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The Famous Five #14
Five Have Plenty Of Fun: Book 14
George is not pleased when Berta, a spoilt American girl, turns up at Kirrin Cottage in the middle of the night - dressed in disguise! But George hasn't got time to be jealous. Berta is in hiding from kidnappers, and she needs help. The Famous Five are the only ones who can protect her - but will they risk danger to themselves to help out a virtual stranger?
These classic editions feature Enid Blyton's unchanged text and Eileen A. Soper's original illustrations.
208 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1955
113 people are currently reading
2034 people want to read
About the author
Enid Blyton
5,214 books6,354 followersSee also:
Ένιντ Μπλάιτον (Greek)
Enida Blaitona (Latvian)
Энид Блайтон (Russian)
Inid Blajton (Serbian)
Інід Блайтон (Ukrainian)
Enid Mary Blyton (1897–1968) was an English author of children's books.
Born in South London, Blyton was the eldest of three children, and showed an early interest in music and reading. She was educated at St. Christopher's School, Beckenham, and - having decided not to pursue her music - at Ipswich High School, where she trained as a kindergarten teacher. She taught for five years before her 1924 marriage to editor Hugh Pollock, with whom she had two daughters. This marriage ended in divorce, and Blyton remarried in 1943, to surgeon Kenneth Fraser Darrell Waters. She died in 1968, one year after her second husband.
Blyton was a prolific author of children's books, who penned an estimated 800 books over about 40 years. Her stories were often either children's adventure and mystery stories, or fantasies involving magic. Notable series include: The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, The Five Find-Outers, Noddy, The Wishing Chair, Mallory Towers, and St. Clare's.
According to the Index Translationum, Blyton was the fifth most popular author in the world in 2007, coming after Lenin but ahead of Shakespeare.
See also her pen name Mary Pollock
Ένιντ Μπλάιτον (Greek)
Enida Blaitona (Latvian)
Энид Блайтон (Russian)
Inid Blajton (Serbian)
Інід Блайтон (Ukrainian)
Enid Mary Blyton (1897–1968) was an English author of children's books.
Born in South London, Blyton was the eldest of three children, and showed an early interest in music and reading. She was educated at St. Christopher's School, Beckenham, and - having decided not to pursue her music - at Ipswich High School, where she trained as a kindergarten teacher. She taught for five years before her 1924 marriage to editor Hugh Pollock, with whom she had two daughters. This marriage ended in divorce, and Blyton remarried in 1943, to surgeon Kenneth Fraser Darrell Waters. She died in 1968, one year after her second husband.
Blyton was a prolific author of children's books, who penned an estimated 800 books over about 40 years. Her stories were often either children's adventure and mystery stories, or fantasies involving magic. Notable series include: The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, The Five Find-Outers, Noddy, The Wishing Chair, Mallory Towers, and St. Clare's.
According to the Index Translationum, Blyton was the fifth most popular author in the world in 2007, coming after Lenin but ahead of Shakespeare.
See also her pen name Mary Pollock
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October 22, 2025
Another generic title, up there with Five Have a Wonderful Time and Five Do Stuff.
Blyton returns to several of her favourite obsessions in this the 14th instalment of the series.
Just as in volume #13 we have yet another girl to be dressed as a boy. However, this one objects heatedly to the whole business. Unfortunately she carries it off very well - better than George in fact, leading to yet more girl-as-boy on girl-as-boy friction.
And yes, there is a new dog for Timmy to interact with.
And yes we have Americans! Which gives Blyton a chance to pursue her one woman vendetta against how Americans allegedly say "wonderful". Apparently they miss the "d" in the middle. A crime for which Enid cannot find it in herself to forgive them. She remarks on it in more than one Famous Five books and carries the campaign over into the Malory Towers series too.
She also wheels out her "salad fit for a king" line that was in the last Famous Five book I reviewed and I suspect others too. Oddly, I have yet to notice the "lashings of ginger beer" line that is more famously quoted. It might even be that there is no "lashings of ginger beer" line and the thing is wholly the invention of the 80s TV parody by Comic Strip.
Yet again Uncle Quentin's ever flexible research provides the core motive for the story. Uncle Q is collaborating with an American genius on an invention that will do away with the need for petrol, coal etc an age before global warming was a worry. It's a long way from test tubes in his office in book 1 or the revolutionary plan to drain a swamp (#4 Smuggler's Top).
Anyway rather laughably the unnamed "enemy" want to kidnap the American's daughter to extort the scientific secrets out of him. Uncle Q makes it very clear that were George to be kidnapped he wouldn't for a moment consider telling the baddies any secrets! However, if the girl can be kept safe for 3 weeks then the scientific project will be "launched" and then everything will be fine...
It is not clear *how* "launching" the scientific project will suddenly remove the enemy's interest in the science behind it ... but it will ... so shut up.
So, clearly, rather than police protection or any nonsense like that, the safest place for the potential kidnap victim is with the Famous Five, because ... reasons.
Straining belief the American scientist then calls not only Uncle Q but also Aunt Fanny to go to wherever he is because he thinks there is something wrong with the equations.
Our girl is now left in the charge of four children and the family cook... Uncle Q and Aunt F say they will be back ... in a week. A fucking week!!
It's worth noting that the family cook has quietly changed her name from Joan to Joanna. We know it's the same woman as her cousin has charge of the traveller girl, Jo. Maybe she had her reasons. Maybe the same reasons that caused the friendly fisher boy to change his name from Alf to James, or Julian, Dick, and Anne to change their surname from Kirrin to Bancroft...
Next move: The children see binocular flashes from Kirrin Island and wonder if it might be the kidnappers ... so they ... TAKE THE GIRL TO THE ISLAND. As you can see, our American genius had great instincts for how to keep his daughter safe. Julian decides not to bother the local police (who have been alerted to the kidnap situation) with any of his concerns about the island but instead to take the girl the kidnappers want directly to them on a nicely deserted island.
Anyway, George ends up being kidnapped in a case of mistaken identity. Kidnap owing to mistaken identity has also been used on other occasions in the books (Five Get Into Trouble #8, and a similar situation in Five Fall Into Adventure #9)
Finally by ridiculous coincidence the traveller girl Jo (who appears in at least 2 other books), and to whom the Five palm off their ward, is able to unravel the one word clue George leaves for them and wouldn't you know it, once again those evil carnies are behind it all and after rooting through a caravan at the fair our heroes are able to recover George and hand the baddies to the police.
Which will teach carnival workers a valuable lesson about keeping their noses out of world class science. Or something.
The story kept Celyn entertained, so I give it my default 3*. No wait ... it was such nonsense I am docking a star.
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Blyton returns to several of her favourite obsessions in this the 14th instalment of the series.
Just as in volume #13 we have yet another girl to be dressed as a boy. However, this one objects heatedly to the whole business. Unfortunately she carries it off very well - better than George in fact, leading to yet more girl-as-boy on girl-as-boy friction.
And yes, there is a new dog for Timmy to interact with.
And yes we have Americans! Which gives Blyton a chance to pursue her one woman vendetta against how Americans allegedly say "wonderful". Apparently they miss the "d" in the middle. A crime for which Enid cannot find it in herself to forgive them. She remarks on it in more than one Famous Five books and carries the campaign over into the Malory Towers series too.
She also wheels out her "salad fit for a king" line that was in the last Famous Five book I reviewed and I suspect others too. Oddly, I have yet to notice the "lashings of ginger beer" line that is more famously quoted. It might even be that there is no "lashings of ginger beer" line and the thing is wholly the invention of the 80s TV parody by Comic Strip.
Yet again Uncle Quentin's ever flexible research provides the core motive for the story. Uncle Q is collaborating with an American genius on an invention that will do away with the need for petrol, coal etc an age before global warming was a worry. It's a long way from test tubes in his office in book 1 or the revolutionary plan to drain a swamp (#4 Smuggler's Top).
