I'm sure this has been mentioned before, but I can't remember where. I have a feeling the 'buying the fireworks' scenes have been taken out altogether, but I may be wrong.
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'
Thanks Rob. Like you I’m sure I’d seen it referenced on here T some point but couldn’t find it. I’d be disappointed if it was removed when the option of a parent going with them would suffice? I’d also be interested in how the publishers deal with the children inadvertently light their own fireworks in Colin’s summer house?
I haven't seen a modern edition but it seems that quite a few changes have been made to Good Work, Secret Seven so I expect that Secret Seven Fireworks has been altered too:
Thanks for the link, Anita! I'd written most of the details of changes myself, but had completely forgotten!
Its a real shame that the fireworks going off due to the knocked over candle has been completely erased in modern editions - that was one of my favourite parts as a child - scary and dramatic! Even when I was a child, we couldn't buy fireworks without an adult, but I never even thought anything of the fact the children went on their own - to me, that was what happened in fiction books - adults weren't needed for anything!
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'
In Australia you’re not allowed to buy fireworks for private use at all, so I hate to think what that would do to the plot!!
Society Member
It was a nuisance. An adventure was one thing - but an adventure without anything to eat was quite another thing. That wouldn't do at all. (The Valley of Adventure)
Personally, I think these days that should be the case in this country as well. Also, you never know when it's safe to let your cat go out at this time of year as people seem to celebrate their bonfire night over numerous days either side of November 5th.
"You can't change history as that won't change the future"
I personally think it will be a sad day when fireworks are banned for private use. We always had them when we were growing up. However, I do think there should be restrictions on the power of fireworks - they are far too loud and far too powerful these days, which is the main problem.
Funnily enough, our cats never seem bothered by fireworks. Our one cat does usually come in the house, but the other sits outside quite unperturbed! I guess, as with humans, it all depends on the individual animal.
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'
For whatever reasons I enjoy Secret Seven Fireworks more & more with each reread. I do wonder if the reason is that it's a reminder of yesteryear when health & safety hadnt gone bonkers!
I think that's partly it, yes! I also still enjoy it and rate it as one of the best of the later Secret Seven books. As a child, I devoured it each autumn, and drew pictures based on the Derek Lucas illustrations, which I loved and still do.
I could really identify with this story - the dark nights coming home from school, collecting firewood on the strip of land between our garden and the canal, planning what fireworks to have - and the robbery itself, which is small-scale enough to be something that anyone might experience. It really fired my imagination, and I can remember going to an organised bonfire party - also on the strip of land behind our house but further along, and seeing a Guy on the fire there and imagining it being a robber dressed up!
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'
Rob Houghton wrote:I'm sure this has been mentioned before, but I can't remember where. I have a feeling the 'buying the fireworks' scenes have been taken out altogether, but I may be wrong.
Try as I might, I cannot see how a book called "Secret Seven Fireworks" can work without the fireworks! That would be like trying to have a football match without the ball. However, I wouldn't put it past the madness of P.C. fanatics and book bowdlerizers to try to bring this off.
While I might be curious to know just how far they have mauled this book in order to make it politically correct, I do not waste my money on editions of Enid Blyton that mess around with the text. Basically, anything post-1970 or thereabouts I am extremely wary of, and will likely avoid unless I am desperate and think I'm unlikely to find an older copy any time soon.
Something that occurred to me when rereading Good Work Secret Seven is how the publishes dealt with Peter and Janet being in the back of the car? Surely they would need seat belts and booster seats hard to imagine they could go unnoticed these days.
