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Barney says: It sounds as though it might well be an Enid Blyton story, Gemini. I hope someone can come up with the title.

Barney says: A Happy New Year to you, Ana! Yes, of course I remember the shower of juicy bones! Thanks very much for the gifts, especially the feather bed as I'll need a good long sleep after tucking into all that food!

Barney says: I don't know the answers to all those questions, Ana, so I'll just answer what I can. Enid Blyton liked going on nature walks. She was a strong swimmer and enjoyed swimming in the sea while on holiday. In A Childhood at Green Hedges Enid's daughter Imogen Smallwood tells us that Enid often wore red nail varnish and that she liked to do as much of her shopping as possible at Harrods in London, because it saved time to get everything in one place. As an adult Enid Blyton read historical novels, Agatha Christie and light romances. Her favourite book as a child was The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald. You might like the Barney Mysteries if you haven't tried them already, or the Secret and Adventure series. Click on our "Popular Series" buttons to find out more.

Barney says: The previous copyright holders were Chorion, and they must have taken the decision to sell the rights to certain characters or stories separately if necessary. Noddy got snapped up first, perhaps because of the TV shows and merchandising associated with the character.

Barney says: American company Classic Media own the rights to Noddy. Hachette UK (Hodder) own the rights to everything else.

Barney says: If you click on our "Fireside Journal" button and then on "Journal Catalogue", you can click on an individual Journal and see the list of contents. Each issue is packed with mouth-watering goodies!

Barney says: I may be a dog but I'm like an elephant in that I never (well, very rarely!) forget!

Barney says: Didn't you re-register as "Susan Webster" at one point, Sue?

Barney says: The Seven Stories Enid Blyton Exhibition does indeed sound as though it's going to be fantastic, though I'm not sure whether a meet-up would be possible for many because fans would be coming from different places at different times. I believe the exhibition is to run for a year in Newcastle before going on tour (locations are yet to be confirmed).

Barney says: I'm afraid there are no plans for an Enid Blyton Day in 2013 as it isn't always possible to get speakers. It doesn't matter if we dogs put on a few pounds, as we soon run them off again!

Barney says: Welcome, Enid Blyton's best fan. I hope I don't get you mixed up with another person who posts on the Message Board, called Enid Blyton's greatest fan! You can see all of Enid's books in the Cave, plus continuation books by other authors. Good reads which are not as well known as the Famous Five etc. include the Secret series, the Barney Mysteries, The Six Bad Boys and The Family at Red-Roofs. The last two are stories about family life, but they're full of drama and very popular. We'd love to have you as a member of the Society. Just click on "Join the Society" near the top of this page and choose the "Worldwide" subscription. I'm off to have just one more mince pie!

Barney says: You may be thinking of Enid Blyton's Marigold Story Book (John Gifford 1954) or Enid Blyton's Everyday Book of Playtime Stories (Dean 1975), Wanda. Check out the details in the Cave of Books.

Barney says: A nice little rhyme, Hunaina! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Barney says: Mince pies, gingerbread and home-made lemonade all round! Here's to a New Year full of fun and adventure!

Barney says: Thank you, Falicity. Peace and happiness to you and your family.

Barney says: I'll accept the feast today, Ana - thanks very much and Merry Christmas! Enid Blyton must have got confused and have forgotten Inspector Jenks' latest title. The character was modelled on a real policeman Enid Blyton knew, called Stephen Jennings, and Enid aimed to promote Jenks whenever Jennings was promoted in real life (though she seems to have got in a bit of a muddle).

Barney says: I don't know whether Enid Blyton always stayed up till midnight to see in the New Year, but she did make a New Year's resolution. In January 1956 she wrote in Enid Blyton's Magazine: "What resolutions did you make? Or did you forget to make any? I shall have made my usual one — it never varies — and I am sure you must know it by now. My resolution is simply this — to be kind. And, if you think about it, kindness covers nearly all other resolutions. If you are kind you cannot be mean or untruthful or dishonest or cowardly — kindness of heart means that you cannot possibly do or say anything that would hurt anyone or upset them. So I hope you agree with me that my resolution is one of the best ones that anyone can make — and perhaps, if you haven't already made one yourself, you will share in mine."

Barney says: A wuff of greeting to you and Timmy, Trevor. I'm sure Timmy and I will both be enjoying some chewy treats and a lovely, long walk tomorrow. Thanks for the treats you provide regularly for Society members, Trevor, in the form of continuation books for the Secret Passage. They are much appreciated.

Barney says: Yours too, Wayne!

Barney says: Thank you, Julie! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Barney says: Merry Christmas! Enid Blyton wrote quite a few Christmas-themed stories, another good'un being 'Santa Claus is Surprising'.

Barney says: Thank you, Didgeridude. Wishing happiness and peace to you and yours.

Barney says: The flowers in the story are known as wallflowers. Gillian and Imogen were both married by the time their mother died. Imogen is still alive and well, as are four of Enid Blyton's grandchildren, and I believe there are great grandchildren too.

Barney says: Don't go giving Fatty a swelled head, Ana! Your country has no (or very little) crime and you complain about that?! Sounds like Heaven to me! Not too good for Find-Outing though, I have to admit!

Barney says: Don't forget that I'm a book-reading dog, not a book-writing dog, Hunaina! However, some books may be harder to write than others. A mystery needs careful plotting because you have to include little clues without giving the game away, and a school story involves dealing with lots of characters at once and interweaving their plot threads. I'd probably start with an action-packed adventure or an imaginative fantasy story if I were you, and make a rough plan of each chapter. You could try borrowing some "How to Write" guides from the library which have advice on writing a novel.

Barney says: Enid Blyton was apparently able to sit and type a book in full flow, with no preparation beforehand. However, she had about seven or eight hours a day to devote to her writing and often completed a whole book in a week or less. I imagine you don't have as much time to spare for writing, Hunaina, so it might help if you tried planning out your story beforehand (if you don't already do that) so you know where you're heading and can keep track of where you've got to. Regarding Christmas, dogs in good homes get well looked after and don't need to prepare. I'm looking forward to a delicious meaty meal, a long and bracing winter's walk and a snooze by the fire, before watching Doctor Who in the hope that K-9 might put in an appearance!

Barney says: Two of the Famous Five books (Five on a Treasure Island and Five Have a Mystery to Solve) were adapted for the cinema in the 1950s and 60s but it is surprising that there has been nothing since then.

Barney says: It doesn't seem very friendly to bombard a dog with questions while not even giving a username, but I'll be polite in return and answer to the best of my ability. Enid Blyton didn't attend church as an adult but would no doubt have called herself a Christian. She wrote over 180 novels and around 5000 short stories as well as poems, plays, articles, etc. The best-selling books at the moment appear to be the Famous Five, Faraway Tree and school series. A television drama about Enid Blyton was made in 2009. It starred Helena Bonham Carter and was called Enid.

Barney says: There is a forums thread here about Stephen Isabirye's self-published book The Famous Five: A Personal Anecdotage.

Barney says: Church is mentioned briefly in some novels - for example the children in The Secret Island can hear church bells and decide to keep Sunday as a day of rest, and Roger and the others tell Barney they've just returned from church in The Rilloby Fair Mystery. Only in a few books does it play a more significant part, for example in The Naughtiest Girl is a Monitor where Julian Holland goes into a church to make a solemn promise to God, or in House-at-the-Corner where Pam finds that going to church helps her during troubled times.

Barney says: Enid Blyton's first book was a volume of poetry about fairies and children. It was called Child Whispers. Good luck with your adventure book. As you write, I'd advise you to make notes about characters and plot developments so you won't get confused.

Barney says: Enjoy being a detective, Khired! Enid Blyton only wrote two full-length Adventurous Four books plus one longish short story. In 1998 the two books were retitled The Adventurous Four Shipwrecked! and The Adventurous Four Stranded!, and the short story was expanded by Clive Dickinson to form a third novel, The Adventurous Four Trapped!

Barney says: Welcome, Falicity. Enid Blyton was in her mid twenties when her first book was published, but before that she submitted poems, stories and articles to magazines. You could try entering children's writing competitions, Falicity, or if your school has a school magazine why not write something for it?

Barney says: Enid Blyton began her writing career by submitting stories and poems to magazines. Following numerous rejections, her work started getting accepted for publication on a regular basis in the early 1920s. Her first book was a volume of poetry called Child Whispers, published by J. Saville in 1922. Enid Blyton couldn't have known at that stage how successful she would become. In the 1930s she tried writing an adult novel, The Caravan Goes On, but it was never published and the manuscript has been lost.

Barney says: Clear-Orf, eh? Be careful or I might have to get my friend Buster to come snapping at your ankles! ;-) It's good that you're reading the books in order and I agree that those three are cracking stories!

Barney says: Early on in her career, Enid Blyton's work appeared in some magazines under the pen names Audrey Saint Lo, Becky Kent and Christopher. She also used the name Mary Pollock for six books for Newnes in the early 1940s. Other than that, she stuck to Enid Blyton.

Barney says: Pupils in the school stories are pretty fair on the whole, usually ready to give wayward classmates another chance. After all, the main characters have their faults too, with Darrell Rivers finding it hard to control her temper and Elizabeth Allen being impulsive.

Barney says: I remember a story in which a greedy boy eats too many treacle-puddings and is whisked off to Treacle-Pudding Town. However, if it's chocolate puddings you're looking for, perhaps someone else will be able to help. It could be said that such characters get their "just desserts" (as opposed to their "just deserts")!

Barney says: It's a bit complicated with Enid Blyton because she was brought up in a strong Baptist family and later became interested in Roman Catholicism for a while, following conversations about religion with her Catholic friend Dorothy Richards. However, she had her daughters Gillian and Imogen Christened in the Anglican Church (i.e. the "Church of England").

Barney says: I'm glad you found a copy of the book, Aurora!

Barney says: I don't think Enid Blyton became heavily involved with politics, although she did write poems and articles for newspapers and church magazines/leaflets in which she spoke out in favour of hanging (for murderers of children), criticised the Government's call for married women to work in factories (because it would mean "abandoning children to the care of others"), deplored the violence so often depicted in comics and cinema films, and supported an anti-gambling campaign. Through her Enid Blyton's Magazine in the 1950s she encouraged readers to raise money for sick and injured animals, for youngsters who were blind or who suffered from cerebral palsy, and for a children's home which catered for the under fives.

Barney says: Enid Blyton must have seen a 12-12-12 in December 1912. I haven't heard much about her birthday celebrations, to be honest.

Barney says: Enid Blyton had great success with writing poems, short stories and articles for magazines in the 1920s-30s, so she just developed her career from there. She was already successful as a writer before she ever wrote a full-length novel. Her first full-length novels were serialised in her Sunny Stories magazine before being published in book form. Enid's daughters Gillian and Imogen didn't become writers, though they did both write books about their mother.

Barney says: If Hachette don't provide an email address, I assume they only accept contact by letter or phone. Pamela Cox's St. Clare's and Malory Towers books were published by Mammoth.

Barney says: Don't worry, Aurora - it's right that you should like your own cat best!

Barney says: Do you mean a place where Enid Blyton fans from around the world can come together to discuss the books and characters etc., Hunaina? If so, our forums already serve that purpose and they're free of charge to join.

Barney says: Gosh, you do like to bombard a dog with questions! As an adult Enid Blyton didn't attend church but she would no doubt have described herself as a Christian. The Land of Far-Beyond is her most imaginative religious book, very loosely based on John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress. After leaving school, Enid Blyton trained as a teacher and taught young children for about five years before giving up teaching to concentrate on her writing. Besides writing, she was interested in nature, classical music and education.

Barney says: I've truncated your message, Ana, as the part about your neighbour's birthday and the long list of goodies for me wouldn't be of general interest, I'm afraid. I expect Enid Blyton celebrated her birthday at home with her family. Lately I've had to gobble up several messages before they've hit the board, mostly from children who want to chat about holidays, exams or computer problems, or simply list the books they've read recently, or say nothing more than "I love Enid Blyton." Don't forget that this Message Board is open for everyone to read and is not a place for personal conversations. Only post if you've got a genuine point or question about Enid Blyton which is likely to be of general interest. Edit: I just wanted to add that my last few remarks are aimed at everyone who uses the Message Board, and not at Ana personally.

Barney says: They were in Joel Chandler Harris's original stories and they're human characters living in Brer Rabbit's community.

Barney says: I don't believe Enid Blyton ever experienced financial hardship, Hunaina. She was fortunate to have been blessed with a talent for writing, but she worked hard at it!

Barney says: Lucky you, Aurora! A cat is almost as good as a dog! ;-)

Barney says: If you're referring to David Cook's review in the Cave of Books, what he actually says is that it would have been a good idea for Larry to have been drawn to the window by the Tempests, because in David's opinion the Tempests ought to have been mentioned earlier in the story rather than suddenly being sprung on the reader.

Barney says: Do you mean for the website forums, Carla, or for the Enid Blyton Society (i.e. for the Journal)? There's a "join in" link for the forums at the bottom of this page, and a "Join the Society" link up above under Welcome.

Barney says: I'm afraid your last message never arrived for some reason, unless it had no Blyton content in which case it would have been deleted. You can see what inspired Enid Blyton here. Enid wrote her earliest poems, stories and articles in pen or pencil. However, in the late 1920s she learnt to type (with two fingers!) and after that she always composed her books straight onto the typewriter, sitting with it perched on a plank on her knee. We four-legged creatures get to hang up four Christmas stockings!

Barney says: Strong peppermint bull's-eyes are what the Find-Outers prescribe when you've got the flu! Regarding finding me in the library, I'm not an Enid Blyton character although I am a bit like Enid Blyton's own dog Bobs, who used to write letters to her readers. There is a series called the Barney Mysteries, but the Barney in those books is a circus boy.

Barney says: You could try contacting her through her publishers, Don. Anne Digby's "Naughtiest Girl" books were published by Hachette UK (Hodder).

Barney says: Thank you, Sandeep. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you too! The Book of Fairies (also known as The Enid Blyton Book of Fairies) was first published by Newnes in 1924 but was reprinted by Dean for many years, so you're right that the Dean version is probably the easiest to find secondhand.

Barney says: It is confusing when publishers don't make it clear that certain titles in a series are actually continuation books by another author.

Barney says: I'm not sure what you mean by "the bedside stories", Khired. Most of Enid Blyton's short stories would make suitable bedtime reading (or any time of day reading!)

Barney says: I can only find The Book of Fairies available new as part of The Magic Folk Collection, Aurora. However, secondhand copies of the individual book can be found on sites like Abebooks and eBay. Unlike The Book of Brownies, The Book of Fairies is not a novel but a collection of short stories.

Barney says: Interesting questions, though I'm not sure whether anything is known about that period other than what's in Barbara Stoney's Enid Blyton - the Biography.

Barney says: The Secret Seven continuation books by Evelyne Lallemand are only available secondhand, EB'sGF, as they've been out of print for years. There are usually some for sale on sites like eBay and Abebooks. The town where the Seven live is only referred to as Peterswood in the final Secret Seven book, which was written when Enid Blyton was suffering from dementia and her mind was no longer sharp. Therefore, it was probably just a slip-up on her part.

Barney says: If there was more than one issue, the format would have been the same. I'm afraid the nature books don't tend to fetch a lot of money and volumes which still have their dustwrappers are invariably worth more, but it's a nice item to have anyway. To get an idea of value, you could see what that book sells for on eBay and Abebooks.

Barney says: Come to the Circus! is a thoughtful book with some quite grown up themes, Aurora - a bit different from Enid Blyton's other circus books. You might enjoy reading the forums discussion about it.

Barney says: We are talking about the same book here, Jan, it is just that the picture in the Cave shows the dustwrapper. If you go back and use the link in your previous message, you will see that someone has posted an image of what the book looks like if you remove the dustwrapper and I think you will find that you recognise the picture.

Barney says: The Mystery of the Strange Bundle is a marvellous book, Khired, with lots of humour as well as mysterious goings-on. In answer to your question, I have agile paws!

Barney says: You probably made a typing mistake when looking for it. I just popped Round the Year into the search box and up it came.

Barney says: Or perhaps one like me! ;-)

Barney says: I hope someone can help, Chris.

Barney says: If I weren't a dog, I'd be blushing at your kind words!

Barney says: Enid Blyton rewrote the Robin Hood stories, the legends of King Arthur, Greek myths and the Tales of the Arabian Nights (see Tales of Brave Adventure and Tales of Long Ago in the Cave of Books). She also retold Aesop's Fables, the Brer Rabbit stories and various other traditional tales and legends (search for "Aesop" and "Brer Rabbit" in the Cave).

Barney says: Enid Blyton did keep a diary but it was just a brief record of places she had visited, appointments she had had, people she had seen, films she had watched, etc. Unfortunately, most of her diaries no longer exist. I don't know anything about LIT files but the only electronic versions of the books which are legal are ones bought as e-books from reputable companies like Amazon or similar.

Barney says: Take a look here to find out which of Enid Blyton's characters were based on real people or animals.

Barney says: It's a great book and I'm glad you enjoyed it, Ayan!

Barney says: The rights are currently held by Hachette UK (Hodder) so you'd need to contact them, Martin.

Barney says: It seems it's a dog's lot to be bombarded with questions today! It's nice to see your enthusiasm for the books, Khired. School stories need a mixture of characters in order to be full of drama, conflict and fun, so it's not surprising to find similar characters in the St. Clare's and Malory Towers series. Both schools are bound to have their fair share of sporty types, tomboys, cheats, mischievous girls, snobs, good eggs, timid characters, etc. Regarding the Find-Outers, they tend to go looking for juicy mysteries and strange happenings to investigate - unlike the Famous Five, who simply keep falling into adventure even when they think they're going to have a peaceful holiday. I agree with you about Enid Blyton taking us so easily into her fantasy worlds. You could ask about The Secret Island at your library or bookshop, or order a copy online.

Barney says: I hope someone can help but it appears that the story has only ever been printed twice, once in the Sunny Stories magazine and once in a book called The Children's Hour, so I imagine most people won't have seen it.

Barney says: Welcome Khired, and well done for passing on your love of Enid Blyton to Ayan. Please only post if you've got something to say about Enid Blyton, though. As I've said to people before, this isn't a chat room.

Barney says: You certainly know how to talk the hind leg off a dog, Ayan! You've asked a number of questions, and if you try turning yourself into a Find-Outer you'll see that the answers are there on the website. Why not look in the Cave of Books to see which adventure stories your friend might like? And if you turn your head to the left you'll see that there's a button which leads straight to the Enid Blyton Society Facebook page. Well done to Khired for introducing you to Enid Blyton, and I hope you enjoy Tales of Long Ago.

Barney says: Tales of Long Ago contains Greek myths and Tales of the Arabian Nights. To see what other books you might like, click on our "Popular Series" buttons. There are also some good one-off books which are not part of a series, such as The Boy Next Door, Smuggler Ben, The Family at Red-Roofs and The Six Bad Boys. By the way, we write in Blytonian language on the Message Board, e.g. "please" instead of "plzzz"!

