HI. I found your website today and I was wondering
if you could help me. I am looking for 3 different books. The first two
belong together although I am not sure they are a series. I am pretty sure
they are British. They are a collection of bed time stories my grandpa
used to read to me when I was about 4 (1978). One book was blue, the other
pink. The first story in the blue book was called The Cuckoo and the
Robbers. I am not sure of the names of any of the stories in the pink
book, although I know there was a story about a bunch of candles-- each
one a different colour-- that a family of children took when they went
to bed. The yellow candle belonged to the youngest daughter Connie, and
it got too close to the radiator and formed a "C" and Connie's mother remarked
that it was the first letter of her name and she shouldn't burn it because
of that.
I think that A10 could be referencing the Andrew
Lang Fairy Books, which come in a variety of colors (i.e. the Brown
Fairy Book, the Lilac Fairy Book, etc.), each including a different
compilation of classic fairy tales. I know there was a Blue Fairy
Book as well as a Pink one, but don't have copies
so I don't know if the stories referred to are included in those volumes.
Thanks for the attempt, but I am one hundred
per cent certain they are not the Andrew Lang collection, mainly becasue
I HAVE the entire collection. Thanks anyway, keep trying
I have the answer to Stumper A10. The story about
Connie and her Candle, is called Connies Curious Candle and
is contained in an anthology called Stories for Bedtime,
by Enid Blyton. It was published in 1966, by Dean and Son Ltd, London,
and is number 13 in the Enid Blyton Rewards series.
---
When i was a child in the fifties, my grandmother
had a book of fairy tales that was old at that time. the illustrations
were very flowing, done in pen-and-ink. The one story that has stayed in
my mind was one of a little girl who was given a magical purse which contained
a single silver coin ?dime? whenever she opened it. I would love to be
able to find this book. i also have the Uncle Wiggly Book that has all
his stories that she had, and i still love reading. i will appreciate any
help. Thanks.
Hi - I think I may have an answer for "M5: Magical
Purse" (or at least for part of it). There is an Enid Blyton
book called Fireside Tales, with about 10 stories in it.
One of the stories is about a very poor girl named Tessie, who has silver
buckles for her shoes. She sews them on to go to a party, but loses
one in the woods on the way home. Her mother is furious with her,
so she goes looking for the buckle the next day. She meets someone
(elf, brownie, something like that) who is also looking for a silver buckle
- he found hers the previous day and is looking for the other one. He offers
her a penny-purse in exchange. When Tessie gets home her mother is
even more angry, takes the single penny out of the purse and throws it
on the table. They realise that there is another penny in the purse,
and every time they take one out, another one appears in thepurse.
Comes in very handy since they were apparently near starvation point!
---
First off, I love your website! I collect certain
out-of-print children's series, and reading other people's questions just
reminded me of many old favorites! Hopefully, you can help me on
this one. I remember reading a great collection of books about five
kids and their adventures, when I was about eight or nine. Unfortunately,
I don't know the author's name nor the exact titles. They all started
with the phrase, "Five Go Down To . . ." I have some family members
with whom I'd like to share these books, if you can find them for me!
F4: Is this The adventures of the Famous
Five - by Enid Blyton? There could have been up to 10 books
in the series, with the characters Julian, Dick, George, Anne and Timmy
the dog. There was also a tv series. The hardback books are
very difficult to find, although there have been more recent paperbacks
which are in stock in bookstores. Regards from Australia.
My grandmother found both of these books and
kept them at her house. They were paperbacks and focused on about
four English children who solved mysteries. It wasn't the Bobbsey
Twins. I think the children were all brothers and sisters. I think
they also rode bikes often. I do remember for certain that there was a
British police officer who couldn't stand them and was always chasing after
them and giving them a hard time. I would guess they were written
sometime between the forties and sixties. Definitely a British book.
Please help me find them. There was a series of these books but I
only had two and read them again and again. Thanks.
