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The Famous Five #16
Five Go to Billycock Hill
Hurrah! It's holiday time, and the Famous Five are spending it at Billycock Hill. Most exciting of all, they've made a new friend - a real pilot! But now he has disappeared, with top secret equipment ...The Five are puzzled, and concerned, too. Could their new friend by a spy - a traitor! Whatever his motives are, the gang feel duty-bound to investigate ...
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1957
126 people are currently reading
1941 people want to read
About the author
Enid Blyton
5,133 books6,326 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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 171 reviews
July 18, 2019
Another fun-filled romp of an adventure with the Famous Five. This one involves runaway pigs, abducted pilots and stolen military aircraft, so it's an exciting one. Rest assured, though, the kids still find time to eat five times their body weight in food. I'm starting to suspect they're actually hobbits masquerading as human children.
August 1, 2022
Another one with quite an enjoyable mystery. I have noticed with some of these later ones that there is not as much emphasis on George wanting to be a boy any more. Also during some of the adventures Julian tells the girls not to get involved in parts of it and she meekly accepts. I know she was an annoyance at times but I preferred her when she was fiery. I wonder why Blyton toned her down.
Benny and Curly were great additions to the story.
Benny and Curly were great additions to the story.
June 17, 2019
Genuinely don't think I had ever actually listened to this one as a child and so the adventure was all new to me. However, I don't think this is one of the best adventures that the five have as once again it's focused on the boys predominantly, and it's more of a mystery that they just happen to kind of be a part of, rather than true investigation.
This is the story of the kids visiting Billycock hill and befriending a young pilot. However, it seems like quickly there is a mystery with the planes at the local airfield and he's implicated...
A fun easy read, but nothing too exciting. 2*s from me.
This is the story of the kids visiting Billycock hill and befriending a young pilot. However, it seems like quickly there is a mystery with the planes at the local airfield and he's implicated...
A fun easy read, but nothing too exciting. 2*s from me.
October 7, 2015
Enid Blytonin Viisikko-sarjaa tuli luettua lapsena melko ahkerasti, joskin on rehellisyyden nimissä sanottava, ettei se ole jättänyt kovin tarkkoja muistikuvia. Lasten ja heidän koiransa nimet muistin sentään ulkoa, mutta siinä oikeastaan kaikki. Niinpä oli aika lainata kirjastosta "Viisikko vapauttaa lentäjät" (Tammi, 2005), joka ilmestyi alun perin vuonna 1957 ja oli järjestyksessään kuudestoista Viisikko-tarina.
Dick, Leo, Anne, Pauli ja Tim-koira ovat jälleen lomalla (yksi kirjojen klisee ilmeisesti tämäkin) ja lähtevät telttailemaan Billycock Hill -nimiselle paikkakunnalle, jonka lähellä sijaitsee lentotukikohta. Kavereinaan heillä on Toby, tämän pikkuveli Beni (sic - alkuperäistekstissä niinkin eksoottinen tapaus kuin Benny) ja karkaileva porsas nimeltään Korkkiruuvi.
Synkkänä ja myrskyisenä yönä lentotukikohdasta katoaa kaksi hävittäjää, ja syyllisiksi epäillään kahta lentäjää, joista toinen on Tobyn serkkupoika. Viisikon on siis käytävä tutkimaan tapausta. Miten lähellä sijaitseva perhosfarmi erikoisine luonnontutkijoineen liittyy asiaan?
Englannin maaseudun kuvaamisessa on jotakin idyllistä, ja tietynlainen viattomuus on omalla tavallaan ihan viehättävää. Mutta! Seikkailu on sanalla sanoen vähän tylsänpuoleinen, eikä siinä oikeastaan tapahdu mitään kovin jännittävää. Lieneekö aika sitten tehnyt tehtävänsä Viisikkojen suhteen, vai sattuiko tämä olemaan vain keskimääräistä mitäänsanomattomampi tarina, mene ja tiedä! Voisi näitä silti harkita vinkkaavansa pienemmille alakoululaisille, tiedä jos vaikka jotain nämä saisivat irti.
Sukupuoliroolit istuvat romaanissa melko tiukassa. Vaarallisimpiin juttuihin käyvät pojat kahdestaan, ja maatilan töissäkin kanalan kalkitseminen on ns. vähemmän kauniin sukupuolen hommaa. Se kyllä kismittää poikatyttö-Paulia, mutta ei tämä ihmeemmin ala pulikoida vastaan.
Ja hei, on se ihan totta: näissä kirjoissa tosiaan syödään jatkuvasti.
Dick, Leo, Anne, Pauli ja Tim-koira ovat jälleen lomalla (yksi kirjojen klisee ilmeisesti tämäkin) ja lähtevät telttailemaan Billycock Hill -nimiselle paikkakunnalle, jonka lähellä sijaitsee lentotukikohta. Kavereinaan heillä on Toby, tämän pikkuveli Beni (sic - alkuperäistekstissä niinkin eksoottinen tapaus kuin Benny) ja karkaileva porsas nimeltään Korkkiruuvi.
