Enid Blyton

By Glenn Davis

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Enid Blyton had a fantastic career writing children's books.  She wrote about 473 novels and character books.  She is also credited with about 7,500 short stories, poems and plays since she began writing in the 1930s.  She died in 1968.  Her books have sold over 600 million copies.

It was at a boarding school in Kenya, East Africa, that I was first introduced to C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia and Enid Blyton's books.  I would go into the small bookstore to spend my allowance on my favourite books.  Enid Blyton is more known in countries influenced by the British Commonwealth, although they seem hard to find in my home country of Canada.  

Enid Blyton's most well-known series is the set of twenty-one Famous Five books, centred on the adventures of four children and their dog. It was not my personal favourite, though.

Enid Blyton's
Malory Towers

Odd as it may seem, the Malory Towers series of six books is the winner, in my opinion. The books follow the adventures of Darrell Rivers as she progresses through the forms [British grading system] in an all-girls boarding school. The talents [music, art, acting, etc.] given to the various characters are larger-than-life yet well presented. Darrell's temper, which she unsuccessfully tries to keep under control, gets her into trouble with teachers and fellow students. [Who can forget the slap Gwendoline got in the pool? But she did deserve it! Each character has flaws to work on through the stories and learns that choices have consequences.

The St. Claire's series is similar to Malory Towers, but I don't think it reaches the same heights—just my view. If you have read both, maybe write a book review and let me know whether you agree or disagree.

The Adventure Series

This is a series of eight books following the adventures of four children and their parrot, Kiki. They are always running into trouble as they try to solve the mysteries surrounding them. While their goal is always to have a 'quiet holiday,’ they never seem to succeed. And Kiki will say the wrong things at the wrong time! Other books in the series include The Castle Of Adventure, The Valley Of Adventure, The Sea Of Adventure, The Mountain Of Adventure, The Ship Of Adventure, The Circus Of Adventure and The River Of Adventure. While the books do not have to be read in order, they occasionally refer to previous adventures.

While Enid Blyton wrote books for young children, her books for pre-teens and older can be enjoyed by adventure lovers of every age.

Here are two sites which list her books:  enidblyton.net and The Enid Blyton Society.  Also see our Free PDF Book page.

Glenn Davis is a Christian author and Bible teacher whose work draws on more than 40 years of study, writing, and local church teaching. He has written 700+ articles, created five Bible courses, published three books, and shared 100+ Bible videos on YouTube. Readers can find his books on Amazon and follow his teaching on YouTube. Away from the keyboard, he enjoys time with family, reading, walking, and board or card games.

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