A new Blyton series I never read as a child! Pity, because I would have enjoyed it, just like I enjoyed the Famous Five and the Adventure series. I liked the characters, although Roger and Diana were a bit generic. I loved the overeager Stubby and his dog Looney, though. Having one of the group (Barney) be from a very different social class was an interesting twist, and I look forward to seeing how Barney's story progresses.

The book kind of reminded me of Five Go Adventuring Again, with the children spending the holidays at a house with adult supervision and a tutor so they can catch up with their school work. A suspicious tutor, too, although I won't say any more about that.

For a first book of a series, where we are still learning how the characters behave together, we spent a lot of time with the main characters separated, each following their own story line.

The adventure was fine. The children never went on holiday on their own, so it was more of a mystery/crime adventure kind of story. I wonder if that's going to be a regular feature of the series.

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The first of Enid Blyton's "Barney" mysteries, in which we are introduced to Roger, his sister Diana, their orphaned cousin Snubby (Peter) and his black spaniel Looney. The children head off on holiday, with their mother's old governess Miss Pepper and the first section of the book is a rather idyllic description of picnicking (all that food, must've been a dream in post war food rationed Britain!), boating, riding and walking. They meet Barney, an itinerant circus boy and his monkey Miranda and make instant friends. They break into an abandoned mansion to find a place for Barney to sleep and are soon involved in a mystery involving smugglers, secret passages and an undercover policeman. Rather good fun though the casual breaking and entering is a bit alarming! ( )

9788423998982

1977 poor condition