Anyway rather laughably the unnamed "enemy" want to kidnap the American's daughter to extort the scientific secrets out of him. Uncle Q makes it very clear that were George to be kidnapped he wouldn't for a moment consider telling the baddies any secrets! However, if the girl can be kept safe for 3 weeks then the scientific project will be "launched" and then everything will be fine...
It is not clear *how* "launching" the scientific project will suddenly remove the enemy's interest in the science behind it ... but it will ... so shut up.
So, clearly, rather than police protection or any nonsense like that, the safest place for the potential kidnap victim is with the Famous Five, because ... reasons.
Straining belief the American scientist then calls not only Uncle Q but also Aunt Fanny to go to wherever he is because he thinks there is something wrong with the equations.
Our girl is now left in the charge of four children and the family cook... Uncle Q and Aunt F say they will be back ... in a week. A fucking week!!
It's worth noting that the family cook has quietly changed her name from Joan to Joanna. We know it's the same woman as her cousin has charge of the traveller girl, Jo. Maybe she had her reasons. Maybe the same reasons that caused the friendly fisher boy to change his name from Alf to James, or Julian, Dick, and Anne to change their surname from Kirrin to Bancroft...
Next move: The children see binocular flashes from Kirrin Island and wonder if it might be the kidnappers ... so they ... TAKE THE GIRL TO THE ISLAND. As you can see, our American genius had great instincts for how to keep his daughter safe. Julian decides not to bother the local police (who have been alerted to the kidnap situation) with any of his concerns about the island but instead to take the girl the kidnappers want directly to them on a nicely deserted island.
Anyway, George ends up being kidnapped in a case of mistaken identity. Kidnap owing to mistaken identity has also been used on other occasions in the books (Five Get Into Trouble #8, and a similar situation in Five Fall Into Adventure #9)
Finally by ridiculous coincidence the traveller girl Jo (who appears in at least 2 other books), and to whom the Five palm off their ward, is able to unravel the one word clue George leaves for them and wouldn't you know it, once again those evil carnies are behind it all and after rooting through a caravan at the fair our heroes are able to recover George and hand the baddies to the police.
Which will teach carnival workers a valuable lesson about keeping their noses out of world class science. Or something.
The story kept Celyn entertained, so I give it my default 3*. No wait ... it was such nonsense I am docking a star.
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Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes
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July 1, 2019
Another less than inspiring book title from Enid. If all I had to go on was the title, you couldn't pay me to read this book. As I'm firmly entrenched in this series at this point, though, I bravely march onwards...
In this volume, the Five find themselves saddled with an initially unwelcome house guest. The daughter of one of Uncle Quentin's scientist friends has been targeted by kidnappers by a group of shady individuals who are after Quentin & Co's research secrets. To hide the girl, whose name is Berta, she has been sent to England from her native USA to be looked after by our heroes.
In order to better disguise her, our protagonists decide to cut Berta's hair short and dress her like a boy. By my count, this now makes four female characters in this series who dress like and are mistaken for boys (if you're keeping track, the other three are George/Georgina, Jo/Josephine and Henry/Henrietta). I'm starting to suspect old Enid may have had... issues...
To be honest, it's only the insertion of the American characters (Berta and her father) that keep this instalment interesting. Other than them, this is very much Famous Five by numbers. It's not bad per se but the formula is peeking through the dressing in places.
Or possibly it's a Shakespearian tour de force and I was too tired from driving to really appreciate it.
Buddy read with Sunshine Seaspray
In this volume, the Five find themselves saddled with an initially unwelcome house guest. The daughter of one of Uncle Quentin's scientist friends has been targeted by kidnappers by a group of shady individuals who are after Quentin & Co's research secrets. To hide the girl, whose name is Berta, she has been sent to England from her native USA to be looked after by our heroes.
In order to better disguise her, our protagonists decide to cut Berta's hair short and dress her like a boy. By my count, this now makes four female characters in this series who dress like and are mistaken for boys (if you're keeping track, the other three are George/Georgina, Jo/Josephine and Henry/Henrietta). I'm starting to suspect old Enid may have had... issues...
To be honest, it's only the insertion of the American characters (Berta and her father) that keep this instalment interesting. Other than them, this is very much Famous Five by numbers. It's not bad per se but the formula is peeking through the dressing in places.
Or possibly it's a Shakespearian tour de force and I was too tired from driving to really appreciate it.
Buddy read with Sunshine Seaspray
July 29, 2021
More fun and high jinks from the Famous Five, another exciting adventure, a good mix of friendship, mystery and daring does , plenty of fun and a really good read for youngsters.
May 1, 2020
I had missed reading Famous Five 14, 15 and 20 during my school days. So I thought how would I feel reading a Famous Five now.
Well, I don't know if it's this book or it's me, but couldn't enjoy this one much. They don't have much of an adventure in this book and most of the time they are fighting with this new American girl called Berta.
But I want to believe I didn't pick up a good Famous Five book rather than think I'm too old for this series because most of my school days were colourful because I could read an Enid Blyton book. Miss those days ☹!
Well, I don't know if it's this book or it's me, but couldn't enjoy this one much. They don't have much of an adventure in this book and most of the time they are fighting with this new American girl called Berta.
But I want to believe I didn't pick up a good Famous Five book rather than think I'm too old for this series because most of my school days were colourful because I could read an Enid Blyton book. Miss those days ☹!
June 16, 2022
I’ve certainly had plenty of fun too, reading two Blytons in one day - despite a mixed reaction by other GoodReaders! Once again, Uncle Quentin is working on a clean energy project that will ‘benefit mankind;’ there are circus folk and Americans in the mix; another endearing pooch and a page-turner of a plot.
So enjoying my reading year of revisiting my bookish past.
So enjoying my reading year of revisiting my bookish past.
April 18, 2012
I find this hard to rate as I read it for nostalgia purposes, having read the whole gamut of FF books when at primary school. I adored them back then, but I find that now I'm picking up soooo many flaws: sexism, elitism, prejudice to name but a few. In this one Enid Blyton even managed to have a good swipe at Americans. Also, I can't believe what an ass**** Uncle Quentin is - never wants to spend time with his only child Georgina and treats his wife like an unpaid slave. "Women are so soft", etc. All is forgiven this man because he's a scientist and really, really brainy! Apparently that gives him carte blanche to neglect his child and nephews/niece and be a really selfish bastard on every level.
On the other hand, when I tried to put myself into my 10-year-old brain and body and quite enjoyed reading it on that other level.
On the other hand, when I tried to put myself into my 10-year-old brain and body and quite enjoyed reading it on that other level.
February 8, 2022
We start off with another generic title, I'm pretty sure Enid could have named it or something like that.
Plot:
The 4 are visiting Kirrin as usual. Uncle Quentin ' the brilliant scientist who clearly hates his daughter and most probably his wife' finds a way to solve the energy crisis (if he can do that why isn't he rich). His friends are helping to "launch" it. Of course, the baddies find about the project and threaten one of Uncle Quentin's American scientists that they will kidnap his daughter Berta. So, Berta comes to stay with the five and Geoge hates it, she hates it, even more, when Sally(Berta's dog) becomes friends with Timmy. Berta's Dad wants her to "disguise" as a boy which makes her resemble George. Because of some reason, Uncle Quentin along with Aunt Fanny has to go somewhere for a WEEK!! George gets kidnapped mistaken for Berta. Dick and Julain found a piece of paper with 'Grindof' written on it and due to their coincidence with Jo they exactly find where George recover her.
Ranting
Okay, so how does keeping Berta in Kirrin help her not get kidnapped rather than going to the POLICE?? answer me noww.
Uncle Quentin and Aunt Fanny had to leave the kids with a girl who might get kidnapped for a week. They don't even barely qualify as parents. Moreover, Uncle Quentin makes it very clear that was George were to be kidnapped he wouldn't for a moment consider telling the baddies any secrets! Do I hate this man? YES, yes I do.
