Best Famous Five Sequels...and the worst

[Francis]

A bit like Chrissie, I love the Kirrin Island books - island madness! The island and Sea of adventure and the adventurous four books are also favourites of mine.

[Chrissie777]

Mine, too, Francis !

[timv]

My own favourites are:

1. Five On A Hike Together
2. Five Go Down To The Sea
3. Five Go To Smugglers Top
4. Five Get Into Trouble
5. Five Go To Mystery Moor
6. Five Fall Into Adventure.
7. Five Go Off In A Caravan.
Notably, most of these are in the 'middle period'; I place Smugglers Top as a favourite due to knowing Rye, which Enid presumably used as the main model for Castaway. The first I read was On A Treasure Island, I think the 'Green Knight' edition c. 1967 with a front cover of the children looking down into the water off the island: I would put this at 8. Anyone have any ideas who did this cover, or the Run Away Together one of Julian and Dick carrying a box taken from the Sticks in the ruins of Kirrin Castle (which looks like it was modelled at Corfe).

The worst are, predictably, the final two - Together Again (1) and Mystery To Solve (2). I would rate Secret Trail more highly than some readers do, though the plot is straightforward, ditto Demons' Rocks; but I think Billycock Hill (3) has a few flaws despite an exciting plot and Plenty of Fun (4) repeats too many ideas from Fall Into Adventure.

[Daisy]

From looking in the Cave - http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/book ... ure+Island" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
it would seem Betty Maxey did the cover, but the internal illustrations were Eileen Soper's.
Likewise Run Away Together.

[timv]

Thanks, Daisy. I found this series of cover illustrations in the late 1960s particularly striking, especially the one of the Five looking out of the Tremannon Cove cave-mouth in the dark at the light at sea for Five Go Down To The Sea. It is a pity they were not retained for later editions.

The main redeeming feature of Five Have Plenty of Fun was Berta, I think - a riposte for those who think Enid only portrayed brash or money-obsessed Americans. She 's more mature than George in this book, and ironically makes a more convincing-looking boy. And Jo returns as well, though the villain 'Gringo' is a bit incompetent compared to Mr Perton, Block, or 'Red' Tower. For plausibly recurring characters, eg children associated with Uncle Quentin's colleagues, it would have been nice to have Berta rather than Tinker in more than one book!

[Rob Houghton]

It's interesting that many people feel 'Five Have Plenty of Fun' is a week addition to the series, and borrows a lot from 'Fall Into Adventure'. I liked both books on my recent reread, but somehow liked Plenty of Fun more than Fall into Adventure. I can't really explain why, but I know I'm in the minority!

[Poppy]

I really like both books but I do prefer 'Five Fall Into Adventure'. I really like all the excitement and the cleverness of the plot (how Dick switches places with Sid, the paperboy). I also really like the fact that Joan features more than she does in any of the other Famous Five books.

But on the other had, 'Five Have Plenty of Fun' is also a very thrilling read. It does seem quite similar to 'Five Fall Into Adventure' in some ways, but there are some unique aspects, too. Like how Berta arrives in the middle of the night and the excitement of disguising her.

[John Pickup]

I've always preferred Plenty Of Fun over Fall Into Adventure so that's at least two of us, Robert.

[Rob Houghton]

I've noticed we have similar tastes in books - The Valley of Adventure, Rubadub Mystery, Five Have Plenty of Fun - All three are some of my favourites. I do like 'Fall Into Adventure also - but I think all the Red Tower going mad stuff is a little over the top!

[Chrissie777]

It's interesting that many people feel 'Five Have Plenty of Fun' is a week addition to the series, and borrows a lot from 'Fall Into Adventure'. I liked both books on my recent reread, but somehow liked Plenty of Fun more than Fall into Adventure. I can't really explain why, but I know I'm in the minority!

Yes, Bertha was a friendly American girl, very likeable. I also liked the Raven's Wood descriptions very much, they are so atmospheric. And when they played cards with the paper boy.

I enjoy reading "Five Fall into Adventure", but never noticed that it resembles "Five have plenty of Fun". Wouldn't it resemble the 3rd FF book, too? It's also about kidnapping.

[jubei]

I read all FF books in Bahasa Indonesia version. The thing is , the title in B.I. is different with much more hyperbolic elements. When compared to original English titles, I can understand the move behind this translation, because I do find the book title by Enid a little too generic ( Five Go Adventuring Again , Five Fall into Adventure , Five Have a Wonderful Time ...what the heck?? , Five Are Together Again-- aren't they always together??). So it is easier to remember the title and connected to the story in translated B.I. title.