Barney says: Some coat-hangers have a bent wire hook at the top, which you could perhaps try to straighten. Then you might be able to use it for the "escape from a locked room" trick. A pipe-cleaner is long, thin, bendy piece of wire coated with fuzzy material like little hairs. It's used to clean pipes (the sort people smoke).

Barney says: The Naughtiest Girl Helps a Friend is one of the continuation books by Anne Digby so I'm not as familiar with that as I am with Enid Blyton's originals, Aurora. You could see if your library or bookshop could order the rest of the series for you, or buy the books online. Good luck with collecting them all!

Barney says: See my answers to the last two messages from Nabeela (below), Ayan.

Barney says: Most societies provide something for members, Nabeela (in our case three bumper Journals per year) and therefore need to charge a subscription, I'm afraid. However, you can still enjoy the website without being a member of the Society - it just means you won't have access to the continuation books and photographs etc. in the Secret Passage.

Barney says: Oooh - it is indeed very exciting when Fatty and the others practise skills needed for detecting in The Mystery of the Secret Room. Regarding the wire, have you tried untwisting a wire coat-hanger (take care if you do!) or using something like a hair pin or pipe-cleaner?

Barney says: The rights are currently held by Hachette UK (Hodder) so you'd need to contact them. The Famous Five books have of course been translated into lots of different languages already, though in some countries they may now be out of print.

Barney says: Click here and you'll see how to join the Enid Blyton Society, Nabeela.

Barney says: It sounds as though you did a fabulous job, Sandeep! Well done on bringing some of the lesser-known books to people's attention, and emphasizing the valuable messages they contain.

Barney says: Yes, the best of Enid Blyton lives on in her books.

Barney says: I think that you have almost answered your own question there, Stuart, as it obviously is a printing error and was therefore almost certainly in all the 8th impressions. Printing errors in books do not often increase the value of a book unless you are talking about a scarce 1st edition - I believe this was the case with one of the Harry Potter books when Bloomsbury put Joanne Rowling instead of J K Rowling, but fairly rapidly noticed the mistake and corrected it which made the error copy a rare edition.

Barney says: Bonjour, Serge! It's wonderful that people all around the globe have been touched and inspired by Enid Blyton's stories, landscapes and characters. Yes, Kirrin Island sounds idyllic and I'd love to join Timmy in a spot of rabbit-chasing (though I doubt George would let us!)

Barney says: I'm sure it has nothing to do with Malory Towers, Elizabeth. Plenty of other authors besides Enid Blyton wrote/write school stories!

Barney says: Welcome, Karen. The Cave of Books lists My Enid Blyton Bedside Book (1949) as having three stories and endpapers which were illustrated by John Prentice. I wonder whether that's the volume you remember? If so there might be copies available on eBay or Abebooks, or from the specialist dealers we list under "Lashings of Links". I'm sorry to hear that John Prentice has Alzheimer's and I hope you manage to get a copy of the book for him. If he's not too ill, I was wondering whether he has any interesting memories of working as an illustrator for Enid Blyton and whether he'd mind sharing them with the Enid Blyton Society, perhaps through our Journal? That would be entirely up to you/him though, of course.

Barney says: Hello Samie, there's a "Join the Society" link near the top of this page.

Barney says: Enid Blyton stopped writing in the mid 1960s, several years before her death in November 1968. She hated the thought of disappointing her fans but she had dementia and was unable to focus properly on her writing any longer.

Barney says: Interesting comments on The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage, Ana. It does feel a bit different from the norm because Fatty's personality is not yet properly established and there's a lot of sitting/standing around interviewing people. I've slightly altered your comments about the culprit so as not to give away the person's identity, because some visitors who read this message might not yet have read the book. The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage is still a well worked-out mystery, with clues to piece together and suspects to interview and some nice touches of humour. In answer to your question, the phrase is written as "Clear-Orf" because that's the way Mr. Goon pronounces it.

Barney says: If you want to know more about anything you see in a charity shop, you could always ask the person behind the counter. However, it's probably best to ask in a casual manner and not seem too eager - especially if the item is not marked with a price!

Barney says: Oooh, that sounds great, Poppy - like finding yourself in Toyland! I doubt the artwork would have been an original sketch because charity shops these days tend to know their onions and would probably have put a top price on the item if it were an original. Some of the Noddy prints are still very attractive though, even if not valuable. The figures sound good, as does the book. Enjoy reading it!

Barney says: Welcome, Katie. Yes, the membership is for one year and you'd get three Journals and entry to the Secret Passage. You would need to renew your subscription after one year if you wanted to continue being a member of the Society (which I hope you would!)

Barney says: This forums thread has quite a lot of information on wintry and Christmas-themed novels and short stories. Particularly Christmassy are Five Go Adventuring Again, The Six Bad Boys (parts of it) and The Christmas Book (which looks at the origins of Christmas customs). Good short stories for Christmas and New Year's Eve include 'Little Mrs. Millikin', 'He Didn't Say Thank You', 'Santa Claus is Surprising' and 'Father Time and His Pattern Book'.

Barney says: Welcome to the website, Diya. We can't print large chunks from Enid Blyton books because they're still under copyright. However, if you look in the Cave of Books under "Blyton Periodicals" you'll see that we've included some early poems, articles and stories which were published in magazines and newspapers rather than books. Each month we also put up a selection of extracts from Enid Blyton's writing. These can be found under Monthly Enid Blyton in the Author of Adventure section.

Barney says: EB'sGF did reply to say he knew you were joking all along, Ana. His message wasn't approved because it had no Enid Blyton content. I'm only allowing this one through so the two of you aren't left feeling puzzled. Don't forget that this Message Board is a place for people to comment on Enid Blyton and her books, or ask Blyton-related questions. It isn't a general chat room!

Barney says: Hmm - Fatty and Bets don't answer questions on this website. They're on enidblyton.net, where I see you've also posted more or less the same thing. Enid Blyton's first book was Child Whispers, a volume of poetry published in 1922.

Barney says: Well said, Sandeep! I do have to use my paws from time to time to nudge people back on the Blytonian path - and use my teeth to chew up some silly messages before they even hit the board!

Barney says: I'm afraid it looks as though we'll be taking a break for 2013, Elizabeth, and there are currently no plans for an Enid Blyton Day.

Barney says: You young'uns'll be the death of me!!

Barney says: Yes, Enid Blyton's books may be idealistic but it's a good thing to have ideals to aspire to. I like the way she encourages us to look to the best in others and ourselves.

Barney says: Perhaps Ana will be able to get back to you regarding Independence Day. As I said before, I wouldn't be able to answer your Five Have Plenty of Fun query without re-reading the book, which I'm not about to do in the near future.

Barney says: Happy Independence Day, Ana, though we still don't really want lots of messages containing lists of food. I think the story is 'Nemo and the Sea Dragon'. Doesn't the Queen get taken back to her country by her son in a ship?

Barney says: It's not always easy to find a particular issue of Sunny Stories. You might get lucky on a site like eBay, but if not you could try one of the dealers listed under our "Lashings of Links" button, or make enquiries in the "Wanted" section of our forums. Good luck with finding a copy!

Barney says: Not that I'm aware of.

Barney says: I'm sorry to hear that, Nabeela. You could try asking library staff if they would be able to get some more Enid Blyton books in, next time they order new stock. Or they might have a system where they can get hold of books from another library for you. If you have friends who enjoy reading Blyton, you could borrow one another's books. Also, you could buy Enid Blyton books over the internet. If you look for secondhand ones they're often cheaper than new copies (unless they're very old and therefore valuable) - though of course if you're buying online you'll need to take the cost of postage into account. Keep your eyes peeled when you're at markets or jumble sales as well. Oh, and if you've got an e-reader some Enid Blyton titles are available as e-books.

Barney says: I hope someone reading this can help, Anne.

Barney says: If you click on our "Malory Towers" button you'll be able to find out the title of the second book in the series, Hunaina. There's a short story book called The Secret Door and Other Stories, if that's what you're referring to, but I don't remember discussing it recently.

Barney says: Do you mean vintage copies, Thenila? You should be able to find some for sale online on sites like eBay, Abebooks or equivalent, but check postage costs with the seller if buying from abroad.

Barney says: I like the idea of being a wonderdog! I think people (and dogs!) usually try to pat their own heads while rubbing their own tummies, but I just tried and got myself in a terrible muddle!

Barney says: I'll give our webmaster a gentle nudge with my paw, Jack. He has done that for the other serials so I'm sure he's intending to do the same for that one presently.

Barney says: You certainly have a lot of favourites!

Barney says: You're probably thinking of The Put-Em-Rights, which is currently published by Award Publications Ltd.

Barney says: Plenty of people continue reading children's fiction all their lives, so you're not alone! Most of Enid Blyton's short stories would be good to read at bedtime. Regarding other children's authors, if you mean writers of past decades you might enjoy C. S. Lewis's Narnia series, E. Nesbit's Five Children and It trilogy or one-off novels like The Enchanted Castle and The Railway Children, Malcolm Saville's Lone Pine and other series, Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons books, Anthony Buckeridge's Jennings series set at a boys' boarding school, or Angela Brazil's girls' boarding school books. If you prefer modern authors you might like Charlie Higson's Young James Bond series, Andrew Lane's Young Sherlock Holmes series, Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider books, Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games trilogy, Siobhan Dowd's The London Eye Mystery, Eva Ibbotson's Journey to the River Sea, Lauren St. John's Dead Man's Cove and sequels, M. G. Harris's The Joshua Files, Linda Buckley Archer's Gideon/Tar Man trilogy and Julia Golding's Cat Royal series. Oh, and you probably already know about J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter books! ;-) There's quite a mixture of books there, so why not do a spot of Googling to find out more? Happy reading!

Barney says: Yes, they are almost identical, Sheila, at a quick glance you wouldn't notice the difference. The dustwrapper is exactly the same apart from a little Brockhampton logo (a small chess knight) on the back cover and the inside flap and the red cloth boards also have the logo on the spine, but that is really the only difference. From a price point of view they are well worth buying and if you get a copy in a dustwrapper the spines are identical to the Hodder editions.

Barney says: You're welcome, Dave.

Barney says: Hi Dave! The Boy Next Door is Enid Blyton's original. The Riddle of the Boy Next Door came about when six of Blyton's stand-alone books were reworked to form a series. It retains the storyline of The Boy Next Door but some of the main characters are different and there are a few modernisations. The Young Adventurers and the Boy Next Door is the same book as The Riddle of the Boy Next Door as the series of six books underwent a name change - from "Riddle of" to "Young Adventurers" and then back to "Riddle of"!

Barney says: Which books are your favourites, Nabeela?

Barney says: Well-spotted, EB'sGF. That puzzle has been discussed a lot by fans, but it seems that Enid Blyton just made a mistake and forgot which name she had chosen. She wrote very quickly and obviously didn't go back to check. In early editions of Five on a Treasure Island, the fisher-boy was called Alf and James in different places within that one book! Editors later corrected that to make it Alf throughout, but they overlooked the fact that the name James was used later on in the series.

Barney says: Some Enid Blyton texts are available in e-reader format, but I'm not sure which ones. Have you tried looking on Amazon, Elizabeth?

Barney says: I'm afraid we don't do valuations, Trudy, but you could see what similar items are selling for on eBay.

Barney says: Not as far as I know, Paul.

Barney says: I believe that book is hard to find and may be expensive secondhand. It's not available new and it's highly unlikely that there will be an e-book version. If you look at the listing in the Cave of Books you can see which stories it included. Putting the story titles into "search" will show you whether they have since been published elsewhere.

Barney says: I hope your exams went well, Elizabeth. Yes, Enid Blyton wrote a lot of poetry, especially early on in her career. Her first book was a volume of poetry called Child Whispers, published in 1922. You can see a few of her poems on this calendar.

Barney says: Enid was well aware of the influence she had on children during her lifetime but I think she'd be surprised - although delighted - that her books remain so popular even in the second decade of the 21st century. After all, she herself had seen authors come and go and understood that youngsters in the 1940s-50s didn't necessarily read the same books she had read as a child.

Barney says: Take a look here, Martin. The page is popular and packed with news.

Barney says: I just checked the Malory Towers books on Amazon, Martina, and you're right that Pamela Cox's continuation books are available in Kindle format but not Enid Blyton's original titles. It makes no sense to me! Does anyone reading this happen to know whether Enid Blyton's Malory Towers and St. Clare's books are available as e-books for any e-reader?

Barney says: The Robin Hood stories are old legends, EB'sGF, and have been retold by many authors including Enid Blyton. She also retold popular fairy tales, Greek Myths, the Tales of the Arabian Nights, Aesop's Fables, the Tales of King Arthur, the Brer Rabbit stories (Enid Blyton even made up additional Brer Rabbit stories of her own) and various other traditional tales and legends.

Barney says: I can see that some adults may feel embarrassed being "caught" reading an Enid Blyton book in public. However, if adult fans can find it in themselves to be open about their continuing interest in Blyton they might encourage others to take a fresh look at her work.

Barney says: Cheers, Nigel old thing! It's always a treat to share a macaroon or two with you!

Barney says: Enid Blyton wrote for children from when they were toddlers right through to their early teens, but such is the pull of her books that some fans continue reading them all their lives.

Barney says: Yes, Enid Blyton did run a small school of her own for a few years. In January 1920 she became nursery governess to the four young Thompson brothers at a house called Southernhay in Hook, Surrey. Over time, other children living in the area joined the class and a small school developed at Southernhay. Twelve boys and girls were taught there over a period of four years. The school finished in April 1924 when Enid gave up teaching to concentrate on her writing.

Barney says: Thanks, Ana. Bobs, a fox terrier, came to live with Enid and her husband Hugh in 1926. Enid Blyton used to write for an education magazine called Teachers World, and from 1929 onwards Bobs the dog wrote a letter each week for the children's page. These Letters from Bobs were extremely popular and were eventually published in book form. I don't think my larder is very interesting for most visitors to read about, though I'm happy to receive a bone or a biscuit once a month or so! It's much more interesting to discuss Bobs, or Enid Blyton's favourite colours, or books like The Secret Island or Five Go Down to the Sea.

Barney says: You're in for a treat if you haven't read the Secret series before, Poppy. The Secret Island was Enid Blyton's first full-length adventure-type novel and it has a unique feel to it. I can't remember whether we're ever told the children's ages. How about 8-9 for twins Mike and Nora, 11 for Peggy and 12 for Jack? That's only a guess, and other readers might think differently. Happy Reading!

Barney says: A warm drink and your favourite Enid Blyton book, that sounds like the proper way to deal with a cold, Lucy. When I have a cold I curl up with my favourite bone! I hope your cold gets better soon.

Barney says: I'm a real dog, Nabeela, not a character from an Enid Blyton book. There is a character called Barney in the Barney Mystery/'R' Mystery series, but he's a circus boy. Did you know that Enid Blyton had a dog called Bobs who would write letters to her readers?

Barney says: I wasn't growling at Nabeela, just expressing my puzzlement! From her writing Enid Blyton earned enough money to buy mountains and mountains of dog biscuits (she had a big house with a large garden and she employed staff like maids, cooks, gardeners and nannies). We don't know her favourite colour but in The Story of My Life she says that she and her elder daughter Gillian both love green and yellow. Enid also liked red and was very fond of her red shawl. The Enid Blyton Society was formed in early 1995. By the way, I've deleted your references to food for my larder, and posts from other people on the same subject. It's a kind thought but we want the Message Board posts to stay on the topic of Enid Blyton so that they're interesting for visitors to read.

Barney says: Welcome to the website, though it would have made your message more interesting if you'd said which books you like best, and why.

Barney says: What is it that I am supposed to be answering, Nabeela? A rather pointless post, I'm afraid, please don't bother to post unless you have something to say!

Barney says: As it was published by Budget Books I suspect that you already know the answer to this!

Barney says: None of them all that rare, but I hope they sell. "Well loved" normally means that books are a bit tatty!

Barney says: Yes, this certainly sounds as if it is a first edition and if it is also signed by Enid it is a very nice thing to own.

Barney says: I'm afraid that we have said many times before that we do not offer a valuation service. There are plenty of websites where books are sold and this is your best bet. Other information on books can of course be found on this website.

Barney says: There is a nice simple answer to this one, yes! You do have a First Edition and I wish all questions were as easy to answer!

Barney says: The one bit of information that you left out of your detailed description was that there is a title at the top of the frame - 'The Origins of Noddy'. This is simply a print of all the original material and quite a large number of them were produced. My master has one hanging on his wall!

Barney says: Why a larder? Because a larder (or pantry) is so Blytonian! Thanks for the goodies but I've got enough now to last me for ages so I won't need any more food for a while!

Barney says: I can just about fit all that in the larder, Ana! I assume by "Malory-2" you mean The Second Form at Malory Towers, which is indeed a super book with lots of drama. Hope you have enjoyable hols packed with adventure!

Barney says: I don't think we know, but in Six Cousins at Mistletoe Farm Jane says scornfully to Melisande: "I'll soon tell her [Melisande's Aunt Linnie, who is also Jane's mother] you keep lip-stick in your top drawer! Lip-stick - and you're not fifteen yet. You might be a silly little shop-girl, just left school, and thinking she's grown-up enough to use powder and lip-stick and all those idiotic things."

Barney says: There has never been a Secret Seven TV series Poppy, or a film, though there was a Find-Outers TV series in Japan which was broadcast from April 1969 to September 1971.

Barney says: Easier said than done!

Barney says: Do you mean Pepi from The Valley of Adventure? I think he's keeping the answer to that under his hat!

Barney says: Sorry but I don't know what link you mean - there isn't one in your message. Thanks for the leash but I very rarely need one, unless there are rabbits about!

Barney says: Good luck with your project!

Barney says: Yes, 'We Don't Want to Go to Bed' does also appear in Tales of Toyland (Dean & Son version) but it isn't the first story in that book and the Dean & Son edition wasn't published until 1963.

Barney says: The story you're thinking of is called 'We Don't Want to Go to Bed' and is the first story in this book (My Enid Blyton Book, Number 3, 1950, Marks and Spencer Ltd.) so that may be the one you remember, Olga.

Barney says: I agree with you, Paul. Enid's writing has a wonderful spontaneity, fluidity and lightness of touch which I think might have been lost had she drafted and redrafted. Thank you for the bone!

Barney says: Groan....!

Barney says: Thank you for the chocolates, Ana. No, J. K. Rowling hasn't died! I was just wondering whether her books will remain popular in the future, even decades after her death, as Enid Blyton's books have done. Only time will tell!

Barney says: I've combined your messages into one, EB'sGF. Kiki has had her pineapple now, thanks, but a dog does have other things to do - including sleeping!

Barney says: Waggomeat? Yum - Timmy's favourite! You've obviously read Five Have a Mystery to Solve!

Barney says: I don't know whether it's possible to buy the book in that format, Roxzanne, but perhaps someone else reading this will be able to help. Enid Blyton would surely be glad to know that you loved her books "even when you were a child"! ;-)

Barney says: I'll have to throw a party to share all these tasty treats I keep getting! Scamper is not an official member of the Secret Seven, though he does become a temporary member in one book.

