"Famous Five Series" by Enid Blyton (Review)

          Famous Five Series Review

Basic Info:

Author: Enid Blyton

Number of books: 21

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Adaptations: Famous Five (2012)

Country: United Kingdom

Genres: Children's literature, Mystery, Adventure

The Famous Five is the name of a series of children's adventure novels written by English author Enid Blyton. The first book, Five on a Treasure Island, was published in 1942. The novels feature the adventures of a group of young children – Julian, Dick, Anne and Georgina (George) – and their dog Timmy. 

Review:

I still can't believe that this Series is so popular: Okay, I get it, this is intended for lil' kids and not teens and adults, but even kids shouldn't read this in my opinion; the unrealistic and flat characters, the numerous plot holes, the too-perfect-ending, the cliche villain/s, the weird messages etc... just shouldn't be read by little children.

Let's start with what I hate about the characters:

1) All of them are flat and pretty much unrealistic, as they're aren't specially trained Black Ops operatives with years of experience, but little kids.

2) George keeps wanting to be a boy although she isn't which, means she's ungrateful for what she has; she's very emotional and unstable, loves an animal more than anything else in the world, has no respect, does what she wants, doesn't follow any rules, and is extremely stubborn.

Now let's continue with the stories themselves: 

1) The overall Super English tone, atmosphere, and speech is often overwhelming: For instance those numerous "Goshes", "Jolly", and so on. I mean, which normal person talks like that? Then the English countryside, English Picnics, the Perfect Stereotype of an English

Scientist, the normally foreign villains and so on.

2) The Crime-Bustin: Which group of kids gets to bust over 20 professional burglars, mafias, crime rings, drug lords, kidnappers, smugglers, forgers, terrorists etc.?! Which criminal is so criminally careless and criminally stupid to let himself be beat by a buncha kids?!

Okay, I admit, maybe I am putting it a bit strongly, but the fact remains that these books are not productive, not intelligent, not very moral, and un-realistic. If you have to read Enid Blyton I suggest either the Mystery Series or The Magic Faraway  Tree Series, which are both better.