Here are my most remember FF sequels I like:

- Five Go Off to Camp / Memburu kereta api hantu (lit. Hunting the Haunted Train)
- Five Have a Mystery to Solve / Di Pulau Suram (lit. At Scarry Island)
- Five Go Down to the Sea / Di Lorong Pencoleng (lit. Under Smuggler's Tunnel)
- Five on Kirrin Island Again / Rahasia di Pulau Kirrin (lit. Secret of Kirrin Island)

[timv]

On 'Five Fall Into Adventure':

I think it possible that Enid was inspired by a real location for 'Ravens Wood', Chrissie - a large wood on the opposite hill from a town within a few hours' walk of where she placed 'Kirrin' by this time (ie in Dorset). In the book, the boys and Anne set out for the wood (which Jo has identified as her father's probable hideout where he has put George) on foot with Jo but when she is waylaid they decide to carry on by bus, ie it is probably more than three-four miles away. After Jo finds them lost in the wood later it takes some hours to walk back to Kirrin.

The place in question is still difficult to get into and little-known (and unspoilt), though quite close to a main road; and it has a reputation as a home for the travelling Romanies - who used to be called 'gypsies' until the political correctness brigade took over. I have been in the woods myself to take photos for my forthcoming book, and they are as unsignposted as in Enid's book; I was careful to take a map as I did not want to end up lost like the Five! It was easy to imagine being lost there, especially around the highest point of the wooded hill. Whether Enid actually walked there or just spotted it while driving past and used her imagination for the rest is unclear; but you can walk up a track into the woods from a nearby well-known National Trust building so quite possibly Enid visited the latter and saw the literary possibilities. I think the juxtaposition of town, wild woods on a hill, 'gypsies', and distance to 'Kirrin' does make it probable there was an actual place as a 'trigger' for her invention.

[pete9012S]

An interesting post timv thank you.
Any idea when your book may be ready for publication yet?

[Chrissie777]

On 'Five Fall Into Adventure':
I think it possible that Enid was inspired by a real location for 'Ravens Wood', Chrissie - a large wood on the opposite hill from a town within a few hours' walk of where she placed 'Kirrin' by this time (ie in Dorset). In the book, the boys and Anne set out for the wood (which Jo has identified as her father's probable hideout where he has put George) on foot with Jo but when she is waylaid they decide to carry on by bus, ie it is probably more than three-four miles away. After Jo finds them lost in the wood later it takes some hours to walk back to Kirrin.

Hi timv, just like Pete I would love to read your book once it will be published. And of course I wish I knew where the wood in Dorset that inspired EB is located.
Thank you for a truly compelling post!

[timv]

Thanks very much for your kind comments. My publishers have not given me a date yet; I am still hoping for it to be out before Christmas but this will depend on them getting into action within the next few weeks so it may be too optimistic. If not, Jan to March 2016? The details of photos will need to be finalised, to see if all of mine come out OK when enlarged; between mine and contributors' there are over 100 to go in so it is a big task. (This includes Malcolm Saville, Monica Edwards and Antonia Forest sites too, with the former two using real or made-up names for real places; AF overlaps with Enid in Dorset.) These four have been my favourite authors since I was around ten.
When the book is out, it will also reveal why I think Enid chose the name of 'Red Tower' for George's kidnapper and where Enid imagined her setting for the place where he lived, so 'Five Fall Into Adventure' will feature heavily. 'Red's house and tower plus the cove seem to be taken from two distinct locations, merged into one. 'Billycock Hill' plus the butterfly farm and airfield, Tremannon in 'Five Go Down To The Sea' , and the chase involving Rooky hunting for Richard in 'Five Get Into Trouble' also seem to have real sites behind Enid's creations; ditto Malory Towers and the Demon's Rocks lighthouse. Mr Perton's house may be based on a real one, but less definitely; the quarry in 'Five On Kirrin Island Again' ditto. I have also been tracking down some clues to the 'Island of Adventure' based on Stuart Tresilian's illustrations.

It was an exciting sort of 'treasure hunt' looking for clues to Enid's probable inspirations, and when the book is out I hope that other people may come up with ideas too. I had my first ideas on this back when I was reading the Five books aged eight-ten - and caravanning close to one possible 'Kirrin Island' site. Luckily I have long known three SW England districts where Enid had substantial links (two definitely, one nearly certainly but by local oral evidence rather than documentary). Detailed knowledge of the areas was essential to seeing which places could be identifiable, and I expect I have missed a few.