Barney says: Without re-reading Five Have Plenty of Fun I can't remember how George's parents and Mr. Wright knew about Berta/Lesley/Jane! I'm sure Ana will have seen your message on 5th October in which you said, "Five Go Down to the Sea is not liked by me because things change at the end. For example Sid and Mr. Binks say that they are not going to work with Clopper and the Barnies lose their Guvnor."

Barney says: J. K. Rowling may be the best-selling author (currently) but that doesn't mean she's the "best" author. Many readers love the Harry Potter books, although they don't appeal to everyone, but time will tell whether J. K. Rowling's books, like Enid Blyton's, will still be selling in their millions 44 years after her death.

Barney says: Their surname is Kirrin, though in Five Get Into a Fix Enid Blyton slips up and gives Julian, Dick and Anne the surname Barnard.

Barney says: Another good website is enidblyton.net. We dogs don't generally have i-phones (you appear to be an exception, Timmy!) so I know nothing about apps (only naps!) but maybe someone else will be able to answer that.

Barney says: Golly - four Famous Five books in one day! It's a good thing for you that Enid Blyton wrote so many books! Thanks for the bones!

Barney says: I thought "best" in Hunaina's message probably meant "best-selling". What's a "gk book" - a general knowledge book, perhaps?

Barney says: Where did you read/hear that, Hunaina? I don't see how just one writer can be singled out as "best" because people have different tastes (juicy bones for dinner might be "best" in my eyes but not in yours!) Perhaps what is meant is that J. K. Rowling is the best-selling author at the moment? If so we have to remember that she's a current writer, while Enid Blyton died nearly 44 years ago and her books are still selling well!

Barney says: If in doubt it's always best to check with the holders of the copyright, Joey. The Enid Blyton copyright is held by Hachette (Hodder).

Barney says: That sounds rather like the blurb for the back cover, but I've approved your message simply because that book doesn't often get a mention. Although it's now called Shuffle the Shoemaker, the original title was Rubbalong Tales.

Barney says: Hear hear! There's no better medicine than a Blyton book!

Barney says: Enid Blyton would definitely have preferred "want to" over "wanna", "going to" over "gonna" and "because" over "cuz" so I've changed those words with a wave of my magic paw! I don't know about bookshops in the USA but if you ask your aunt she should be able to order the books you want. Judging by what fans have written on the forums over the years, some of Enid Blyton's best-loved books include The Valley of Adventure, The Sea of Adventure, Five Go to Smuggler's Top, Five on a Hike Together, The Mystery of the Missing Necklace, The Mystery of the Strange Bundle, The Secret Island, The Secret Mountain, The Ring O' Bells Mystery, The Rubadub Mystery (though the Barney Mysteries really need to be read in the correct order), The Family at Red-Roofs, The Six Bad Boys and the Six Cousins books. The Malory Towers series is perhaps the most popular school series, but again those books are best read in order. Thanks for the sandwiches!

Barney says: Thanks, Ana, we're in for a real feast! It's hard to count the books Enid Blyton has written because she wrote articles, poems, plays, whole magazines, short texts for picture books and countless short stories as well as novels. What we can say is that she wrote over 180 novels and around 5000 short stories, as well as articles etc. In answer to your other question, some authors have written extra titles for Enid Blyton series because the publishers wished to extend the series. In addition, the language of many of Blyton's original books has been updated because certain words and phrases were considered too old-fashioned for today's readers.

Barney says: Whispering Island was based on Brownsea Island in Dorset, which nowadays can be visited by members of the public. The character of Lucas is said to have been inspired by golf caddy and green-keeper Gordon James, who was also known as Billy or Johnny. Sadly, he died in May.

Barney says: I'm not sure how old a sixth grader is in your country, Hunaina. About 11-12? All the Adventure and Mystery series would be great for that age (Famous Five, Five Find-Outers, Adventure, Secret, Barney Mysteries, Adventurous Four) although I don't know exactly what you've read already. You might also enjoy some of the "family and society" books like The Family at Red-Roofs, The Six Bad Boys and the two books about the Six Cousins. Why not check out the Cave of Books and see what takes your fancy? By the way, thanks for your comments on Golly's message but I think we've said enough about that - no one has written in support of his/her views.

Barney says: Welcome, Hunaina. I hope you enjoy the website. Thanks for all those treats - I'll have to invite Scamper, Timmy, Buster, Loony and other canine friends to a midnight feast!

Barney says: It depends what you mean by movies. The only cinema films/serials in English are the black-and-white Five On a Treasure Island and Five Have a Mystery to Solve, dating from the 1950s/60s. Films of The Island of Adventure and The Castle of Adventure were made for TV in the 1980s/90s, and the 1990s also saw New Zealand TV series of the Adventure and Secret series. Two Famous Five series were made, one in the 1970s and one in the 1990s. Germany has recently made a Famous Five film and two St. Clare's films, Denmark has produced two Famous Five films, while in Japan there has been a Five Find-Outers TV series and a St. Clare's cartoon. There have also been cartoons/animations based on Noddy, the Faraway Tree and Wishing-Chair books, and the children of the Famous Five. Unfortunately not all of these were released on video or DVD but you could check Amazon to see which ones are available.

Barney says: I don't know but you could always ask the publishers (Egmont). The more people who contact them about that, the more they'll be aware of the demand.

Barney says: A wuff and a wag of the tail for you, Timmy!

Barney says: We'd been flooded with spam messages, Ana, which you never get to see because I gobble them up before they hit the board. And although I have a healthy appetite, the amount of spam we'd been getting was making me quite ill! The new system should deter spammers. The current Five Find-Outers books feature a large magnifying glass on every cover.

Barney says: You could list them in the "For Sale" section of our forums if you like, Melanie. It's necessary to register to post on the forums, but registration is free. I hope you find a good home/homes for the books.

Barney says: I've just checked on Amazon and the covers with the magnifying glass design are still the current covers as far as I can tell. You could order the book online or ask your local bookshop to get a copy in for you, specifying that you want the magnifying glass cover design.

Barney says: Barbara Stoney says in Enid Blyton - the Biography: "With a full household [including servants] she [Enid] was able to tell the billeting officer that there was no room at Green Hedges for evacuees, and that she needed her staff to allow her to carry out what she considered to be her own particular form of war work - writing for children."

Barney says: It was formed in early 1995.

Barney says: Timmy is the best character by far, being brave, intelligent, loyal and fiercely protective. I don't think I've got a least-liked character. Tinker/Stinker in Five Run Away Together comes in for criticism from Julian and the others but it's not his fault he belongs to the Sticks!

Barney says: Thanks for explaining, EB'sGF. The man who works with Sid is Mr. Binks.

Barney says: I'm glad you had such a good time - it's a real wonderland for Blyton fans!

Barney says: I think it's probably a Coronation Bible, Darren, and they all contained the same message. You can find out more here.

Barney says: Hopefully EB'sGF will see your message and reply, Ana.

Barney says: Have you tried the "Barney Mysteries" books, Tracey? They have mystery, adventure and plenty of humour. Click on the button for that series (above "Secret Messages") to find out more.

Barney says: When Enid Blyton wrote about the rows between the Berkeley parents in The Six Bad Boys, and about Mr. Berkeley leaving the family, she was drawing on her own childhood experiences (her parents used to quarrel violently and her father left the family home when Enid was not quite thirteen).

Barney says: You're right that Enid Blyton wrote hundreds of amazing books, but fans still have their preferred titles. What's interesting is that one person's favourite might be another person's least-liked!

Barney says: I think you've been reading the messages from 'Enid Blyton's greatest fan', Peter! I like Noddy Goes to Toyland because it's fun seeing how Noddy came to live in Toyland, and I don't like You Funny Little Noddy! as much because Noddy seems so sorry for himself.

Barney says: Big-Ears the brownie called the little wooden doll Noddy, because the doll's head kept nodding.

Barney says: It would be wonderful to have a nice, juicy mystery to work on!

Barney says: It is indeed a beautiful book, Nicholas. Happy reading!

Barney says: You didn't explain what story you're talking about, but perhaps you're referring to 'Come Back, Dobbin!' about a wooden horse. It's a bit of a mystery how everyone knew his name, but maybe the children often took him outside so he was well-known in their town or village. Or perhaps people called him Dobbin because it's a common name for a horse.

Barney says: You can find out about subscribing here, Elizabeth.

Barney says: If it was about Golly's comments I'm afraid I felt we'd given him/her enough attention and decided not to post any further messages on the matter. Sorry but I'm sure you'll understand.

Barney says: Valley is my favourite too as it's haunting and enthralling. Mountain is probably my least-liked Adventure title because the events seem so bizarre. Still not a bad book though by any means!

Barney says: A dog has to sleep sometimes, Ana, so I won't be posting your follow-up message which said you were annoyed that the above post hadn't yet appeared on the board. I've asked you before to keep your messages Enid Blyton-related, but anyway, thanks for the goodies and Happy Birthday!

Barney says: Various authors have written additional books for some of the series, e.g. Pamela Cox has written some Malory Towers and St. Clare's titles and Trevor Bolton has written a new Secret book - The Secret Valley. There are also continuation books by a number of authors in our Secret Passage, though those are only available to paid up Society members (i.e. subscribers to The Enid Blyton Society Journal).

Barney says: Claude Voilier wrote her Famous Five sequels in France in the 1970s-early 1980s and yes, she did have permission. They were published by Hachette. Most of the books were translated from French to English by Anthea Bell a few years later, again with permission. The English editions were published by Knight.

Barney says: Anita has a few years to go until she's in her 70s! Various Blyton fans uploaded photos to the link you discovered, which can be seen here.

Barney says: You do like to know what gets me grinning or growling, EB's GF! Three Cheers Secret Seven puts a smile on my face because I like the way Susie's new aeroplane leads to a mystery. Shock for the Secret Seven brings on a bit of a growl because of the unpleasantness between some of the Secret Seven members. I imagine the children to be aged about 9-11 all through the series, because if they were any older they'd probably be away at boarding school rather than attending a day school.

Barney says: Ah well, methinks 'tis time to move on now and let Enid's own books speak for her.

Barney says: I wouldn't get yourself too worked up about it, EB's GF. I have a feeling that's just what Golly would like us to do!

Barney says: It's a wonderful series full of great mysteries. Missing Necklace is actually a favourite of mine because of Fatty's marvellous disguises, while Banshee Towers is my least-liked because it doesn't feel like a Find-Outers book with the discovery of the secret passage.

Barney says: Harsh words about Imogen Smallwood there, Nicholas. You may not be aware but she is a staunch supporter of the Enid Blyton Society and often attends Enid Blyton Days with her daughter, Sophie. Imogen is a gracious lady and has spoken of her admiration for her mother's work, even though she would have liked a mother who was more involved and less distant while she was growing up (you have to understand that it was common for middle-class children of that era to be cared for by nannies and then sent to boarding-school). If you read A Childhood at Green Hedges you'll see that it's not entirely negative and that Imogen is attempting to understand the woman with whom she had a difficult relationship. It's true that Enid Blyton was hard to live with - gifted people/geniuses can be because they get caught up in their work to the exclusion of everything else. The events of the Enid film were largely accurate, though there could have been more emphasis on some of the positive aspects of Enid's life such as her skill as a teacher who enthused and inspired her pupils, her love and knowledge of nature and her musical ability. Whatever she was like as a person, the best of her lives on in her books as I've said before.

Barney says: Thanks for the ice-cream - yum! If Enid Blyton had heard about you and your exams she'd probably have put you into a story called 'A Shock for Ana'! I hope the exams went okay. I bet Timmy got that rat! By the way, we don't know whether Golly is male or female.

Barney says: I'm happy to join the "absolutely ghastly" club!

Barney says: I think the run along man with spoons is probably from a book by another author - unless he's from an obscure Blyton short story. That question was asked ages ago and I can't remember whether anyone ever came up with the answer. I'm fond of Smuggler's Top because Timmy gets to crunch up a rat in the secret passage, but my least-liked Famous Five book is Together Again because it's slow to get going and it's the last in the series so there's a sad feeling to it. I didn't respond to you last time because I'd already said something about that topic in my previous answer. Not all messages need a reply.

Barney says: I did wonder why Golly even bothered visiting this website if s/he loathes Enid Blyton so much!

Barney says: There was a Japanese Find-Outers TV series in the late 1960s - early 1970s but there has been nothing since then. Regarding popularity, I believe Enid Blyton's best-known books are the Famous Five, Noddy, the Faraway Tree and the school series - Malory Towers, St. Clare's and The Naughtiest Girl.

Barney says: If Enid Blyton was racist, I wonder why she included black African and Middle Eastern characters as heroes and staunch friends of her main protagonists, such as Mafumu in The Secret Mountain and Oola in The River of Adventure? Oh, and Zulu prince Boobanti in The Mystery of the Strange Bundle is great fun and outshines Fatty as a ventriloquist. Enid Blyton also embraced her international readership, writing chatty letters to children around the globe and linking up British readers with readers from abroad. In Enid Blyton's Magazine, 10th September 1957, she wrote: "And now another piece of news, this time for those who are so keen on pen-friends overseas. I have managed to arrange for you to have Indian boys and girls for pen-friends if you would like to. There is a well-known paper in India, called The Statesman, which is running a pen-friend league, and has asked me if any of my magazine readers would like to join in order to have an Indian friend to write to. Out in India thousands of children know our books, and are very eager to hear from others in Britain or elsewhere who read our Magazine. So those of you who would like to hear from an Indian boy or girl, may now do so." Enid wouldn't have promoted friendships between children of different nationalities if she was racist. While social class distinctions were certainly more rigid at the time she was writing, her middle-class characters make friends with people lower down the social scale such as Jo the gypsy girl, Barney the circus boy and working-class Ern Goon, so it's not as though class barriers are never bridged in her books. As for the idea of her writing lacking excitement, many people love stories about smugglers, hidden treasure, caves and secret passages, islands, castles, Great Auks and puffins, mysterious flashing lights, curious messages, a flying chair, a tree whose branches reach to magical lands, etc. To anyone blessed with imagination, zest for life and a thirst for adventure, Enid Blyton's books are very exciting indeed! And that doesn't mean the same readers can't enjoy Jules Verne as well - many do!

Barney says: An interesting thought, Paul, but I think not to any great extent. Enid Blyton would certainly have been aware of the news item, but stories in which children become involved with magical beings were already well-established.

Barney says: Thank you, Sandeep. I'm sure Anita will see your message but if she doesn't I'll nudge her in the right direction - I know she'll be pleased to read what you've written. Anita is kept busy moderating our lively discussion forums but she writes regularly for The Enid Blyton Society Journal. I don't know whether you're a subscriber but the Journal comes out thrice-yearly and is packed with all kinds of articles on Enid Blyton's life and work. If you haven't seen it already, you'd love it!

Barney says: The Mystery of the Strange Bundle is a brilliant book, very funny indeed, but I think it would take a great deal of practice to become good at ventriloquism.

Barney says: The game that the Find-Outers talked about was Hunt-the-Thimble.

Barney says: A lovely message, Sandeep. I'm sure Enid Blyton would be delighted to know how much joy she continues to bring to adults as well as children.

Barney says: Thank you for introducing yourself, Elizabeth, and for your kind words about the website. I'm glad you like it so much. I've combined both your messages into one. Hmm - the most exciting Find-Outers book? Well, The Mystery of the Missing Necklace, which you mentioned yesterday, has to be one of the best because Fatty's disguises are marvellous. If you read this thread on the forums, you'll find out other people's favourites.

Barney says: The story you're thinking of is 'The Quiet Kite' and that also appears in Storytime Book (Dean & Son) and Enid Blyton's Daffodil Story Book (John Gifford). Despite the fact that they've had so many mysteries to solve, I think the Five Find-Outers are only supposed to have aged about three years during the course of the series.

Barney says: We have a section devoted to Dean's Reward Series, which shows more covers. The reprint dates have not yet been added but I can tell you that the edition with Pip hanging from a flower came out in 1970.

Barney says: A "please" would have been nice, Elizabeth! Click on "Cave of Books", put "Those Dreadful Children" into the "Search the Database..." box and you'll find a review.

Barney says: Yes, Fatty is on top form - as is Enid!

Barney says: A schoolboy, his group of friends... and dog!

Barney says: 'I Don't Want To!', about a spoilt little girl called Fanny, has appeared in several short story collections including Storytime Book (Dean & Son) and The House with Six Legs and Other Stories (Award). Check it out in the Cave. As for Inspector Jenks' promotions and demotions, trying to keep track of them makes me dizzier than a game of chase-my-tail! Enid Blyton wrote at speed and she must simply have got confused about Jenks' latest title.

Barney says: I hope someone reading this can identify the story.

Barney says: If you just wanted to remind yourself what it looked like you can see it in the Cave of Books, Drishti. If you wanted to buy a copy you could try eBay, eBid or Abebooks.

Barney says: Despite being an officer of the law, Goon is a law unto himself!

Barney says: Thanks, Brittany. You've put a wag in my tail!

Barney says: Thank you very much for your helpful advice, Sandeep. A picture of the Dean book can be seen in the Cave here.

Barney says: Are you asking whether Mr. Goon understood the word "verbose"? Even if he didn't, I expect he pretended to in front of Fatty!

Barney says: If you mean the paperbacks with Eileen Soper illustrations I think Hodder still publish them, so it should be possible to ask your local bookshop to order them for you. If not you could see whether they're available from online sellers like Navrang, or you could buy them secondhand from somewhere like eBay, eBid or Abebooks. By the way, those editions have a few updates to the language although not as many as the more recent editions. To get the original text with no alterations at all, it's necessary to look for copies dating from the 1960s or earlier.

Barney says: The Land of Far-Beyond appears to be out of print at the moment. You may be able to find a copy in a second-hand shop or market, or if not you could look online on sites like eBay, eBid and Abebooks. Many sellers will post worldwide. Unfortunately, even paperback copies of The Land of Far-Beyond seem to fetch quite a lot of money these days.

Barney says: It's not possible (legally, at any rate) to buy sets of facsimile dust covers but if you'd like to write to the copyright holders (Hachette UK/Hodder) about that or anything else, contact details are on their website.

Barney says: I'm afraid I don't know but I hope someone can help.

Barney says: "Not being too verbose" means "not using an excessive number of words".

Barney says: Many thanks, TG!

Barney says: I'm afraid I don't have access to that book, Malcolm, but perhaps someone else reading this does. However, 'Billy Bob Tail and His Friends' is listed as a story, not a poem, so it might not be what you're looking for.

Barney says: Welcome, Evie. Those series were never filmed so DVDs are not available. If you meant CDs or cassettes, have a look at our audio section (though not all the recordings listed are still available new).

Barney says: Sadly, Michele Gallagher had some hard times and took her own life. Many people have fond memories of her in the role of George and it's nice to think that the DVDs will give young people of today the chance to enjoy the series.

Barney says: Your guess is as good as mine, Ana, though Enid's daughter Gillian once said that ginger beer featured so prominently in the books because she (Gillian) was fond of it.

Barney says: You're right that as well as having the vintage illustrations changed or removed altogether, most modern editions of Enid Blyton books have updated text. I would say "alterations" rather than "corrections", because "corrections" suggests that something was wrong with the original text (which I know you didn't mean to imply!)

Barney says: Wherever I lay my hat, that's my home...

