Tag Archives: The Barney Mysteries

The worst ever Blyton covers

Posted on April 20, 2022 by Fiona

We all know that I am a big fan of the original artwork for Enid Blyton’s book, though I have a soft spot for the 60s Armadas and the recent Ruth Palmer covers. Amongst all the modernised covers (which look … Continue reading →

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Monday #459

Posted on January 17, 2022 by Fiona

Last week I managed to break out of my time loop and actually post the first part of my review of Five Get Into a Fix. Jacqueline Wilson vs Enid Blyton and Five Get Into a Fix part 2 “I … Continue reading →

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Monday #352 – the last of the year!

Posted on December 30, 2019 by Fiona

This is the last post of the year and of the decade! You may be pleased to know that’s the end to the Christmas quotes in the Monday posts but I think I’ll move on to wintry ones as having … Continue reading →

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Monday #345

Posted on November 11, 2019 by Fiona

This is the last week before I start on the Christmas posts, you have been warned! Letters to Enid part 18 and Updates to the Naughtiest Girl part 3 The Mystery of Banshee Towers is the fifteenth and final Five-Find … Continue reading →

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Monday #337

Posted on September 16, 2019 by Fiona

Search terms #10 and On my bookshelf 6 Fifth Formers of St Clare’s is not the fifth book in the series, even it it sounds like it should be. It is actually the sixth and final book, after three books … Continue reading →

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Monday #324

Posted on June 17, 2019 by Fiona

Enid Blyton in the Ultimate First Book Guide and Noddy and the Farmyard Muddle Amelia Jane slept for an hour – and then she began having horrid dreams about falling into a river and getting cold and wet. She woke … Continue reading →

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The Barney Mystery covers through the years

Posted on April 10, 2019 by Fiona

In the not-too-distant past I have looked at the various different covers that have been used for the Famous Five, Malory Towers, Secret Series and the Adventure Series. Now it is the turn of The Barney Mysteries, or as they … Continue reading →

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Monday #304

Posted on January 28, 2019 by Fiona

Enid Blyton search terms part 8 and This Is Enid Blyton Magazine The Rat-a-Tat Mystery is the fifth Barney mystery. This one has the children staying at Rat-a-Tat house in the middle of the country. It is even more isolated … Continue reading →

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Blyton’s strangest homes, part 2

Posted on August 26, 2018 by Fiona

Most of these are less strange than houses filled with secret passages, and castles with apparent ghosts, but they’re not exactly normal-every-day home for most people, either. CARAVANS A lot of Blyton’s characters live in caravans at one point or … Continue reading →

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Blyton’s strangest homes

Posted on August 16, 2018 by Fiona

Recently I looked at Blyton’s secret but homely homes, where children turned caves and trees into lovely cosy places to stay. That got me thinking about some of the other strange ‘homes’ Blyton wrote about, and so I thought I would … Continue reading →

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Blyton’s Fathers

Posted on June 13, 2018 by Fiona

A while back I wrote a post about Blyton’s mothers and then I had a sudden thought – what about Blyton’s fathers? Given that it’s Father’s Day this Sunday, it seemed like a good time to write about them. Her … Continue reading →

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Blyton’s Funniest Animals

Posted on May 27, 2018 by Fiona

Now we all know that Enid Blyton wrote about a lot of animals, in fact almost every story she wrote had an animal of some kind in it. The great thing about her books is that she made every kind … Continue reading →

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A completely un-confusing guide to names in Blyton’s books

Posted on May 16, 2018 by Fiona

Enid Blyton must have come up with thousands of characters in her years of writing. Some of them are instantly memorable from their name alone. Zerelda? That can only be Zerelda Brass, the American girl from Third Year at Malory … Continue reading →

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Ripping Things to Do by Jane Brocket

Posted on April 21, 2018 by Fiona

You may recognise the name Jane Brocket, she wrote the recipe book Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer as featured quite a few times when Stef has tested out the Blytonian recipes. I’ve been reading Ripping Things to Do with interest … Continue reading →

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Monday #255

Posted on February 19, 2018 by Fiona

Bourne End And Dissecting the Magic of Enid Blyton (by Liam Martin) Hollow Tree House, a tale of two neglected and abused children who run away to live an idyllic – if brief – life in a hollow tree. It’s … Continue reading →

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Putting the Barney Mysteries in Order

Posted on January 17, 2018 by Fiona

As discussed in perhaps tedious detail, I didn’t have all the Barney Mysteries when I was younger. The Rilloby Fair Mystery was one I know I didn’t have, but I’m not sure which of the others I definitely even read as … Continue reading →

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Who’s Who in Enid Blyton by Eva Rice, revisited

Posted on March 10, 2017 by Fiona

Some of you may remember that I have previously reviewed the original version of the Who’s Who book (it took three posts – Adventure Stories, School Stories, and Toys and Enchantment. You also may remember that I pretty much ripped it apart … Continue reading →

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The Ragamuffin Mystery

Posted on August 10, 2016 by Fiona

And so I have reached the final book in the series. As with many of Blyton’s series the last book seems to be thought of as the weakest, yet I’m sure there will be some people who will hold this … Continue reading →

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The Rat-a-Tat Mystery

Posted on July 13, 2016 by Fiona

This is a bit of a strange one. I’ve always heard (or indeed read) that the series takes a dip in quality after Rubadub. Ragamuffin always seems to come last in the popularity stakes – but I believed Rat-a-Tat wasn’t … Continue reading →

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The Rubadub Mystery

Posted on June 15, 2016 by Fiona

This, the fourth book in the series is rather a pivotal one. It marks the end of a (short) era story-wise for Barney and the beginning of a new one. You could see how the series could easily have ended … Continue reading →

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