Enid Blyton today

[MichaelMeyer]

Ok, with my damaged english skills I´ll do my very best.

Very often I ask myself how important reading books from Enid Blyton still is. Especially for the younger readers.
You know, today most children have smartphones, tablets, computers and playstations.
They don´t have the time to read any kind of book. I was a caretaker for some boys from 8-15 years of age in my hometown. They were not really interested in reading books. To be honest not just one of them. They knew everything about youtube, facebook, instagram, Fortnite and Call of Duty. But they didn´t read any books.
When I asked them about Fünf Freund (Famous Five) or the Adventure-Series they didn´t know anything.
Even Harry Potter they didn´t know.
I asked them to read books. No chance. I asked them to read books together with me. No chance. I told them I would pay them for reading books. No chance.
Does books have any chance against all this playstations and self claimed "social media"?

I mean, Harry Potter pulled millions of children and adults into the book stores. And that´s just 7 books.
Enid Blyton gave us how much? 700 or 800 books?

How is it in Britain? Do children read the books of Enid Blyton?

I think in case of education and learning a lot about social competence what could be better than Enid Blyton???

I learned so much from The Famous Five. And I had great times reading the books. I loved them.

[IceMaiden]

If you ask me Enid Blyton books should be compulsory in schools and part of the curriculum. Her stories teach more about morals and values than any amount of lessons ever could. Personally I believe two things, one - that the world would be a better place if it were still like an Enid Blyton book, and two - that people who do read her books grow up to be nicer than those that don't.

As for smartphones and playstations, I don't see the appeal at all, I get headaches if I look at a screen for too long, especially a game with movement and flashes and a small screen strains your eyes terribly. I can't understand how people walk about glued to their phone, they're going to have such eye problems when they get older. Books on the other hand I can read for hours with no such issues, they don't need charging, don't go flat, don't require expensive upgrades to a newer model to keep working and have no printed circuits to go pop so they'll still be around on the shelf long after the consoles have been recycled into coffee cups or whatever they turn plastic goods into.