Barney says: I sympathise, Malini. When a certain edition has meant so much, no other edition will do! You could try eBay, eBid, Abebooks or the book dealers listed under our "Lashings of Links" button. Good luck with your search!

Barney says: Hallo, Ana! Oooh - that sounds like a good book! I hope you enjoy many happy hours of reading.

Barney says: You can read lots of interesting things about Enid Blyton and her books in our "Author of Adventure" and "Cave of Books" sections, Surabhi. Why not click on those buttons and explore? Then you'll be a real Find-Outer! There are also some quizzes to do if you click on "Interactive Island".

Barney says: Thank you for your kind words, Surabhi! My tail is just a blur now, it's wagging so fast! I love all the books but especially the dog stories like Shadow the Sheep-Dog and The Adventures of Scamp. Some authors have written continuation books, e.g. Pamela Cox has written new titles for the Malory Towers and St. Clare's series. These and others are listed in the Cave. We also have continuation books in the Secret Passage, written specially for the Society by Trevor Bolton, Robert Houghton, Julie Heginbotham and Lisa Newton. However, these can only be read by Society members who subscribe to the Journal.

Barney says: You're welcome, Silvina!

Barney says: I'm afraid Enid Blyton died in 1968, though the best of her lives on in her books. Her best-known addresses were Old Thatch in Coldmoorholme Lane, Bourne End, Buckinghamshire and Green Hedges (now demolished) in Penn Road, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire.

Barney says: I'm delighted that you like the website, Silvina, I am wagging my tail hard! 'The Eighteen Naughty Imps' is taken from The Fourth Holiday Book and was illustrated by Harmsen Van der Beek who is perhaps better known as the original Noddy illustrator.

Barney says: I don't know of a shop like that (!) but you could try jumble sales and second-hand shops/markets, and ask relatives to save old clothes for you. A selection of wigs would be brilliant, but unfortunately they don't come cheap.

Barney says: I can't remember one exactly like that, though the story 'Amelia Jane and the Telephone' (in More About Amelia Jane!) contains a poem which begins, "Amelia Jane/Is naughty again,/Let's go and leave her/Out in the rain." But if the poem you recall is different, I hope someone can help.

Barney says: There's an article about the ages of the Famous Five on enidblyton.net. Have fun in The Secret Three Society! To give yourselves a chance of spotting a mystery, you'll need to keep your eyes peeled for anything unusual. And while you're waiting for one to come along you could always practise skills like sending messages in Morse Code, writing in invisible ink and disguising yourselves.

Barney says: I'm afraid I don't know whether Paul Child has ever given an interview about his role as Dick Kirrin. What I do know is that he now has his own band, the Paul Child Band. Jemima Rooper is still an actress and has appeared in TV series like Lost in Austen and theatre shows like One Man, Two Guvnors. Anne was played by Laura Petela. The last I heard, she hadn't done any acting (or at least very little) since she was in The Famous Five.

Barney says: The magazines are not as popular as the main series books but they are of interest to some collectors. You could try selling them on eBay or in the "For Sale" section of our forums. It's up to you whether you list them as one lot or individually. It always helps if you can provide a picture/pictures and state how much postage will cost.

Barney says: As I said to Abi and Poppy a little while ago, I believe that if you take all the holidays into account Julian would be 23 in the last Famous Five book, George and Dick would be 22 and Anne would be 21. I'm not sure about Timmy - probably around 12. But I don't think Enid Blyton intended us to picture the children as any older than about 16 (Julian), 15 (George and Dick) and 14 (Anne). Regarding Woffly (or is it Woffles?), he doesn't play a major role.

Barney says: Thank you very much for the sandwiches. Are you sure the book title isn't The Secret of Moon Castle? If so, it was indeed written by Enid Blyton. It's the final title in the Secret Series, which consists of five books.

Barney says: This is the book, Mary. You'll need to get an early copy though (i.e. one with Harry Rountree illustrations) as the slightly later version (which has Eileen Soper illustrations) is abridged and doesn't contain the poem you want. To be on the safe side, if buying online you could ask the seller to check whether that poem is included.

Barney says: RIP Neil Armstrong. Enid Blyton seems to have taken an interest in the idea of landing on the moon because we know from her workbook that, if she hadn't become too ill to write, her next Noddy book would have been called Noddy Goes to the Moon. That means the Little Nodding Man would have beaten Neil Armstrong by a few years!

Barney says: Thanks, TG!

Barney says: I hope someone can help, Phil. In the meantime, maybe something here will ring a bell (Noddy would like that expression!)

Barney says: Welcome, Mufeed. For reasons of space we only have "popular series" buttons for the best-known series. But in the Cave of Books you can find out about other series such as the Willow Farm and Caravan Family books, or series of books revolving around a particular character like Amelia Jane, Mister Meddle, Mr. Twiddle or Mr. Pink-Whistle.

Barney says: Hopefully it's not a common thing, Clare, as it would make reading very frustrating! There must have been a mistake with the way that book was put together. If you decide to go for a replacement copy, let's hope you're luckier with that!

Barney says: Thank you for the dog food and especially the potted meat sandwiches - they're delicious! Unfortunately I can't answer your question as I hadn't known that "goon" was ever a nickname for policemen in general, but maybe someone else will be able to help.

Barney says: Why thank you, Sandeep! They say that great minds think alike and indeed that must be true, for I too love 'Rikki Tikki Tavi'!!! My tail is wagging nineteen to the dozen after reading your lovely message. I hope you continue to inspire your pupils and open their eyes to the wonder of Enid Blyton.

Barney says: You're making my tummy rumble!

Barney says: Hi Lucy! Nothing beats a nice, meaty bone! The story about the naughty girl who loses nearly everything from her bedroom is 'Grumbling Grace' - it can be found in Tales After Supper or Mr. Twiddle Fetches Polly and Other Stories. I can't remember when the children have a "slab" of ice cream but it would be a big, chunky cube (or cuboid) of ice cream so it wouldn't melt very quickly. A poke and a slider is a new one on me!

Barney says: I'm afraid it's too long to type out here as it has 20 lines but it can be found in Enid Blyton's Book of the Year.

Barney says: Are you asking whether the books will continue to stay in print, Janashruti? Hachette (Hodder) have just taken over the copyright from Chorion so I imagine they will be eager to breathe new life into the books and promote them at every opportunity. If you mean will Enid Blyton series continue to be extended, with new titles being written by other authors, I'm not sure.

Barney says: Thanks for the treats, Ana! You're certainly having some adventures, though do try to remember to keep your Message Board posts Enid Blyton-related. School summer holidays in England are around six and a half weeks long.

Barney says: I am not too sure what your question is Sue. There are printed Enid Blyton signatures in all the Adventure books, but are you talking about a hand-written signature?

Barney says: Hi Abi! Me again! I think reading ages have possibly changed since Enid wrote the books, but at that time she was probably hoping that 14-year-olds would still be reading some of her books. Yes, you are now a proper forumite, but it is nice to see you here as well!

Barney says: You don't say what you want to 'unsubscribe' from, Ellie - give us a clue!

Barney says: I'm glad you're enjoying it, Shruti. Five Go Off to Camp is a super story, with the spook trains and dear old Mr. Luffy.

Barney says: As I said to Abi a little while ago, I believe that if you take all the holidays into account Julian would be 23 in the last book, George and Dick would be 22 and Anne would be 21. I'm not sure about Timmy - probably around 12. But I don't think Enid Blyton intended us to picture the children as any older than about 16 (Julian), 15 (George and Dick) and 14 (Anne).

Barney says: 'Grumbling Grace' is a marvellous cautionary tale, Vivienne! The Cave of Books shows that it was first published in a magazine - Enid Blyton's Sunny Stories, Issue 247, October 1941. Later on it appeared in Tales After Supper (1949) and Mr. Twiddle Fetches Polly and Other Stories (2003).

Barney says: Happy Reading, Paris, and thanks for the bone! It seems you're a fan of the 1970s Famous Five TV series!

Barney says: Good luck in your exams! Once you've finished all that hard work you'll have earned the right to curl up with a Malory Towers book and a big plate of cakes!

Barney says: Consider yourself a member of the Secret Seven Society! And here's to adventures!

Barney says: Several short stories revolve around cricket, the easiest to obtain being 'The Beautiful Cricket Ball' and 'Jimmy's Cricket Bat'. There are incidental mentions in some of the full-length books too, though the only one I can recall at the moment is Good Work Secret Seven in which there is a reference to a list of items stolen from a famous cricketer.

Barney says: Some of my best friends are mutts!

Barney says: I'm afraid none of his books have come my way, Shruti.

Barney says: Have a think about it! If you solve the mystery you can consider yourself a Find-Outer!

Barney says: Spending time with Enid Blyton books is like spending time with much-loved friends. I hope you enjoy exploring the website!

Barney says: A nice blog entry, Luna. It's great that Enid Blyton has brought you - and countless others - so much joy.

Barney says: Thank you, Arshavi!

Barney says: I'd better have a go at answering, then! I believe that if you take all the holidays into account Julian would be 23 in the last book, George and Dick would be 22 and Anne would be 21. I'm not sure about Timmy - probably around 12. But I don't think Enid Blyton intended us to picture the children as any older than 16 (Julian), 15 (George and Dick) and 14 (Anne).

Barney says: If Timmy needs help, I'll be more than happy to oblige!

Barney says: Happy Birthday to Enid Blyton for tomorrow! It had better be a big cake to hold 115 candles - mind you, it will have to be colossal to feed all her many fans around the globe!

Barney says: Yes, the 1970s Famous Five TV series is at last being released on DVD in the UK! The Complete Collectors' Edition should be out about a week from now. The relevant forums thread is here. Series 1 and 2 are already available separately but it works out more expensive to buy the DVDs like that, and the Complete Collectors' Edition will have a booklet.

Barney says: Yes, that's 'The Land of Nowhere'. Sue and Denis have to go to the Island of Anywhere to get to the Land of Nowhere because "Nowhere might possibly be in the middle of Anywhere".

Barney says: You're talking about 'The Magic Toffee' from Twenty-Minute Tales. It's a good story, EB'sGF, but I think 'The Land of Nowhere' is more likely to be the one.

Barney says: Someone suggested The Land of Nowhere on the forums, which may well be the correct story. Thanks, Fiona!

Barney says: There are several books about magical lands including the Faraway Tree and Wishing-Chair series, The Yellow Fairy Book and The Enid Blyton Book of Brownies. However, I don't recall a character growing feathers. Perhaps your girlfriend is remembering a short story from a collection of tales? I hope someone can help.

Barney says: There are plenty of tramps and boots in the Five Find-Outers series (in The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage, The Mystery of the Invisible Thief and probably other titles too) but I can't think of anything that quite fits the bill. Can anyone help?

Barney says: You're certainly having a long holiday, Ana! Every country has its positive and negative points. Cats are okay in their own way, but not as good as dogs! When Enid Blyton was growing up her mother expected her to spend her spare time helping with household chores but she preferred to read, write, play games, look after her little patch of garden and go on nature walks. Enid's father encouraged her in her hobbies but he walked out when she was almost thirteen, so things were particularly difficult for her after that. When Enid Blyton was older she broke off contact with her mother.

Barney says: Probably, but I'm still not sure about Theresa being described as "unkind".

Barney says: I'm confused about what you mean. In what way was Theresa Blyton unkind?

Barney says: Thanks for thinking about the story - please let me know if you manage to identify it. Your messages are still there but I get so many messages that they're probably quite far down the board by now.

Barney says: Thank you for sharing your memories, Sandeep. I hope some of your pupils develop a deep love for Enid Blyton's books and characters, just as you did.

Barney says: Thanks, Fatty. Say "Woof" to Buster from me!

Barney says: I hope you feel inspired to collect some more Blyton books, Sheila. That's a start but you've got quite a way to go!

Barney says: No, Fatty and I are not one and the same but he's a witty, intelligent chap and I'm more than happy to be compared with him!

Barney says: I wouldn't worry, Poppy - I've just this minute seen Sue browsing the forums! She last posted on the forums a couple of days ago.

Barney says: According to Hachette, who bought the Enid Blyton copyright from Chorion in March, over 500 million copies of Enid Blyton books have been sold.

Barney says: Noddy records and tapes sometimes turn up on eBay, Bernadette, and you could also try eBid. Failing that, they might be available from the dealers we list under Lashings of Links.

Barney says: I think that's the only collection of those stories, Aminmec. If you want to be sure of having the original text you'd probably need to track down the issues of Enid Blyton's Magazine (or in some cases the Magazine Annuals) in which those tales were first printed.

Barney says: I haven't read that book but it's in the Cave here together with the three main books, so you can compare the story titles and sources. As it's a 2001 publication the stories are likely to have been updated.

Barney says: I'll have a go, Katie, but it's not easy as there are several stories about pixies and their shadows and several about squirrels and their nuts. 'Susie and Her Shadow' is a possibility for the pixie story, and it has appeared in various collections with 'The Squirrel and the Pixie' which is a possibility for the nuts story. Other possibilities include 'The Stolen Shadow' and 'My Nut I Think!' If you put these titles (one at a time) into "Search the database..." in the Cave of Books, you can see which books they appeared in.

Barney says: I'm glad you discovered Enid Blyton eventually! Some of her books were translated into Italian but I'm not sure whether they're still available.

Barney says: I agree that the Six Cousins books contain some of Enid Blyton's most mature writing, Shruti. They are gripping family dramas in which adult characters play a major part, as well as child/teenage protagonists. It's a pity the two books are not better known.

Barney says: A few people here claim to have tasted sardine ice cream - there are lots of strange-sounding flavours around these days! I recall that Connie in The Folk of the Faraway Tree only asked for sardine ice cream to be awkward, and was shocked when it actually appeared! Many Enid Blyton characters have afternoon tea (typically bread, jam and cakes) at about 4 PM, followed by supper a few hours later. High tea replaces those two meals, consisting of a fairly substantial meal at about 5.30 - 6.00 PM. In the Six Cousins books it seems to consist of slices of ham, cheese, sausage rolls, slabs of cake, etc.

Barney says: If you click here and scroll down to "Reprints" you'll see that that particular edition came out in 1982, Sharon. An attractive cover and a super collection of stories.

Barney says: Winter Term at Malory Towers is one of the six sequels by Pamela Cox, Neha. Only the first six titles were written by Enid Blyton.

Barney says: There's one here, Karen, though it includes some books published after Enid Blyton's death which were of course just later compilations or printings of old material. For a full bibliography with cover images and detailed publication details, you might want to invest in Tony Summerfield's 4-volume Illustrated Bibliography (see the Society Shop). Barbara Stoney's Enid Blyton - the Biography has a handy list of Enid Blyton titles at the back.

Barney says: I know how you feel, Hari. Staying in a lighthouse would be simply smashing!

Barney says: Thanks, Aminmec. The Red Story Book contains a tale called 'The Pixies' Party' in which Annie lends some pixies her tea-set of pink china with a design of blue forget-me-nots, because their tea-set is broken. They invite Annie to their party. However, none of the pixies paint a tea-set in that story.

Barney says: You could keep an eye on eBay on a regular basis until a complete game comes up, Rachel, or try one of the sellers we list under "Lashings of Links". If all else fails, perhaps you could consider buying two incomplete games which make up a whole game between them. Good luck with your search!

Barney says: I'm afraid I don't recognise that story, Emma, but I hope someone will be able to help.

Barney says: Hello Megha Rose! Yes, many readers wish they could be with Enid Blyton's characters and join in the adventures and fun.

Barney says: I hope someone is able to help identify the book, Elaine.

Barney says: I'm afraid we can't give valuations, George, but you could try consulting a specialist dealer. We list some under Lashings of Links.

Barney says: Enid Blyton was writing from the 1920s to the 1960s, so her stories did move with the times to some extent though she avoided making too many references to popular culture, brands, etc. which helps give her work a timeless feel. Her early tales contain descriptions of small boys wearing "knickers" and families travelling by pony and trap, whereas in later books cars are the norm and references to television and even juke-boxes and chewing gum (The Rubadub Mystery, 1952) begin to creep in.

Barney says: Thank you very much for your kind comments, Carole. Unfortunately the price has just had to go up for subscribers who live abroad because postage rates to foreign parts have increased horrendously, but for now we've managed to keep the UK subscription rate at £10.00 per year. One thing's for sure with the Journal - you get a lot of entertaining and informative reading for your money, attractively presented too!

Barney says: You certainly know how to put a wag in a dog's tail, Pam!

Barney says: I'm pleased you're enjoying it, Poppy. It's always a thumping good read and great value for money. For anyone reading this who would like to know more about the Journal, take a look at our Fireside Journal section.

Barney says: I can vouch for Nigel being real too!

Barney says: I'm afraid I don't recognise the story but I hope someone can help.

Barney says: Yes, Barney is a circus boy but it's just a coincidence that we share the same name.

Barney says: Vivienne Endecott posts on the forums of this website and she also has her own website here. I'm sure she'll be glad to answer any questions you have but she's a busy lady, running two shops and being heavily involved with various events like the Famous Five Adventure Trail, so she might not be able to get back to you immediately.

Barney says: Take a look at my picture - that'll tell you whether I'm a dog or not! Are you really Bets Hilton? ;-)

Barney says: There's not a lot one can say about this. It is one of a number of handkerchiefs produced in the late 1940s from an illustration by Dorothy M. Wheeler. Not really for blowing a nose with!

Barney says: Thank you, G.G.! We dogs do enjoy being made a fuss of now and again! Enid Blyton was born in 1897 and her first published stories appeared in magazines in the early 1920s. You can find out more about her life by clicking on our "Author of Adventure" button.

Barney says: I think Enid Blyton was simply reflecting the society of the time. Boys were expected to protect girls, especially younger ones. Mind you, there are some feisty females in Enid Blyton's books so readers will be aware that not all girls accepted that they should be meek and mild and miss out on the excitement. Think of George Kirrin, Dinah Mannering, Elizabeth Allen, Ragamuffin Jo and Lotta (Galliano's Circus series), for instance. Even the girls who would prefer a peaceful life, like Anne Kirrin and Lucy-Ann Trent, are brave when adventures come along. The boys may try to keep the girls out of danger, but often they become involved anyway and prove how courageous, resourceful and resilient they are!

Barney says: Ah well, spoiling oneself is better than soiling oneself (which is what I thought your comment said when I first glanced at it!) If anyone is interested, the song of the yellowhammer can be heard here. The song varies slightly but the basic pattern sounds a bit like "little bit of bread and no cheese" (though other words could be put to the same rhythm).

Barney says: I hope you soon feel better, Sue, and that you'll be able to enjoy some more nice days out in the near future. Enid Blyton's nature books include these titles and these; also 'The Bird Book', 'The Animal Book', 'Birds of Our Gardens', 'The Children of Cherry Tree Farm' and 'The Adventures of Pip'. 'The Adventures of Pip' involves pixies and is for very young children. One of the most informative books, beautifully illustrated, is 'Enid Blyton's Nature Lover's Book'. Most of these won't be in print now, but secondhand copies turn up on eBay and Abebooks.

