Since we have lots of Enid Blyton books available for reading during the holidays, read more about the author:
Enid Mary Blyton
Enid Blyton was born on 11 August 1897 in East Dulwich, London, and passed away on 28 November 1968. She was an English children’s writer, and her books have been among the world’s best-sellers since the 1930’s, and are still very popular.
She wrote on a wide range of topics including fantasy, mystery, natural history, education, and biblical narratives and is best remembered today for her Famous Five, Secret Seven, and Noddy series.
Enid worked in a wide range of fictional genres, from fairy tales to animal, nature, detective, mystery, and circus stories, but she often “blurred the boundaries” in her books, and encompassed a range of genres even in her short stories. Her fantasy books typically involve children being transported into a magical world in which they meet fairies, goblins, elves, pixies, and other mythological creatures.
Enid’s work received much criticism towards issues such as race, gender and the treatment of children, but later editions of her work have been altered to reflect more liberal attitudes. Many of her books were adapted for stage, screen and television.
Enid Blyton wrote 186 novels/novelettes, 269 character books, 983 short story series books, 268 education books, 252 recreation books, 208 continuation books, and 295 Enid Blyton contributions. A Complete Book Listing can be viewed here: http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/list-all.php.
After Enid Blyton’s death, author Pamela Cox was asked to complete some of Enid’s work, and to date she has completed six novels in the “Malory Towers” series, and three “St. Clare’s” novels.
To view a dramatized version of Enid Blyton’s life, you can watch the BBC film “Enid”, featuring Helena Bonham Carter (http://www.takealot.com/enid-import-dvd/PLID7843875)
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“The Enchanted Wood”, the first in The Faraway Tree series, was originally written in 1939. The novel is about three kids that discover the Faraway Tree in an Enchanted Wood that seems to reach into the clouds. The kids discover and befriend the magical creatures that inhabit the Faraway Tree, and they discover a ladder that leads them to a magical land that is different on each visit. The Enchanted Wood was inspired by the Norse mythology that had fascinated Enid as a child.
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The first novel in the “Famous Five” series, Five on a Treasure Island, was first published in 1942. It is an adventure story, featuring a group of young children and their dog getting together during school holidays, and getting caught up in an adventure often involving criminals or lost treasure. 21 full-length Famous Five novels had been written.
For more details on works by Enid Blyton, see http://www.enidblytonsociety.co.uk/cave-of-books.php
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Naughty Amelia Jane is the first in a series of 5 Amelia Jane books, and introduces a very naughty handmade ragdoll who constantly plays tricks on the other toys in the toy room of a nursery. Naughty Amelia Jane first appeared in 1939.
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