Synkkänä ja myrskyisenä yönä lentotukikohdasta katoaa kaksi hävittäjää, ja syyllisiksi epäillään kahta lentäjää, joista toinen on Tobyn serkkupoika. Viisikon on siis käytävä tutkimaan tapausta. Miten lähellä sijaitseva perhosfarmi erikoisine luonnontutkijoineen liittyy asiaan?
Englannin maaseudun kuvaamisessa on jotakin idyllistä, ja tietynlainen viattomuus on omalla tavallaan ihan viehättävää. Mutta! Seikkailu on sanalla sanoen vähän tylsänpuoleinen, eikä siinä oikeastaan tapahdu mitään kovin jännittävää. Lieneekö aika sitten tehnyt tehtävänsä Viisikkojen suhteen, vai sattuiko tämä olemaan vain keskimääräistä mitäänsanomattomampi tarina, mene ja tiedä! Voisi näitä silti harkita vinkkaavansa pienemmille alakoululaisille, tiedä jos vaikka jotain nämä saisivat irti.
Sukupuoliroolit istuvat romaanissa melko tiukassa. Vaarallisimpiin juttuihin käyvät pojat kahdestaan, ja maatilan töissäkin kanalan kalkitseminen on ns. vähemmän kauniin sukupuolen hommaa. Se kyllä kismittää poikatyttö-Paulia, mutta ei tämä ihmeemmin ala pulikoida vastaan.
Ja hei, on se ihan totta: näissä kirjoissa tosiaan syödään jatkuvasti.
April 28, 2015
The Five discover a secret airbase
16 August 2013
I guess by number 16 the stories start to become a little dry and the setting a little too familiar. I have mentioned it before, and the reason is that others have also mentioned it: the Famous Five do not seem to grow up and that there seems to be an awful lot of holidays in England. In fact the Famous Five seem to spend more time on holidays than they do at school, and further, there seems to be many places around Kirin Cottage for them to explore (though I think there have been a couple where they have gone to Julian, Dick, and Anne's house, though they do not spend much time there).
However, enough of that because they are still an enjoyable read, and I doubt that Enid Blyton would have written 21 of them if people had become board after, say, number 10. Mind you, the Secret Seven books seem to take place over a much shorter time, and they are not necessarily on holidays, but they is probably because they all live in the same town and can easily meet up with each other. The Famous Five, on the other hand, live quite a distance apart, and also go to boarding schools, so they can really only visit each other on school holidays. Still, one would think that by this book they would have well and truly entered puberty.
This book is set during the Whitsunday holiday (apparently when they get a week off school, not that I know anything about that because here in Australia I never had a week off school during Witsunday, not that I actually know what Whitsunday is – we only ever had time off school during Easter, though when I was a kid we had two two week holidays between the terms and a two month holiday over Christmas and summer). Anyway, they decide to go and visit a friend of Julian and Dick's from school at a place called Billycock Hill were there is a butterfly farm and a secret airbase (not that they can go and run around the airbase because it is secret, and they do get told off when they go and have a swim in the pond).
As with some of the other books, a bulk of the story is about their little holiday at Billycock Hill and only the last third involves the adventure that they stumble upon. This one involves a couple of planes that are stolen and their friend's cousin is implicated in the theft because he, and his colleague, go missing at the same time the plane goes missing. As is typical, the Five stumble across the perpetrators of the crime, and inform the police of their discovery, and then Timmy locates (actually it is not Timmy but a piglet) the missing pilots and everything goes back to normal.
The pigling (as she calls it, though I always thought they were called piglets) was an interesting addition to this story. Basically the friend's little brother has a thing for baby animals (and they do live on a farm) so whenever a new animal is born the brother immediately forms an attachment to it: this time it is a pigling. The pigling unfortunately has a habit of running away, and the little brother tends to get into trouble when he runs off to find the pigling. However, this time the pigling saves the day, despite it being nowhere near as intelligent as Timmy.
As for Timmy, it is interesting that the TV series use this dog as Timmy:
when in the books, Timmy looks more like this:
I've also noted that Disney has decided to produce an animated series involving the children of the Famous Five but personally, I really don't think it would capture the essence of the original Blyton stories.
16 August 2013
I guess by number 16 the stories start to become a little dry and the setting a little too familiar. I have mentioned it before, and the reason is that others have also mentioned it: the Famous Five do not seem to grow up and that there seems to be an awful lot of holidays in England. In fact the Famous Five seem to spend more time on holidays than they do at school, and further, there seems to be many places around Kirin Cottage for them to explore (though I think there have been a couple where they have gone to Julian, Dick, and Anne's house, though they do not spend much time there).
However, enough of that because they are still an enjoyable read, and I doubt that Enid Blyton would have written 21 of them if people had become board after, say, number 10. Mind you, the Secret Seven books seem to take place over a much shorter time, and they are not necessarily on holidays, but they is probably because they all live in the same town and can easily meet up with each other. The Famous Five, on the other hand, live quite a distance apart, and also go to boarding schools, so they can really only visit each other on school holidays. Still, one would think that by this book they would have well and truly entered puberty.