B57 is almost certainly Enid Blyton's
series
The Mystery of ... (about half a dozen titles as I
remember) with main character Fatty and other children. The policeman is
PC Goon who is completely stupid, whereas the Inspector thinks the children
are clever!
B57 Sounds Like The Famous Five
Series by Enid Blyton. There are 4 children altogether. Two brothers,
Dick and Julian: a sister, Anne; and a girl cousin; George (short for Georgina
which she HATES) and 1 dog, Timmy who solve mysteries. They rode bikes
sometimes and were English. There are 21 books in the original series.
I think this is the 'Mystery' series by Enid
Blyton. There were at least 15 books - The Mystery of the Missing
Necklace, the Pantomime Cat, the Secret Room, the Strange Bundle, the Disappearing
Cat etc featuring the 'Five Find-Outers and Dog.' They were Fatty
(Frederick Algernon Trottville I think), Philip (Pip) and Bets who were
brother and sister, and Larry and Daisy, also brother and sister. The dog
was Buster and I think belonged to Fatty. The policeman was Mr Goon, known
as Old Clear-Orf. Fatty was the brains and always outwitted Mr Goon. There
was also Inspector Jenks who respected the children. Mr Goon had a dim-witted
nephew Ern. There were 21 Famous Five books.
This series sounds like it *could* be the 'Five
Findouters' series by Enid Blyton - it fits except for the
fact that had five children instaed of four. The five kids were Fatty,
brother and sister Larry and Daisy, and brother and sister Pip and Bets.
The policeman who disliked them was PC Goon. The first book in the series
was The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage.
I think B.57 could be one of the Enid Blyton
series. There were (I think!) The Famous Five, The Secret Seven
and another mob of kids that had a parrot called Kiki or somthing similar,
that were always solving mysteries in England. They rode bicycles
and ate huge amounts of fruit cake and drank copious amounts of ginger
beer...to my recollection
Your stumper B57 can't be anything but Enid
Blyton. It's probably either The Famous Five (four
kids and a dog) or the Adventure Series. Look at www.blyton.net
and check the titles, characters and descriptions to figure out which story
line it is...hope this helps!
---
I read a book when I was a young girl ( some
time in the 1950's) about a young prince who is hidden in a travelling
circus to escape some political enemies that would like to do away with
him in his small European country.It was a great adventure story. I cannot
remember the name of it, but would love to know and to find a copy of it.
Thank you in advance for any help you can give.
T36--Could be Enid Blyton's Circus of Adventure.
T36 is, I think, The Circus of Adventure
by Enid Blyton.
Sure does sound like Circus of Adventure
by Enid Blyton, illustrated by Stuart Tresilian, published by Macmillan
in 1952 (and many times after that). Bill the detective has the assignment
of hiding Gustavus, a young prince who is wanted by conspirators so they
can set him up as a puppet-king. The 4 adventurers and Kiki the parrot
end up in Tauri-Hessia and join a small circus, where Philip helps with
the bears and Gustavus is disguised as a girl (men of the ruling family
have to wear their hair long), after a rescue from the prison tower by
circus trapeze.
Trying to recapture my childhood by reading the
books I read then in the same edition....
The Magic Faraway Tree: New edition.
The names of the children have been updated
My girlfriend & I have been togther for sometime
now & it was she who introduced me to the St. Clare's & Mallory
Towers series. They are tremendous books that take me back to my
own school days. Unfortunatly my girlfriend - as a small child ate the
corners from most of the books - could anybody tell me where to find any
copies of the books now. The series in particular are the same age
as the St. Clare's book cover featured in your website. (But why the kitten
on the cover? As I remember there was only a wounded dog called "Binks"!!)
the mystery of the missing necklace
was a wonderful bk It can even be better than the Harry Potter series,
which is a hot shot.
I really hope you can help. Im trying to
find a book my mother read as a child in the 1950's (it may not have been
new then). It was about some children who make a home in a hollow tree.
