What did/do you think of Enid Blyton books?

Question

You know, 'The Famous Five', 'Magic Wishing Chair' etc? Do you think they're good for children to read?

Answer 1

Happy childhood memories

Answer 2

I'm not gay (honest) but I read all the Secret Seven and Famous Five books when I was a kid and loved them ('to bits' as Georgina would say). I even read and loved the Mallory Towers books, which is a bit weird seeing as it's about a girls boarding school, and thought that was top too. Hmmmm. Maybe I am gay... ; - )
Anyway, they are very good for kids to read, just don't try reading them as an adult. I gave the Famous Five a bash recently for a laugh and it was a load of cobblers. But then the best books in the WORLD for kids (The Chronicles of Narnia) are also pants when read as an adult. Maybe that speaks volumes about the genius of the author/s.
As for racism... hmmm well I suppose they aren't exactly Green Party policy or anything, but just as someone else on this forum wrote, as a kid I had absolutely no idea that a Golliwog was racist. I just thought it was a weird looking stuffed toy...
That said, I wouldn't feed any kid of mine too many books from this era. There are loads of far superior novels out there at the moment written by contemporary and much more enlightened authors. Try the Lemony Snicket series, which rocks both as an adult or a kid. And for older (11+) kids the Philip Pullman 'His Dark Materials' trilogy is probably the best thing I have ever read (and I read loads), although you could also try anything by Garth Nix (Lirael, Sabriel and Abhorsen). I do have a leaning towards magical realism though, so if you are a realist you might find my tastes a touch 'trippy'.
As a rule of thumb for Enid, her stuff for younger children (The Magic Faraway Tree etc) is great. Tread more carefully as the reading age gets older...

Answer 3

I love Enid Blyton, especially The Magic Faraway Tree. That was the first "novel" that I ever read. OK, so some of her characters and such are, in todays world, a little un-PC, but is that such a bad thing? Personally I think the world has gone over the top with political correctness!

Answer 4

I loved the Enid Blyton books as a child. I think they are excellent reading for children as a lot of them are about things like toys coming to life and fairies etc which children love.

Answer 5

I read one of the Famous Five books recently, and loved it.

It is very exciting, and the characters have a sense of life about them. They concern the lives of middle-class children on holiday. The book is certainly a little dated, but it is well written enough to overcome its era, I´d say.

My mother was a librarian and refused to allow me to buy Blyton when I was a child. I cannot recall exactly why: I suspect it was blind prejudice on her part. I think that left/liberal circles felt dubious about Blyton because her world is so exclusively bourgois, with working class characters presented (at least in the Famous Five book I read) as either scoundrels or simply as supporting parts.

Personally, I dislike moral attitudes to art. I really could not care less if her books are sexist. What matters is whether they are well, or badly written.

Answer 6

They were great! I loved them! She shaped so many dreams for so many kids; wonderfully prolific writer. My favourite series was "The Five Find Outers" and then "The Secret Seven"; would love to read them again.
There were so many great books by Enid. Children of my generation would all say "yes please" to any of her books.
But children today are not the same as they were then. Publishers are well aware of that. For sure, a new Enid wouldn't get published today.
I do think they are good for children to read, but whether modern children would be interested in them is a different matter. The world has changed so much and so has its pace; the values still matter, but the only way to find out is to test-read a book to that current age-group and see what their reaction is.

Answer 7

I practically lived, breathed and dreamt Enid Blyton! So much so, that when I was almost 14 and still reading them, my mom got worried that i would never grow out of children's books! I have already started my 6 year old on her books - he is into Amelia Jane stories and is loving it!

I loved all the books - especially the about St Clares and Mallory Towers. I also loved the series of Rub-a-dub/ Rat-a-tat mysteries.

I have heard about people saying she was racist, but like john m says, to me a golliwog, was just that - a golliwog. I never saw any sexism/ rasicm in her books - guess that was the best thing about childhood - NOT TO JUDGE PEOPLE (or books by their cover!)

Answer 8

I think they're a bit dated and don't apply to our times, but I don't think that's a bad thing. I still love the Magic Wishing Chair even though I despise anything to do with either the Famous Five or Malory Towers. Other than that, they're good books, well written and well structured, I think every child should read them.

Answer 9

Ohhhh, the Magic Faraway Tree and Enchanted Wood were by far my favourite! I recently introduced my 26 year old flatmate to them - she grew up in South Africa where Enid Blyton was apprently banned - and she loved them! Like others have said, they are pure escapism and to be commended for not pushing 'adult' issues on children at a young age.

Answer 10

I used to love Enid Blyton books... I think they are great for children to read, although I've heard that they have been altered to fit political correctness these days... E.g Noddy and Big Ears no longer share a bed, that sort of thing.

Answer 11

Enid Blyton was a good author for kids, however like a lot of authors of her time some people believe there were hidden perceptions of racism ie; the golliwogs that appeared in the Noddy books.She percieved these characters to be evil and nasty and stated that nothing could be more so despite at the time that in some circles the golliwog was a reference to a member of the black community.That being said when I was a kid the golliwog appeared to me as nothing more than a toy and the references to black people where only realised to adults.