Barney says: It's just the rhythm of the song that yellowhammers sing, Bets. Yellowhammers are birds in the bunting family, and the males have yellow heads and yellow underparts. They repeat the same rhythm over and over, and some people say that it sounds as though they're saying "(A) little bit of bread and no cheese".

Barney says: Oooh - have fun in Pune and thanks for the Jimminy Sweets and other goodies, Ana! If you're not careful you're going to end up spoiling me as well as the laptop! ;-)

Barney says: Like any other writer, Enid Blyton realised she had a gift for putting things into words. She also had a vivid imagination, and stories would flood into her mind when she went to bed at night. She was inspired by people and animals she knew, places she had seen, experiences she'd had and books she had read. These things would crop up in her writing, but altered to suit the story.

Barney says: Thank you, Ana. I love the website and our members/visitors too. It's a very friendly community of people - and dogs! It was my Master's idea that I should reply to messages, and I immediately said "Wuff wuff" (meaning that I agreed to do it). I'm following in the pawprints of Enid's dog Bobs, who used to write letters to her readers.

Barney says: Publishers have gone down the road of keeping the language of the books "contemporary". Unfortunately they usually can't afford to keep two versions in print (though Hodder do produce two sets of the Famous Five series - more traditional and less traditional - but neither has the original text). Maybe things will change in the future, as electronic books become more and more popular.

Barney says: Hodder Children's Books recently bought the Enid Blyton copyright from Chorion. Good luck with the documentary, Alice.

Barney says: A good question, Poppy, but I can't decide. Scamper is so friendly, Timmy is very intelligent, Buster is a comforting companion and Loony is wonderfully madcap. And all of them are brave and loyal. I would probably choose a different one each time, depending on my mood!

Barney says: Enid Blyton only wrote 21 full-length Famous Five books, though she also wrote a few short stories which have been collected into one volume (The Famous Five Short Story Collection, previously called Five Have a Puzzling Time and Other Stories). French author Claude Voilier wrote a lot of Famous Five sequels in the 1970s, 18 of which were translated into English in the 1980s.

Barney says: Golly - I'd better make all these treats last a while or I'll be waddling along and won't have a hope of catching a rabbit! ;-) The Enid drama does attempt to explore why Enid Blyton treated people as she did (e.g. cutting her first husband and her mother out of her life completely) so it's not wholly unsympathetic, and Helena Bonham Carter does a good job of portraying Enid. It's just that it could have been more balanced. If anyone would like to know more about the film, there's a forums thread about it here.

Barney says: Hope you have a smashing day tomorrow Sue, whatever the weather. Keep a look out for spook trains!

Barney says: Have you tried climbing it? ;-)

Barney says: Not all messages get approved as some are not considered to be of general interest, or they amount to nothing more than chit-chat.

Barney says: Thanks, Nigel. You're as good as a dog any day!

Barney says: You could try the dealers we list under Lashings of Links. Best of luck with your search.

Barney says: Thank goodness I'm a dog! ;-)

Barney says: Enid Blyton was only human, but I agree with you Poppy that the important thing is that she put the best of herself into her books.

Barney says: A good point, Ana. Lots of famous writers didn't/don't lead exemplary lives, yet their stories and characters are much-loved by many. Enid Blyton typed the majority of her books. Most of the main novels and a lot of the short stories are still in print and available from bookshops, though publishers have updated the language a little in recent years.

Barney says: If you're talking about the 2009 Enid drama, it tended to focus on the negative aspects of Enid Blyton's personality and didn't bring out her positive side. She was a capable and enthusiastic teacher of young children, a talented pianist and a nature-lover. She responded warmly to her young fans, inspiring them not only to read and write but to raise money for various charities. Barbara Stoney's Enid Blyton - the Biography gives a more balanced picture. And the best of Blyton lives on in her books, which continue to enthrall children around the world. They are her lasting legacy.

Barney says: You're thinking of the Famous Five series, the fifth (and most intelligent!) member of the group being Timmy the dog. The books are still in print, although the language has been updated in recent years.

Barney says: And a cream cake and a macaroon for you Mu'minah, for reading your sister all those stories!

Barney says: I can't remember whether anyone came up with any information, but it's possible that the story is not by Enid Blyton.

Barney says: It's nice to know that you love Enid Blyton's stories, though your message would be more interesting to read if you said which books you like best, and why.

Barney says: It depends. Books that might appeal to a child of that age include the Faraway Tree and Wishing-Chair series, the Mr. Galliano's Circus books, stories about characters like Mr. Pink-Whistle and Mr. Meddle, and the Naughtiest Girl series. A good stand-alone book is The Enid Blyton Book of Brownies.

Barney says: I recall someone asking about that character but I can't remember whether anyone came up with the answer!

Barney says: I'm afraid she died in 1968, Peter!

Barney says: I'm still busy demolishing the bones, thank you Ana! I'm glad you've arrived safely in India. If you mean are all of Enid Blyton's books still in print, most of the full-length novels are and so are a lot of the short stories.

Barney says: Thanks, Francis!

Barney says: We dogs have a nose for these things!

Barney says: I'd say that's a query for our webmaster, Keith Robinson. You can email him on mystery@enidblyton.net

Barney says: I couldn't find it in the Cave of Books either, though not all books published since Enid Blyton's death have been listed yet. Is it perhaps a companion volume to this?

Barney says: Thanks, Lenore. I hope the person who asked about that is still looking in.

Barney says: Methinks you've been reading The Mystery of the Strange Bundle! You could always try and get hold of a book about ventriloquism, or look online for instructions, but I imagine it takes a great deal of practice. Regarding your question about Enid Blyton, she had a quick mind, a vivid imagination and a childlike sense of humour.

Barney says: I'm not sure that we know the answer to this, perhaps owners of the Car Game reading this may be able to help you. Games are not normally thought of as 1st editions, so if you are just wanting to sell it I don't think it would make much difference as long as the box is the same as the original one.

Barney says: I expect your brother's name is Peter! I like stories with plenty of excitement so the Adventure series is probably my favourite.

Barney says: Enid Blyton's birthday is 11th August. She was born in 1897.

Barney says: Thanks for your comments about the forums, Poppy. I don't think we can pick out just one book, but the Famous Five series was perhaps the most popular series. Children in the 1950s and beyond could join the Famous Five Club - they would receive a badge and a membership card and would do jobs or hold sales or raffles to raise money for charity.

Barney says: You're right that the bargua is the odd one out in not being named, but then the situation is different. Normally the animals Philip befriends are wild creatures which feel drawn to him. They are healthy, lively and full of character, and Philip enjoys their companionship knowing that they will continue with their natural lives when he has moved on. There are a few exceptions, e.g. Micky whom I assume must have been given to a zoo, but the monkey wasn't leading a good life in its native country so may well be better off in captivity. The bargua, however, has had its poison ducts cut which, according to Philip, is "a horrible trick, because it usually means that the snake dies in three or four weeks' time." So he can't rejoice in the bargua the way he rejoices in the other animals, as he knows it is dying. And perhaps he would feel even more attached to it if he gave it a name.

Barney says: Barbara Stoney says in Enid Blyton - the Biography that when Enid Blyton visited America in 1948 she "had nothing but praise for American business efficiency" but was "deeply shocked" by the pace and toughness of American society.

Barney says: Thanks for the bones and the pats, Ana! Perhaps your mom thinks the Ipad isn't good for your eyes! I hope you have a smashing time in India. Maybe you'll pick up some bargain books there!

Barney says: I don't know the scale of the project you have in mind, Joey, but Hodder own the copyright so you could always check with them.

Barney says: The two series are similar in some ways, Neha, though each school has its unique features. If you enjoyed the Malory Towers books, I think you'd enjoy the St. Clare's books.

Barney says: Where's "The Wretched of the Earth", I wonder? "Bum" isn't used in that context in Britain - we usually say "tramp" or "homeless person". "Plump" and "obese" are only related in that they both mean "fat", but "obese" is a medical term and means you're significantly over your ideal body weight (20% or more) while "plump" just means you're rounded or chubby.

Barney says: Sounds like a good idea, Sue, but these things are usually planned some time in advance so it might be a bit late in the day for an official badge to be produced now.

Barney says: Homeless bums indeed! What would Enid have said? Certainly not 'bottoms up'!

Barney says: I'm not sure whether to take this message seriously or not. If you make so many punctuation errors in one simple sentence, how can you hope to write a book? In case you are serious, the copyright is owned by Hodder but they might not want any more Naughtiest Girl sequels because Anne Digby has already written six.

Barney says: I suppose I could go all cool and trendy and call myself "Barni", but somehow I don't think it would suit me!

Barney says: A mixture of characters is essential in a school story, to make it exciting, but June is not wholly bad and eventually comes to realise that she has gone too far. By the way, "Darrell" ends with double L!

Barney says: Unless I'm mistaken, I don't think Enid Blyton tells us. In fact, Jack in The Secret Island doesn't even know how old he is.

Barney says: Cheers, Keith! Pity I won't get the chance to use that wet sponge though - I was quite looking forward to it!

Barney says: If barking doesn't work I'll have to try a cold, wet sponge! ;-)

Barney says: Like many characters in children's fiction, I don't think the Secret Seven age very much even though their mysteries seem to span several years. As they don't attend boarding-school, which most older children do in Blyton books, it's probable that they're about 9-10 years old.

Barney says: Philip didn't give the bargua a name. As for whether I'm really a dog, take a look at my picture and decide for yourself!

Barney says: Hello, Find-Outer! I agree that The Mystery of the Missing Man is a great book in a great series.

Barney says: Thanks, Javier - I try to enjoy the sunshine while I can as we haven't had much of it lately! I was "on guard" on the website on the Enid Blyton Day, but those who went had a simply smashing time. We hope to get a write-up and photos on the website, but for now you can read all about it on the forums in the Enid Blyton Day 2012 thread (page 45 onwards).

Barney says: You could always read other authors for now, Ana, and go back to Enid Blyton when you've had a break. Alternatively, you could perhaps renew your interest by setting yourself a project based on a Blyton book or series - e.g. create a collage based on Blyton, or write a story using her characters, or compile a book of your favourite Blyton quotations. The word "poem" is usually pronounced "PO-im", though in some parts of Britain people say "porm" (I think that's the way Ern says it in the Find-Outers books, though Enid Blyton spells it "pome"). Thank you for the bones and the pat. Lucky you, going to India! I hope you have fun with your cousins!

Barney says: Like clothes, housing, dog biscuits and most other things in life, Fathima, books don't come for free! I realise that you might have trouble finding Enid Blyton books in Sri Lanka though, and I sympathise. Have you tried asking if the library can get them in? If not, how about looking online? Secondhand copies can often be found cheaply, though of course there will be postage to pay. If all else fails, perhaps relatives would agree to buy you Enid Blyton books for your birthday or some other celebration?

Barney says: Dead dogs? It sounds quite a scary read!

Barney says: If you mean collections of short stories I'm not sure how many were published during Enid Blyton's lifetime, Ethan, but some tales appeared in several different collections. If you look at our Cave of Books page you'll see that you're told the number of books in each category, though those numbers include books published after Enid Blyton's death (publishers continue to bring out new collections of the short stories).

Barney says: Good for you - you're one of the lucky people for whom Enid Blyton books are a lifelong pleasure!

Barney says: The usual answer to the "how many books?" question is "about 700", though it depends what counts as a book. Enid Blyton provided the text for picture books; contributed articles, poems and stories to magazines and newspapers as well as writing whole magazines; wrote articles for books on nature and education; and used some of her short stories several times in different collections. However, we do know that she wrote over 180 novels and around 4000-5000 short stories as well as plays, poems and articles. Visiting your school would be difficult as I don't know where it is! Neither do I know your name, and it always feels a tad unfriendly when people come on as "Anonymous". A username would do!

Barney says: Thank you very much for your kind words, Lucy-Ann. I'm like a dog with two tails!

Barney says: I don't think we know whether she read them, Katie. The Narnia books were published between 1950 and 1956 when Enid Blyton was in her fifties, and even her daughters Gillian and Imogen were already in their teens/twenties.

Barney says: Enid Blyton was inspired by things she had experienced, read or heard, and her rich imagination transformed and embroidered these experiences into wonderful tales. To find out more, take a look at our Enid the Writer section.

Barney says: Hello Lisa, I'm afraid that only the first five titles had their covers reillustrated for the 70th Anniversary and there are no plans to do the same with the others. I hope your son will enjoy reading the rest of the series anyway.

Barney says: I'm pleased you enjoyed it, Shruti. It's a thrilling story.

Barney says: Do you mean that some of the continuation books by other writers have only Enid Blyton's name on the cover? A few publishers used to do that (it was the decision of the publisher, not the author) and some of those editions may still be in the shops, but about a year ago Chorion asked that the real author's name be put on the cover of future editions. Hodder have since bought the Enid Blyton copyright from Chorion, but I don't think that should make any difference.

Barney says: I am not sure who it is that is upsetting you, Steve, but I don't think anybody on this site has mentioned that they are buying more than one copy of the same book. I'm sorry that you are getting more and more frustrated but I guess you can always outbid whoever it is. I thought all bidders were anonymous on Ebay anyway now, so it isn't possible to say who it is that is thwarting you.

Barney says: I too thought Lilly might be young, which is why I took the time to answer her question in some detail.

Barney says: Yes, it's one of Enid Blyton's stand-alone family novels and it's a very good read.

Barney says: Philip had a snake called a bargua.

Barney says: EnidBlyton.net is our "sister site", Ana. The sites are separate but the people who run them know one another and are friends. In fact, Keith Robinson who owns EnidBlyton.net is also the webmaster for this site (i.e. he deals with the technical side of things).

Barney says: Your question is a little confusing, Lilly, but I'll have a go at answering it. Enid Blyton died in 1968, when home computers and the internet were things of the future, so she couldn't have known that there would ever be an Enid Blyton Society website. This website was set up by Blyton fans a few years ago. The Message Board questions are clearly not answered by Enid but by me, Barney the dog. As well as reading her books I've also read lots of books and articles by people who were associated with Enid Blyton or who have studied her life and work, including the very informative Enid Blyton - the Biography by Barbara Stoney.

Barney says: No, she died in 1968. However, the best of her lives on in her books. You can find out more about her life in our "Author of Adventure" section.

Barney says: It is indeed a fabulous series but not as well-known as the others - though it deserves to be!

Barney says: Hallo Abi/7up! I'm not sure why, but the Secret Seven appear to be better-known than the Five Find-Outers. However, the Faraway Tree series is frequently mentioned in polls about people's favourite children's books so that may well be Enid Blyton's second most famous series, though I can't say for certain. The Malory Towers books are popular too and so is Noddy, though not everyone who knows Noddy is aware that he is an Enid Blyton character.

Barney says: "Evil" would certainly be a strong word to use about an author whose books have entertained, educated and inspired generations of children around the world!

Barney says: You're welcome!

Barney says: Thank you for your enquiry, but I'm afraid we're not the copyright holders. The Enid Blyton copyright is owned by Hodder, who can be contacted through their website.

Barney says: If you're already reading it you'll soon find out that it's an exciting World War II adventure story, Anmol. Happy reading!

Barney says: Thanks, Shruti. I like Loony too, but then I like all the dogs really - Loony, Timmy, Scamper, Shadow, Lucky, Crackers, Topsy and all the rest. I've also got a soft spot for Miranda the monkey, even if she does try to ride on Loony's back!

Barney says: If you like real excitement and thrills you could try The Secret Mountain, Shruti. However, the first book in the series is The Secret Island so it might be nice to read that. It's one of Enid Blyton's best-loved books and is a tale of survival rather than adventure. The Secret series was Enid Blyton's first adventure-type series and is therefore not quite as well-planned as most of the later series. The Secret Island doesn't involve typical Blyton villains, Prince Paul doesn't appear till the second book and the children have no animal companion (e.g. dog, parrot or monkey). Some of the stories are still very exciting though!

Barney says: I didn't ignore you last time, but I nearly did this time as your message needed so many corrections (I've tweaked it here and there but left some things as written). None of the four children get any older than about sixteen despite having so many adventures, so I've never even thought about potential life partners.

Barney says: Which book was it, Keith, as there are three in the series - The Enchanted Wood, The Magic Faraway Tree and The Folk of the Faraway Tree? I'm afraid I don't have any friends with spare copies so those dog biscuits are safe for the moment, but perhaps someone reading this will be able to help. If not you could try eBay, Abebooks, Amazon or one of the dealers we list under "Lashings of Links". Good luck with your search!

Barney says: I'm pleased you're enjoying the forums, Poppy. In Enid Blyton - the Biography, Barbara Stoney says that in the summer of 1920 Enid Blyton bumped into an old schoolfriend, Phyllis Chase, at a garden party. Phyllis was good at art and Enid was good at writing, so they decided to work on something together. In 1921 they submitted an illustrated fairy story to a magazine and it was accepted. After that they took on other commissions together - more stories, rhymes for newspaper advertisements and greetings cards, and poems. They did a lot of work for the educational magazine Teachers World. No doubt their success with magazines encouraged them to write and illustrate a twenty-four page book of verse, Child Whispers, in the summer of 1922. It was published by J. Saville and Company, and was Enid Blyton's first book.

Barney says: Some incidents, places and characters were inspired by real life, Anmol, though they were embroidered and adapted by Enid's imagination. Take a look at our Enid the Writer section to find out more.

Barney says: I hope someone can help, Aris. It's surprising how difficult it can be to find out information about book illustrators.

Barney says: You could try eBay, Amazon, Abebooks or one of the sellers listed under "Lashings of Links". Good luck with your search.

Barney says: Are you asking about their role models? (And what about George?) I don't know if we're ever told, but I imagine the four children would look up to brave or resourceful people like explorers and inventors.

Barney says: Sue is registered on the forums, Abi/7up, so you can contact her by PM or email. Make sure you use her current username which is "Susan Webster" (not her old one, which was "Sue Webster").

Barney says: Sorry to hear you bought a duplicate book, Sue - it's annoying when that happens.

Barney says: Seems like a funny remark for a person to make! Many books, films, songs, etc. remain popular for decades - sometimes for centuries!

Barney says: Hallo, Antionette. If you mean websites about Enid Blyton, enidblyton.net is another good one.

Barney says: If you check out our Audio section you will see that in some form or other twelve of the Five Find-Outers books had some form of audio version made by either Tempo or Chivers. I don't know if any of these have been made available to download.

Barney says: I'm glad you enjoyed the Enid Blyton Day, Sue, but I'm surprised to hear that you bought two Put-Em-Rights books as I thought there was only one, The Put-Em-Rights. The Woods of Adventure is a novelisation of the New Zealand TV episode which was very loosely based on The Castle of Adventure, and the style is very different from Enid Blyton's style. It's too early to say whether there will be an Enid Blyton Day next year, though it would certainly be nice to have one!

Barney says: I almost deleted this message (as I did your other four messages) because it's so poorly written, but I thought I'd put it up as an example of the stuff I sometimes have to wade through. If you know the names of the children on the covers, you already know more about them than I do!

Barney says: There were a great many Noddy plates of every shape and size produced from the 1950s to the 1990s, so it is very difficult to say who your plate was made by or when. I have even seen a Noddy dog bowl, but it didn't have a picture of Bumpy Dog on it!