My mother thinks it was simply called 'Treehouse' but I have had no luck
searching for this title. Any ideas?
Enid Blyton, Hollow Tree House
more on the suggested Hollow Tree House
by Enid Blyton, illustrated by Dorothy Wall, published London,
Lutterworth 1952, 160 pages, paperback reprint by Armada 1966. No description
of plot available, but pbk cover does show three children by a large hollow
tree.
T70 treehouse: I've found a copy of the Blyton
book
suggested. Peter and Susan live with their bad- tempered scolding aunt
and shiftless uncle. With their friend Angela and her puppy Barker they
find a huge hollow tree in the woods and bring old rugs and castoff furniture
to make it into a secret house. They find their way back and forth by a
string marking the trail. When Aunt Margaret decides to send them to a
Children's Home they run away to the hollow tree. They live in it for a
few days, washing in a pond and making a bed from heather, while
Angela brings them food from her home.
I am looking for a copy of "Connie and the curious
candle" published by Dean & Son I think in the 60s.
---
Well, that doesn't sound like a stumper, but I couldn't find the book
for sale anywhere, nor listed in the Library of Congress, so perhaps this
is a stumper. Anyone recognize this under a different title?
Enid Blyton, Stories for Bedtime,
1966. A 'net search revealed that all roads lead to Loganberry. The
following entry is on one of your Most Requested Books pages:
"The story about Connie and her candle is called Connie's Curious
Candle and is contained in an anthology called Stories for
Bedtime by Enid Blyton. It was published in 1966 by Dean
and Son Ltd, London, and is number 13 in the Enid Blyton Rewards series."'
Well, that explains why it was so memorable.... I seared LC,
and forgot to search my own site. That's pretty funny.
Blyton, Enid, Stories for Bedtime,
London: Dean 1966. This is on the Most Requested under Blyton. The
story is called Connie's Curious Candle.
#C144--Connie and the Curious Candle:
This is under "Solved Mysteries" under a similar title, probably "Connie's
Curious Candle." As I remember, it was part of a story collection.
Enid Blyton, Bedtime Stories(or
similar) I'm pretty sure that this is the title of a short story
in one of Enid Blyton's 'bedtime story' collections.
Enid Blyton, Connie's Curious Candle in
Stories for Bedtime. Got this from a Google search on "curious
candle". The page referenced is Loganberry's Most
Requested Books and also refers to stumper A10.
I am also looking for the edition of The
Enchanted
Wood illustrated by Janet &
Anne Graham Johstone, or if anyone knows the edition I am looking for.
It is the first book in a series. The second is The Faraway
Tree and the third is The Folk of the Faraway Tree,
but I do not believe the Jonstones did the second two.
The book that you are looking for is the 1979
edition of The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton, illustrated
by Janet and Anne Grahame Johnstone. I have no idea where you would
find the book now, but I do own a copy of the same. You can visit my
website; I am sure, it will help you revive old memories.
island of adventure: first of the
adventure books is embarrassing it is rascist
Five Findouters: i want to
know what is the real name of Fatty in it? and also the village in which
Five Findouters mysteries take place. thank you.i must say that u have
done a good job. keep it up! bye!
Enid Blyton, Five Find Outers Series.
Fatty's real name was Frederick Algernon Trotter
Enid Blyton, The Twins at St. Clares.
all about St. Clares is amazing. I Love St. Clares
Enid Blyton, Famous Five.
I remember reading Enid Blyton's Famous Five when I was about 11 or so
and I'm not sure but I believe that she had a different cover for her books
- a different illustration. Anyway, I love her books. These are the
books that stregthened my reading and made me the avid reader that I am
today. My hat's off to Enid Blyton and her terrific books!!!! |
In the late 50's and early 60's, I recall a series
of mystery books that I believe were titled "Adventure of/in ...," but
could've been "Mystery of ...." It seems as though the settings
were in unpopulated areas - islands, etc. The characters in these
books were English children - I believe there were 3 (a brother and 2 sisters).