Enid clearly hates how Americans say "wonderful" without the "D" and she remarks this all over the book
Whenever I was to rate a Famous Five book I would give it a 3 but considering Enid just mixed all her fav and old ideas from the other series and created this book with not enough research or almost anything really I'm giving it a 1 star . Try Changing My Mind
( I have more thing to say about this but I'm out of energy alright)
Blog
Plot:
The 4 are visiting Kirrin as usual. Uncle Quentin ' the brilliant scientist who clearly hates his daughter and most probably his wife' finds a way to solve the energy crisis (if he can do that why isn't he rich). His friends are helping to "launch" it. Of course, the baddies find about the project and threaten one of Uncle Quentin's American scientists that they will kidnap his daughter Berta. So, Berta comes to stay with the five and Geoge hates it, she hates it, even more, when Sally(Berta's dog) becomes friends with Timmy. Berta's Dad wants her to "disguise" as a boy which makes her resemble George. Because of some reason, Uncle Quentin along with Aunt Fanny has to go somewhere for a WEEK!! George gets kidnapped mistaken for Berta. Dick and Julain found a piece of paper with 'Grindof' written on it and due to their coincidence with Jo they exactly find where George recover her.
Okay, so how does keeping Berta in Kirrin help her not get kidnapped rather than going to the POLICE?? answer me noww.
Uncle Quentin and Aunt Fanny had to leave the kids with a girl who might get kidnapped for a week. They don't even barely qualify as parents. Moreover, Uncle Quentin makes it very clear that was George were to be kidnapped he wouldn't for a moment consider telling the baddies any secrets! Do I hate this man? YES, yes I do.
Enid clearly hates how Americans say "wonderful" without the "D" and she remarks this all over the book
Whenever I was to rate a Famous Five book I would give it a 3 but considering Enid just mixed all her fav and old ideas from the other series and created this book with not enough research or almost anything really I'm giving it a 1 star . Try Changing My Mind
( I have more thing to say about this but I'm out of energy alright)
Blog
August 10, 2012
Five Have Plenty of Fun is one of my faves of the Famous Five series.
The Five; siblings Julian, Dick and Anne, cousin George / Georgina and her dog Timmy are staying at Kirrin Cottage with George's parents (Quentin and Fanny).
Uncle Quentin is working on some secret project with two other scientist (including an American). When kidnap threats are made against the American scientist's daughter (Berta) he decides she is to with the Kirrins as he would hand over info to get back his daughter.
So it is that Berta turns up in the middle of the night, sea sick from the boat rid, with her prancy poodle Sally.
To hide her, Berta is disguised as a boy (called Lesley). Which sets George right off, as she likes being mistaken for a boy.
The bad guys are watching the family and mistakenly kidnap George.
Berta is taken by Joanna the Cook to her sister's place.
The remaining four and a girl called "Jo" (a recurrent character and ex-circus girl)to solve the mystery of George's kidnapping...
If I read it now it would probably be silly, but when I read it i loved it...
The Five; siblings Julian, Dick and Anne, cousin George / Georgina and her dog Timmy are staying at Kirrin Cottage with George's parents (Quentin and Fanny).
Uncle Quentin is working on some secret project with two other scientist (including an American). When kidnap threats are made against the American scientist's daughter (Berta) he decides she is to with the Kirrins as he would hand over info to get back his daughter.
So it is that Berta turns up in the middle of the night, sea sick from the boat rid, with her prancy poodle Sally.
To hide her, Berta is disguised as a boy (called Lesley). Which sets George right off, as she likes being mistaken for a boy.
The bad guys are watching the family and mistakenly kidnap George.
Berta is taken by Joanna the Cook to her sister's place.
The remaining four and a girl called "Jo" (a recurrent character and ex-circus girl)to solve the mystery of George's kidnapping...
If I read it now it would probably be silly, but when I read it i loved it...
October 6, 2016
Wow, these keep getting worse and worse. So far, Blyton only has three plots, kidnappers (yep, got those here), smugglers (hmm, couldn't fit those in to this book), and circus folk (present and reporting for duty). And here we have added an American girl, who just won't pronounce words properly (i.e. like the British), so we better mock her mercilessly.
Then we learn that George's father is not just a terrible and neglectful husband, but he is an even worse father ("If my daughter is kidnapped, I wouldn't do a single thing about it.").
What is up with Blyton's obsession about girls dressing up like boys (4th one so far in the series). Does she have some sort of gender issue? And finally, "have plenty of fun"? Did somebody end up putting that title on the wrong manuscript? (I'm assuming she churned these out in an assembly line like Jackie Collins.)
Then we learn that George's father is not just a terrible and neglectful husband, but he is an even worse father ("If my daughter is kidnapped, I wouldn't do a single thing about it.").
What is up with Blyton's obsession about girls dressing up like boys (4th one so far in the series). Does she have some sort of gender issue? And finally, "have plenty of fun"? Did somebody end up putting that title on the wrong manuscript? (I'm assuming she churned these out in an assembly line like Jackie Collins.)
January 5, 2020
It was amazing! I liked the story very much, even though, I wanted more mysteries to involve but it was good!
October 16, 2022
As a kid I absolutely adored the adventures of The Famous Five by Enid Blyton and I've reread the entire collection of 21 books several times.
A few years ago I reread the first few books and was disappointed. Thus I gave 2* to the first installments.
Now I started to read the rest of them.
Have I become even harsher in my ratings?
Probably, because - despite my love for these books as a kid - I can't bring myself to give more than 1*.
A few of my biggest gripes:
What an utterly sexist nonsense
Annie does nothing else than 'playing mother/housekeeper': cooking, doing the dishes, …
Actually Dick and Julian should've switched names, as Julian often really acts like a real dick by being condescending towards girls.
This may be a representation of the zeitgeist, as the first book was published in 1942.
But then again, there exist lots of older books that were more 'modern' in thoughts.
So much eating and sleeping
What are those kids: marmots?
They just finished breakfast and they're already thinking about lunch. Oh, and of course they have to get food for the afternoon tea and for dinner.
It's true that I already heard of the importance of food in children's books. As you can read on this blog: "In Blyton’s books, eating food is the central focal point that brings children together. This in turn ingrains the value of having a bond with family and friends."
Taking into account when the first books about The Famous Five were published, I can understand that World War II and the aftermath were of influence. And thus, that food played a big role in people's lives.
But to me, there's a big difference between mentioning the meals or using them as pure page-filling.
Just out of curiosity I scanned one of the books for mentions of food and sleep and it turned out that they appeared on more than 45% of the pages.
Which brings us to the remaining (approximately) 55%:
Plot holes
In between all the eating and sleeping, our protagonists also solve some 'mysteries' that are either unbelievable or totally clear from the beginning.
There are lots of situations that aren't credible to begin with: young children from 10 years old who go on camping trips all alone, they can buy cigarettes, …
And it doesn't get better as there are definitely many plot holes in the described adventures (they hadn't the bag with food within reach, but still managed to eat without going back to get it; etc.).
Some of the errors could be due to a bad Dutch translation, but not all of them.
Line work
Did you know that Enid Blyton (° 1897 - † 1968) wrote hundreds of books and at some periods even 50 books per year?
762 of them are listed on Wikipedia.
But if you want a more detailed list of all her works (> 1.000) you can take a look at https://www.enidblyton.net/ or https://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/list-all.php.
Bearing in mind the amount of written books, it's understandable that they often come across as pure line work with a lot of page-filling content.
The conclusion
If I had children, I wouldn't let them read this crap.
It's true that as an adult, you rate books in another way than you would've as a child.
But there are so many really good children's books out there that definitely deserve more attention than this overrated and outdated series.
