I read Anita's comments about The Mystery That Never Was, with great interest. Yes, it does have a more modern feel than the typical Blyton book. The plot is weak, like many of Enid's last books, but the original illustrations by Gilbert Dunlop were a saving grace. Enid's one-off books have always i...

I've always rated Hike Together as one of the best of the FF series, and was one of the first FF books I ever read as a child. Published in 1951, it falls right in in the middle of Enid's golden period of FF books, that started with Get Into Trouble in 1949, and ended with Mystery Moor in 1954. One ...

Two EB books I have never liked, no matter how many times I have reread them, are The Mystery That Never Was, and Fun For The Secret Seven. Woeful from the first page to the last, and paper thin plots. Fun For The Secret Seven, was a terrible way to end the series. And Five Are Together Again, was a...

Five Have Plenty Of Fun is always an interesting FF book to discuss. The book marks the final appearance of Jo, one of EB's great support characters, like Ern Goon. Without Jo, Plenty Of Fun would have been a fairly mediocre book, in my opinion. As she does not enter the scene, until fairly late in ...

I have always had a soft spot for the Secret Seven series, although like some other people, I found the character of Peter, to be quite annoying. Colin and George, and Barbara and Pam, were barely indistinguishable from each other. Enid missed a great opportunity, in not replacing either Pam or Barb...

Interesting comments from Lucky Star about Jo. I tend to agree that her three appearances, are about right. Hard to see how she could have been slotted into any of the later books, from Secret Trail onwards. Her final appearance, in Plenty Of Fun, certainly transformed that book, from a potentially ...

FHAMTS was one of the last FF books I ever read, and of course, compared to some of the great books of the series, like Get Into A Fix, and Mystery Moor, it seemed quite poor. Besides the annoying Wilfred, there was the 'Anne is a tiger' theme, and the situation with Julian, Dick and Anne, now livin...

I find it interesting that not many people pick The Rubadub Mystery in their top three. For me, The Rubadub Mystery was Enid's masterpiece, and stands out from everything else she wrote. This book had everything: treason, Cold War intrigue, betrayal, and a cast of unforgettable characters. I have re...

Rather than opining that Five Fall Into Adventure is the best of the FF series, I rate it as the second of the excellent run of FF books that started with Get Into Trouble in 1949, and concluded with Mystery Moor in 1954. Enid was definitely at her creative peak during this period, also writing her ...

A lot of mixed comments about Demon's Rocks, and that's fair enough. Some interesting comments about the inconsistencies, and yes, there were a few. The use of a lighthouse as a plot device was a good one, but the character of Tinker was way too annoying for me. And the monkey Mischief, was a rehash...

I'm currently rereading The Boy Next Door. This book was in my opinion, Enid's best standalone book. The illustrations by Gilbert Dunlop are an added bonus. The plot could have been used for a Secret Seven or Famous Five or Five Findouters book, but works better as a one-off book, I believe. The hou...

A very difficult choice, but my top three would be: 1. The Rubadub Mystery. Enid's best ever book, in my opinion. 2. FIve Go To Mystery Moor. The best of the FF series, in my view. 3. The Boy Next Door, Enid's best ever standalone book. The Boy Next Door, narrowly edged out Go Ahead, Secret Seven, w...

Good to see that Mystery To Solve, finally gets a discussion of its own. Despite its faults, including the annoying Wilfred, who is too much like Tinker for my liking, Mystery To Solve is still an enjoyable read, in my opinion, and should have been the final book of the series, just like Look Out Se...

Not sure why some people are giving Henry such a bad rap. I have always regarded Henry, along with Berta, Toby, RIchard Kent and Sooty Lenoir, as one of the great one-off characters of the FF series. Henry is a vital part of why Mystery Moor is my favourite FF book, and in my opinion, the best of th...

I recently reread both Plenty Of Fun, and Secret Trail, and while I have readjusted upwards, my opinion of Plenty Of Fun, my opinion of Secret Trail, remains the same. I once again found it disappointing and lacklustre. The twins were annoying, the crooks unbelievably incompetent, and the plot a bit...