Barney says: The rights to Noddy were bought by an American company, Classic Media, which also holds the rights to Postman Pat. The rest of the Enid Blyton copyright was bought by Hachette UK (Hodder Children's Books).

Barney says: Hi Michelle, It sounds like a nice story but I'm afraid I don't recognise it. I hope someone reading this will be able to help you.

Barney says: A dealer, eBay or the "For Sale" section of our discussion forums.

Barney says: It's likely I'll be on guard on the website again next time there's an Enid Blyton Day, Ethan! Yes, I thought your dog must have been named after the composer.

Barney says: I'd like to meet her too - and her dogs, the most famous ones being Bobs, Sandy, Topsy and Laddie.

Barney says: I think those Noddy TV shows were broadcast in lots of countries, Ethan. A dog doesn't like to reveal his exact age, but I'm neither young nor old. Your dog did well to frighten robbers away. I bet Enid Blyton would have liked to put him into a story!

Barney says: Once Taylor has decided how much he wants for the Nature Plates, maybe he'll pop back and let us know.

Barney says: Who is Barnett? If you mean me (Barney), I stayed at home to guard the website but I hear that a great time was had by all.

Barney says: Hi Taylor, I'm afraid we can't value items as it's impossible to do so without handling them. You could consult a specialist dealer (we have some listed under "Lashings of Links") or see what similar items are selling for on eBay.

Barney says: Hello Ethan! Robert Tyndall, who has been to a number of Enid Blyton Days, was responsible for a lot of Noddy illustrations during Enid's lifetime (he actually got to meet her) and after her death. Tony Summerfield is an Enid Blyton enthusiast and collector and he's the Society Organiser. It's thanks to him that we have Journals, Enid Blyton Days, the Cave of Books, etc. It's also thanks to him that I have walks and meaty bones! I hope you enjoy reading your new books!

Barney says: I heard you went to the Enid Blyton Day on Saturday, Ethan, so I thought you might have added a book or two to your collection!

Barney says: Ah yes, who could forget Sid and his partiality?!: "I'm partial to chocolate mould. Joan knows that - she knows I'm partial to anything in the chocolate line. She's friendly with my Mum, so she knows. The things I'm partial to I like very much, see?" Classic!

Barney says: I am indeed very lucky, Lucy-Ann. Thank you for your kind words. Yes, those who attended the Enid Blyton Day in Twyford yesterday had a simply smashing time and there will be more accounts of the Day to come, and photos.

Barney says: It's a nice book, Terry, but it's not a first edition as the book was first published as The Yellow Fairy Book in 1936. Interesting that your copy is dated 1948. In the Cave, the earliest version listed that has the title The Queer Adventure is dated 1952.

Barney says: A hard question to answer, Tia, as there are so many great titles in the Find-Outers series. The Mystery of the Missing Necklace is a brilliant read, I think, because it contains some wonderful disguises.

Barney says: I'm afraid we can't value books as it's difficult without examining them. If you have a look at what similar books have sold for on eBay recently, that will give you an idea what they're worth.

Barney says: Oooh - did someone mention food? I like the chapter of Bimbo and Topsy in which Bimbo the cat and Topsy the dog get into the larder, wondering why there should be such a room "where meals are set out ready on shelves - but nobody goes to eat them". They feast on rabbit, custard, sardines, herrings and milk - yum!

Barney says: I'm afraid people won't be able to contact you as you haven't included an email address in your message! Alternatively, you could advertise the books in the "For Sale" section of our forums. It's necessary to register to join the forums, but registration is free of charge. Once you've registered, people could send you a private message.

Barney says: I hope someone can help, Michelle.

Barney says: There are two such poems - or prayers - in Enid Blyton's Magazine Number 6, Volume 1, May 27th 1953 (the Coronation was in 1953, not 1952). One is for younger children and begins, "I am a child, dear Lord,/And on my knees I pray". The other is for older children and begins, "O loving Father,/Hear the children's prayer". The prayers are quite long so I won't type out the rest unless you know for certain that one of those is the one your friend remembers. Or she might even like to track down a copy of the magazine, which contains several articles and stories related to the Coronation.

Barney says: You may be thinking of Mr. Tumpy and His Caravan, Kay. Mr. Tumpy and his dog Bits travel with Mr. Spells in a caravan which has feet, and they go to Giantland and other magical places. I hope that's the book you remember. Happy 60th birthday!

Barney says: The book you've got is this one, Joyce, but without its dustwrapper.

Barney says: Your second sentence proves the point you're making, Nigel! ;-)

Barney says: Your best bet would be eBay, Abebooks (many sellers are willing to post abroad) or similar, Sandra. Good luck with finding a copy.

Barney says: Well said, Julie! We dogs don't tend to have skeletons in our closets - though I do have a bone in my basket!

Barney says: Enid Blyton did have a hard, unforgiving side to her character and various articles, documentaries and dramas such as the Enid film of 2009 have concentrated on that. However, they have largely failed to focus on things which would have shown another side of her, e.g. her days as an inspirational and enthusiastic teacher or the way she communicated with fans through her magazines and encouraged them to use their initiative, do their bit for society and raise money for charities. It must also be remembered that many famous and widely-read authors had (or have) their faults and led (or lead) far from exemplary lives, yet their books are much-loved on their own merits and people continue to buy them. The best of Enid Blyton comes out in her books so I see no need to stop children reading them. Her stories and characters have had a positive influence on generations of young readers all over the world, instilling in them good behaviour and ideals as well as giving them immense enjoyment.

Barney says: Sorry, but Enid Blyton's books are under copyright till the end of 2038 and most of them are still in print so it's illegal for anyone to make them available free of charge online.

Barney says: Have you tried Enid Blyton's Adventure, Barney and Secret series, Belle? You can find out more about those three series and others by clicking on the "Popular Series" buttons above. You might also like the Lone Pine books by Malcolm Saville and the Swallows and Amazons books by Arthur Ransome, as I said to Ethan the other day.

Barney says: The Boy Next Door Returns is by Society member Trevor Bolton, who has written a number of very good continuation books. Most were written specially for this website and can only be read in the Secret Passage, except for The Secret Valley which was published by Award and can be bought from bookshops and sites like Amazon.

Barney says: That's good to hear, Ethan. Some other popular authors for your age and a bit older include C. S. Lewis (Narnia series) and E. Nesbit (The Enchanted Castle and several other books). And I've just remembered The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd (first published in 2007), which is an interesting mystery story.

Barney says: The Secret Island is still in print, Giulia, so you should be able to buy or order it from any bookshop or from an online store like Amazon. However, the language may have been updated slightly in modern copies so if you want the original text you might prefer to buy a secondhand copy from eBay, Abebooks or similar.

Barney says: Welcome, Anke. Your message might get more views if you put it in the "For Sale" section of our forums. It's necessary to register to post on the forums, but registration is free.

Barney says: Yes, but you have to be a member of the Enid Blyton Society as it's only available in the Secret Passage, which requires a password.

Barney says: Hi Poppy, I'm glad you're enjoying the forums - and The Mystery of the Missing Man! Enid Blyton's final novel (or novella, as it's quite short) was The Hidey-Hole (1964). After that a few short Noddy picture books appeared (without much text) but Enid's last proper books were retellings of Bible stories - The Boy Who Came Back and The Man Who Stopped to Help (both 1965).

Barney says: Hi Ethan! I think you might still like Arthur Ransome and also Malcolm Saville. I'd say Saville's "Lone Pine" books are really aimed at children a little older than nine, though his "Susan and Bill" and "Michael and Mary" books are for slightly younger readers. And you're probably also a bit on the young side for the Alex Rider and Young Sherlock Holmes series, which are perhaps more suitable for people aged eleven or twelve and over. You might like Michael Morpurgo if you haven't tried his books already. His stories are quite often adventurous but tend to be more emotional than Enid Blyton's. Kensuke's Kingdom and War Horse are two of his best-known titles. And you might enjoy a mystery book called Dead Man's Cove by Lauren St John, which was published in 2010. You asked about my age. We dogs don't really celebrate our birthdays, but I'm neither young nor old!

Barney says: Perhaps Enid Blyton realised she'd made a mistake making Pat and Isabel fourteen in the first form? Writing about every school year might have highlighted the fact that they would still have been in school in their early twenties! I don't imagine Enid Blyton would have objected to changing things that could cause offence, such as the names of some of the dogs in the Galliano's Circus series, but I doubt she'd have welcomed modernising the language just for the sake of it. Such a move spoils the rhythm and flow of the narrative.

Barney says: Enid Blyton was female and yes, she loved animals. As a child she wasn't allowed to keep a pet, but she made up for that as an adult. You can find out more here, under the heading "Pets".

Barney says: You're welcome, Shruti. Enjoy your day.

Barney says: I agree that Elizabeth Allen is a fabulous character, Shruti, and that Whyteleafe is an innovative and interesting school. It may be that the series attracts less interest because there are fewer books about Whyteleafe, and because we only get to see Elizabeth and her classmates in the first form instead of following them through their years at the school.

Barney says: I've put your questions and comments together into one message, Ethan. Gosh, you certainly like to keep a dog busy! The usual answer to your first question is that Enid Blyton wrote around 700 books, but it depends what counts as a book. See my answer to Megha (below). Enid was writing for publication for about 40 years, from the early 1920s to the early 1960s. I don't know your interests or how old you are so it's difficult to recommend books to you. If you like Enid Blyton you might like Arthur Ransome (Swallows and Amazons series) and Malcolm Saville (his Lone Pine series is probably his most famous). Good modern adventure books include the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz and the Young Sherlock Holmes series by Andrew Lane. Best of luck with your writing!

Barney says: It's hard to say exactly how many books Enid Blyton wrote, Megha, as it depends what counts as a book. She wrote novels and novellas, provided text for picture books, contributed to educational books and encyclopaedias, wrote her own magazines for children, contributed articles and poems to other magazines and newspapers, etc. And many of her short stories were printed in more than one collection. What we can say is that Enid Blyton wrote over 180 novels and around 4000 - 5000 short stories as well as numerous poems, plays and articles.

Barney says: Conflict and competition between the Secret Seven and Susie & co. add interest to the stories - and it has to be said that sometimes the Secret Seven are mean to Susie too.

Barney says: Jack used to be a popular name (and has come back into fashion in recent years), so it's not surprising to come across several characters called Jack in Enid Blyton stories. There are Jacks in the Secret Seven and Six Cousins series too, and a few less prominent Jacks elsewhere. Keith Robinson once wrote an amusing piece called Jacks-in-a-Box. My best loved Blyton book is Shadow the Sheep-Dog as I said to Rosie the other day, and I when I'm not sniffing exciting smells I've always got my nose buried in a children's book. I read older books by authors like Malcolm Saville and newer books by authors like Suzanne Collins.

Barney says: Perhaps Angela meant she had lost her chance to form a friendship with someone else who, like her, had a title? Continuation books can sometimes feel "not quite right" even if they're written in the spirit of the originals, but it's up to each individual to decide whether or not to give them a try.

Barney says: I'm pleased to hear of another Barney, but you don't really tell us anything about which books you enjoy or why you think Enid Blyton was "the best person that ever lived".

Barney says: Shadow the Sheep-Dog, because Shadow is one of the most likeable and intelligent characters Enid ever created! What's your favourite, Rosie?

Barney says: The first Famous Five book was published in 1942 and the first Secret Seven book in 1949 (though two earlier books relating to the Secret Seven series were published in 1947 and 1948). You can find out more by clicking on the "Popular Series" buttons.

Barney says: You don't need the information any more, Poppy, as your account is now up and running. Look forward to seeing you there!

Barney says: The writer of the LiveJournal entry does indeed make some very strange claims.

Barney says: I hope you can get to the Enid Blyton Day somehow, Sue. If anyone would like details of the Day, which is being held on Saturday 12th May this year, click here.

Barney says: I am not too sure what you are saying here, Clayton, as your message is a bit muddled. Have you clicked on the Famous Five button above? If not it might be a good idea to do so. It is very easy to tell if you have all 21 books as 1st editions as this will be printed inside the book opposite the contents page. The first eight books had white spines and all had their dustwrappers updated to match the remaining books in the series. All 21 books were originally published by Hodder & Stoughton and Brockhampton Press took over the printing in the late 1960s, so any of these books will not be 1st editions. I hope this and the website will answer your questions.

Barney says: Enid Blyton books are currently published by Award and Egmont as well as Hodder. The modern illustrations may not be to everyone's taste but the publishers are trying to keep the books fresh and appealing. I'm not sure what you mean about "mistakes", but even early editions often have the occasional printing error.

Barney says: I'm sure Julie will be delighted to read your thoughts, John, and pleased that you're enjoying The Mystery of Hazel Dene Cottage. I love the idea of characters getting their "just desserts" - I have visions of them being pelted with ice-creams, blancmanges and treacle puddings!

Barney says: Dramatisation helps bring the stories and characters to life, so not as much narration is needed. Complete readings are available for some books but those recordings are longer, putting up the cost.

Barney says: Thanks very much for the bone! I get the impression that the Malory Towers series is mentioned slightly more often by readers of Blyton books, though I can't be absolutely sure. My own preference is for Malory Towers because the series is better-structured, though the St. Clare's books are a good read too.

Barney says: I'm glad you found the Cave of Books useful, Elizabeth, and I hope you're able to find copies of the books illustrated by your grandfather. If you can't locate them elsewhere, you could try the dealers we list under Lashings of Links.

Barney says: I appear to have become a building for storing hay!

Barney says: That sounds like a lucky find, Poppy. Unfortunately we're unable to value books because it's impossible to do so without examining them carefully. A lot depends on condition and on how popular the book is with collectors. If you look on eBay so see what similar books have sold for, that will give you some idea of the value.

Barney says: I'm not sure whether your question about the Enid Blyton Day is directed at me or at Paris, but I won't be going as I'm staying here to keep an eye on the website. Over 140 tickets have been sold so far and it promises to be a smashing day.

Barney says: They're nice books, Anna, but Dean & Son printed so many copies that there are still lots of them around so they're not worth a great deal. However, some titles are more collectable than others. If you have a look at what those books have sold for on eBay recently, that will give you an idea of their value.

Barney says: Not all messages get posted, Ana, because some are just one line of chat or they don't say anything of note and are not very interesting for website visitors to read. Meaty messages are always welcome though!

Barney says: Hodder have published the Famous Five books for many years and have just bought the Enid Blyton copyright from Chorion so it would be worth checking with them, Lucie.

Barney says: Thank you, Paris.

Barney says: I'm afraid the images are under copyright, so you're not likely to find any.

Barney says: Happy Easter to you too, Paris, and enjoy the chocolate eggs!

Barney says: It looks to me as though the feet are sticking out one at each side (though only one is visible in the picture) so the kettle can "sit" comfortably.

Barney says: During Enid Blyton's lifetime those things weren't deemed "offensive", though by the late 1950s some critics were saying that her inclusion of golliwogs as villains in one of the Noddy tales was provocative. Enid replied that she had written far more good gollies into her stories than bad, adding: "Golliwogs are merely lovable black toys, not Negroes. Teddy bears are also toys, but if there happens to be a naughty one in my books for younger children, this does not mean that I hate bears!" (Quoted in Barbara Stoney's Enid Blyton - the Biography). Nowadays she might be criticised for using the word "Negroes", but again that word wasn't considered offensive at the time.

Barney says: Welcome, Effy44G, and good luck with your essay. You can find out more about the short stories in our Cave of Books. I just did a search on "black doll" to find out where 'The Little Black Doll' appeared and, as I think you know, there are two tales with that title plus a Noddy "little black doll" story - click here. In the Cave you can see where a story was first published and where it was last printed (not every book published after Enid Blyton's death is yet in the database, but the majority are). The first "little black doll" story was published in Sunny Stories in 1937 and collected in Enid Blyton's Jolly Story Book in 1944. The other was published in Sunny Stories in 1943 and collected in A Story Party at Green Hedges in 1949. In the earlier story a black doll named Sambo is not liked by the other toys in the nursery but, after his blackness is washed off in the rain, leaving him with a pink face, the toys accept him. In the later story a black doll also named Sambo is not liked by the other toys in the nursery (they tell him that they like golliwogs because they're supposed to be black and they look nice like that, but that dolls aren't supposed to be black!) He too goes out in the rain and his blackness is washed off but this time the toys feel sorry, saying that they want "Black Sambo" back again. The golliwog restores Sambo to his original colour by inking his face. While later story collections contained many of the same tales as the earlier ones, both "little black doll" stories were removed at some point - see for example The Teddy Bear's Tail and Other Stories (Award, 1987) which more or less reprints the stories from A Story Party at Green Hedges but doesn't have 'The Little Black Doll'.

Barney says: Ah well, most mothers like to spin out treats a bit rather than giving their child/children everything in one go. And it means you've still got two more Blyton books to look forward to! An International Wishing-Chair Week would be super! I expect Paris knows of Enid Blyton's death. Part of Enid Blyton lives on in her books, and I think Paris is merely celebrating that fact and hoping the stories continue to be popular.

Barney says: Thank you, Paris. If dogs could blush, I'd be as red as a tomato after reading that! I hope you continue to have plenty of fun reading Blyton books!

Barney says: My favourite book is probably Shadow the Sheep-Dog because it revolves around one of Enid Blyton's most intelligent and likeable characters! Other than that, I enjoy an exciting mystery or adventure story. I like Snubby as well, because he's such a good master to the madcap Loony. George (Famous Five) and Jimmy (Galliano's Circus) also appeal to me because they love their dogs so much.

Barney says: Rock 'n' roll and malt shops (or coffee bars, as they were called in Britain) for Enid Blyton? No, I think she was more of a classical music and tea-shop sort of person! She wrote disparagingly of long-haired pop singers in a letter to her nephew Carey, and criticised juke box music in The Rubadub Mystery. Thanks for the link, though contrary to what it says The Wishing Chair [sic] was not Enid Blyton's first full-length book. That honour belongs to The Enid Blyton Book of Brownies, published in 1926.

Barney says: I remember you were having trouble finding Adventures of the Wishing-Chair at one time, Ana. I hope you managed to get hold of it in the end. By the way, did your mother get you those four Enid Blyton books she promised you the other week (for achieving good grades)?

Barney says: Thanks for the information, Chris. Beautiful illustrations. I hope the auction goes well!

Barney says: It's likely that more Enid Blyton books will be available on e-readers as time goes on, but I'm afraid I don't know the dates for any series in particular.

Barney says: Well, it's a big website and you need to take the time to explore it bit by bit if you want to get to know it properly. I'd start by clicking on our "Popular Series" buttons (above "Secret Messages"). You can also find out about other books in the "Cave of Books", learn more about Enid Blyton under "Author of Adventure" and do quizzes under "Interactive Island". Have fun, Marium!

Barney says: It would indeed be disappointing only to have six Famous Five books. Just think - no spook trains, Ragamuffin Jo, Gloomy Water or Jeremiah Boogle!

Barney says: Do you mean the Galliano's Circus books, Poppy? If so, the order is 1. Mr. Galliano's Circus, 2. Hurrah for the Circus! and 3. Circus Days Again.