And as George Bernard Shaw said: "Make it a rule never to give a child a book you would not read yourself."
A few years ago I reread the first few books and was disappointed. Thus I gave 2* to the first installments.
Now I started to read the rest of them.
Have I become even harsher in my ratings?
Probably, because - despite my love for these books as a kid - I can't bring myself to give more than 1*.
A few of my biggest gripes:
What an utterly sexist nonsense
Annie does nothing else than 'playing mother/housekeeper': cooking, doing the dishes, …
Actually Dick and Julian should've switched names, as Julian often really acts like a real dick by being condescending towards girls.
This may be a representation of the zeitgeist, as the first book was published in 1942.
But then again, there exist lots of older books that were more 'modern' in thoughts.
So much eating and sleeping
What are those kids: marmots?
They just finished breakfast and they're already thinking about lunch. Oh, and of course they have to get food for the afternoon tea and for dinner.
It's true that I already heard of the importance of food in children's books. As you can read on this blog: "In Blyton’s books, eating food is the central focal point that brings children together. This in turn ingrains the value of having a bond with family and friends."
Taking into account when the first books about The Famous Five were published, I can understand that World War II and the aftermath were of influence. And thus, that food played a big role in people's lives.
But to me, there's a big difference between mentioning the meals or using them as pure page-filling.
Just out of curiosity I scanned one of the books for mentions of food and sleep and it turned out that they appeared on more than 45% of the pages.
Which brings us to the remaining (approximately) 55%:
Plot holes
In between all the eating and sleeping, our protagonists also solve some 'mysteries' that are either unbelievable or totally clear from the beginning.
There are lots of situations that aren't credible to begin with: young children from 10 years old who go on camping trips all alone, they can buy cigarettes, …
And it doesn't get better as there are definitely many plot holes in the described adventures (they hadn't the bag with food within reach, but still managed to eat without going back to get it; etc.).
Some of the errors could be due to a bad Dutch translation, but not all of them.
Line work
Did you know that Enid Blyton (° 1897 - † 1968) wrote hundreds of books and at some periods even 50 books per year?
762 of them are listed on Wikipedia.
But if you want a more detailed list of all her works (> 1.000) you can take a look at https://www.enidblyton.net/ or https://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/list-all.php.
Bearing in mind the amount of written books, it's understandable that they often come across as pure line work with a lot of page-filling content.
The conclusion
If I had children, I wouldn't let them read this crap.
It's true that as an adult, you rate books in another way than you would've as a child.
But there are so many really good children's books out there that definitely deserve more attention than this overrated and outdated series.
And as George Bernard Shaw said: "Make it a rule never to give a child a book you would not read yourself."
April 5, 2024
This one started off with Uncle Quentin once again being the most thoughtless parent ever, and surprisingly Aunt Fanny isn’t much better. There is an odd plot of a scientist friend’s daughter being threatened with kidnapping if her father doesn’t reveal his priceless secret project ( sounds quite familiar), so of course the best choice of action is to hide this girl at Kirrin Cottage. Don’t worry at all about actually informing the police. And then of course Quentin and Fanny disappear off for over a week and leave the kids on their own with Joanna. The kidnap threat clearly not a top priority for anyone.
This girl is hidden quite badly (disguised as a boy of course) and then George is taken in her place and disappears. The remaining four then go and look for her, with Anne chickening out and mostly staying home, and Joanna the cook being just as useless as Uncle Quentin.
They at one point discover a binocular flash from Kirrin Island and propose that it could be kidnappers spying on them, so of course they all go there to check it out on their own 🙄
Julian takes charge so often and while I love Julian I just kept noticing how every female character is superfluous to the male ones. They are all just so quick to let the boys take care of everything and the boys can do no wrong of course😑 despite the fact that Julian is a kid and Joanna a grown up.
The plot was quite thin and ridiculous. And the story elements repetitive. It’s so similiar to number 9 in many ways. The fair folk are once again evil of course. Uncle Quentin makes it quite clear he wouldn’t give away any secrets to save George is she were kidnapped (thanks Dad) and I’ve said it already and I’ll say it again, Joanna was a bit useless.
The saving grace was that Jo turned up again to save the day and I quite like her.
This girl is hidden quite badly (disguised as a boy of course) and then George is taken in her place and disappears. The remaining four then go and look for her, with Anne chickening out and mostly staying home, and Joanna the cook being just as useless as Uncle Quentin.
They at one point discover a binocular flash from Kirrin Island and propose that it could be kidnappers spying on them, so of course they all go there to check it out on their own 🙄
Julian takes charge so often and while I love Julian I just kept noticing how every female character is superfluous to the male ones. They are all just so quick to let the boys take care of everything and the boys can do no wrong of course😑 despite the fact that Julian is a kid and Joanna a grown up.
The plot was quite thin and ridiculous. And the story elements repetitive. It’s so similiar to number 9 in many ways. The fair folk are once again evil of course. Uncle Quentin makes it quite clear he wouldn’t give away any secrets to save George is she were kidnapped (thanks Dad) and I’ve said it already and I’ll say it again, Joanna was a bit useless.
The saving grace was that Jo turned up again to save the day and I quite like her.
June 5, 2017
Petualangan ke-14 Lima Sekawan!
Di liburan kali ini Lima Sekawan kembali menghabiskan liburannya di Pondok Kirrin. Liburan mengasyikan mereka harus diganggu dengan kehadiran seorang anak perempuan yang harus dilindungi dari sergapan penculik!
Buku Menyamarkan Teman salah satu buku Lima Sekawan yang belum pernah saya baca. Sayangnya, buku ini terasa datar bagi saya. Tidak ada petualangan yang mengasyikan dan mendebarkan yang ada hanya rutinitas yang agak membosankan. Bermain, makan, tidur. Bermain, makan, tidur.
3 bintang untuk buku ini.
Salam Limun Jahe!
Di liburan kali ini Lima Sekawan kembali menghabiskan liburannya di Pondok Kirrin. Liburan mengasyikan mereka harus diganggu dengan kehadiran seorang anak perempuan yang harus dilindungi dari sergapan penculik!
Buku Menyamarkan Teman salah satu buku Lima Sekawan yang belum pernah saya baca. Sayangnya, buku ini terasa datar bagi saya. Tidak ada petualangan yang mengasyikan dan mendebarkan yang ada hanya rutinitas yang agak membosankan. Bermain, makan, tidur. Bermain, makan, tidur.
3 bintang untuk buku ini.
Salam Limun Jahe!
November 16, 2025
Den bästa av Fem-böckerna hittills.
Jag är uppväxt med tv-serien från 1995 och jag känner hittills att berättelserna gör sig bäst i tv-rutan (hör och häpna). Enligt min mening har det inte enbart med nostalgin att göra. Böckerna känns mer ”daterade” när vi får mer fokus på vissa karaktärers roller. I böckerna är Julians roll ännu mer framträdande som gruppens ledare och det har en tydlig anknytning till att han är en kille. Men det är ett litet sidospår som gör sig påmind i varje bok, så jag fortsätter med handlingen. Mysteriet i den här boken är väldigt välskrivet och spännande, det innehåller många rysliga inslag där kidnapparna smyger utanför huset på nätterna och närmar sig allt mer. Det är en berättelse som gör sig bra för den mysiga rys-faktorn.
