The Boy Next Door/Riddle of the Boy Next Door

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JennyS
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The Boy Next Door/Riddle of the Boy Next Door

Post by JennyS »

Hi and thanks for accepting my registration.

I'd like to ask what is the difference between 'The Boy Next Door', to 'The Riddle of the Boy Next Door'. I've looked online and although both descriptions sound similar, one site says the first edition of the riddle is 1997, but I read it myself much earlier than that and wanting to buy the same for my own son, want the exact same one.

Many thanks for any advice
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Poppy
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Re: The boy next door

Post by Poppy »

Hello and Welcome, Jenny,

The Boy Next Door (1944) is the original book. The Riddle of the Boy Next Door (1997) is part of a series (all stand-alone Blyton novels) edited by Enid's daughter: Gillian Baverstock to make a series based around the same characters. The original characters were Betty, Robin and Lucy, but in the Riddle Series - in every book it is Nick and Kate, plus another character/s when necessary - Laura in this case.
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JennyS
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Re: The boy next door

Post by JennyS »

Thank You for your reply. Would you riddle book and also the series?
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Moonraker
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Re: The boy next door

Post by Moonraker »

Hi Jenny and welcome to the forums! I'm afraid I don't understand your last post so cannot comment.
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JennyS
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Re: The boy next door

Post by JennyS »

Hi, that should read 'recommend' them! I'm looking for a good series which equals the find outers and Famous Five :D
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Poppy
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Re: The boy next door

Post by Poppy »

I prefered the original text, personally, because it was from Blyton herself, and not edited at all, whether the Riddle books (on comparing them with the original Blyton text) seem to be edited very much indeed. It depends, on the whole, whether you would rather read pure Blyton work, or if you don't mind them being edited and updated. The plot and stories are great throughout both versions, anyway.

Also: if you want the books as a series with familiar characters and everything throughout - you should probably go with Riddle books. These books (in their original format) are all stand-alone books, involving different characters, etc. As I said earlier the books were edited by updating language, and text, and by making the characters the same people throughout the series.
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Eddie Muir
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Re: The Boy Next Door/Riddle of the Boy Next Door

Post by Eddie Muir »

I also much prefer the original text, Poppy. :D

Welcome to the forums, Jenny. :D
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JennyS
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Re: The Boy Next Door/Riddle of the Boy Next Door

Post by JennyS »

Thanks for the info, and also for the welcome. I've seen a job lot listed of riddle books for sale so will go with those, and also buy the original. It was my dads Sunday School prize book that I read myself as a child and have good memories of reading it
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Julie2owlsdene
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Re: The Boy Next Door/Riddle of the Boy Next Door

Post by Julie2owlsdene »

I agree with everyone else, Jenny that the orginal stories are always the best. The Boy Next Door is a fabulous book and you can pick one up on Ebay. Also the Treasure Hunters is another good book. All stand alone novels, and well worth buying the originals.

8)
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John Pickup
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Re: The Boy Next Door/Riddle of the Boy Next Door

Post by John Pickup »

The Boy Next Door is indeed a great stand alone book. Another one of my favourites is Adventure Of The Strange Ruby which somehow turned into the Rajah's Ruby in the Riddle series.
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StephenC
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Re: The Boy Next Door/Riddle of the Boy Next Door

Post by StephenC »

I can only echo everyone's comments that 'The Boy Next Door' is a great stand alone book, one of Enid's best works, in fact! The illustrations by Gilbert Dunlop were excellent too!
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John Pickup
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Re: The Boy Next Door/Riddle of the Boy Next Door

Post by John Pickup »

Enid was lucky to have some great illustrators, Eileen Soper, Stuart Tresillian and Gilbert Dunlop to name but three.
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Moonraker
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Re: The Boy Next Door/Riddle of the Boy Next Door

Post by Moonraker »

Do we know what she thought of Maxey? I don't think she would have seen internal illustrations, but might have seen a cover illustrated by her.
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Pauline
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The Riddle of the Boy Next Door

Post by Pauline »

Merged with an older topic.

I bought this book from a charity shop and was delighted to find it, as it is one that I have never read before. Any thoughts on this book?
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Rob Houghton
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Re: The Boy Next Door/Riddle of the Boy Next Door

Post by Rob Houghton »

I wouldn't personally bother with the 'Riddle' version of any of the books. They are modernised, the main characters names have been changed so that the one-off novels can become part of a series, and Gillian Baverstock was not, unfortunately, her mother. Her additions aren't bad - and they are preferable to additions that would otherwise have been written by another author had Gillian declined - but neither do they add anything to the books in any way whatsoever!

In my view these modernised versions of Enid's original books should be read as a novelty - its certainly interesting to see the changes, and some of the shorter stories were made longer, whilst the longer books were (I think) severely edited, so all of the stories were of similar length, but they are no replacements for the originals. They are basically inferior versions.
'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.'

(E. Blyton, Sunday Times, 1951)



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