The Enid Blyton Society

Hi.
Have you ever heard of Nina Bawden?
When I was 10 or 11 [sigh...] I read two of her books (in portuguese).
I can't remember titles well, but I think one was "The Secret Passage" , and the other, literally translating, would have been "On the Trail to Adventure" or something like that. The plot of the latter consisted of the quite exciting running away of two boys and a girl from home, one of the boys being a coloured Kenyan. There was also some kind of a political intrigue involving the african boy's father and uncle. I remember I loved those books, reading them time and again.
I never saw any Bawden's whatsoever since then...
Cheers

I read quite a lot of Nina Bawden as a child, including The Secret Passage, but I never found her stories as exciting as those by Enid Blyton. That may explain why I can barely remember a thing about them! The only two which have stuck in my mind are Carrie's War (deliciously spooky) and The Runaway Summer (the main character, Mary, was trying to come to terms with the news that her parents were getting a divorce, and I first read it very shortly after my own parents had got divorced). The Peppermint Pig is another one I recall. I gave it to my daughter to read last year and she said I should have warned her that the ending was so sad. Somehow, I'd forgotten all about that!

I expect that Carrie's War is still available in the shops, as various TV adaptations have ensured its popularity, but I don't know about other Nina Bawden titles. Does anyone know which titles are still in print? It's probably not too difficult to find second hand copies of her books, in any case, though I don't know how many were translated into Portuguese.

Anita

There's a full bibliography and search feature to locate copies for sale for Nina Bawden here...
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/b/nina-bawden/

Fantastic Fiction is a wonderful website for most authors, especially for findig sequels you hadn't even realised had been written

[Anita] It's probably not too difficult to find second hand copies of her books, in any case, though I don't know how many were translated into Portuguese.

Thanks Anita and Rowena for your replies.

As I said Anita, those two books were the only ones I've ever read, and I strongly believe to be the only Bawden's ever translated into Portuguese.

However, it seems to me that Secret Passage and Trail to Adventure (?) somewhat set a trend in terms of Bawden's children books with its very own style, so different from Blyton's, yet so appealling to me...

Cheers

puffin62 wrote:Have you ever heard of Nina Bawden?

I don't remember reading Nina Bawden's books as a child. Browsing through a list of the books she has written, I am only familiar with one title: Kept in the Dark. In my second year of teaching, the school I worked at set this book for study in Grade 8 English. As we worked through it, I thought that it wasn't challenging enough for that age group in regard to vocabulary and language usage, although it was an easy way to establish and differentiate various levels of literacy in the class.

As for the book itself, I found it to be rather thinly written. It's a kind of family drama, where three grandchildren are sent to stay with their grandparents and also involves a mysterious cousin and a hidden gun. Now all of these things are set in place and the book rambles on for a while, seemingly setting up what could be a great climax - but the climax never really comes. What occurs in the end is something of an anti-climax and then the book just ends, tying all the bits and pieces together in a superficial way. I was most disappointed and can't say that Kept in the Dark made me feel enthusiastic to explore more of Bawden's work.

Later days
David

Merged with an older topic.

Having just bought the BBC TV version of this (1974) I came across it on YouTube. I don't mind, because I want a DVD copy of it - but watching the first episode on YouTube I was quite astonished to see how well acted it was - probably one of the best acted of all the BBC TV series in the 1970's. No wonder it stuck in my mind all these years!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdMsoKrzvFY

Since first watching this I've read the book, and also watched the more recent version - a TV movie from 2004 which wasn't half as good - but there's no beating the original.

I remember the TV series well.... and thoroughly enjoyed watching it with my children. It was excellent, I agree.

I have never read the Book, but I enjoyed watching the DVD release, of the 1970's TV version, of Carrie's War, earlier this year, an excellent adaptation.

Rob Houghton wrote:Having just bought the BBC TV version of this (1974) I came across it on YouTube. I don't mind, because I want a DVD copy of it - but watching the first episode on YouTube I was quite astonished to see how well acted it was - probably one of the best acted of all the BBC TV series in the 1970's. No wonder it stuck in my mind all these years!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdMsoKrzvFY

A while ago I watched Carrie's War, Kizzy, Stig of the Dump and The Enchanted Castle on YouTube, all of which date from the 1970s or very early 1980s. All were serious and thoughtful, sticking closely to the stories as written by the authors and allowing plenty of time for character development and creation of exactly the right mood. And yes, Carrie's War was the best of the lot! I loved the slightly sinister atmosphere, the moving ending and the superb casting of Mr. Evans and Mr. Johnny. I didn't know it was out on DVD but I intend to buy a copy in the near future.