I'm driving myself crazy trying to remember them and can't for the life
of me. I've browsed a number of libraries and even the old
library where I got them as a child and no one seems to recall them except
me. I wonder if you have any ideas about how to find them...
Thanks....
Perhaps there were five? Check out the Famous
Five series by Enid Blyton. Very British, very popular.
That would be my first guess.
---
The book I am looking for is I think it is called
The
Faraway Tree. It is a childrens book. I'm not sure of the name of the
author. I read this book when I was young and I still remember the characters
like it was yesterday but not the author. If I'm not mistaken it was a
series of books. I read this book about 23 years ago. I sure hope you can
help me. I've been looking for this book for years, but unfortunately no
one here has ever heard of it.
Well, I hope this is the right book:
Storm, John. The Faraway Tree. Illus. George McVicker.
Lothrop, 1948. Spine ends chipped, otherwise a good copy in worn dj. VG/G
$20 postpaid.
Hello, I just dropped in to your site. Very nice.
Someone was looking for The Faraway Tree back in April. I
suspect the person may have been looking for the Folk of the Faraway Tree
series of books for children by British children's author Enid Blyton,
instead of the one which you tracked down.
Yes, I bet you're right! I'll start searching for Enid Blyton'sThe
Faraway Tree.
I have a copy of one of the series you were looking for, in stock!
Still interested?
Blyton, Enid. The Magic Faraway Tree.
London 1943, 1971. Small 8vo, yellow glossy boards. <SOLD>
I read those stories as a child (I am American,
but I lived in Bermuda for part of my childhood...I discovered Enid
Blyton there) and they haunted me until I found a paperback copy of
The
Faraway Tree stories. Violet Needham is another one who
has haunted me since childhood...I am now 50 years old! I have about half
of the books she published and won't rest until I have them all!
---
I am searching for a book that was read when i was
between 8 and 10 at school by our teacher. All i can remember was
that it was about a tree and somw children (maybe a boy or girl or both)
discovered the tree and there were all types of characters living in the
tree. I think one was called dame dishwater and moonbeam ( he may
have been a central character). Could it be faraway tree ( as i have
read your entire site and saw reference to a book by enid blyton????)
If you have the book there maybe you could let me know.
I was having a brief flick through your stumped
section and found one that I actually knew!!! Your D-10 mention Moonface
and Dame Dishwasher (actually called Dame Washalot), which are in two books,
The
Magic Faraway Tree and The Enchanted Wood, both by
Enid
Blyton. These are much loved books in our home!
---
During the years 1950 to 1957, when I was around
8 to 15, I absolutely loved a series of books written by someone similar
to Enid Blyton, similar to the Famous Five books.
They were about a small group of friends who used to solve mysteries and
such like. I'd always get one for Christmas, read it over and over
again, then have to save up to buy another one for myself during the year.
(How times have changed!). I think my mum gave them all away when we emigrated
to Canada. Can you help?
when I was a little girl, 50 years ago, I absolutely
loved the Secret 7 series of books. Can you name the
author - are then any books around?
These are by Enid Blyton!
---
Hi! I love your site. For years, I've been
looking for a book I read in the mid 1970s. I attended a private
Christian academy and the book was in their library, so I'm pretty sure
it had a Christian theme. It was about a set of identical twins in an English
boarding school and I don't remember much else except when the girls got
mad they would call each other "prig" and that the twins switched classes.
I keep thinking the title might be "The Mischievous Twins."
If you could help I would be grateful.
I am almost positive that the person is thinking
of Enid Blyton's boarding school books, probably the St Clares series (the
name of the school may be why she is thinking Christian, although I don't
remember any religious overtones) One specific title from that series is
THE
TWINS AT St. CLARE'S. They are referred to as the mischieveous
twins.
