Author: Enid Blyton
Genre: Children's book, Mystery
Original publisher: Methuen
Date first published: 1954
Date first read: 1993/1994
Main character(s): The Five Find-Outers, including Frederick Algernon "Fatty" Trotteville (the leader of the group; dt: Dietrich "Dicki" Ingbert Carl Kronstein), Laurence "Larry" Daykin (the oldest of the five and Daisy's brother; dt: Rudolf "Rolf" Tagert), Margaret "Daisy" Daykin (Larry's sister; dt: Regine "Gina" Tagert), Philip "Pip" Hilton (Bets's big brother; dt: Philipp "Flipp" Hillmann), Elizabeth "Bets" Hilton (Pip's little sister, who is 4 years younger than her brother and hence the youngest of the gang; Elisabeth "Betti" Hillmann), Theophilus Goon (the village policeman, who dislikes the Five; dt: Herr Grimm), Chief Inspector Jenks (head of the local police department, friend of the Five; dt: Inspektor Jenks), Buster (Fatty's scotch terrier; dt: Purzel)
Favorite quote: N/A
Synopsis: *SOME SPOILERS*
The Five-Find Outers - Fatty, Larry, Daisy, Pip, and Bets - and their dog Buster are amateur sleuths in the village of Peterswood based. Together they wind up discovering a new mystery every school vacation, solving it usually long before thee village policeman, Mr. Goon, much to his annoyance. It is no surprise then, that he is less than favorably disposed towards the children, but he has little choice, since Chief Inspector Jenks, his boss, very much likes the kids and their ability to crack even the trickiest of mysteries.
In the Mystery of Tally-Ho Cottage, the Five Find-Outers have to contend with a stolen picture. Taken by pretty savvy thieves, the Lorenzos, the only clue the police have is their beloved dog, a white poodle named Poppet, whom they left behind. Now the elderly couple, Mr. and Mrs. Larkin are looking after the poor pet in their cottage, Tally-Ho. Will the Five-Find Outers figure out where the Lorenzos are and what happened to the stolen picture before they can get away?
Review:
The Five Found-Outers series from Enid Blyton is just one of the many mystery series that she created, but it certainly is one of the extremely fun ones. The ages of the children (around 12, save for Bets who is 4 years younger) makes it a perfect read for pre-teens, which is what I was when I first read them. So many mystery novels aimed at children either have kids who are too young or too old. The ages of the Five Find-Outers are just right to make the mysteries and their solutions seem realistic and possible enough to be done when seen through the eyes of a 10-year old (which, of course, as an adult one sees differently).
It should be noted that Blyton's record was not without blemishes: her works in general have been criticized as being too simplistic and too influenced by her role as a teacher. In addition, she has been criticized as including racist, sexist, and xenophobic, all matters probably the result of her own upbringing and the times in which she wrote. The character of Fatty in particular seems to inhibit some of the sexist and even elitist viewpoints - he's extremely smart and seems to hold himself as such; as an only child he is rather able to buy things that are outside the reach of the other children, which shows his preeminence through wealth. However, at the same time, he is not flawless; initially, he is a new kid and not even the leader, so one can't make a complete condemnation of Blyton, at least as it relates to this series. Still, before giving kids to read, it may be worth it reading the books oneself first to figure out whether one likes the messages contained therein.
Prequels: The Mystery of the Burnt Cottage; The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat; The Mystery of the Secret Room; The Mystery of the Spiteful Letters; The Mystery of the Missing Necklace; The Mystery of the Hidden House; The Mystery of the Pantomime Cat; The Mystery of the Invisible Thief; The Mystery of the Vanished Prince; The Mystery of the Strange Bundle; The Mystery of Holly Lane
Sequels: The Mystery of the Missing Man; The Mystery of the Strange Messages; The Mystery of Banshee Towers
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