This book is set during the Whitsunday holiday (apparently when they get a week off school, not that I know anything about that because here in Australia I never had a week off school during Witsunday, not that I actually know what Whitsunday is – we only ever had time off school during Easter, though when I was a kid we had two two week holidays between the terms and a two month holiday over Christmas and summer). Anyway, they decide to go and visit a friend of Julian and Dick's from school at a place called Billycock Hill were there is a butterfly farm and a secret airbase (not that they can go and run around the airbase because it is secret, and they do get told off when they go and have a swim in the pond).
As with some of the other books, a bulk of the story is about their little holiday at Billycock Hill and only the last third involves the adventure that they stumble upon. This one involves a couple of planes that are stolen and their friend's cousin is implicated in the theft because he, and his colleague, go missing at the same time the plane goes missing. As is typical, the Five stumble across the perpetrators of the crime, and inform the police of their discovery, and then Timmy locates (actually it is not Timmy but a piglet) the missing pilots and everything goes back to normal.
The pigling (as she calls it, though I always thought they were called piglets) was an interesting addition to this story. Basically the friend's little brother has a thing for baby animals (and they do live on a farm) so whenever a new animal is born the brother immediately forms an attachment to it: this time it is a pigling. The pigling unfortunately has a habit of running away, and the little brother tends to get into trouble when he runs off to find the pigling. However, this time the pigling saves the day, despite it being nowhere near as intelligent as Timmy.
As for Timmy, it is interesting that the TV series use this dog as Timmy:
when in the books, Timmy looks more like this:
I've also noted that Disney has decided to produce an animated series involving the children of the Famous Five but personally, I really don't think it would capture the essence of the original Blyton stories.
October 8, 2024
ชอบตรงที่ว่าเวลาเกิดปัญหา เวลาที่ต้องการความช่วยเหลือให้วิ่งไปแจ้งตำรวจ ไปบอกผู้ใหญ่ก่อน แล้วค่อยลงมือ ไม่ได้ทำตัวเป็นฮีโร่ไปเฉย ๆ อ่ะ
April 7, 2022
The Famous Five off on their holidays as usual, they found another adventure again.
I liked the planes and the funny saying 'He runned away again!'
Timmy is my favourite because he's a nice dog. I like Julian because he's determined and looks out for everyone. I like George because she has an fabulous Island and a good dog and she's got hair like me. I like Anne because she is in charge of the food and I'm always hungry. I like Dick because he likes a good meal and I'm like him but he's got short hair. I wish I could meet all of the Famous Five.
The book made me feel very excited because of the planes. I didn't want to stop reading the book. I think this one is the best so far in this series of books.
If you like planes or butterfly farms you should read this book.
- AJH (age 7)
I liked the planes and the funny saying 'He runned away again!'
Timmy is my favourite because he's a nice dog. I like Julian because he's determined and looks out for everyone. I like George because she has an fabulous Island and a good dog and she's got hair like me. I like Anne because she is in charge of the food and I'm always hungry. I like Dick because he likes a good meal and I'm like him but he's got short hair. I wish I could meet all of the Famous Five.
The book made me feel very excited because of the planes. I didn't want to stop reading the book. I think this one is the best so far in this series of books.
If you like planes or butterfly farms you should read this book.
- AJH (age 7)
May 19, 2014
Enid Blyton remains -and after this book, stays - as one of my favorite authors. This book made for a good merry tale of adventure and innocence, and the pages flew by in one day. I needed this book after a few mismatched and false starts and hiccups. I needed the silky and fluid narrative that this book provided. If there had been a clever enough ending instead of the dumb one provided then it would be one of the best ever. This book is about the Famous Five going off to a Hill bracketed by a proper Farm and a Butterfly Farm. It's about two airmen that needed rescuing from the Caves(of course).
March 21, 2019
Χαίρομαι που έπεσε στα χέρια μου αυτό το βιβλίο! Οι πέντε φίλοι που μου κράτησαν συντροφιά με τις περιπέτειες τους όταν ήμουν μικρή κατάφεραν να με γυρίσουν πίσω σε όμορφες και ανέμελες στιγμές της ζωής μου που το μόνο που ήθελα ήταν να ζήσω και εγώ μία περιπέτεια με τους φίλους μου!
I'm glad I got a copy of this book! The five friends that kept me company with their adventures while I was little managed to take me back in beautiful and carefree moments in my life when I just wanted to experience an adventure like their's with my friends!
I'm glad I got a copy of this book! The five friends that kept me company with their adventures while I was little managed to take me back in beautiful and carefree moments in my life when I just wanted to experience an adventure like their's with my friends!
March 15, 2020
Just continuing the rereads. :)
April 29, 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, Five on a Secret Trail and Five Have Plenty of Fun)
Airfields, butterfly men and rescue pigs, oh my!