Are you thinking of Enid Blyton's Twins
at St Clare's?
Thank you very much for your reply. I'm
going to look in my town's library to see if they have the book, I hope
it's the one I remember. Thanks again.
By the way, on your Solved Mysteries you have
Enid
Blyton's Twins at St Clares. I have all of Enid Blyton's school
stories and, while the St Clare's series was about the O'Sullivan twins,
they were always the best of friends, never called each other prig and
were always in the same classes as each other, so they couldn't have swapped
classes. However, it may be a case of fuzzy memory about the details.
---
I seek children’s books (series of mysteries?) as
read by me c1962. The characters were English - 2 sets of brother/sister
siblings - went to boarding school (story lines took place during holidays),
carried torches (flashlights) and ate biscuits (cookies). Someone
had a cockatoo named “Kiki”. Maybe they were step-siblings by a second
marriage?
What an absolutely wonderful website!!
I live in the UK and have looked at your website just today. I have
been collecting books for about 8 years. Anyway to get to the point
to answer the query in B12. I am certain these books are the adventure
stories by Enid Blyton. There are eight in all and have a
parrot called Kiki. I am lucky enough to own all eight but most ofthem
are quite easy to find in paperback in the UK.
The Island of Adventure,
The Castle of Adventure, The Valley of Adventure, The Sea of Adventure,
The Mountain of Adventure, The Circus of Adventure, The River of Adventure.
Best wishes.
Thank you for your helpful reply, Harriett.
Since posting my original query, I have been fortunate to have located
and purchased a few fine quality first editions of Blyton's ADVENTURE
series. Again, your effort and follow up is greatly appreciated.
I'll look at your web site in the next few days to review your current
offerings.
Thank you for this information. Now that you
mention the name moonface I remember the character. I've been looking a
long time and I'am so happy to have this information.
Hi there! I thought you might like to know about
Green Hedges Magazine, the world's first publication for Enid Blyton enthusiasts
of all ages - now in its ninth year of production. If you haven't visited
our website yet, then do pay www.greenhedges.net
a visit! Since November 1991 our publications have united Enid Blyton
enthusiasts of all ages and in all parts of the world. Last year
we began publishing our quarterly magazine on the Internet and this has
proved extremely popular. There is also a page
of news for Enid Blyton enthusiasts.
I am looking for an Enid Blyton short story
book which had a story called "A ship and a pair of shoes" and another
one called "Flibberty Gibbety" or something like that
hello i was hoping you could help me find a new
set of the noddy story books. i have a few already such as noddy
goes to toyland and noddy and tess bear and i wanted
the rest of the books in this range . i think there are about 30 story
books. i live in brisbane, australia (i do not want originals, too expensive)
this is just something for my own personal bookshelf , i havent read the
whole set and i would love to be able to . thank-you for your time , i
hope to hear from you soon
I am searching for a children's book I read in
my elementary school library. I haven't seen it for twenty years,
and I'm afraid my memories of its details are fading. But I'm still
looking. The book has a title similar to THE ENCHANTED WOOD
or THE HIDDEN FOREST. The main character was a boy
with a moon face for a head, and he dressed like an English school boy.
His best friend was a fairy with long, golden hair and a bit of a temper.
I remember a forest and a huge tree with a door in the side, and when one
of the main characters gets lost or kidnapped or something, the other goes
through the door in the tree, entering a world of magic and strange creatures.
In the end, everyone makes it back home, safe and sound. This book was
hardbacked, oversized (or at least I think it was kept in the oversize
section), and every page contained wonderful color illustrations.
The drawings remind me so much of Janet and Anne Grahame-Johnstone's work
that I have been searching for them as illustrators and possibly authors,
but I haven't found the book yet, either. It was probably published
in the '70s, definitely no later than 1980. I am now 2400 miles away from
my elementary school library, otherwise I'd be scouring it shelf by shelf.
