Customer Reviews

five go off in a caravan

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

One of the best in the series, and one of my personal favorites. This time, our five friends: Julian, Dick, Anne, George and Timmy of course, set out on a holiday in caravans each drawn by a sturdy little horse. The trip starts off peacefully enough, but of course an adventure soon appears...this time from the circus camp located near where the five are staying. Why are Lou the acrobat and Dan the clown so eager to be rid of the five? Be prepared for the usual hair raising adventure filled with nasty tempered criminals, secret passageways and a lot of scrumptious sounding food. Pass the tomatos please! This book stands out thanks to the strange circus folk the five befriend along the way including a couple of circus dogs, a hilarious chimpanzee, and even an elephant who loves to play cricket!

The Famous Five - three siblings, their cousin and her dog - are probably among the most famous of Enid Blyton's literary creations, coming in just behind Noddy and The Magic Faraway Tree. They are certainly the best-known of her juvenile detectives series (would kids these days even know who The Secret Seven and The Five Find-Outers are?) and the adventures of Julian, Dick, George, Anne and Timmy the dog have never been out of print since their first publication in 1942. Spanning twenty one books, a typical installment will involve the children wandering about the countryside with no adult supervision, having lavish picnics that include potted meat, chocolate cakes and ginger-beer, and tumbling head-first into a mystery whether they mean to or not.

The three siblings are Julian, Dick and Anne; each one a typical character type. Julian, the eldest, is responsible, intelligent, and assumes the leadership role on each adventure, whilst Dick is more easy-going and humorous. Anne is the domestic-in-training who takes care of the cooking and cleaning, and is usually the one to act as surrogate mother to the others despite being the youngest. But it is their cousin George who is the most interesting (and thus the most popular) character. Her real name is Georgina, but she insists on George, wears her hair short and wishes that she had been born a boy. Sometimes surly and quick-tempered, her greatest joys in life are her mongrel dog Timmy and her small private island off the coast.

The children are lightly sketched, but are sympathetic, well-mannered and likeable. Functioning well as a team and each providing something useful and unique to the group dynamic is probably the reason why this particular series has lasted as long as it has. The mysteries usually involve stumbling into some sort of criminal undertaking, and with their requisite pluck and determination, the five gather enough information to safely inform the authorities - though usually not without earning the unwelcome attention of the criminals first.

In "Five Go Off in a Caravan", the holidays have rolled around again (unsurprising since every single one of these books takes place in the summer "hols") and the sight of a traveling circus give the children an idea. They talk their parents into letting them hire two horse-drawn caravans in order to go traveling around the countryside - hopefully taking the same route as the circus. Permission is granted, and after a few idyllic days meandering through the English countryside, the children catch up to the circus and make the acquaintance of a young circus boy named Nobby (not to be confused with Noddy) and Pongo the trained chimp.

The five are delighted to be shown around the circus, what with all its performing dogs, trained animals, interesting people and the great, gentle elephant, but they're less enthusiastic about Noddy's uncle Tiger Dan and his friend Lou. The two men are quick to tell the children to clear off, but when the five retreat to the nearby hills, they are just as eager to have them leave that area as well. The children are suspicious, and after several nasty run-ins with the men around the campsite, they decide to lay a trap in order to see what they're really up to. Whilst the others make a big deal about going into town for the day (and comically yelling their plans as loudly as they can across the circus encampment), Julian plans to double-back and find a suitable hiding place in order to see what the men will do in their absence.

It's been years since I first read these books, and as I took a trip down memory lane all the old excitement came back to me as I relived the adventure. In many respects Blyton is outdated (mostly pertaining to gender and race issues), but she had a wonderful knack for creating exciting adventures without going past the boundaries of what would be plausibly possible for a group of school-children to accomplish. I recall being fascinated by their independence, as well as their respect in dealing with friendly adults and their bravery in confronting the bad ones.

Blyton can capture a spine-tingling sense of danger without making anything too traumatizing (Tiger Dan and Lou are threats, but it's clear that they have no intention of actually killing the children), and Blyton's use of logic and foreshadowing is immensely satisfying to young readers. Early on in the story the children find the source of a little stream that fits into the larger picture later on, and Julian's hiding place when he spies on Tiger Dan and Lou is simple but ingenious. Pongo the chimp not only provides comic relief, but also a clever way of delivering a message, and the routine that the children establish in their daily caravanning lives is sure to appeal as they take on adult roles and provide both friendship and protection to Nobby.

"Five Go Off In a Caravan" may well be one of the best titles in this series, as all the pieces fit together in order to make a rewarding whole.

A relatively unknown set of books here in the states, but unfortunately so. The Famous Five series tells of the adventures of Georgina (George), her dog, Timothy, and her cousins Julian, Dick, and Anne.

Five Go Off In A Caravan is one of the three that ties for my favorite Five book. I love them all, of course, but this one is just chock full of humor, good food, fun, and excitement! It's summer hols again, and the Five are traveling in a pair of caravans. They make camp in an area that is also occupied by a circus! They make friends with a circus boy named Nobby and his mischievous chimp, Pongo, who becomes a source of much hilarity. But something sinister is going on in the camp and the children are sure that it concerns Nobby's "Uncle" Dan and his unpleasant friend, Lou the acrobat. What are they hiding and can the children bring them to justice in time?

I grew up reading Enid Blyton and so I wanted to introduce my son to the joys of reading her books. This was a great read (for an oldie) and my son really enjoyed the adventure. I plan on purchasing more the of The Famous Five and The Secret Seven books to add to his collection!

Enid Blyton... What can you say about her that hasn't been written a thousand times? One of the classic authors (in the sense that her books are considered classics of the genre) that made growing up in England a singular experience (along with Captain W. E. Johns, author of the Biggles series of WWI flying adventures). I believe that while the wording may appear a little stilted these days, with humorous expressions such as "You are such a brick Julian" (a very good thing by the way...), being almost too English for many folks to truly appreciate; these books transmit something quintessentially English... moral standards. These books were written at a time when people knew right from wrong, and "doing the right thing" and keeping your word really mattered. They are a flash back to another time, a time we could use a little bit of today...

I have most of this series of books, and read a chapter to my 8 and 5 year olds every night. In fact, they sit on the bed buzzing with anticipation for the next chapter each night (because Enid nicely ended each chapter either with a cliff hanger, or a question to be answered... a brilliant strategy for parents reading to their children!:-))))

I can't recommend these books enough. And when you have read through these, they there is the Secret Seven series, and the "Naughtiest Girl" series (which gives you a brilliant look into the Boarding Schools of yonder year in England) which is especially of interest if you have daughters, who just love Elizabeth (the key character).

So, buy with confidence because whether or not you are an Anglophile, or are just looking for adventure stories for your kids, you just can't go wrong with one of the most popular authors of her genre in the history of English literature... I grew up loving them, and you and your children will love them too.
BrianB.

I could only remember the word "caravan" from one of my favorite childhood book titles and after doing a search for this word was delighted to re-discover the titles of this and other "Famous Five" books. My grandmother must have picked these up for me when she was visiting the U.K. and I have such fond memories of reading these books that I plan on purchasing and re-reading them as an adult. Highly recommended!