Forgootten title

[goblinwood]

Can anyone please help me with the name of a story? It was about some
children playing in their garden who get a particularly boastful guest,
eight years old, he claims he has a real Red Indian set then that he can
drive a car! Does this ring any bells?

[HeatherS]

Would this be The Adventure of the Secret Necklace? I only have vague memories of it, because I've only read it once - but I'm sure that was the one where the children found an heirloom necklace belonging to their ancestors, while the boy you mentioned (forgotten his name) was staying with them. They found the necklace by finding a map in a book, and going through a secret panel and passageway, and the boy was so awful that they left him out of their night-time escapade.

I think the boy's big downfall ( with Blyton's famous pride-comes-before-a-fall ideas of social justice) was that after all his boasting he couldn't even swim - a simple thing any little child should be able to do!

I'm sure somebody else can elaborate further on my own sketchy memories.

[Tony Summerfield]

You haven't had time to look at your latest Journal, Heather as The Adventure of the Secret Necklace is reviewed in it

Your memory is quite right though and it does sound like this book, with Cousin Ralph as a boastful 8 year-old - I am not sure about the driving the car bit though, as I haven't read it myself recently either, that sounds like a question for Rob who reviewed the book.

Best wishes
Tony

[goblinwood]

Thanks for everyone's replies and interest. I think this was more of a
short story than a book, and I remember a definite Red Indian theme-
the boy has an impressive costume so he claims the right to tie the
girls to trees! I am sure he does get his comeuppance though.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Several chapters of The Happy House Children Again deal with an eight-year-old boy named Tommy who hits Patter the dog with an arrow during a game of Red Indians. He calls himself Red-Eagle, declares that Jane and Betty are his squaws and orders Jack to tie Benjy to a tree. He is always boasting and treats the other children like babies, but he is not quite as brave as he claims! Early on in the story he boasts that he can drive a car - "I've watched my father heaps of times, and one day when he leaves me in it alone I'm going to start it up and drive it down the street!" These chapters were reprinted in Happy Hours Story Book (Dean & Son Ltd.)

Anita

[HeatherS]

You haven't had time to look at your latest Journal, Heather as The Adventure of the Secret Necklace is reviewed in it

Yes, I've read some of the Journal, but haven't had time to get through the whole thing. Since I was short on time I read through the shorter articles and decided to leave the others until I could savour them properly.

Couldn't resist a skim through Anita's Saucepan Man article though!

[goblinwood]

Anita, thanks, I.m sure Tommy is my man!! I think I may have read
the Happy Hours storybook which I shall have to look out for-funny how
things stick in your head. How does Tommy fall off his pedestal?

[Anita Bensoussane]

[Goblinwood:] "How does Tommy fall off his pedestal?"

Not telling!

No, seriously, I don't want to spoil the story if you're going to look out for the book!

Anita

[Viv of Ginger Pop]

I misread Tommy for Timmy - and wondered what the dog was doing on a pedestal - and how he got there - let alone how he fell off the thing!

Yawn

Viv

[Steve Alpe]

Doesn't 'The Boy Next Door' have a similar theme i.e He dresses up as a Red Indian and when the children including girls go over and try to capture him, they end up being captured and tied to trees.

[HeatherS]

Doesn't 'The Boy Next Door' have a similar theme

Yes, I think Enid liked using this as a way to distinguish bad behaviour in children, a little like scars and narrow-set eyes in adults. She seems to have used this recurring theme in several books - playing at Red Indians was fine, but tying other children to trees (especially girls) against their will was utterly despicable!