Barney says: I hope you didn't have to apply too much "force" to your cousin to get her to post, Ana! I think Enid Blyton would have written more Famous Five books if she could, but towards the end of her life she was suffering from dementia and heart problems and wasn't able to continue with her writing. When she started the Famous Five series she only intended to write six books, but fans kept begging her for more!

Barney says: The Adventure series is amazing, Poppy. I can't decide which is my favourite book as it depends on my mood, but The Sea of Adventure is wonderful - dreamy yet exciting. And yes, Kiki is a unique character, very clever and funny. She's as good as a dog any day, and I can't say more than that about anyone!

Barney says: Sorry, but it's still possible to buy them new and it would be illegal for anyone to make them available free of charge online. If you mean you'd like to buy electronic versions of the books, try Amazon.

Barney says: Welcome, Hunaina. There's not much to tell about me. I'm a Staffordshire Bull Terrier who likes books, bones, biscuits, walks and exciting smells. I also like the Secret Seven because they're always munching on buns and cakes and they make sure Scamper gets his share! Thanks for the bone!

Barney says: Thank you very much, Lucy-Ann, for your lovely comments! It's always heartening to know that people are enjoying the Journal. When Enid Blyton was writing her fortnightly Enid Blyton's Magazine in the 1950s, she ran a number of clubs which readers could join with the aim of raising money for various charities. The Sunbeams raised money for blind children, and subscribers wore the badge shown.

Barney says: Nice to "meet" you, Saorsa. I'm sure Enid Blyton would be happy to know that her stories still mean so much to so many people. The Family at Red-Roofs is indeed a very special book.

Barney says: Enid Blyton's birthday is August 11th. She was born in 1897.

Barney says: Oh, I don't mind people using a pseudonym - e.g. someone might post as Anne Kirrin, or as the Saucepan Man! But even then, I'd prefer them to stick to the same name every time so I know it's them, if you see what I mean! I do understand why your parents don't want you to use your real name on the internet. Don't worry - "Ana" doesn't reveal much about your identity but it sounds much friendlier than "Anonymous"!

Barney says: You certainly like to bombard a dog with questions, Abbie! ;-) I think you'll find our Author of Adventure section helpful. Click on "A Biography of Enid Blyton—The Story of Her Life" and "Enid the Writer".

Barney says: I'm still not keen on anonymous posts, Ana, for the simple reason that it makes the Message Board feel less friendly if several people in a row post as "Anonymous". Also, it makes it difficult for me to know whether I've met a person before.

Barney says: I don't think I've seen figurines of any Blyton characters except Noddy and other Toyland folk, but I've always thought it would be lovely if some were available. As far as I know it's not even possible to get pictures or posters of the Faraway Tree characters, which is a shame.

Barney says: It's possible that Enid deliberately avoided mentioning the war because she felt it would date the stories, or because she wanted her fictional schools to come across as little worlds of their own, not swayed too much by outside influences. Or maybe she felt that children's reading should, on the whole, provide an escape from the hardship and suffering. Many of Blyton's other books, including some of her circus and farm stories, were written during the war yet were also set in a warless world. Only in a few short stories and adventure books does the war play a significant part and even then the emphasis is on secrets and hideouts and defeating the enemy, rather than on rationing or being evacuated to strangers or having to shelter from the bombing in towns and cities. The Adventurous Four, The Children of Kidillin and The Valley of Adventure all revolve around the war or its after-effects. As well as a handful of short stories dealing with wartime themes there are oblique references to rationing and the blackout in books like the collections of Mr. Twiddle stories. However, Mr. and Mrs. Twiddle don't use the words "blackout" or "rationing". Instead, they talk of how dark it is at night or of how they'll probably have to queue for an hour to buy a meat pie. Children might easily read the Twiddle tales these days without realising that a lot of them are set during or just after the war. And perhaps it's that timeless quality that has helped keep Enid Blyton's stories so popular with young readers.

Barney says: Different people like different books and series, Ruth, but there are some titles that crop up again and again as being favourites. Have a look at this forums thread about people's top 5 Blyton books, or this one where people have voted for their favourite Famous Five titles.

Barney says: I agree that The Rockingdown Mystery is a marvellous book, Ana. An exciting story with an air of melancholy. No doubt Enid Blyton was inspired by old houses she had visited. By the way, it's good that you started with The Rockingdown Mystery because the six books in the R Mystery series (also known as the Barney Mystery series) are best read in order of publication.

Barney says: I'm afraid she didn't, Shruti. Trevor Bolton wrote a sequel called The Boy Next Door Returns which can be read in the Secret Passage, but it's only available to Society members.

Barney says: We call them SECRET MESSAGES because it sounds like something from one of Enid Blyton's stories, like CAVE OF BOOKS, SOCIETY SHED, etc. Quite a lot of people use the Message Board just to ask a question or make a comment, and they won't necessarily visit the site regularly.

Barney says: A wuff wuff of greeting to Barney - and to you too!

Barney says: I'm not Enid Blyton's dog so your guess is as good as mine, but if Enid Blyton actually held such parties I imagine everyone would have listened, rapt, and Cook would have put up a good spread!

Barney says: I'm sorry it's more expensive to subscribe to the Journal if you live overseas, Royani, but that's because postage costs are higher. If you like the Famous Five books you might also like the Adventure series and Barney Mysteries. If you like the Secret Seven books you might also like the Five Find-Outers series. You could always try borrowing one or two titles from the library first (if available), to see whether you like them. Other popular books include the Secret series, The Boy Next Door, The Family at Red-Roofs and The Six Bad Boys.

Barney says: The Enid Blyton Society and website are run by Tony Summerfield with a bit of help from a few others including me, Amy. What we do is try to make the website (and Journal, for those who subscribe to it) as informative, fun and attractive as possible! Tony also organises an annual Enid Blyton Day at Loddon Hall in Twyford, Berkshire. This year's Day is on Saturday 12th May.

Barney says: These are zinnias, Paris (scroll down to see an orange one). A good choice of books - I hope your friend enjoys them!

Barney says: Welcome, Royani. I agree that Tim is one of Enid Blyton's best creations, along with other canine characters like Loony, Scamper, Buster and Lucky. You can find out how to join the Society here - we look forward to welcoming you aboard!

Barney says: Congratulations on getting good grades, Ana! In her autobiography, The Story of My Life, Enid Blyton mentioned a number of books she enjoyed as a child. As well as The Water Babies and Little Women she liked Black Beauty, The Coral Island and Lewis Carroll's "Alice" books, but her favourite was The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald. Enid Blyton probably did pick up some names and ideas from her reading but she was also influenced by places she visited, people she met and thoughts that came to her. Jo is a name which can be given to a boy or a girl, so it's not surprising that more than one author should use it for a girl who is not very ladylike. About the four books, it depends what kinds of stories you prefer. If you like mystery and adventure stories, have you tried the Find-Outers series and the Barney Mysteries? Enid Blyton also wrote some particularly good "family" books. The Family at Red-Roofs, The Six Bad Boys and the two "Six Cousins" books are generally regarded as being among her best work.

Barney says: Thanks, Paul. If you're in Britain, Emibell, you'd need to visit a big library like the Colindale branch of the British Library in London.

Barney says: It's your homework, Emibell - you do the research! If you mean newspaper or magazine articles that have appeared in recent years and refer to Enid Blyton, you should be able to find some online by doing a search on "Blyton" under "news". If you mean newspaper or magazine articles dating from her lifetime, you may need to go to a large library and ask a librarian for help.

Barney says: I'm fine, thanks. You can read all about Enid Blyton's life here. Best of luck with the project!

Barney says: Do you mean you can only find the Americanised versions of the Secret Seven books in America? I'm surprised even those are available these days. It should be possible to order the originals from an online seller though.

Barney says: As I said to Cindos the other day, a UK release of the 1978 Famous Five TV series is due soon although we don't have a date yet. Keep an eye on this thread on our discussion forums.

Barney says: You're welcome, Poppy. Enjoy The Mystery of the Hidden House!

Barney says: There's some speculation on that topic in this thread on the forums.

Barney says: Oh, I already do - some stories are so deliciously meaty and satisfying and contain plenty to chew over. But I still like a nice, juicy bone as well!

Barney says: Sounds like a job for Google! Isn't there a Muppet called Gonzo?! Good luck with the resits.

Barney says: I hope you enjoy the Pamela Cox book, Sue!

Barney says: Ah, that's a good idea, Poppy! I'll enjoy devouring a bone while devouring the Journal! The Famous Five Short Story Collection was published in 2011 but it was a reprint of Five Have a Puzzling Time and Other Stories, published in 1995. Those stories hadn't been collected together in one volume before 1995 as the stories had originally appeared individually in annuals, comics and strip books in the 1950s-60s.

Barney says: I've heard of it raining cats and dogs, Ana, but sadly not bones! In 2010 the manuscript of an unpublished Enid Blyton book turned up - Mr. Tumpy's Caravan - which is a full-length novel and is a different story from the picture-strip book Mr. Tumpy and His Caravan. As far as I know, there are no plans to publish it at present. Enid Blyton also wrote an adult play that was never published or performed (Summer Storm) and an adult novel that wasn't published (The Caravan Goes On). Unfortunately, the manuscript of The Caravan Goes On was lost years ago.

Barney says: Hmm - I recall stories called 'Sammy the Scribbler' and 'The Boy Who Scribbled', but those boys write on walls and tables rather than in books. I hope that someone else reading this will know the story you remember, Sian.

Barney says: A UK release of the 1978 Famous Five TV series is due soon, Cindos, though we don't have a date yet. Keep an eye on this thread on our discussion forums.

Barney says: Thanks very much for your kind words, Arjun. I hope you'll continue to visit the website and enjoy all that it has to offer. My tail is wagging nineteen to the dozen after reading your message!

Barney says: Enid Blyton died in 1968, but the best of her lives on in her books. There have been a number of Continuation Books by other authors but they vary in quality - some are Blytonian in spirit while others feel very different.

Barney says: It's lovely to hear from you Ellie, Ella and Olivia. I agree that Timmy is a fantastic character - and I hope you achieve your ambition of becoming authors. Our section on Enid the Writer should be of some help in answering your questions.

Barney says: You're one of many who find her stories inspirational, Srishti! They put a wag in my tail too!

Barney says: The quiz sounds like a great idea, but I'm afraid I don't know of any quiz sheets. It could be fun to make your own though!

Barney says: Chorion currently hold the copyright to Enid Blyton's works, though it is up for sale. The rights to Noddy have already been sold to Classic Media in America.

Barney says: I don't think we know, though she certainly had some interest in that area because Barbara Stoney tells us in Enid Blyton - the Biography that Enid used to organise concert parties as an end of term entertainment when she was a senior girl at St. Christopher's School in Beckenham. She and seven other girls would dress in mauve with white ruffles and black pom-poms, calling themselves the "Mauve Merriments". They would do short sketches, dancing and singing, with Enid playing the piano.

Barney says: Ooh, I can't decide which is best - devouring a nice, meaty Journal or a nice, meaty bone! Both are extremely satisfying and enjoyable!

Barney says: I'm afraid Enid Blyton doesn't tell us.

Barney says: Why not read them and find out?!

Barney says: Thanks for your wishes for the website. I'm a bit confused about what it was that you heard on the radio!

Barney says: Little Women is a lovely family story. Yes, it was one of Enid Blyton's favourite books because the characters seemed so "real".

Barney says: If you're the same person who asked that question on the forums, a couple of people have answered here. I think Birds of Our Gardens is probably the book you're looking for.

Barney says: 1970s editions should be fine, Sarah. Even 1980s editions would probably be all right, though I'm not absolutely sure about that. Perhaps someone else reading this will know more.

Barney says: Erm - another school story and a bunch of orange zinnias?

Barney says: I agree that Enid Blyton had a gift for bringing things to life and making readers feel part of the storybook world. She had an active imagination and said that stories and characters flooded into her mind so that her fingers could hardly type everything down fast enough. Enid experienced a middle-class life of private education, theatre trips, piano lessons and maids but had a difficult childhood emotionally as she didn't get along with her mother, and her beloved father left the family when she was not quite thirteen. From an early age, her writing helped her escape from pressures at home and brought her comfort.

Barney says: As far as I know, Ida Pollock is still alive. She was born on April 12th 1908, so she must be nearing her 104th birthday.

Barney says: Thanks, Nigel.

Barney says: I'm afraid we can't do valuations as we can't examine items, but it does sound as though you've got a nice set there and you could try getting it valued by a dealer.

Barney says: It's illegal for anyone to make them available free online, Anqi, as most main titles and many of the short stories are still in print and will remain under copyright until the end of 2038.

Barney says: Enid Blyton died in 1968, Robyn. If you mean you'd like to post something to the Enid Blyton Society, there's a postal address on the 'Subscribe' page.

Barney says: The Noddy Snap game might well come up on eBay, Lynne, or if not you could try one of the sellers listed under "Lashings of Links" (button over on the left) as they specialise in Enid Blyton books and ephemera.

Barney says: Hello Lynsey, that sounds like a nice find, but I'm afraid it is not a first edition. It would also have originally had a dustwrapper and I have seen copies of this title before with cloth boards, but they are not very common.

Barney says: Thanks for the further details, Sharon. It does indeed appear to be the Newnes edition depicted in the Cave of Books, but without its dustwrapper.

Barney says: Most of our visitors are over 15, Amy. Many adults retain their love of Enid Blyton's books and continue to read them or share the stories with their children, grandchildren or other young relatives. The questions (I think they vary, but they're always relatively easy) are there to help deter spammers.

Barney says: Yes, Enid Blyton did indeed write The Three Golliwogs. You can see the listing in the Cave of Books, here. The edition you read probably had the golliwogs' names as Wiggie, Waggie and Wollie, but up until the late 1960s their names were rather less politically correct! Later still, in 1994, the gollies were transformed into pixies and the title of the book was altered to Three Bold Pixies. Although The Three Golliwogs has been out of print for years, plenty of copies still turn up on the secondhand market.

Barney says: I'm glad you're enjoying the Famous Five series, Paris. Enid Blyton grew up in Beckenham in Kent. You can find out more about her life here.

Barney says: It seems that it might only ever have been awarded once - to Enid Blyton herself, posthumously! There's some more information in this thread on the forums.

Barney says: I'm sure some people will have visited the Jacqueline Wilson website - I certainly went and had a sniff at it - but I don't think we'll ever know how many people have clicked on the link. Yes, I changed your comment a little to fit the link into the sentence and to make it a bit more formal because we use "Blyton-speak" on this website, e.g. "great", not "gr8"!

Barney says: Barbara Stoney says in Enid Blyton - the Biography that, although Enid had suffered with her dementia, the moment of her death was peaceful. The only literary award Enid Blyton ever received was in America, for Mystery Island (The Island of Adventure retitled). It was awarded a prize by the Boys' Club of America for being one of the six most popular books of 1947. Regarding your best friend, I think you'd be better off having a gentle chat with her rather than talking to me!

Barney says: You can find out more about the Enid Blyton Society here, Paris. People who join receive three Journals a year, packed with articles about Enid Blyton's life and works. A password in the Journal enables them to enter the "Secret Passage" on the website, giving them access to photos etc. and continuation books which have been written specially for the Society.

Barney says: Hi Su, I suspect that what you might be talking about is the Coronation Bible, as we often get asked questions about it. If this is the case the message in black from Enid Blyton was printed in all copies of the Bible. Many people think that they have a written message in their Bible, but I'm afraid that this is not correct. Maybe you are talking about a completely different article however?

Barney says: We don't have an office, Jasmine. Society matters are dealt with by an Enid Blyton enthusiast from his house - contact details can be found here.

Barney says: I don't think they ever were, Pete. In Secret Seven Fireworks we learn that Colin's granny is a Mrs. Strangeway, but that doesn't necessarily make him a Strangeway.

Barney says: Wuff wuff to Lucky! Oh, all right then, and to the cat! I'm used to barking about Blyton, not about best friends - I'm not really an "Agony Uncle Barney"! But friends do change over the years and, if you want the friendship to last, try being patient and letting "Bessie" be herself, even if her behaviour annoys you at times.

Barney says: Enid Blyton was 71 when she died and had been ill for some years with heart problems and dementia. All those factors probably contributed to her death.

Barney says: I don't think I've seen figurines of any Blyton characters except Noddy and other Toyland folk, but I've always thought it would be lovely if some were available. As far as I know, it's not even possible to get pictures or posters of the Faraway Tree characters which is a shame.

Barney says: Yes, get a dog! After all, we are a man's best friend. Diamonds are said to be a girl's best friend but I've never seen how anything so small, hard-cornered, motionless and unresponsive can be any fun! By the way, I suppose your "bessie" isn't actually called "Bessie" - that would be a wonderfully Blytonic name!

Barney says: I know you're already aware of the forum thread about the Famous Five DVD, Sairbear74, but we have no further news at present so your best bet is to keep an eye on that thread. Let's hope the DVD will be released in English very soon!

Barney says: Don't worry - I'm sure all of us read other authors as well!

Barney says: It's entirely up to you, Caitlin! Think about what kinds of stories you prefer - mystery and adventure, fantasy, school, animal, family, etc. It's good to choose a book which you found interesting so that you have plenty to say about it. If you want to focus on a "typical" Enid Blyton book you could choose a title from a well-known series such as the Famous Five or Faraway Tree series. Alternatively, you could pick something a bit different like The Six Bad Boys or The Secret Island.

Barney says: I get some strange requests here in the kennel to wrap my little grey canine cells around, but this is one of the strangest! Veld Fires was published in South Africa in 1931 by Cape to Cairo Publications. The authors were C. Selwyn Stokes and B.A. Wilter. I am still trying to puzzle out what this has to do with Enid Blyton!

Barney says: I only deal with the Message Board, Amy. Most contributors are very polite, but I do have to gobble up the occasional rude or badly written message. My favourite book is Shadow the Sheep-Dog because the main character is so clever and likeable.

Barney says: You might be thinking of Pamela Cox's Sixth Form at St. Clare's, in which the sixth form girls hold weekly "agony aunt sessions" to help the younger ones with problems.

Barney says: We regularly add things to the website, Amy, especially in the Cave of Books where there are lots of scans of books, magazines, jigsaws, etc. The discussion forums are generally busy too, with new posts to read every day. We also have a Monthly Quiz (under "Interactive Island") and a Monthly Enid Blyton page (under "The Author").

Barney says: Enid was a dramatisation so, although it was based on Enid Blyton's life and personality, some parts were embellished or changed and the time-scale was altered, to enhance the drama. In real life Hanly told Enid of her mother's death by phone - and Gillian and Imogen were at that time much older than in the biopic. Other details such as entertaining soldiers, registering as Dorothy Richards and sending her daughters to boarding school were based on fact. It's true that Enid Blyton could be cold and dismissive, especially towards family members who upset her, but she could also be warm. She inspired pupils during her teaching days and encouraged children to raise money for charities through her magazines, but not much of her positive side came through in the Enid film. If you want to know more you could try getting hold of Enid Blyton - the Biography by Barbara Stoney and A Childhood at Green Hedges by Imogen Smallwood. Whatever her faults, the best of Enid Blyton lives on in her books and they continue to entertain, educate and enthuse children around the globe.