Det jag saknade i tv-avsnittet av det här mysteriet var mer inblick i de vuxnas reaktion på att George kidnappas. Hennes föräldrar reser bort i all hast (vilket känns konstigt med tanke på att de samtidigt låter en kollegas dotter gömma sig hos dem för hotet att bli kidnappad), och detta leder till att George i stället tas till fånga. I boken får vi faktiskt en liten reaktion från George föräldrar när kidnappningen har ägt rum. I ett telefonsamtal får Julian veta att George pappa blev så utom sig att han blev sängliggande och relationen mellan denne far och hans dotter är ett seglivat ämne genom böckerna. Iblaaaaand får man ta del av sprickor i Quentins fasad där man förstår att han älskar sin dotter men man vill liksom alltid ha mer av det. Det är ett öppen mål för Blyton att skriva om, för det i sig är väldigt intressant. Det kändes ett tag som att man är på väg att få en genuint bra karaktärsutveckling från George familj. Jag väntade på hur de skulle reagera när de kom hem för att se att George hade räddats ur kidnapparnas våld. Vad fick jag? INGENTING!!!! Enid Blyton snälla det var ju öppet mål 😭😭
Vi får inte ens en liten liten reaktion från George pappa. Allt vi får är mammans lättnad att allt är över och man tror inte på att Quentin var så illa däran alls… liksom hur svårt hade det varit att nämna???!!! Ge oss en liten scen mellan George och Quentin där han genuint visar tacksamhet och lättnad över att hans dotter lever. Boken inleder ju för guds skull med att Fanny säger till sin man att även han skulle bli utom sig om hans dotter skulle rivas bort. Nu hände det och visst vi fick höra att han blev förtvivlad men fick vi se säcken knytas ihop i slutet? NEJ!
Det här är ett problem med de flesta av Blytons böcker om Fem-gänget. Så fort polisen tagit fast skurkarna så är det som att Blyton klappar sig själv på axeln för ett bra jobb, stänger sin resväska och lämnar berättelsen bakom sig. Men hon har i all hast glömt packa sin resväska med sin tillhörigheter, de ligger bara kvar och skvalpar….
Så storyn är bra men innehåller sina vanliga skavanker och hål som gör att betyget inte når högre.
Jag är uppväxt med tv-serien från 1995 och jag känner hittills att berättelserna gör sig bäst i tv-rutan (hör och häpna). Enligt min mening har det inte enbart med nostalgin att göra. Böckerna känns mer ”daterade” när vi får mer fokus på vissa karaktärers roller. I böckerna är Julians roll ännu mer framträdande som gruppens ledare och det har en tydlig anknytning till att han är en kille. Men det är ett litet sidospår som gör sig påmind i varje bok, så jag fortsätter med handlingen. Mysteriet i den här boken är väldigt välskrivet och spännande, det innehåller många rysliga inslag där kidnapparna smyger utanför huset på nätterna och närmar sig allt mer. Det är en berättelse som gör sig bra för den mysiga rys-faktorn.
Det jag saknade i tv-avsnittet av det här mysteriet var mer inblick i de vuxnas reaktion på att George kidnappas. Hennes föräldrar reser bort i all hast (vilket känns konstigt med tanke på att de samtidigt låter en kollegas dotter gömma sig hos dem för hotet att bli kidnappad), och detta leder till att George i stället tas till fånga. I boken får vi faktiskt en liten reaktion från George föräldrar när kidnappningen har ägt rum. I ett telefonsamtal får Julian veta att George pappa blev så utom sig att han blev sängliggande och relationen mellan denne far och hans dotter är ett seglivat ämne genom böckerna. Iblaaaaand får man ta del av sprickor i Quentins fasad där man förstår att han älskar sin dotter men man vill liksom alltid ha mer av det. Det är ett öppen mål för Blyton att skriva om, för det i sig är väldigt intressant. Det kändes ett tag som att man är på väg att få en genuint bra karaktärsutveckling från George familj. Jag väntade på hur de skulle reagera när de kom hem för att se att George hade räddats ur kidnapparnas våld. Vad fick jag? INGENTING!!!! Enid Blyton snälla det var ju öppet mål 😭😭
Vi får inte ens en liten liten reaktion från George pappa. Allt vi får är mammans lättnad att allt är över och man tror inte på att Quentin var så illa däran alls… liksom hur svårt hade det varit att nämna???!!! Ge oss en liten scen mellan George och Quentin där han genuint visar tacksamhet och lättnad över att hans dotter lever. Boken inleder ju för guds skull med att Fanny säger till sin man att även han skulle bli utom sig om hans dotter skulle rivas bort. Nu hände det och visst vi fick höra att han blev förtvivlad men fick vi se säcken knytas ihop i slutet? NEJ!
Det här är ett problem med de flesta av Blytons böcker om Fem-gänget. Så fort polisen tagit fast skurkarna så är det som att Blyton klappar sig själv på axeln för ett bra jobb, stänger sin resväska och lämnar berättelsen bakom sig. Men hon har i all hast glömt packa sin resväska med sin tillhörigheter, de ligger bara kvar och skvalpar….
Så storyn är bra men innehåller sina vanliga skavanker och hål som gör att betyget inte når högre.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 16, 2026
They’ve started breaking the fourth wall in the last chapter and I don’t really like it
June 7, 2022
Oom Quentin gaat akkoord om de dochter van een collega te verbergen voor ontvoerders. Waar beter dan in het groepje dat al op Kirrin Cottage verblijft? Zo zijn de Vijf detectives niet langer met vijf maar met zijn zevenen, want er is ook nog eens een extra hond bij. En na een tijdje komt hun goede vriendin Jo uit twee vorige avonturen ook ter hulp.
Het aktieterrein wordt na een tijdje verlegd naar een kermisterrein waar Jo natuurlijk haar contacten heeft. De politie staat voor een raadsel en verbiedt de Vijf om te speuren. Maar als George per ongeluk ontvoerd wordt, gaan de anderen natuurlijk tot aktie over.
Een leuke zomervakantie met spelletjes in het water en gezellige picknicks mondt uit in een gevaarlijk avontuur. Humor, spanning en een nostalgisch gevoel kenmerken opnieuw dit boek door Enid Blyton.
Het aktieterrein wordt na een tijdje verlegd naar een kermisterrein waar Jo natuurlijk haar contacten heeft. De politie staat voor een raadsel en verbiedt de Vijf om te speuren. Maar als George per ongeluk ontvoerd wordt, gaan de anderen natuurlijk tot aktie over.
Een leuke zomervakantie met spelletjes in het water en gezellige picknicks mondt uit in een gevaarlijk avontuur. Humor, spanning en een nostalgisch gevoel kenmerken opnieuw dit boek door Enid Blyton.
November 25, 2017
Ohk, to be frank, thus is the only Famous Five book that I've read and I am in love with it.
In this, Georgina's father is busy on some secret project with some other scientists, and daughter of one of them is threatened to be kidnapped, so she comes in hiding with the Famous Five. Her name is Berta.
It has adventure, and sometimes George(Georgina) is kiddishly jealous of Berta, which I found quit funny, actually.
In this, Georgina's father is busy on some secret project with some other scientists, and daughter of one of them is threatened to be kidnapped, so she comes in hiding with the Famous Five. Her name is Berta.
It has adventure, and sometimes George(Georgina) is kiddishly jealous of Berta, which I found quit funny, actually.
April 3, 2016
These books (Famous five) are hands down one of my favorite books from my childhood. All those adventures and mystery …and those sandwiches they always packed! aww, just the best! I would love to read one of these again. To bring back those memories..memories of first experiences with reading books.
June 21, 2019
First time I’m rereading The Famous Five series. Some series are as beautiful to read as adults as they were in childhood. This series does fall into that category.
I enjoyed this read. I like Berta and her dog, and found Timmy's puppy love to be funny. It also shows how children can be protective of one another too, and how sometimes pampering a child might not be best in the long term ;-)
I enjoyed this read. I like Berta and her dog, and found Timmy's puppy love to be funny. It also shows how children can be protective of one another too, and how sometimes pampering a child might not be best in the long term ;-)
August 23, 2019
More adventures with the Five. This time there's a kidnapping, a mistaken identity, some Americans and some nefarious fairground folk at large.
Enid Blyton is up to her old tricks - not quite telling the whole story, leaving massive plot holes everywhere and yet still managing to produce an entertaining story with a satisfactory conclusion. Bring on adventure 15!
