Book info

• Title The Secret Seven
• Author Enid Blyton
• Year 1949
• Genre Childrens

It's their first adventure and the Secret Seven super-sleuths are already on the trail of a mystery! The gang are dressed in disguise, following a lead to a spooky old house in the snow...

Thoughts

Occasionally, I want something quick and easy to devour, and at the same time revisit my childhood. I always remember having Enid Blyton books to hand, but I don’t think The Secret Seven were one of my favourites. For a start, it’s quite hard to remember seven distinct people, particularly when they are all quite similar plucky young kids. I did like, however, when compared to the Famous Five, that the count in the title didn’t include a dog!

This read through was quite fun, I liked it more than I remember liking them. But I must say the story was pretty obvious. Clearly it’s aimed at kids not fully formed adults (!) like myself, but even a young kid must be able to identify the snuffles of a horse, particularly if they live in the countryside, no?

Nevertheless, I still liked the inventiveness - the gang went to a lot of trouble to make snowman suits and stay up half the night keeping watch. You wouldn’t get dedication like that these days, I reckon!

Fun book, very short but a good introduction to the Secret Seven.

Rating: 3 / 5