I've just read On the Run by Nina Bawden. The only other book by her I've read was Carrie's War, which I enjoyed, but I wasn't sure if that was just a lucky 'one off'. The blurb made me a bit dubious that I would enjoy it. It mentions a step-mother-to be and a child on the run from 'The Welfare'. Not very cosy Enid Blyton, more gritty reality like Jacqueline Wilson. However I thought I'd give it a go.

It took me 4 hours to read, in two sessions. I ended up going to bed at midnight as I couldn't bear to put the book down. It gave me goosebumps, and put tears in my eyes. I was almost sorry when it came to an end as I enjoyed the characters so much I didn't feel I wanted to say goodbye to them.

I shall definitely keep an eye out for more books by her.

I'm sure I read On the Run as a child but I can't remember much about it now. Hearing how much you enjoyed it has made me want to read it again, Katharine. The Runaway Summer was always my favourite. I've re-read it several times as an adult, including in the train on the way to an Enid Blyton Day in Twyford.

Anita, I hope you enjoy it if you do read it again. I shall look out for The Runaway Summer.

You read a non-Blyton book on the way to an EBS Day????

Katharine wrote:You read a non-Blyton book on the way to an EBS Day????

Sacrilege.

If I ever go to a Nina Bawden Day, I'll read an Enid Blyton book on the way!

I've re-read three Nina Bawden books over the last few weeks - The Runaway Summer, The Secret Passage and On the Run - and enjoyed them immensely. The Runaway Summer was a childhood favourite, revolving around Contrary Mary (yes, she does remind me a little of Mary from The Secret Garden!) who has been sent to stay with relatives by the sea. Her parents are getting divorced and she has been kept in the dark about what is going on, leading her to feel unsettled and rebellious. She's not a pleasant girl at first, yet Nina Bawden gives us such an insight into her feelings that I always find myself rooting for her as she gradually comes out of herself and starts to focus on others. Mary's cat Noakes, who doesn't appear until partway through the book, is as much of a character as any of the children in the story, and the scenes involving him are some of my favourites. Published in 1969, The Runaway Summer still feels "modern" in many ways. As a child, I remember being quite taken aback by the mention of Crunchie bars. I was used to authors like Enid Blyton referring vaguely to "chocolate" or "toffees" without specifying the brand, and Mary's world suddenly seemed more "real" than ever. I happened to read the book just after my own parents had got divorced, which gave it particular resonance. It's a novel of realism yet also of lyricism, with memorable moments of sympathy and tenderness.

The Secret Passage (set in a boarding-house in a seaside town) is also a good read, dark and claustrophobic with an array of interesting characters of all ages - and several mysterious threads running through it which kept me guessing.

On the Run features Ben Mallory (one of the children from The Secret Passage) and is more of a typical adventure book than the other two, being faster-paced and full of action with some hair-raising happenings. However, strong characterisation remains a key element. Some parts brought to mind Enid Blyton's The Boy Next Door and The Secret of Spiggy Holes, and a spirited little girl named Lil made me think of Rob Houghton's Em in Five Go Off on a Narrowboat!

Nina Bawden explores similar themes and issues in a number of her books - children escaping and living in hiding, children of different races, family dynamics (including aunts coping with looking after nieces and nephews), political situations and secret places. However, she rings the changes so each book feels fresh. Her style of writing is wonderful - crisp and natural with poetic touches. It sweeps me along and I find her books quick to read, yet rewarding. Characters' feelings are beautifully described and seem true to life.

My Nina Bawden books are Puffin paperbacks, and unfortunately they haven't lasted well as the pages are coming out in handfuls. However, I still treasure them. The Runaway Summer and On the Run have covers by Shirley Hughes which I find very attractive.

I have a few more Nina Bawdens which I haven't read for ages, so I'll have to get round to re-reading them soon.