Enid Blyton is up to her old tricks - not quite telling the whole story, leaving massive plot holes everywhere and yet still managing to produce an entertaining story with a satisfactory conclusion. Bring on adventure 15!
December 21, 2020
Gosh, I had to read this book three times because in the first two times when I read it, I ABSOLUTELY COULDN'T, understand the radius of miles as I am 7 years old and that was until in the third my aunt explained some parts of the book which I didn't understand so I had to give this book only four stars.
March 16, 2025
The 14th book in the Famous Five series by Enid Blyton. I'm currently rereading them all, taking a great trip down memory lane. These were among my favourite childhood books.
This one sees the Five spending the last three weeks of their holiday at Kirrin. They're looking forward to lots of fun together in the weeks ahead when suddenly their plans are thrown into disarray. A little blonde haired American girl comes to stay with them and she is under threat of kidnap.
Of course we all know a big adventure follows!
This one sees the Five spending the last three weeks of their holiday at Kirrin. They're looking forward to lots of fun together in the weeks ahead when suddenly their plans are thrown into disarray. A little blonde haired American girl comes to stay with them and she is under threat of kidnap.
Of course we all know a big adventure follows!
July 7, 2024
As we get through two-thirds of Enid Blyton’s most famous book series, we must ask once more whether Blyton is going to merely regurgitate the tropes from the earlier books (as in all recent Famous Five books), or attempt something new.
Let’s have a look at the blurb on the back cover:
“Another adventure of the Five, plus an American girl called Bertha (haven’t we already had an American child?) and Jo the gypsy girl (haven’t we already had Jo a couple of times?) involving mysterious visitors to Kirrin Island (haven’t we already had mysterious visitors at Kirrin Island a couple of times?), the kidnapping of George (haven’t we already had one of the Five get kidnapped?), and a visit to the fair (haven’t we already had numerous Five books based around fairs, carnivals and sideshows?)."
In short, Blyton is not going to offer us anything new in this 14th outing. What does she offer us?
Our heroes are once more reunited at the home of Georgina, who likes to be called George, so I will call her Georgina. Once more the action revolves around their bad-tempered Uncle Quentin, the scientist of many fields, who seems able to work on any project whatsoever. These are always benevolent, though Blyton allows an uncharacteristic note of cynicism by having the Five ask if he is working on something that will blow things up.
As ever it is a secret project, but the bad guys are hoping to kidnap the daughter of Quentin’s colleague, Elbur Wright, so that he can be persuaded to part with the secrets concerning his work with Quentin.
Quentin is scornful of Elbur’s weakness for his daughter. The man who neglects his own child and is always happy to spend time away from her is unlikely to feel sympathy with a man who puts his daughter before his own work.
The only thing that Elbur can do is make sure that his daughter Berta is kept under police supervision until the work is done. So of course he instead takes Berta to stay with the Kirrins.
They do cunningly disguise Berta by cutting her hair to make her look like a boy. That should fool the evil kidnappers, though maybe allowing Berta to bring along her cute little poodle Sally might offer up a hint to her identity. I’m beginning to think these science boffins are not very bright after all.
Elbur and Berta are the Americans, so they conform to Blyton’s usual stereotypes of Americanism. Elbur is big. Berta is effete and feeble. This means that she will only be given a ticket to appear in one Famous Five adventure.
Indeed the Five are curiously bad at making friends. None of them ever spends their vacation with a classmate or friend from closer to home. They just hang out with cousins and siblings. Perhaps they are not that popular at school.
I imagine that the problem is Georgina who always throws a sulk when any other child joins them. She hates tomboys who act like her, and she hates children who are too soft. She hates children who are richer and children who are poorer. Really she is quite an unappealing character after you have stayed with her for 14 books.
So of course Georgina hates Berta for being too weak-natured and for posing as a boy and doing a better job of it than Georgina. This will have unfortunate consequences later.
With the children in danger from kidnappers, it is important that Quentin and Fanny do their utmost to protect them. So of course they clear off to visit Elbur so Quentin can help him with some calculations. Fanny could at least stay behind but doesn’t. They must really loathe the Kirrin children.
Instead the onus is left on the Kirrin’s maid, Joan. I really hope they are paying her well. Soon after Anne hears a motorboat on the water and sees mysterious happenings on Kirrin Island.
Obviously the only thing to do is call the police. So the Five decide instead to row down to Kirrin Island and investigate. Aren’t the rocks around Kirrin Island dangerous and difficult to negotiate? Seems that only the Five and any villainous scoundrels know how to get there.
Still if they are the kidnappers, won’t it be dangerous to take Berta along with them? The Five decide that it might be more dangerous to leave her behind unattended. Good thinking, though I still think it would make more sense to call the police. Even if the visitors are just trespassers, it’s not a good idea for children to be challenging them.
Actually it's not good thinking at all. Bringing the child who is in danger of kidnapping to an island that might be full of kidnappers is the stupidest thing I ever heard.
When the Five arrive, the intruders are leaving, and we never actually learn who they were, or what they were doing on the island. It seems that Joan had the sense to call the police. I guess they know how to row around the dangerous rocks too.
Wasn’t there a secret passageway connected to the coast that everyone could have used to get to the island? I’m sure one was mentioned in an earlier story. Perhaps like one of the secret routes through Hogwarts it appears and disappears at different times, depending on the necessity of the story.
In a surprising development, the Five get a ticking off from the police for taking matters into their own hands, but this will not prevent them from meddling throughout the rest of the book, even when it would be safer to call the police. If the kidnappers were on the island, then perhaps a quick call to the police would have led to the kidnappers being rounded up earlier, and averted some ugliness later.
Oh well, that’s not how the Five work. Given their intolerance towards petty crime and general lawlessness, I cannot help wondering if the Five became vigilantes when they grew up. However the Five never grow up, since this is their 13th or 14th summer holiday, and they are the same ages as they were in the first book.
Quentin and Fanny are presumably informed of these activities, and the possible danger to their children. Their response, predictably enough, is to stay away for another week.
Matters take a dramatic turn when Georgina is kidnapped in a case of mistaken identity – just as Dick was once mistakenly kidnapped. Both were mistaken for Americans too. Let’s pretend not to notice these similarities.
The next chapter is called ‘Discoveries in the wood’. Yes, things take a sad turn. The kidnappers realise they have the wrong girl (well they would have to be pretty stupid not to notice that Georgina has a British accent, and isn’t American). While investigating Georgina’s disappearance, the Five find her body parts scattered throughout the wood.
Ok, obviously that would be too dark for a children’s book. They do find clues which will lead them to a fairground. As we all know sideshow entertainers are a bunch of criminals. This also leads to the return of Jo, the gypsy girl, who appeared in earlier books.
She only has a supporting role in the later chapters, presumably because her ticket for a Famous Five adventure expired, or maybe Georgina drove her away. It is notable that Jo is staying with Joan’s cousin nearby, and the Five have not made one attempt to visit her until they need her.
So Jo essentially saves the day when the Five’s refusal to call in the police gets them into trouble, and she even finds time to send a dirty note to Julian. My, they are growing up. Ok, not that kind of dirty.
There is not a single original or interesting idea in Five Have Plenty of Fun, but there is certainly a good deal of activity. I suspect the book really only deserves two stars, but I’m feeling indulgent and it was quite enjoyable, so I will award it three.
Let’s have a look at the blurb on the back cover:
“Another adventure of the Five, plus an American girl called Bertha (haven’t we already had an American child?) and Jo the gypsy girl (haven’t we already had Jo a couple of times?) involving mysterious visitors to Kirrin Island (haven’t we already had mysterious visitors at Kirrin Island a couple of times?), the kidnapping of George (haven’t we already had one of the Five get kidnapped?), and a visit to the fair (haven’t we already had numerous Five books based around fairs, carnivals and sideshows?)."