A fairly enjoyable adventure for the Five, although I've noticed that the girls are taking more and more of a backseat. George doesn't even correct accomplice-of-the-week Toby when he tells her she can't whitewash a hen-house because that's not women's work, nor does she put up much of a fight when Julian tells her to stay behind at the tent when it comes to reconnaissance. Much as some of George's behaviour can be annoying to an adult reader, she's always been quite relatable, and to see her go from a stand-out member of the Five to someone who hands over to the lads without a fight (or a damsel in distress) is unfortunate. I'm loathe to criticise Anne for being 'the nervous one' or her skills in cooking and cleaning, because neither are things to be ashamed of, but she's been increasingly left behind too.
Uncle Quentin only appears for two pages, but be reassured, he's been completely flanderised now. When he's not loudly threatening to sack Joanna, he's bidding farewell to his daughter and niblings with "finally, some peace and quiet" when they spend most of their years at boarding school. His characterisation has never been modern, but absolutely no sign left of the awkward-but-well-intentioned bloke from the first few books.
Billycock Hill is idyllic and beautiful; the campsite and little spring are lovingly described as usual. There's even a cave that Anne can turn into a makeshift storage unit for the 'creamy milk' (it's always creamy) and other goodies Toby's family farm provides.
Ah yeah, as mentioned, the guest star this time is Toby (and his kid brother Ben). Toby's built up to be this massive prankster almost to the point of cruelty, but it turns out he's disappointingly interchangeable with any of the other upper-class lads the Five have hung out with. Jock from Five Go Off to Camp is probably a good comparison. Ben is very young and adopts small animals from the farm to be his pets; when the Five come across him, the only thing he's really got to say is that his piglet 'runned away'.
I did enjoy that the 'butterfly men' were convincing red herrings (or at least they would be to a young reader), although the big bad's successful attempt to , but Blyton's bread and butter is safe, familiar tropes.
Likewise, Cousin Jeff and his colleague Ray turn out to be (this was published during WWII after all). Blyton isn't the kind of author to kill off anyone let alone a goodie, so he'll be found by the kids in the Billycock caves which ended up getting far less attention than usual.
Sarky review is a bit sarky. From me, it gets a 2 ('okay' in Goodreadsese).
Airfields, butterfly men and rescue pigs, oh my!
A fairly enjoyable adventure for the Five, although I've noticed that the girls are taking more and more of a backseat. George doesn't even correct accomplice-of-the-week Toby when he tells her she can't whitewash a hen-house because that's not women's work, nor does she put up much of a fight when Julian tells her to stay behind at the tent when it comes to reconnaissance. Much as some of George's behaviour can be annoying to an adult reader, she's always been quite relatable, and to see her go from a stand-out member of the Five to someone who hands over to the lads without a fight (or a damsel in distress) is unfortunate. I'm loathe to criticise Anne for being 'the nervous one' or her skills in cooking and cleaning, because neither are things to be ashamed of, but she's been increasingly left behind too.
Uncle Quentin only appears for two pages, but be reassured, he's been completely flanderised now. When he's not loudly threatening to sack Joanna, he's bidding farewell to his daughter and niblings with "finally, some peace and quiet" when they spend most of their years at boarding school. His characterisation has never been modern, but absolutely no sign left of the awkward-but-well-intentioned bloke from the first few books.
Billycock Hill is idyllic and beautiful; the campsite and little spring are lovingly described as usual. There's even a cave that Anne can turn into a makeshift storage unit for the 'creamy milk' (it's always creamy) and other goodies Toby's family farm provides.
Ah yeah, as mentioned, the guest star this time is Toby (and his kid brother Ben). Toby's built up to be this massive prankster almost to the point of cruelty, but it turns out he's disappointingly interchangeable with any of the other upper-class lads the Five have hung out with. Jock from Five Go Off to Camp is probably a good comparison. Ben is very young and adopts small animals from the farm to be his pets; when the Five come across him, the only thing he's really got to say is that his piglet 'runned away'.
I did enjoy that the 'butterfly men' were convincing red herrings (or at least they would be to a young reader), although the big bad's successful attempt to , but Blyton's bread and butter is safe, familiar tropes.
Likewise, Cousin Jeff and his colleague Ray turn out to be (this was published during WWII after all). Blyton isn't the kind of author to kill off anyone let alone a goodie, so he'll be found by the kids in the Billycock caves which ended up getting far less attention than usual.
Sarky review is a bit sarky. From me, it gets a 2 ('okay' in Goodreadsese).
November 18, 2011
A cute little story, made more cute by Benny and Curly, his little pigling. I liked as well the inclusion of Toby, a friend of Julian and Dick's- it seems to me that most of the kids the five go to school with wouldn't believe their adventures, and now one has shared in it. It was another quick read, but I always love reading the adventures of the five, whether long or short.
One particular line caught my attention; when they are discussing traitors, Dick says traitors deserve to die. Heady stuff there, Enid! I think it's also the only time the bad guys do die in these books, but of course, not in front of the children. Another darker aspect was when Benny goes missing, and his mother thinks he may have been drowned. There is never any real danger to the kids in these books, but it makes you remember how quickly and easily something like that can happen, with both Toby and his mother believing the boy is with the other.
