Plotlines & Story Elements Enid Only Used Once?

[Judith Crabb]

This doesn't quite fit the topic but I run it past assiduous readers of Enid Blyton. As an adult I have reread most of the major series but there were lots of single titles and short stories I read once only as a child because they were borrowed. (My own books were read many times.)
I am very curious to know whether there is ever a girl character created by Blyton who takes on the role of natural leader to a group of children, that is, looked up to and emulated by the others who acknowledge her superiority, as, for example, Fatty or Barney or Julian?
I can recall no such character, or have I missed it because it was 'only used once'?

[Katharine]

That's an interesting question.

The only character I can think of is Darrell in the Malory Towers books, but not sure if that really counts as it's an all female environment, and I don't know whether she could really be classed as a leader as such, although I seem to recall that Mary Lou hero worships her for a while.

[Judith Crabb]

Thanks for the response, Katharine. I was thinking of a mixed group, rather than girls only. It's years since I read the Mr Galliano series. Lotta? I'll check it out.

[dsr]

This doesn't quite fit the topic but I run it past assiduous readers of Enid Blyton. As an adult I have reread most of the major series but there were lots of single titles and short stories I read once only as a child because they were borrowed. (My own books were read many times.)
I am very curious to know whether there is ever a girl character created by Blyton who takes on the role of natural leader to a group of children, that is, looked up to and emulated by the others who acknowledge her superiority, as, for example, Fatty or Barney or Julian?
I can recall no such character, or have I missed it because it was 'only used once'?

I'm sure I posted an answer to this, but it's vanished.

I thought of three "possibles" to which I can add one "yes it did!".

Possibles were Lotta being at least equal-in-charge to Jimmy Brown in Galliano, and Susan being "in charge" over Roderick in the Six Cousins series. But both one-to-one and both had the advantage of being on home ground in comparison to a complete new boy.

Also Susie in Secret Seven had a short-lived gang she called the "Famous Five", with her at the head and I'm sure a couple of boys in it, but it was short lived and ver amounted to anything.

And then I thought of a real one. The Put-Em-Rights. A book I never liked, but a book with a group of 6 children, 3 boys and 3 girls, and a girl called Sally in charge.

I suspect you may be right in that it was a device used only once! Where is Nancy Blackett when we need her!

[Debbie]

I thought of the Put-Em-Rights, but although Sally is definitely their leader, she isn't really a very successful one, so I discounted it!

I'd say one of the nearest is possibly Diana in the Barney Mysteries. There isn't really a leader as such in that group. I think Barney would have naturally been the leader, but because of his circumstances he's lacking in confidence to take up that role.

But I think there's equal-in-charge girls. Lotta and Susan being two.

EB tends to make the boy the oldest, giving them a natural leadership by age, which often happens naturally. I remember chuckling with another mother in toddler group. There was a definite hierarchy at times-the oldest group tended to lead the group playing with the house. You know, "you can put this there, now we're going to have a cup of tea" type of in charge of the play. And it was really funny, but as soon as the oldest group moved onto school then the next oldest immediately went in and did the same. there was no discussions about it, they just naturally did that.

It's a difference from Noel Streatfield who I tend to think of as similar in that they wrote a range of stories. Noel often has the oldest (and the leader) as a girl. Sometimes the oldest has a boy twin, but they're often away at boarding school whereas the girl is there so takes the lead most of the time. In the house at Cornwall, the brave/adventurous parts are fairly equally shared between the twin boy and girl, for example, and they are pretty matched for who takes the leadership of the family.

[Judith Crabb]

Thanks, everyone. You've more or less confirmed what I suspected, but I'll checkout your suggestions.