In short, Blyton is not going to offer us anything new in this 14th outing. What does she offer us?
Our heroes are once more reunited at the home of Georgina, who likes to be called George, so I will call her Georgina. Once more the action revolves around their bad-tempered Uncle Quentin, the scientist of many fields, who seems able to work on any project whatsoever. These are always benevolent, though Blyton allows an uncharacteristic note of cynicism by having the Five ask if he is working on something that will blow things up.
As ever it is a secret project, but the bad guys are hoping to kidnap the daughter of Quentin’s colleague, Elbur Wright, so that he can be persuaded to part with the secrets concerning his work with Quentin.
Quentin is scornful of Elbur’s weakness for his daughter. The man who neglects his own child and is always happy to spend time away from her is unlikely to feel sympathy with a man who puts his daughter before his own work.
The only thing that Elbur can do is make sure that his daughter Berta is kept under police supervision until the work is done. So of course he instead takes Berta to stay with the Kirrins.
They do cunningly disguise Berta by cutting her hair to make her look like a boy. That should fool the evil kidnappers, though maybe allowing Berta to bring along her cute little poodle Sally might offer up a hint to her identity. I’m beginning to think these science boffins are not very bright after all.
Elbur and Berta are the Americans, so they conform to Blyton’s usual stereotypes of Americanism. Elbur is big. Berta is effete and feeble. This means that she will only be given a ticket to appear in one Famous Five adventure.
Indeed the Five are curiously bad at making friends. None of them ever spends their vacation with a classmate or friend from closer to home. They just hang out with cousins and siblings. Perhaps they are not that popular at school.
I imagine that the problem is Georgina who always throws a sulk when any other child joins them. She hates tomboys who act like her, and she hates children who are too soft. She hates children who are richer and children who are poorer. Really she is quite an unappealing character after you have stayed with her for 14 books.
So of course Georgina hates Berta for being too weak-natured and for posing as a boy and doing a better job of it than Georgina. This will have unfortunate consequences later.
With the children in danger from kidnappers, it is important that Quentin and Fanny do their utmost to protect them. So of course they clear off to visit Elbur so Quentin can help him with some calculations. Fanny could at least stay behind but doesn’t. They must really loathe the Kirrin children.
Instead the onus is left on the Kirrin’s maid, Joan. I really hope they are paying her well. Soon after Anne hears a motorboat on the water and sees mysterious happenings on Kirrin Island.
Obviously the only thing to do is call the police. So the Five decide instead to row down to Kirrin Island and investigate. Aren’t the rocks around Kirrin Island dangerous and difficult to negotiate? Seems that only the Five and any villainous scoundrels know how to get there.
Still if they are the kidnappers, won’t it be dangerous to take Berta along with them? The Five decide that it might be more dangerous to leave her behind unattended. Good thinking, though I still think it would make more sense to call the police. Even if the visitors are just trespassers, it’s not a good idea for children to be challenging them.
Actually it's not good thinking at all. Bringing the child who is in danger of kidnapping to an island that might be full of kidnappers is the stupidest thing I ever heard.
When the Five arrive, the intruders are leaving, and we never actually learn who they were, or what they were doing on the island. It seems that Joan had the sense to call the police. I guess they know how to row around the dangerous rocks too.
Wasn’t there a secret passageway connected to the coast that everyone could have used to get to the island? I’m sure one was mentioned in an earlier story. Perhaps like one of the secret routes through Hogwarts it appears and disappears at different times, depending on the necessity of the story.
In a surprising development, the Five get a ticking off from the police for taking matters into their own hands, but this will not prevent them from meddling throughout the rest of the book, even when it would be safer to call the police. If the kidnappers were on the island, then perhaps a quick call to the police would have led to the kidnappers being rounded up earlier, and averted some ugliness later.
Oh well, that’s not how the Five work. Given their intolerance towards petty crime and general lawlessness, I cannot help wondering if the Five became vigilantes when they grew up. However the Five never grow up, since this is their 13th or 14th summer holiday, and they are the same ages as they were in the first book.
Quentin and Fanny are presumably informed of these activities, and the possible danger to their children. Their response, predictably enough, is to stay away for another week.
Matters take a dramatic turn when Georgina is kidnapped in a case of mistaken identity – just as Dick was once mistakenly kidnapped. Both were mistaken for Americans too. Let’s pretend not to notice these similarities.
The next chapter is called ‘Discoveries in the wood’. Yes, things take a sad turn. The kidnappers realise they have the wrong girl (well they would have to be pretty stupid not to notice that Georgina has a British accent, and isn’t American). While investigating Georgina’s disappearance, the Five find her body parts scattered throughout the wood.
Ok, obviously that would be too dark for a children’s book. They do find clues which will lead them to a fairground. As we all know sideshow entertainers are a bunch of criminals. This also leads to the return of Jo, the gypsy girl, who appeared in earlier books.
She only has a supporting role in the later chapters, presumably because her ticket for a Famous Five adventure expired, or maybe Georgina drove her away. It is notable that Jo is staying with Joan’s cousin nearby, and the Five have not made one attempt to visit her until they need her.
So Jo essentially saves the day when the Five’s refusal to call in the police gets them into trouble, and she even finds time to send a dirty note to Julian. My, they are growing up. Ok, not that kind of dirty.
There is not a single original or interesting idea in Five Have Plenty of Fun, but there is certainly a good deal of activity. I suspect the book really only deserves two stars, but I’m feeling indulgent and it was quite enjoyable, so I will award it three.
January 6, 2021
I'll get the checklist out:
Extra child in need of improvement: Tick (Bonus, there's actually two - one is the standard affair, needs a good wash etc and the other while socially acceptable needs to learn how to speak properly due to having the terrible affliction of an American accent)
George jealous of another girl trying to be like a boy: tick
Famous scientists doing Very Important Things: tick
Questionable parental absence: tick
Shady characters in caravans: tick
Julian knowing better than everyone even the professionals: tick
Important men being tall: tick
Lots of food: tick
It's a good job several of the Five have been kidnapped before; practice makes perfect for the rescue mission. Also, a bonus that this is George's second kidnap and that it was quite similar to before - prevented any delay this time.
This is not to say it's not entertaining. I'm starting to wonder if someone needs to have strong words with George's parents as well as Quentin's brother and his wife 0r possible Fanny's sister and her husband (don't think we've cleared that one up yet) about their parental responsibilities. I mean Julain, Dick and Anne can't have spent more than and a week in their parent's presence for years!! Plus if you've protection a child from potential kidnap it's probably best not to head off and leave them behind.
Also, I've said it before, but I really think Quentin needs to think about security for his (widely-varying) important work.
Extra child in need of improvement: Tick (Bonus, there's actually two - one is the standard affair, needs a good wash etc and the other while socially acceptable needs to learn how to speak properly due to having the terrible affliction of an American accent)
George jealous of another girl trying to be like a boy: tick
Famous scientists doing Very Important Things: tick
Questionable parental absence: tick
Shady characters in caravans: tick
Julian knowing better than everyone even the professionals: tick
Important men being tall: tick
Lots of food: tick
It's a good job several of the Five have been kidnapped before; practice makes perfect for the rescue mission. Also, a bonus that this is George's second kidnap and that it was quite similar to before - prevented any delay this time.
This is not to say it's not entertaining. I'm starting to wonder if someone needs to have strong words with George's parents as well as Quentin's brother and his wife 0r possible Fanny's sister and her husband (don't think we've cleared that one up yet) about their parental responsibilities. I mean Julain, Dick and Anne can't have spent more than and a week in their parent's presence for years!! Plus if you've protection a child from potential kidnap it's probably best not to head off and leave them behind.
Also, I've said it before, but I really think Quentin needs to think about security for his (widely-varying) important work.