One of my favorite five books growing up, time has not diminished it. I'd like to get hold of whomever scribbled in my secondhand copy before I got it though, and wring their neck!
One particular line caught my attention; when they are discussing traitors, Dick says traitors deserve to die. Heady stuff there, Enid! I think it's also the only time the bad guys do die in these books, but of course, not in front of the children. Another darker aspect was when Benny goes missing, and his mother thinks he may have been drowned. There is never any real danger to the kids in these books, but it makes you remember how quickly and easily something like that can happen, with both Toby and his mother believing the boy is with the other.
One of my favorite five books growing up, time has not diminished it. I'd like to get hold of whomever scribbled in my secondhand copy before I got it though, and wring their neck!
October 27, 2017
Every once in a while I read one of these. It calms me down.
I love that thanks to local Onleihe (online) library I have several available as e-books. These new German digital editions have new illustrations by Gerda Raidt, a German illustrator. So far 22 of Enid Blyton's "Famous Five" books were transformed into the new format.
I like that I know the stories by heart having listened to the audiobooks as a child over and over again. Those were very close to the books, not leaving out many details. The books make a short comforting read in between other heavier topics.
In this particular edition the five friends go camping near a friend's farm. An small airfield is closeby with secret new plane models. One stormy night, two pilots get kidnapped and the planes stolen. The friends search for the missing pilots in some caves and are able to rescue them.
I love that thanks to local Onleihe (online) library I have several available as e-books. These new German digital editions have new illustrations by Gerda Raidt, a German illustrator. So far 22 of Enid Blyton's "Famous Five" books were transformed into the new format.
I like that I know the stories by heart having listened to the audiobooks as a child over and over again. Those were very close to the books, not leaving out many details. The books make a short comforting read in between other heavier topics.
In this particular edition the five friends go camping near a friend's farm. An small airfield is closeby with secret new plane models. One stormy night, two pilots get kidnapped and the planes stolen. The friends search for the missing pilots in some caves and are able to rescue them.
January 7, 2021
Wouldn't be surprised to discover that Blyton wrote this in less time than it took me to read it. It's not great and the plot lacks the usual insanity. It's very 'of its time' boys are better than girls - peak tedium in this one.
There is a giant gorse bush that offered excellent shelter though - so point for that.
There is a giant gorse bush that offered excellent shelter though - so point for that.
June 16, 2022
Thankfully Blyton is back on form again - great title, good plot and excellent characterisation - although caves, tunnels and night-time thunderstorms are now far more likely to make an appearance than ginger beer.
Plenty of delicious food, though and fully appreciated, as always, by the ever-starving, adventure-hungry quintet.
Plenty of delicious food, though and fully appreciated, as always, by the ever-starving, adventure-hungry quintet.
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."
November 19, 2018
... reading with my 10 year old daughter...
I've read all these books way back when I was a child and I've read them numerous times. My daughter loved it dearly. And it's one of my favourites from this series.
I've read all these books way back when I was a child and I've read them numerous times. My daughter loved it dearly. And it's one of my favourites from this series.
March 27, 2021
The story was pretty nice.. there is nothing wrong with the story itself. The problem is that the author expresses several opinions full of xenophobia and sexism.. And that is problematic even if we take into account that its written in the 50s
November 7, 2017
2.5/5★
January 17, 2024
Comfort read. My favorite series when I was a kid.
August 8, 2018
Semua novel Lima Sekawan menyisakan kenangan indah bagi saya yang waktu itu masih SD/SMP saat membacanya pertama kali. Imajinatif banget menggambarkan kehidupan anak2 di barat karna dulu masih jarang film hollywood yang bisa ditonton.
June 13, 2020
The friends little brother and his pet pig really made this one for me! The airfield, planes and older cousin also made a nice change.
November 23, 2019
⭐️⭐️💫
The four explorers and their dog have grown up a bit and this mystery grew up a little, too, by delving into national security espionage.
It still has the same elements of the previous The Famous Five series...and I still had my marker to scrub inappropriate language for youngsters. We don’t want our children calling others “idiot, “stupid, or “a**es,” do we?
I was reminded how to remember the difference in stalactites and stalagmites. Fun! Stalactites hold on tight to the ceiling of a cave and stalagmites try with all their might to reach the ceiling.
The four explorers and their dog have grown up a bit and this mystery grew up a little, too, by delving into national security espionage.
It still has the same elements of the previous The Famous Five series...and I still had my marker to scrub inappropriate language for youngsters. We don’t want our children calling others “idiot, “stupid, or “a**es,” do we?
I was reminded how to remember the difference in stalactites and stalagmites. Fun! Stalactites hold on tight to the ceiling of a cave and stalagmites try with all their might to reach the ceiling.
May 6, 2022
Really exciting book!
March 16, 2023
It was a really slow book. And I hate they they made Georg so submissive in this book. In the other books she had much more personality and fire. In this book she was a secondary Charecter. I also hate that they make Anna and Georg do everything and they treat them like little kids even though they carry the group. I also feel like Tim didn't really have a role in any way.
January 3, 2018
Oh WOW!