My sister, who remembers this book even more vaguely than myself, has quizzed
the librarian, but they too are stumped. Do you know of such a book?
I hope that I remember enough about this enchanting story that I may find
it again.
Later...
Last week or earlier I wrote to you, asking if
you could name the title and author of a book from my childhood.
After finding some clues on your website and then searching some other
resources, I think I found my answer. Now I need to find the book
for sale. Do you have
THE ENCHANTED WOOD by Enid Blyton?
I am looking for a specific edition, illustrated by Janet and Anne Grahame
Johnstone, published by Dean around 1979. The book is hardbacked.
The book you describe is by Enid Blyton,
but the actual title of the book is The Faraway Tree. The
boy with the moon for a face is called Moonface and the grumpy fairy is
called Silky. I seem to recall a sequel which may have been called The
Faraway Tree Again or Back To The Faraway Tree. I
hope this helps in your search.
The books you are loking for are called The
Enchanted Wood, The Magic Faraway Tree, The Folks of the Faraway Tree,
by Enid Blyton, where you had Moonface, Silky the fairy, Dame Washalot,
etc, the tree was in the enchanted wood near the children's home, and it
had a cloud on top where different lands would come and go, some were pleasnat
and others were nasty, and you had to get away before they left or you
would be stuck there forever. A good place to get Enid Blyton's is
India, as they are still very popular there, and many titles that are out
of print in the West are available in normal bookshops.
Hello, everyone. This is an awesome site. I am
trying to find somewhere on the internet the name of a book I read that
must have been by by Enid Blyton. The dad was a spy and spoke several languages
and I think he drove a Bentley. His wife spoke Italian and English. At
one stage they were looking after a kid who was Prince Aloysius Someone
of Tauri-Hessia. I think I might have mixed it up with the Three Investigators
Mystery of the Silver Spider, but I don't think so. And there was a
rope that they all had to get across to escape and one of the locals said
"I don't need a saaftee-net!" Any help would be great.
Sorry I just saw it was the Circus of Adventure.
Thanks
anyway!
I am a reference librarian but this has me stumped!
I had a book as a child in England, that was published in the late 1940's,
probably, as it was a hand-me-down from my older sisters. Title was
Anytime
Tales by Enid Blyton (an anthology). It is NOT, repeat
NOT, that title that was published in the 1970's - nothing like it!
It was a sizable format (the size of a British child's 'annual') and had
on the cover an illustration of a little girl, kerchief on head, sitting
amongst rolled up carpets and obviously taking a break from Spring cleaning
by sitting reading the same book Anytime Tales with her own
picture on the cover (sort of a receding mirror image effect - the book
with a picture of the book with a picture of the book). This item does
not come up in WorldCat database and an authority re: Blyton tells me that
even her publisher is not completely sure of all
the editions of her stories that were pumped
out. So, this boils down to 'Have you ever seen one of these?'
Roberta Ellis is a remarkable girl with plenty
of brains and intelligence and guts and does most extraordinary mischiefs.
Kathleen, Sheila and Doris are great mad girls. I love Misstresses at St.
Clares who are smart, beautiful, wise and most sensible and dignified.
Claudine, Hilary, Bobby(Roberta) and the whole class is enthralling.
I was so excited when I found the book of my childhood
fantasies on your search. I knew it as "The Hollow Treehouse"
and that was all the information I had. I am now 45 years old, and I read
that book over and over as a child, and lived the fantasy, yet I have been
told during my trace that I must have been mistaken! I have been trying
to find one for my seven year old son, and thought I would just find it
at the local library during a search - boy was I wrong, and the story goes
on and on !! I live in Sydney, Australia. Harriet can you please
tell me if you think I'll find my own copy anywhere? I've turned into "the
mother on a mission" as far as this book is concerned, and want it as much
now for me as for my son.Thanks for your great site, and fostering the
love of books, |
