Blyton Questionnaire

[John Pickup]

Speaking of beer, I have just visited a local brewery for a tasting session, and have ordered a barrel for Christmas.

What, only the one?

[Francis]

If you buy enough barrels, Nigel, you will be able to make a raft and launch it onto a lake. You might be able to attract another motley crew!

[Francis]

I'll have a go at the questionnaire....


How were you introduced to Blyton and what was your first book?

My mother bought me 'Noddy at the Seaside' in 1955 and I read it on a very hot day in July in Dawlish.


How many books are in your Blyton collection?

Probably 200 books with considerable duplication.


what is your best bargain Blyton find?

'Five go off in a Caravan', 'Five on Kirrin Island again' and 'The Valley of Adventure' - all firsts with excellent dustwrappers with 4 other early Blyton books for a total price of £10 at auction - pushed up from £5 by one other bidder!


In which book do you wish you could have been in?

'The Sea of Adventure' without a doubt.


Which character is most like you?

Jack (at least I would like it to be)


What is your favourite film or tv series adapted from Blyton?

The 1990s Famous Five adaptions.


What book or series do you wish they would make into a film?

The Adventure series.


If you could have met Enid what would you have asked her?

What did she think of the Channel Islands and would she set a Famous Five and an Adventure book on a mythical Channel Island.


List your top 10 favourite Blyton books.

Mountain of Adventure
Sea of Adventure
Valley of Adventure
Castle of Adventure
Five go to Smugglers Top
Five on a Treasure Island
Five fall into Adventure
Five on a Hike Together
Five go to Billycock Hill
Noddy at the Seaside

[Machupicchu14]

Sorry for bringing this topic up again, but I just wanted to share mine as well.

How were you introduced to Blyton and what was your first book?
My sister started reading Enid Blyton's books and she read them to me. Also my first Enid Blyton book was an Annual of the Famous Five 1978.

How many books are in your Blyton collection?
I have more than 60 books.(Nothing compared to the 600 she wrote)


what is your best bargain Blyton find?
That I dunno.

In which book do you wish you could have been in?
The Famous Five!! And Malory Towers!!

Which character is most like you?
Probably both George Kirrin and Darrell, both kind, adventurous, smart, but a bit hot-tempered.

What is your favourite film or tv series adapted from Blyton?
The 1970's Famous Five

What book or series do you wish they would make into a film?
Malory Towers, I would love to be Darrell!

If you could have met Enid what would you have asked her?
Why are you such a good writer?

List your top 10 favourite Blyton books.
Last term at Malory Towers.
Five on a treasure island.
Mr. Galliano's Circus.
Five go adventuring again.
The Naughtiest Girl is a Monitor.
The mystery of the spiteful letters.
The mystery of the Disappearing Cat.
Five go off to camp.
The Valley of Adventure
The twins at St. Clare's

[Anita Bensoussane]

How were you introduced to Blyton and what was your first book?

In the summer of 1974, some relatives came to stay and gave me a present – Mr. Pink-Whistle's Party (Dean & Son edition, with a cheery orange cover). I was four and a half and, having learnt to read with Ladybird books, I devoured Pink-Whistle at a gulp and was left hungry for more.

How many books are in your Blyton collection?

A few hundred, the core of my collection being the 1970s paperbacks and Dean & Son/Purnell laminated hardbacks of my childhood. As an adult I've also acquired a selection of nature, educational and religious books, many of which are vintage hardbacks minus the dust-jackets. I'm especially delighted with my collection of Enid Blyton's Magazine, which I bought from eBay and at Enid Blyton Days.

What is your best bargain Blyton find?

I’ve picked up a number of 1960s-70s Blyton books for less than 50p each in charity shops.

Which book do you wish you could have been in?

The Sea of Adventure. I'd be in my element in that boat amid the Scottish isles, exploring and camping and bathing and bird-watching and enjoying the sounds of the sea, the wind and the gulls.

Which character is most like you?

I aspire to be like Jack Trent but I'm probably more like Lucy-Ann.

What is your favourite film or TV series adapted from Blyton?

I find the 1970s Famous Five TV series very nostalgic.

What book or series do you wish they would make into a film?

I'd like to see lavish period productions of some of Enid Blyton's gripping and dramatic "family and society" stories, e.g. The Family at Red-Roofs, The Six Bad Boys and the Six Cousins books.

If you could have met Enid what would you have asked her?

1. Which book or series are you particularly proud of having written, and why?

2. Could you tell me anything about the storyline of your unpublished adult novel, The Caravan Goes On?

I'd also love to be able to show Enid Blyton this website!

List your top 10 favourite books.

The Valley of Adventure – Excitement, shivers and a touch of melancholy.

The Ring O' Bells Mystery – An atmospheric and alarming mingling of fairytale with reality.

The Mystery of the Strange Bundle – Hot chocolate and macaroons galore, humour and intrigue, Fatty and Bets enjoying one another's company.

The Six Bad Boys – A startling study of home-life and its effect on children, with unforgettable scenes of warmth and brutality.

Six Cousins Again – A convincing exploration of the tensions within a family.