This story starts with the kids going a picnic again. Here, we join Julian and Dick, Anne and George, not forgetting their dog Timmy who went to Billycock Hill for a leisure trip but had to experience adventure with Toby-their friend, Benny-the sweet little boy(Toby's brother),Binky-Toby's dog,and Curly-Benny's pet piglet...
THE BLOB
On holiday again, the Five are back at
Billycock Hill, and making friends
already. They can't believe it when
they meet Jeff- a real pilot! Maybe
they'll go flying too!
But now Jeff has disappeared with
some 'top secret' equipment! Could he be a spy?
Actually, they were kidnapped by a team of four members who were given support by Will Janes the cruel son of Mrs. Janes. Two of them kidnapped Jeff and Ray and the other two Flew off the planes which fortunately crashed in sea and they drowned. They were then looking for them and Curly also got lost with Benny. Benny was found near the caves but the piglet ran away again, as usual. When Curly came home back by itself after some time the children found something written on his body which was this way:
J . . . T R . . . W
CAVES
The first line was easily guessed by Toby. It was Jeff Thomas and Ray Wells. the second one could not be understood easily but Dick's sharp brain got hold of them at last.
"The word is CAVES" he said."See-the first letter might be G or O or C-but thee third one is certainly V and last is S. I'm sure it's caves and that's where Curly went, we know."
This story starts with the kids going a picnic again. Here, we join Julian and Dick, Anne and George, not forgetting their dog Timmy who went to Billycock Hill for a leisure trip but had to experience adventure with Toby-their friend, Benny-the sweet little boy(Toby's brother),Binky-Toby's dog,and Curly-Benny's pet piglet...
THE BLOB
On holiday again, the Five are back at
Billycock Hill, and making friends
already. They can't believe it when
they meet Jeff- a real pilot! Maybe
they'll go flying too!
But now Jeff has disappeared with
some 'top secret' equipment! Could he be a spy?
Actually, they were kidnapped by a team of four members who were given support by Will Janes the cruel son of Mrs. Janes. Two of them kidnapped Jeff and Ray and the other two Flew off the planes which fortunately crashed in sea and they drowned. They were then looking for them and Curly also got lost with Benny. Benny was found near the caves but the piglet ran away again, as usual. When Curly came home back by itself after some time the children found something written on his body which was this way:
J . . . T R . . . W
CAVES
The first line was easily guessed by Toby. It was Jeff Thomas and Ray Wells. the second one could not be understood easily but Dick's sharp brain got hold of them at last.
"The word is CAVES" he said."See-the first letter might be G or O or C-but thee third one is certainly V and last is S. I'm sure it's caves and that's where Curly went, we know."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 12, 2025
3 stars
"Why do we always run into something like this? We never seem to have a really peaceful time!"
The Five visit their friend Toby at a farm near Billycock Hill and soon become involved in a mystery when Toby's cousin, a Royal Air Force pilot, is accused of stealing a top-secret plane. Determined to clear his name, the children uncover a hidden cave and visit a nearby Butterfly farm in order to expose a gang of spies behind the theft.
Blyton fit a lot of stuff into this one. Great side characters, high stakes, and a pretty action-filled adventure. I cannot actually believe that the Five prioritised making sandwiches over looking for a missing five-year-old though, that was utterly ridiculous. Other than that, this has definitely been one of my favourites to read.
My ranking: #3/21
"Why do we always run into something like this? We never seem to have a really peaceful time!"
The Five visit their friend Toby at a farm near Billycock Hill and soon become involved in a mystery when Toby's cousin, a Royal Air Force pilot, is accused of stealing a top-secret plane. Determined to clear his name, the children uncover a hidden cave and visit a nearby Butterfly farm in order to expose a gang of spies behind the theft.
Blyton fit a lot of stuff into this one. Great side characters, high stakes, and a pretty action-filled adventure. I cannot actually believe that the Five prioritised making sandwiches over looking for a missing five-year-old though, that was utterly ridiculous. Other than that, this has definitely been one of my favourites to read.
My ranking: #3/21
June 28, 2009
Saya ingat sekali novel pertama yang saya baca adalah "Lima Sekawan: Sarjana Misterius" saat masih kelas 1 SMP. Membaca Lima Sekawan saat itu terasa asyik sekali, seakan saya ikut merasakan kekompakan bersama, kecerdikan Timmy, dan aksi kepahlawanan mereka membela kebenaran. Saya juga sering merasa iri dengan mereka yang diceritakan selalu dijamu makanan-makanan lezat, seperti daging asap, salmon, dsb. Gara-gara novel ini jugalah, saya jadi ingin merasakan tidur-tiduran di padang rumput yang luas di Inggris lalu menikmati tea time di sore hari.
Namun semakin beranjak dewasa, saya merasa kisah Lima Sekawan tidak lagi menantang. Aksi-aksi mereka jadi terasa seperti konsumsi untuk anak-anak. Tetapi biar bagaimana pun, saya berhutang budi pada Enid Blyton. Berkat Lima Sekawan, saya jadi keranjingan membaca buku-buku tebal lainnya :-)
Sekilas seperti: mainan kesayangan yang sekarang hanya menjadi pajangan saja.
