, part 2

In part one I briefly looked at At Seaside Cottage – the first story in the Hodder collection of Enid Blyton’s Holiday Stories. I’m not sure how many stories I will get through in this post – I suppose it … Continue reading

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Enid Blyton’s Holiday Stories, then and now

In case you missed it, I’ve recently read Enid Blyton’s Holiday Stories – the 2015 Hodder collection – to Brodie at bedtimes. This is the first in what will probably be a reasonably long series of posts as I half-review … Continue reading

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Five Are Together Again part 4

Finally, I have reached the post with the promised nitpicks, of which there are many. Random points This one’s set at Easter, as was Mystery to Solve so it’s a full year later. It makes sense for them to have … Continue reading

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Five Are Together Again part 3

Between two posts I have managed to cover the bulk of the plot already. I had completely intended for this to be the final part and include the nitpicks but sadly you’ll have to wait until next week for those … Continue reading

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Five Are Together Again

So here we are – just 4.5 years after beginning the series – with the final book. I’ve always been very open about finding this one the weakest of the series and I’d like to see if I can identify … Continue reading

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Five Have Plenty of Character by Vanessa Tobin

Five Have Plenty of Character: A Personality Guide to Enid Blyton’s Famous Five is a self-published book written by Vanessa Tobin. The name tells you exactly what it is, an examination of the characters of the Famous Five. The blurb … Continue reading

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If you like Blyton: The Flying Classroom by Erich Kästner, reviewed by Chris

Much as I love Enid Blyton’s stories, and often as I re-read them, my very favourite children’s book is The Flying Classroom by Erich Kästner. It is a Christmas story, which I re-read every Christmas Eve and even now – … Continue reading

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Five Have a Mystery to Solve part 2

Last time I talked a bit about the places and people the story was based on and how annoying I find Wilfrid. Now on to more of the plot (perhaps!) Mistakes and foolish decisions I think the reason this is … Continue reading

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Blyton for grown-ups: Rules and Lessons by Jenny Colgan

I recommended the first in this series – Class – recently, and having read the other two in the series I thought I’d just write a little bit about those as well. Class A quick reminder of Class – Maggie … Continue reading

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Five Go to Demon’s Rocks part 4

Phew, my fourth – and hopefully last review for Demon’s Rocks. I’ve never written a 4 part review for a Famous Five book until now and I didn’t really expect it. George as a boy George’s desire to be seen … Continue reading

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Five Go to Demon’s Rocks part 3 – Fanny, Quentin and Professor Hayling

In part one I looked at Demon’s Rocks as a location and in part two I looked at Jeremiah Boogle and the wreckers. Now, in part three I want to look at the endlessly amusing triangle of Uncle Quentin, Professor … Continue reading

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Blyton for Grown-Ups: Class by Jenny Colgan

This is my first Blyton for Grown-Ups post – all the rest were written by Stef. To preface – I am always looking for books set in bookshops and libraries. I recently found The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan … Continue reading

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Enid Blyton and Queen Elizabeth II – The Story of Our Queen

I have found myself a bit emotional at times in the past weeks, since the announcement was made that the Queen had died . She had been monarch for my entire life – my parents’ entire lives – forever, or … Continue reading

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