March 26, 2018
Perhaps my least favourite Famous Five book OF ALL TIME! Was this ghostwritten? It seems as if the tone and style has changed, not for the better! And the storyline! Not one boy-who-wants-to-be-a-girl, not two, but THREE here! Well, kind of. Berta, the AMERICAN, doesn't WANT to be a boy, but has to pretend to be one so she doesn't get kidnapped. It's a long story...feels like it anyway! Jo is back here so George has double rivalry, and is obsessively jealous over Timmy, too! Poor old Timmy! In all the books he's painted as being this friendly yet fierce protector of the Five - in this, he's made out the opposite. George even shouts at him for not catching a stranger at the window. That aside, more of the same. Gypsies/fair folk, an aptly named circus boy (Spiky, this time, for his hair you know), Uncle Q and Aunt F go off and leave the children with Joan (but what happened to Joanna?), time spent on the beach, Kirrin Island, ice creams...it's all included!
April 26, 2025
(Of this series, I've read and reviewed Five on a Treasure Island, Five Go Adventuring Again, Five Run Away Together, Five Go to Smuggler's Top, Five Go Off in a Caravan, Five on Kirrin Island Again, Five Go Off to Camp, Five Get Into Trouble, Five Fall Into Adventure, Five Have a Wonderful Time, Five Go Down to the Sea, Five on a Hike Together, Five Go to Mystery Moor and Five on a Secret Trail)
Argh, one of the worst ones so far. A shame, because guest star Berta's quite likeable. One thing I will say is that Enid kept us busy with this book - there's no lull in the action, it's all go as soon as the Kirrins become a makeshift foster family for the daughter of a politically-exposed person.
The first question would be 'why place a child at risk of kidnapping with one of Mr Wright's most well-known colleagues?' but this is The Famous Five Have Plenty of Fun (and even that's debatable) not The Famous Five Have A Humdrum Summer. I tend not to question the set-up too closely.
But speaking of Quentin, he's one of the worst bits here. He comes out with some cask-strength misogyny* towards Fanny and George before taking off for half the plot. I've both defended and roasted him in the past, but Quentin openly admitting that he'd rather protect his work over his child's life, then proving it later on in the plot (plus the derision towards his colleague who is understandably terrified for his own daughter) is vile. He doesn't apologise for this, by the way, nor does he show or voice any visible concern for George after her rescue. I get that it's a running joke amongst adult readers that the Kirrin adults look for any excuse to palm George off so the kids can run free-range, but this is particularly egregious. Not even the most virulent childfree person I know would claim this man.
Moving on. Despite being promised a 'spoiled American' on the blurb for the Five to contend with, Berta's friendly and respectful even when she's shamed for being upset over a traumatic situation. I was rather expecting someone like Connie from the Faraway Tree series, but Berta was more like Little Orphan Annie post-adoption, complete with "golly gee!" accent. As you might expect, it's the spoiled British kid you need to watch out for instead, especially when Berta passes for a lad better than she does**. Buck up, George, old bean!
Oh yeah, Mr Wright (read: the plot) specifically requests for Berta to be disguised as a boy named Leslie to make sure that any unsavoury types don't catch on. The new name doesn't stick at all and she drops the persona in the latter third of the book, so it's only there to rile George up even further.
I was hoping for the villain to be the mysterious 'third scientist' who came to lunch with Wright and Quentin - he was even set up as such - but no, it's an evil Romani bloke yet again who'd sell yer mum for a bit of coin. At least the 'final battle' isn't the usual straightforward sneaking about - the lads get caught trying to rescue George and it's down to Jo (yep, she's back) to rescue them. Anne, as usual when Jo's about, is left out of the fray.
1/5, and that star's only for Berta. At its bare bones, it's just another kidnapping plot involving a spooky house, and there are far better Five books than this.
* Honestly, I am surprised it survived the 2001 reprint
** Every so often I muse to myself about whether George is a trans egg, very frustrated with the typical expectations of 50s womanhood, or both
Argh, one of the worst ones so far. A shame, because guest star Berta's quite likeable. One thing I will say is that Enid kept us busy with this book - there's no lull in the action, it's all go as soon as the Kirrins become a makeshift foster family for the daughter of a politically-exposed person.
The first question would be 'why place a child at risk of kidnapping with one of Mr Wright's most well-known colleagues?' but this is The Famous Five Have Plenty of Fun (and even that's debatable) not The Famous Five Have A Humdrum Summer. I tend not to question the set-up too closely.
But speaking of Quentin, he's one of the worst bits here. He comes out with some cask-strength misogyny* towards Fanny and George before taking off for half the plot. I've both defended and roasted him in the past, but Quentin openly admitting that he'd rather protect his work over his child's life, then proving it later on in the plot (plus the derision towards his colleague who is understandably terrified for his own daughter) is vile. He doesn't apologise for this, by the way, nor does he show or voice any visible concern for George after her rescue. I get that it's a running joke amongst adult readers that the Kirrin adults look for any excuse to palm George off so the kids can run free-range, but this is particularly egregious. Not even the most virulent childfree person I know would claim this man.
Moving on. Despite being promised a 'spoiled American' on the blurb for the Five to contend with, Berta's friendly and respectful even when she's shamed for being upset over a traumatic situation. I was rather expecting someone like Connie from the Faraway Tree series, but Berta was more like Little Orphan Annie post-adoption, complete with "golly gee!" accent. As you might expect, it's the spoiled British kid you need to watch out for instead, especially when Berta passes for a lad better than she does**. Buck up, George, old bean!
Oh yeah, Mr Wright (read: the plot) specifically requests for Berta to be disguised as a boy named Leslie to make sure that any unsavoury types don't catch on. The new name doesn't stick at all and she drops the persona in the latter third of the book, so it's only there to rile George up even further.
I was hoping for the villain to be the mysterious 'third scientist' who came to lunch with Wright and Quentin - he was even set up as such - but no, it's an evil Romani bloke yet again who'd sell yer mum for a bit of coin. At least the 'final battle' isn't the usual straightforward sneaking about - the lads get caught trying to rescue George and it's down to Jo (yep, she's back) to rescue them. Anne, as usual when Jo's about, is left out of the fray.
1/5, and that star's only for Berta. At its bare bones, it's just another kidnapping plot involving a spooky house, and there are far better Five books than this.
* Honestly, I am surprised it survived the 2001 reprint
** Every so often I muse to myself about whether George is a trans egg, very frustrated with the typical expectations of 50s womanhood, or both
July 24, 2017
A cute adventure.. the 14th adventure for Julian, Dick, Anne, George, Timmy. Uncle Quentin is jolly funny and Aunt Fanny a maverick with angelic hands for bountiful lunch. So is Joanna. Additional characters are Berta, Jo, Sally.
Berta / Lesley / Jane forced to cut her hair and dress like a boy. Add to that, stay with strangers far away from her home in Anerica. This horrid pretense with a bunch of British kids couldnt be wunnerful she must have thought upon her late night boat ride to Kirrin Cottage. She loves the rabbits infested Kirrin Island though.
Berta / Lesley / Jane forced to cut her hair and dress like a boy. Add to that, stay with strangers far away from her home in Anerica. This horrid pretense with a bunch of British kids couldnt be wunnerful she must have thought upon her late night boat ride to Kirrin Cottage. She loves the rabbits infested Kirrin Island though.
June 17, 2019
... reading with my almost 11 year old daughter...
Cute as a button. It’s a delight to read the stories again and a bonus to read them with my daughter.
Cute as a button. It’s a delight to read the stories again and a bonus to read them with my daughter.
March 10, 2020
A blast from the past for me. I’ve had this book since I was 10 (15 years ago) and never finished it so I decided to pick it back up. Enjoyable read!
June 2, 2020
Famous Five, an American scientist's child and Jo the former circus girl. More adventures, more fun.
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