Barney says: I'm afraid I'm not sure what you mean about "the rising action", Sondos.

Barney says: Welcome, Giovanna. Your English is pretty good. Enid Blyton's books are still under copyright so they can't legally be read for free online. If you can't buy them from bookshops in Brazil, perhaps you could buy them (new or secondhand) from websites like Amazon, eBay or Abebooks (a lot of sellers will ship worldwide, though you'd need to check the cost of postage). Some titles are also available as e-books.

Barney says: Enid Blyton wrote a Famous Five play, The Famous Five Adventure, but it's not a comedy. You could always write your own, though if you wanted to put on a public performance you'd need to seek permission from the Enid Blyton copyright holders (currently Chorion, though the copyright is up for sale).

Barney says: I edited your post as you had quoted the whole of an old Message Board message, which at first made me confused about what you were asking. You're talking about two different things there. Joining the Enid Blyton Society costs £10 - £14 per year, and for that you receive three Journals packed with articles and information. You don't need to join the Society to register with the discussion forums on this website, which are free of charge.

Barney says: You're welcome, Poppy. Whichever book you choose, I hope you enjoy it.

Barney says: Since most of her books were best-sellers, she must have had hundreds!

Barney says: Woof woof, Poppy! Up the Faraway Tree is by Enid Blyton but it's only a picture-strip book with a few lines of writing beneath each picture. The stories are very short and not detailed, and the usual characters are joined by two other children called Robin and Joy. So there's not much reading in it. The Riddle of the Rajah's Ruby is an updated and altered version of Enid Blyton's book Adventure of the Strange Ruby, so you might prefer to get the original title if you can (it's probably only available secondhand, but I know you can get secondhand books on Amazon). Congratulations on winning the prize in the reading competition!

Barney says: I don't know Enid Blyton's favourite but in her day the choice of flavours would have been limited in comparison to what's available now. Most places would probably have sold vanilla, strawberry and chocolate, and sometimes Tutti Frutti or Neapolitan.

Barney says: Thanks for confirming that, Sue.

Barney says: We can't give you a lot of help on this, Val, other than to say that there were a number of Noddy snowdomes issued in the 1950s. As you have found out, these are now hard to find and your best bet is probably toy fairs and dealers who stock vintage toys.

Barney says: A release date of 2nd April was announced at one point, but I'm not sure whether that has since changed. You may like to keep an eye on this forums thread.

Barney says: Thanks for letting us know.

Barney says: Is it possible that the book you are describing does not have a dustwrapper, Sharon? If this is the case it may well be illustrated on the page in our Cave of Books. The internal line drawings are in black and white and you are right that Mr. Meddle looks a bit scary. If you can possibly give us the name of the publisher and any dates in the book, we might be able to help you further, but we can say that there were definitely no Book Club editions published.

Barney says: Don't worry - the stories in More Wishing-Chair Stories were written by Enid Blyton. They had been published in various places but weren't collected into one volume until 2000. If you want to know more about the origins of the stories, have a read through this thread on the forums.

Barney says: I'm afraid it's unlikely that you're going to be able to buy a dust cover by itself, John. You could perhaps consider purchasing a copy of the book which has a dust cover, then selling your existing copy. EBay or Abebooks might have vintage editions for sale, or you could try the sellers listed under "Lashings of Links" (button over on the left of the home page).

Barney says: Enid Blyton would probably remind you that patience is a virtue!

Barney says: Goodness, has the description of the game really been removed? It should come towards the end of the chapter "The Find-Outers Make Their First Plans." I can't imagine why that line would be censored! Perhaps the editors thought the game sounded too rough!

Barney says: I went to the forums, did a search on "Clare's" (ticking "topic titles only") and got this list. However, if you haven't yet read the Malory Towers books you might want to do so before reading any detailed discussions of those, because some of the posts will contain spoilers.

Barney says: The Malory Towers books are similar to the St. Clare's books in some respects, though the school has quite a different feel to it. Why don't you join our discussion forums and have a look at what people have said about the two series, Abi? That will prevent the Message Board becoming a conversation on the school stories between me and thee! ;-)

Barney says: I think the pair of them start out as the main characters, though Pat is more assertive and rebellious than Isabel, but as the series goes on other characters become more dominant and the twins no longer loom so large.

Barney says: Perhaps you're thinking of Hilary Wentworth, head of the twins' dormitory?

Barney says: If you're asking about Enid Blyton's first school, it was called Tresco. You can find out more here.

Barney says: I'm afraid I don't recall any, Paul.

Barney says: Welcome, Carol! I'm not certain exactly when the changes were made but they're all part of a general updating of Blyton books (except "Father", who is a shadowy figure even in the originals and is barely mentioned after the first book). The odd small detail in some series like the Famous Five books began to be updated as early as the late 1960s, but these changes were few and far between. Things really took off after the golliwogs were removed from the Noddy books in about 1987, though only gradually. My guess is that Fanny was altered because the word has a rude meaning in some contexts, Jo was perhaps considered an old-fashioned or girly spelling so was changed to Joe, and Bessie was also thought to be rather quaint (an article in The Times back in 2006 suggested that Bessie had been scrapped because it was a name associated with black slaves in America, but that was a new one on me!) Other alterations include Dick becoming Rick, Dame Slap turning into Dame Snap, pop biscuits transforming into pop cakes and brownies becoming elves (those last two changes are hard to understand, though it may have something to do with the books being marketed worldwide). Funnily enough, the Famous Five books still feature a Dick and a Fanny despite the text of that series having been updated several times. I'm sorry the changes have confused your daughter and I hope that won't prevent her continuing to be transported to magical lands along with the characters. Older editions are available secondhand but I realise that isn't much help if you've already bought new copies.

Barney says: I'm not sure I follow all of that but Enid Blyton must indeed have been drawing on memories of her cruise when she wrote The Pole Star Family - and The Ship of Adventure. It's in The Mystery of the Vanished Prince that Fatty returns from a cruise having bought brightly-coloured robes from a Moroccan bazaar, though his trip isn't described in detail.

Barney says: Barbara Stoney says in Enid Blyton - the Biography that Enid Blyton wrote about her 1930 cruise on her weekly page in the magazine Teachers World. Other than that, I don't know whether there's any record of her travels.

Barney says: That happens in The Wishing-Chair Again. Peter and Mollie go through a gap in the hedge to a field at the bottom of the garden. They sit on a circle of grass in the field, and when a knob is pressed the circle of grass shoots down like a lift. There may be similar episodes in other Blyton stories.

Barney says: Sorry, I'm not sure what you mean by the black and white version. Is it any of these?

Barney says: The Faraway Tree books are magical. I wonder if the Land of Bones ever comes to the top of the tree?

Barney says: In The Mystery of the Spiteful Letters it's described as a noisy game "involving much woo-hoo-ing and groaning and rolling over and over." I don't think we're given any more details than that, but it sounds like a friendly rough-and-tumble.

Barney says: I'm not sure what you mean because Enid Blyton's last Famous Five book was published in 1963 (and she died in 1968), but perhaps this list will help clarify things.

Barney says: Welcome, Candez Maria Tony! The book you're thinking of is Secret Seven Mystery.

Barney says: Zerelda Brass (Third Year at Malory Towers) and Junior Henning and his father (Five on Finniston Farm) are negative American stereotypes (though Zerelda has a bit more to her), but Enid Blyton portrayed Americans and America more positively in The Boy Next Door and The Queen Elizabeth Family. You can read reviews of those titles in the Cave of Books. I hadn't heard of "USian" before, Victoria - at first glance it looks rather similar to "Asian" to me.

Barney says: There's not much to tell really, Prateeksha! I'm a Staffordshire Bull Terrier who likes books, bones, biscuits, walks and exciting smells!

Barney says: The Society and website enable people to learn more about Blyton films and TV series (not to mention books etc. of course!), and to share information, but I'm afraid we don't actually make them.

Barney says: I haven't time to check, Twinkle, but it sounds as though it could be Five Go Down to the Sea (with Mr. Penruthlan). Perhaps someone else reading this will know for definite.

Barney says: As the Malory Towers books are still in print and still under copyright, they won't be available to read free online (or at least they shouldn't be!) You could try your local bookshop or library, Prateeksha. Sometimes, libraries can get hold of a book for you if you ask. Or you could look for a copy (either new or secondhand) from an online seller.

Barney says: It's a matter of personal preference really, though the Malory Towers series is better structured in that there is a book for each school year. If you're interested in people's opinions on the schools, check out the following forums topic.

Barney says: Not much information is available, Lucy. In Chapter 3 of Enid Blyton - the Biography Barbara Stoney writes about the death of Enid Blyton's father (Thomas) in 1920 and gives us some details about Enid's brothers, Hanly and Carey: "Thomas left small bequests to Theresa, Enid and her brothers and due to this some slight contact was re-established between them. Carey had decided to join the Royal Air Force for a seven-year engagement but Hanly remained at home with his mother at Westfield Road and took over the management of his father's business, where he had been working since his war-time service overseas with the army." I don't think we're told what Hanly and Carey did in the Second World War.

Barney says: Well, I get some cheeky requests from time to time but that takes the dog biscuit!

Barney says: Thanks - it's nice to know that your name is Amy. Have you got to base your play script on part of a book? If so, I'd choose a scene which has a lot of dialogue (i.e. conversation between the characters) and one which is dramatic or humorous. You could also think about adding stage directions, and perhaps notes on lighting and scenery.

Barney says: I'm afraid we don't do valuations (we say so on our "Contact Us" page, though I realise you may not have seen that) because it's impossible to value a book without handling it. If you keep an eye on similar books on eBay, that'll give you an idea what it's worth.

Barney says: Glad to be of help, Shruti. I don't know whether there's an Indian equivalent of the auction site eBay, but that's a good way of buying secondhand books. Many of the sellers on the UK eBay will ship abroad but you'd need to enquire about postage costs and payment methods before bidding. Abebooks also has sellers who will send books anywhere in the world.

Barney says: I hope you have a fabulous day too, Plum Blossom! An enormous amount of work has gone into the Cave and the serials and it's heartening to hear that you're making full use of all that's on offer. May you come across many more delights and surprises in the nooks and crannies!

Barney says: According to Amazon.co.uk, a compilation of three Enid Blyton circus books is to be published by Egmont in April. Strangely, the volume contains two of the three Galliano's Circus titles plus the one-off novel Come to the Circus, which is about Fenella at Carl Crack's Circus! Stand-alone novels like Shadow the Sheepdog tend to get neglected, but luckily there are plenty of copies available secondhand.

Barney says: Someone just the other day was asking (anonymously) about Blyton quotations. As I said to him/her, if you mean a quotation from the books there are some interesting ones in this forums thread. However, it may be better and more meaningful to look through your favourite Blyton books and pick your own. If you mean something Enid Blyton said or wrote about her life and her writing, try clicking on our "Author of Adventure" button and reading the "Biography of Enid Blyton" and "Enid the Writer" sections. Good luck with your speech!

Barney says: Your best bet is probably to put them on eBay or in the "For Sale" section of our forums. Alternatively, maybe a secondhand bookshop would be interested?

Barney says: If I do, will you tell me your name rather than remaining "Anonymous"?! I'm a Staffordshire Bull Terrier and you can see my picture on the website!

Barney says: As a rough guide focussing on Blyton's best-known works, I'd say Amelia Jane, Mr. Pink-Whistle and Mr. Meddle for ages 4 - 8, the Wishing-Chair, Faraway Tree, Willow Farm, Galliano's Circus series and mixed short stories for ages 5 - 9, the Secret Seven and Naughtiest Girl books for ages 6 - 10, the other mystery and adventure series plus Malory Towers and St. Clare's for ages 8 - 12, and "family and society" novels like The Family at Red-Roofs, The Six Bad Boys and the Six Cousins books for ages 9 - 13. Children have different interests and abilities though, so ages may vary. I hope your daughter enjoys the books!

Barney says: Enid Blyton died in 1968, though the best of her lives on in her books. You can find out more about her life here.

Barney says: Tauri Hessia is fictional, though some readers have said that it puts them in mind of the Balkans in Southeastern Europe.

Barney says: Thank you very much for your comments, Plum Blossom. My tail is wagging nineteen to the dozen. Are you referring to Julie Heginbotham's story, The Mystery of Hazel Dene Cottage? Happy Chinese New Year!

Barney says: If you mean quotations from the books, there are some interesting ones in this forums thread. However, depending what you want them for it may be better and more meaningful to look through your favourite Blyton books and pick your own. If you mean things Enid Blyton said or wrote about her life and her writing, try clicking on our "Author of Adventure" button and reading the "Biography of Enid Blyton" and "Enid the Writer" sections. By the way, I always feel a bit queer when replying to an anonymous person - it seems friendlier if people provide a name of some kind.

Barney says: Her full name is Imogen Mary Smallwood. Enid and Gillian also had "Mary" as a middle name.

Barney says: Views on golliwogs are mixed and not everyone sees them as "black-people stereotypes". Enid Blyton simply regarded them as nursery toys and they were popular with children at the time she was writing, so it was natural for her to include gollies in Toyland. She wrote about good golliwogs as well as bad ones, e.g. Mr. Golly who owned the garage (later replaced by Mr. Sparks), so they weren't always portrayed as sneaky or mischievous by any means. Still, substituting other characters for gollies doesn't, I think, damage the integrity of the stories to the same extent as updating things like language, clothing, food and technological references.

Barney says: A wuff of thanks for the bone and for your kind words. Have fun on the website!

Barney says: I hope someone can help, Nonnapaula.

Barney says: People have posted a few links to audio recordings in this forums thread, but I'm not sure of the formats used or whether all the links work and I don't know whether there's anything there that we might one day be asked to remove.

Barney says: There may be links available (as far as this old dog is concerned, "torrents" are raging streams or heavy downpours!), but whether they're legal is another matter so I'm afraid I can't go sniffing them out for you.

Barney says: Sorry they weren't the books you're looking for, Westie Owner (tail droops). I've just Googled "Noddy Pocket Library" which has brought up some descriptions and images of various sets of books here. I hope that, with some browsing and perhaps another spot of Googling, you might recognise something. Best of luck!

Barney says: Supple paws and plenty of practice!

Barney says: They come up regularly on eBay and Abebooks.

Barney says: Gosh, you do get through a lot of books, Charlie! Do you mean how many stories has Enid Blyton written? It depends what you count as a book, but she has written about 180 full-length novels and roughly 5,000 short stories as well as poems, plays and articles.

Barney says: I'm afraid the price is decided by the publishers and shopkeepers, Manu, but you could try looking for secondhand copies. It's surprising to hear that in India there is a big difference in price between Enid Blyton's original titles and continuation books by authors like Pamela Cox.

Barney says: There are lots of references to the radio (or wireless) but few references to television. This thread on the forums will tell you more.

Barney says: I believe the St. Clare's cartoon TV series was Japanese and that it was released in 1991. According to this forums thread it was dubbed into Arabic, French, German, Spanish and Tagalog, but never into English. We don't do valuations, I'm afraid, as it's impossible to value a book without handling it, but you could see what similar books are fetching on sites like eBay and Abebooks.

Barney says: You're welcome.

Barney says: If you look at the reprint covers which can be seen beneath the book information, you'll see that Here Comes Mary Mouse Again was reprinted with a red cover (from September 1949).

Barney says: A woof of greeting to your Westies and all the best to your son for August! I hope the books are the ones you wanted.

Barney says: I'm glad you're enjoying the Pamela Cox books, Sue. Thanks for your comments - I get looked after very well and certainly have no complaints!

Barney says: There are two different Mary Mouse cassettes, a Phonogram one and a Tempo one, both were also issued as records. They are fairly scarce, but do occasionally get sold on Ebay, perhaps you could clarify which one you are looking for.

Barney says: We seem to be getting a number of anonymous posts, but it is nice to have a name if I am going to put my typing paw to work! What you are looking for sounds like The Little Treasury of Noddy in Toyland published by Award in 1990 (ISBN 1841350281). This is a set of tiny board books in a case and one of the books is called 'Noddy at the Farm'. If you go into Amazon and put the ISBN number into search you will see a picture of the box and also each of the little books. There are second hand copies for sale there at a modest price. I hope this helps.

Barney says: There are actually two Famous Five Card Games, Pamela. If you click on the Famous Five button above the Secret Messages and then scroll right down to the bottom you can see both. Obviously they have both been out of print for many years, so your best hope is on a website such as Ebay, where they do occasionally come up for sale. Specialist dealers such as the ones we have on our Lashings of Links page might also be able to help you.

Barney says: I'm afraid we do not offer valuations on this website as it is virtually impossible without seeing and handling the book. We do say this on our contact page, but it doesn't seem to stop people emailing us.

Barney says: Woof, Tim! I'm nothing to do with Barney the circus-boy, though I'm happy to share his name.

Barney says: I'm afraid I don't know, Katie, but if you have any information on that it would be interesting to hear about it. Bob Kent and his mother move to Lappington from Croydon in The Six Bad Boys, and Croydon Airport is mentioned in the Adventure series.

Barney says: Perhaps I could if I had about ten years to devote entirely to your request, but I don't!

Barney says: The book you're looking for is The Treasure Hunters, Krystyna. The link includes a review, but if you're planning to re-read the book in the near future you might want to save the review until afterwards.

Barney says: I'm afraid that Sunny Stories has never been commercially released. Producer Ken Howard gave a talk at the Enid Blyton Day some years ago and kindly produced 50 copies of the programme on video to be sold through the Society. They sold very quickly. Copies of that video might occasionally turn up on eBay and I believe a version was once uploaded to YouTube, though that may possibly have been removed by now.

Barney says: Enid Blyton died in 1968 but the best of her lives on in her books and I'm sure she'd be delighted to know that the children of today are enjoying them as much as ever.

Barney says: Pamela Cox has been a Blyton fan since childhood, the school stories being favourites of hers. Enid Blyton left "gaps" in the St. Clare's series (i.e. she didn't write about every school year) so Pamela Cox decided to write books that would fill in the gaps. She was then commissioned to write Malory Towers sequels telling the story of Felicity Rivers' time at the school. Other authors have written additional titles for other Blyton series.

Barney says: Woof and thanks for the meat! If you're thinking of submitting a review, please check what we've already got first. We can't use every review that we receive. People generally submit them as Word documents, to the email address under "Contact Us".

Barney says: Enid Blyton is rather vague on that, Jonno, only saying that the islands are "off the north-west coast of Scotland" and that Bill and the children set off from "a big seaside town". She probably didn't name any particular real locations because she wanted to be free to imagine the islands the way she needed them for her story.

Barney says: I need to replace my bone with a healthy helping of humble pie here. The information on our website was wrong and it should have been spelt Moorwood in the first place, obviously the family knew best on this. I have actually only been able to find one signed picture and to atone for my initial error I have put it into our Cave of Books. At this stage as you can see she signed her name as Moorwood and not as Munro.

Barney says: Happy New Year, Poppy! I don't know anything about the Famous Five Day but Seven Stories have a What's On section on their website so you should be able to find out more there. I hope that helps.

Barney says: Thanks, Julie.