The Folk of the Faraway Tree – It's a captivating fantasy story, but then so is The Enid Blyton Book of Brownies which is another book I've always loved.

The Naughtiest Girl in the School – The defiant but kind-hearted Bold Bad Girl is one of my favourite Blyton characters.

The Land of Far-Beyond – An enchanting and imaginative allegory.

Tales of Long Ago – Vivid re-tellings of ancient tales. I read this book repeatedly as a youngster and it instilled in me a lasting interest in myth and legend.

Enid Blyton's Book of the Year – An entertaining book which can be dipped into again and again.

Pete's thread about our Top Three titles reminded me of this Blyton Questionnaire thread, which asked us to list our Top Ten.

Twelve years later, three of my Top Ten have changed (it remains to be seen whether they'll alter yet again over time). My Top Ten at the moment would be:

1. The Valley of Adventure

2. The Sea of Adventure

3. Six Cousins Again

4. The Six Bad Boys

5. The Ring O' Bells Mystery

6. The Secret Island

7. The Secret Mountain

8. The Naughtiest Girl in the School

9. The Folk of the Faraway Tree

10. The Mystery of the Strange Bundle

Almost made the list: Circus Days Again


Would anyone else like to list their Top Ten (or perhaps even answer the whole questionnaire?)

[Boodi 2]

I thought I answered this before and when I checked I found that I was right and was glad to note that 12 years later my answers then are still relevant today!!

How were you introduced to Blyton and what was your first book?
My parents bought me one of the Noddy books when I was very little.

How many books are in your Blyton collection?
I used to have a huge collection, but my mother gave them away when she (and I) thought that I had out-grown them. I started collecting again when my son was small and I probably have about 50 books.

what is your best bargain Blyton find?
They were all bargins!

In which book do you wish you could have been in?
The Six Cousins or any of the Five Find-Outer Mysteries.

Which character is most like you?
I'm a mix of Mrs. Hilton and Linnie Longfield, but also bear some similarities to Jane and Susan Longfield.

What is your favourite film or tv series adapted from Blyton?
I don't have one, as I've never seen any of the films or TV series. I prefer to read the books.

What book or series do you wish they would make into a film?
The Six Cousins or any of the Five Find-Outer Mysteries.

If you could have met Enid what would you have asked her?
I would ask her if she would allow me to thank her for the endless pleasure she has given to me personally and no doubt to countless other generations of children/adults.

List your top 10 favourite Blyton books.
The Six Cousins at Misteltoe Farm
The Six Cousins Again
The Mystery of Tally-Ho Cottage
The Mystery of the Invisible Thief
The Mystery of the Missing Man
The Ring'O Bells Mystery
The River of Adventure
The Island of Adventure
The Secret of Moon Castle
Enid Blyton's Brer Rabbit Book

[Ice_Gemz]

How were you introduced to Blyton and what was your first book?
My Grandma bought several books from a jumble sake in readiness for me to come and stay with her and my Grandad during the school holidays. The first one I read was The Folk of The Faraway Tree.

How many books are in your Blyton collection?
Over 1000 at the last count.

what is your best bargain Blyton find?
The Red Story Book which was given to my Dad's mum as a prize at her primary school in 1946 as part of the June 6th victory celebrations,found when clearing out their house.

In which book do you wish you could have been in?
The Adventurous Four.

Which character is most like you?
Fatty!

What is your favourite film or tv series adapted from Blyton?
The Malory Towers series broadcast last year.

What book or series do you wish they would make into a film?
The Enchanted Wood (I'm looking forward to the Sam Mendes Faraway Tree film whenever that finally gets made)

If you could have met Enid what would you have asked her?
Did you get inspiration from your daughters for some stories, and if you'd had a son, would those stories have been different?

List your top 10 favourite Blyton books.
The Folk of the Faraway Tree
Five Go To Smugglers Top
The Adventurous Four
Secret Seven Fireworks
The Castle of Adventure
The Island of Adventure
House on the Corner
Adventures of the Wishing Chair
Summer Term at St Clare's
The Naughtiest Girl is a Monitor

[Boodi 2]

With regard to the questionnaire above, the only thing I would probably change today is my answer to the question: "Which character is most like you?" My response 12 years ago was: "I'm a mix of Mrs. Hilton and Linnie Longfield, but also bear some similarities to Jane and Susan Longfield".

While that was fairly accurate at the time my situation has changed and our son has grown up and left home, so while I was a bit "Mrs. Hilton-like" when he was younger and living at home (I was quite strict and expected him to behave properly) I am more easy-going today (more like Fatty's mother perhaps?). Sometimes I regret that I was so strict with him and that I reacted with shock and/or disapproval instead of laughing at some of his tricks and jokes, some of which were actually quite amusing. However, it does not seem to have done him any harm and thankfully we have always had a very good and close relationship.

[Anita Bensoussane]

Interesting posts, Boodi and Ice_Gemz.

What is your favourite film or tv series adapted from Blyton?
The Malory Towers series broadcast last year.

The Malory Towers series is my favourite too now.