Malory Towers by Enid Blyton

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Like so many children, I grew up reading the books of Enid Blyton. Malory Towers, St Clares, the Famous Five, the Wishing Chair, the Faraway Tree etc.

The BBC made a lovely adaptation of the Malory Towers books, with a very talented young cast. I'm so enjoying watching it in these turbulent times. Highly recommended.

Are these old? Like the Famous Five tv programs? Or new ones?

I never read malory towers but I devoured Enid Blyton's mysteries as a kid and I read them to my kid now (skipping over the overtly racist bits!).

This series started being made in 2020. Malory Towers was my favourite Enid Blyton school series, St Clares was a bit less interesting.

Yes I loved the Famous Five, the Five Find Outers (Pip, Fatty etc), the Adventure series with Philip, Dinah, Jack and Lucy Ann and their spy friend Bill and of course their talking parrot Kiki. The Adventure series was my favourite, I found it more realistic than the Famous Five.

I used to think the Famous Five were unintentionally funny even as a child, with bossy Julian and rebellious Dick, Aunt Fanny and Uncle Quentin. And George- 'she thinks she's a boy but she'll never be as good as a boy'

I never read Malory Towers or St Claires but I did read the Naughtiest Girl in the school trilogy. The idea of a boarding school always seemed like a nightmare to me though, I never really understood why they liked it.

I really liked the 'R' mystery series and the Five Find Outers - although I tried reading some of those to my daughter recently and I found myself hating Fatty, even though he was pretty much my hero when I was young - he's really obnoxious!

I suppose as you're a boy, a story of girls schools might not appeal. I don't think I read the Naughtiest Girl series.

I was a sucker for school stories though. There is a very long series of Chalet School stories, it went on so long that the original characters grew up and had children of their own! There was a really scary story of them going through WW2, it was a bit too much for me. I always remember they had to hide from the Nazis in tunnels and the headmistress's hair went white with stress. Urgh.

But as you say, looking back as an adult, what on EARTH was I thinking? Boarding school sounds horrible.

What's the R mystery series? Yes I read the Five Find Outers and liked Fatty, from what I remember. I'm sure I'd dislike him now though! It's a bit sizeist as well isn't it...

The R mysteries were a series which all began with the letter R. The Rockingdown Mystery, The Rub-a-dub Mystery. Those are the ones I can recall off the top of my head. The characters were Roger, Diana and Snubby who was a gifted mimic. Much like Famous Five really but I remember the stories being a bit more grown up, a bit spookier.

I'd have totally read those girls school books if they'd been around the house. I read everything I could get my hands on!

That does ring a bell about the R mysteries. You'd have loved the Adventure series with Philip, Dinah, Jack and Lucy Ann. They were also more grown up and spooky than the Famous Five. Some weird stuff happens and there's more relationship drama. They are called The Castle of Adventure, The Island of Adventure, the River of Adventure...etc...

I remember being like that, reading anything I could get. My eyes and attention span aren't up to it anymore, plus I edit novels so they get worn out!