Namun semakin beranjak dewasa, saya merasa kisah Lima Sekawan tidak lagi menantang. Aksi-aksi mereka jadi terasa seperti konsumsi untuk anak-anak. Tetapi biar bagaimana pun, saya berhutang budi pada Enid Blyton. Berkat Lima Sekawan, saya jadi keranjingan membaca buku-buku tebal lainnya :-)
Sekilas seperti: mainan kesayangan yang sekarang hanya menjadi pajangan saja.
June 19, 2024
Its Whitsun. I don’t think there’s been a FF story set at Whitsun before. Anyway, we get the usual preamble with the Five annoying Uncle Quentin as they plan their holiday. This time they’re going camping up somewhere called Billycock Hill. The boys are friends with a young lad, Toby, whose parents farm at the bottom of said hill.
Within minutes they’re off on their bikes, and of course, the suns shining and it’s a beautiful hot day. They arrive at Billycock Farm later that afternoon, so it’s obviously not that far from Kirrin, and we meet Toby, his mother Mrs Thomas, Toby’s little brother Benny, and Benny’s latest pet, Curly the pigling.
As usual, there’s food enough to feed the county and our heroes make the most of their hosts hospitality. After this vast repast, they load a handcart up with all their tents, and food, and head up to Billycock Hill.
It does sound like an idyllic location. They find a suitable place to camp and spend their first night sleeping under the stars. In the morning Toby arrives with some more foodstuffs and we are then introduced to a Mr Gringle, who owns the nearby butterfly farm with his unseen partner, Mr Brent. Gringle is happy to let the children see around the butterfly farm, although he turns out to be somewhat curmudgeonly and clearly not used to a pack of children.
They look around the farm and as they leave find themselves being hassled by an old lady, Mrs Janes who is the housekeeper for the two butterfly farm batchelors. Initially, they’re a bit creeped by her but it turns out that she’s a scared old lady who seems to be treated appallingly by her thug son. Time to head back to camp for more food !
I would be curious to see an updated print of this. There’s some heavy duty sexism from Julian in chapter Seven. On returning to their camp after their visit to the butterfly farm, the Five and Toby have lunch, then decide to go for a swim. Cue Julian “Well, we can’t bathe immediately after a meal. The girls will want to do their bit of washing-up, and put the rest of the food away. We’ll sit here and wait till they’ve finished,have a bit of a rest, and then go and find this pool”
Interestingly, George says nothing and helps Anne without a single complaint.
Then, on the way to the pool, talk turns to the nearby airfield where Toby’s cousin,Jeff works. The boys are keen to have a look around but Julian says “It wouldn’t interest the girls”. This time George retorts but Toby is having none of it “Girls don’t understand the first thing about aeroplanes or motor-cars or ships - … I really don’t think you’d be interested Georgina dear”
At least George bites back here but it’s swiftly forgotten. There’s no way these passages would get past the beady eyes of modern censors.
Anyway, I understand from reading a couple of Blyton related forums that this story isn’t particularly liked. That seems a shame as there are some really good bits in it. After the children have had their swim - and been told off by a military policeman - they then meet Toby’s cousin, Jeff the pilot. This bastion of manliness even turns George’s head and EB appears to get far too excited writing his scenes. Square-jawed and bright eyed, young Jeff is the pride of the Thomas family and a bit of a hero to young Toby.
Back at the camp we have a wonderful scene where the Five decide to go all modern and get their radio out. Its time to listen to the Pastoral Symphony, which does sound lovely actually, especially as they’re outside their camp high up on the hill, watching the sun go down.
The nice weather doesn’t last though and by the end of the evening our heroes are trapped in their tents, listening to the wind blow and the rain pour down. All these books have a creepy moment, and Billycock Hill’s happens here. Tim starts to bark and Julian takes him outside to see what’s upsetting him. They spot a shadowy figure lurking amidst the gorse bushes and when Julian calls out it turns out to be Mr Brent, of the butterfly farm. According to him, he and Mr Gringle are out trying to rescue their moths that have got caught on their honey traps.
Back in the tent, George hears a yell, and then the sound of an airplane is heard flying overhead. Who could be out on a night like this ?
The next day is wet so the Five visit the local caves where they find themselves spooked by a strange wailing sound. Now, Im sure in the past the children would have explored a bit more and tried to deduce what was making that noise, but not here. No, instead they leg it back outside as fast as their legs can carry them.
More bad news when Toby comes to camp to tell them that Cousin Jeff has disappeared and has taken one of the new top secret planes with him. The media, typically, immediately brand Jeff as a traitor to his country, although Toby and friends are certain otherwise.
The climax of the story is the weakest aspect of it. Benny’s pigling trots off into the caves, only to reappear with a strange message scrawled on his porky back. Turns out its Jeff, who had been kidnapped and held hostage in the caves. It was he who had made the scary noises the children had heard.
It transpires that Mrs Jane’s thug son, Will, was behind the kidnapping and in league with foreigners after our secrets. Boo ! Hiss !
