The Enid Blyton Society

Julie2owlsdene wrote:I wonder why some thought of her as not a 'proper' writer. As she was a successful published author I thought that would have proven just how much of a 'proper' author she was.

If she'd published just one book a year and they'd sold a lot less, she'd be regarded as a great writer. But she was prolific and popular so the knives were out for her.

I always thought that 'Five on a Treasure island' was a terrific opener to the Famous Five series introducing one of the best and most iconic and distinctive characters of children's fiction - George.

That's true Francis! In my opinion it is the best FF book. As soon as you start reading it you can see how good it is

I also love Five on a Treasure Island. It is a terrific book. Full of thrilling episodes, a suspense filled plot and as Francis says a great introduction to some of Enid's best loved characters. I was hooked on the series by the time I was halfway through it. Eileen Soper contributed some superb drawings as well. The images of the old wreck cast upon the island in a storm really fired my young imagination.

A better start for a new series of books could not of been given when she wrote Five On a Treasure Island". Delightful.

I remember reading Five Go Adventuring Again first, and really thinking George was an awful person. I read Five on a Treasure Island later, but I loved George then! It was also where I learned the word ingots.

I was talking of language and colonialism on Facebook earlier this week and lamenting how I know English far better than Bangla and much of it came down to what I read. Most of my vocabulary was learned through Enid's books for sure - there was a time when I only ever read her books (it's easy to do that when you've written 700+!). Colonial arguments and everything else aside, I think the fact that I learned a different language so well through reading proves that she was an amazing writer.

I also think Five on a Treasure Island is beautifully written. It's wonderfully fresh, the children haven't yet become settled into their roles (oh-so-responsible Julian, good-little-housewife Anne, etc.) and the development of the cousins' relationship is woven skilfully into a plot full of thrills and tension.

I too learnt the word "ingots" from that book. A couple of months ago, Harrods ran a competition to win a (small) gold ingot. Five on a Treasure Island sprang to mind immediately and I submitted an entry. Alas, I didn't win!

I'd echo all of the above - Five on a Treasure Island is a fantastic opener to what I feel is the best series of books Enid wrote. My personal favourite in the FF series is Five Get into Trouble which I think is a brilliantly atmospheric read with the whole mistaken kidnap plot, the out-of-the-way Owl's Dene and both Richard Kent and Rookie adding a lot to the book as characters.

I also think Five On A Treasure Island is a great opening - but there are many Fives I like better - Trouble and Hike being two of them.

I don't think I could class the Famous Five as the best EB series...but then I'm never totally sure when it comes to judging a complete series, because most have very strong and very weak books! If Five On A Hike Together, The Circus of Adventure, Good Work Secret Seven, Mystery of the Pantomime Cat and Rubadub Mystery were all from the same series then that would certainly be Enid's best series!

Rob Houghton wrote: I don't think I could class the Famous Five as the best EB series...but then I'm never totally sure when it comes to judging a complete series, because most have very strong and very weak books! If Five On A Hike Together, The Circus of Adventure, Good Work Secret Seven, Mystery of the Pantomime Cat and Rubadub Mystery were all from the same series then that would certainly be Enid's best series!

Nah, I reckon it's the Galliano's Circus series. All three books are absolute crackers and they get better and better as they go on.

Rob Houghton wrote:I also think Five On A Treasure Island is a great opening - but there are many Fives I like better - Trouble and Hike being two of them.

Me too, Hike is also one of my favourites with Maggie and Dirty Dick, two of the most unpleasant bad characters for me in the FF series. Again, I love the atmosphere of the book with the children's moonlit adventure to find the jewels. All the clues on the bits of the paper Dick is given are fantastic also - “Two Trees”. “Gloomy Water”. “Saucy Jane” “And Maggie knows”. Brilliant.

Rob Houghton wrote:I don't think I could class the Famous Five as the best EB series...but then I'm never totally sure when it comes to judging a complete series, because most have very strong and very weak books! If Five On A Hike Together, The Circus of Adventure, Good Work Secret Seven, Mystery of the Pantomime Cat and Rubadub Mystery were all from the same series then that would certainly be Enid's best series!

There are many series I enjoy also (Find Outers, Secret Seven etc...), but I guess FF was the first books of Enid's I read as a child and because of this they'll always be a favourite of mine.

Of all the major series I think Treasure Island is the strongest opening book. But the last four in the series let it down badly for me, in fact of the last third of the series only Fix stands out. Some of Enid's best writing was in Trouble, Smugglers Top and Hike, dark, sinister and menacing with some very unpleasant villains.

Ming wrote:I remember reading Five Go Adventuring Again first, and really thinking George was an awful person. I read Five on a Treasure Island later, but I loved George then! It was also where I learned the word ingots.

I was talking of language and colonialism on Facebook earlier this week and lamenting how I know English far better than Bangla and much of it came down to what I read. Most of my vocabulary was learned through Enid's books for sure - there was a time when I only ever read her books (it's easy to do that when you've written 700+!). Colonial arguments and everything else aside, I think the fact that I learned a different language so well through reading proves that she was an amazing writer.

You can hardly have a better grounding in true English than to learn it from Enid's books - the clarity is spotless. So well done Ming - we would all love to talk with you!

John Pickup wrote:Of all the major series I think Treasure Island is the strongest opening book. But the last four in the series let it down badly for me, in fact of the last third of the series only Fix stands out. Some of Enid's best writing was in Trouble, Smugglers Top and Hike, dark, sinister and menacing with some very unpleasant villains.

It is interesting that Treasure was written when Enid's early enthusiasm invention and imagination was becoming tempered by a growing maturity.

I think many like Five On A Treasure Island because it has all the well-known elements and is iconic because it introduces her most famous characters. It deals heavily in 'wish-fulfilment' with George owning not only a castle but her own island, and on top of that, an old wreck and a possible fortune of gold ingots. The scenes where the cousins rub along, fall out, begin to understand and admire George, and get to know her as a fiery but loyal friend as well as a cousin, help give the book a greater depth.

Then there is the character of George herself, who has several strong traits, particularly the quirk of wanting to be a boy and not liking the name Georgina. On top of that, there's Uncle Quentin, who is as fierce as his daughter and provides the main nemesis to The Five in this first book. Even the elements such as George having to hide Timmy are a very important part of the book, and add character to the story, as does the fact we witness the wreck coming up from below the sea, and are able to explore it with The Five. No wonder the book spawned such a popular series!

In fact the least interesting element in some ways is the search for the treasure. We generally know the treasure will be found, but the elements that lead up to it, all the obstacles the Five face, and the strength of the characters, are the main things that drive the plot.