h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I only read the Famous Five books - but I loved them! I used to wish I was one of them, since they seemed to have so much fun...

...and as for beign sexist or the quality of her writing - pah! Bah!
Kids don't see that! (at least I didn't) Similar things have been said about some of the books by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren (Pippi Longstocking, Brothers Lionheart, Mio my Mio, Karlsson on the roof) but her books are still loved by children (and adults who grew up with them) all over the world!

Enid Blyton's books encouraged me to read books in general, and as I grew older, I moved on to other books - as an adult, I still read lots and lots of books (yes, I confess, I'm a bookoholic)

Oh, I forgot to say - great entry!

Excellent entry - also loved the books as kid.

My total lack of empathy with any of the characters or situations never mattered at all - it was pure escapist fun, much the way with Harry Potter. In fact some of the styles are bit similar; kids at boarding school contending with "bad" authority, but helped by twinkly-eyed "good" authority figures.

And then given a million points/stars at the end of term to win some prize and be heroes of the school. (I always hated that last bit.....)

I preferred Roald Dahl - Rebellion Without Rehabilitation!

S

Thank you everyone! I'm really glad you all enjoyed the entry and the Enid Blyton books. Personally I think a lot of Harry Potter uses conventions from traditional "bording school stories" such as Blytons. Ie. the bording school the prefects, the million points and the end of term, the vital interhouse sports match, whether it is lacrosse or quiditch. I'll think of more at some point.

thanks again!!

Oh how I used to while away the hours imagining myself in the Magic Faraway Tree...

*sigh*

Great article!

Enid Blyton didn't ONLY appeal to the girls, either!
I was more than a little disappointed when my own little bookworm was old enough to have her own library ticket and Enid Blyton's name was just ONE of the many, many names conspicuous by their absence from the shelves - there's a short 'rant' about this on my personal space, if anyone's interested .

Whatever happened to E.C. Eliot (Kemlo and the other 'Space' children on Sattelites K, etc???)
Capt. W.E. Johns (Biggles et al)??
Rudyard Kipling??? -Oh, yes, it's true: Kipling completely missing from more than one Liverpool Library!
Any other 'favourite' childrens' authors fallen from grace?

Great entry, really enjoyed this, it brought back a LOT of memories. I was a real Enid Blyton junkie when I was younger, reading her Famous Five, Secret Seven, Mallory Towers and St. Claire books many many many times. I wanted to BE Darrell in Mallory Towers, it seemed impossibly fantastic. On the rare occasions I met someone from a boarding school I used to be green with envy, and could never understand how they seemed a lot less enthusiastic about it.

I remember drinking giner beer because the famouse five drank it

I just always wanted to be George; she seemed to have it all; Timmy; her own island, a boat, adventures, no nonsense with skirts or tent-cleaning but if she really got into trouble could just say "oy you, I'm really a girl, lay off!"

----actually, I do still want to be George! Do you know, there really IS a Kirrin Island?

Terri.

ps; blatant plug time: There is a quote form an Enid Blyton book in my Hootoo Home of Today article in this week, go & look at A1037378 Those who are into this sort of thing might also enjoy Eustace, you can find him at A1036676

HELP! HELP!
I DON'T WANT TO BE GEORGE!
I DON'T WANT TO BE GEORGE!

you can be Timmy instead!

Terri

ps: anyone less like George than you is difficult to imagine!

There isn't a real Kirrin Island, (yes guess who looked it up on their Dads AA road atlas) but it was based on an villiage in Dorest, however the castle was on a hill not an island.

They remain great children's books - the ones i didn't wear to pieces reading so much are safely stored away for my own future kids to read one day.

My only regret is that Blyton didn't end the Naughtiest Girl series as firmly as she did Saint Claires and Mallory Towers - if she had we would have been spared those "sequals" of a few years back - books like that, written by a different author, are never the same as the original series - its like Old Coke and New Coke - just a pale imitation of a classic original.

There have been bad sequals to the secret seven and famous five books as well, and they tried, badly to bring them up to date.. chasing a runaway leopod was just too far fetched.

I did enjoy the Comic Strip TV thing "Five go mad on mescalin" though!

Terri.

Off-topic (though the author has been mentioned in this thread!
One of the people being interviewed on the Radio 4 Programme "Child Migrants" this morning was saying that it was only reading BIGGLES stories (Capn. W.E.Johns) which kept him sane in Australia in the 1950s

The sequels to the proper Famous Five books, like the runaway leopard one, actually have a slightly odd publishing history. The Famous Five was translated into French, as Le Club au Cinq, and became wildly popular - so popular that a french author got permission to write the sequels, in French. Later, these got translated into English and voila!

Yes, i have managed to acquire a set of "les Club des Cinq"!

The names are somewhat different:

Julian = François
Dick = Mick (!!!very French eh?)
Anne = Annie

And in a stunning piece of translation Timmy the becomes Dagobert!!!

Kirrin becomes Kernach, & is situated in Brittany, which is fair enough since Cornwall & Brittany have many connections. Apart from these small changes, as far as i can make out with my terrible French, the stories are pretty much the same. Certainly all my French frinds grew up on them & loved them.

Terri.

Ref: changing names of characters ..........

Danish cartoon strips are inconsistent.
Asterix and Tintin are popular, and keep their own names.
Mickey Mouse (Mikkel Mus) and Donald Duck (Anders And) are at least easy enough to recognise/work out.
But I never understood WHY Goofy becomes "Fedtmule" (Fat Mule/Horse)
while Andy Capp becomes Kasket Karl ( = Charles)
or the Charlie Brown strip becomes "Rødderne" [ = "Roots"]

Haven't thought about Enid Blyton for years! Brings back lovely memories of being cuddled up in a corner of the sofa, drifting off on a camping holiday with Julian, Dick, George, Anne and Timmy - or having boarding school adventures with Darryl and friends. Brings a lovely warm feeling to my tummy!