So, ends another exciting adventure for our posh friends. I enjoyed this one immensely. Loved the location and the atmosphere, the butterfly farm was an interesting diversion and I enjoyed the bad guys creeping around the hill in the dark. The story breaks no new ground, but by this stage in the series - book 16 - it was never going to do that. I would go so far to say that this one is the last really enjoyable one in the series. The remaining five veer from ok to mediocre.
A definite 4 stars.
Within minutes they’re off on their bikes, and of course, the suns shining and it’s a beautiful hot day. They arrive at Billycock Farm later that afternoon, so it’s obviously not that far from Kirrin, and we meet Toby, his mother Mrs Thomas, Toby’s little brother Benny, and Benny’s latest pet, Curly the pigling.
As usual, there’s food enough to feed the county and our heroes make the most of their hosts hospitality. After this vast repast, they load a handcart up with all their tents, and food, and head up to Billycock Hill.
It does sound like an idyllic location. They find a suitable place to camp and spend their first night sleeping under the stars. In the morning Toby arrives with some more foodstuffs and we are then introduced to a Mr Gringle, who owns the nearby butterfly farm with his unseen partner, Mr Brent. Gringle is happy to let the children see around the butterfly farm, although he turns out to be somewhat curmudgeonly and clearly not used to a pack of children.
They look around the farm and as they leave find themselves being hassled by an old lady, Mrs Janes who is the housekeeper for the two butterfly farm batchelors. Initially, they’re a bit creeped by her but it turns out that she’s a scared old lady who seems to be treated appallingly by her thug son. Time to head back to camp for more food !
I would be curious to see an updated print of this. There’s some heavy duty sexism from Julian in chapter Seven. On returning to their camp after their visit to the butterfly farm, the Five and Toby have lunch, then decide to go for a swim. Cue Julian “Well, we can’t bathe immediately after a meal. The girls will want to do their bit of washing-up, and put the rest of the food away. We’ll sit here and wait till they’ve finished,have a bit of a rest, and then go and find this pool”
Interestingly, George says nothing and helps Anne without a single complaint.
Then, on the way to the pool, talk turns to the nearby airfield where Toby’s cousin,Jeff works. The boys are keen to have a look around but Julian says “It wouldn’t interest the girls”. This time George retorts but Toby is having none of it “Girls don’t understand the first thing about aeroplanes or motor-cars or ships - … I really don’t think you’d be interested Georgina dear”
At least George bites back here but it’s swiftly forgotten. There’s no way these passages would get past the beady eyes of modern censors.
Anyway, I understand from reading a couple of Blyton related forums that this story isn’t particularly liked. That seems a shame as there are some really good bits in it. After the children have had their swim - and been told off by a military policeman - they then meet Toby’s cousin, Jeff the pilot. This bastion of manliness even turns George’s head and EB appears to get far too excited writing his scenes. Square-jawed and bright eyed, young Jeff is the pride of the Thomas family and a bit of a hero to young Toby.
Back at the camp we have a wonderful scene where the Five decide to go all modern and get their radio out. Its time to listen to the Pastoral Symphony, which does sound lovely actually, especially as they’re outside their camp high up on the hill, watching the sun go down.
The nice weather doesn’t last though and by the end of the evening our heroes are trapped in their tents, listening to the wind blow and the rain pour down. All these books have a creepy moment, and Billycock Hill’s happens here. Tim starts to bark and Julian takes him outside to see what’s upsetting him. They spot a shadowy figure lurking amidst the gorse bushes and when Julian calls out it turns out to be Mr Brent, of the butterfly farm. According to him, he and Mr Gringle are out trying to rescue their moths that have got caught on their honey traps.
Back in the tent, George hears a yell, and then the sound of an airplane is heard flying overhead. Who could be out on a night like this ?
The next day is wet so the Five visit the local caves where they find themselves spooked by a strange wailing sound. Now, Im sure in the past the children would have explored a bit more and tried to deduce what was making that noise, but not here. No, instead they leg it back outside as fast as their legs can carry them.
More bad news when Toby comes to camp to tell them that Cousin Jeff has disappeared and has taken one of the new top secret planes with him. The media, typically, immediately brand Jeff as a traitor to his country, although Toby and friends are certain otherwise.
The climax of the story is the weakest aspect of it. Benny’s pigling trots off into the caves, only to reappear with a strange message scrawled on his porky back. Turns out its Jeff, who had been kidnapped and held hostage in the caves. It was he who had made the scary noises the children had heard.
It transpires that Mrs Jane’s thug son, Will, was behind the kidnapping and in league with foreigners after our secrets. Boo ! Hiss !
So, ends another exciting adventure for our posh friends. I enjoyed this one immensely. Loved the location and the atmosphere, the butterfly farm was an interesting diversion and I enjoyed the bad guys creeping around the hill in the dark. The story breaks no new ground, but by this stage in the series - book 16 - it was never going to do that. I would go so far to say that this one is the last really enjoyable one in the series. The remaining five veer from ok to mediocre.
A definite 4 stars.
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