I still remember my first contact with Enid Blyton as a young boy. I knew my father had read her Famous Five books in his youth, but only when I was eight years old did I finally discover the Adventure series. Those books are not as famous as they deserve to be; the most-rated one of those books has not even 3,000 ratings on Goodreads. And yet ... they will always have a special place in my heart. From an objective point of view they only deserve to receive a four-star-rating because they aren't as perfect as other children's adventure books might be, but what defines perfection in the eyes of a child?

If only for the reason of nostalgia, I can't rate these eight books any lower. They have a special place in my reading heart and on my book shelves, even though each of them was devoured over and over throughout the years and is not even close to being in a good condition anymore.

The Adventure series follows four kids between 11 and 14 years old, siblings Philip and Dinah as well as siblings Lucy-Ann and Jack, accompanied by their good friend Bill Cunningham, an inspector of the secret service force, and Jack's beloved parrot Kiki. Philip has a strange ability to make every animal feel connected to him; thus we meet a shy monkey, foxes, circus bears, mouses, even snakes. Of course, his sister Dinah hates everything that crawls, and while Jack loves to go on adventures of his own, Lucy constantly fears for her brother's safety. Yet at heart, those four children are connected by a deep friendship, and even in spite of their regular jousting, they always reconnect again when it comes to experiencing a new adventure with their friend Bill.

And they don't just go through simple adventures - they experience more than others could even dream of in a lifetime; they manage to end up stranded on an isolated island, imprisoned in an old mine, involved in a hunt for a treasure on a Greek island, uncovering a dark secret in an ancient castle, landing in an uninhabited valley, getting into danger on a river trip in Africa, uncovering the secrets of a mountain - getting into trouble all the time. Who would not have loved books like these as a child? I certainly did, and I know that if there is one series I will forever hold dear, then it is Enid Blyton's.


If anyone is interested in the order of the books, here they are listed, my short summaries added subsequently:

1. [b:The Island of Adventure|17492|The Island of Adventure (Adventure, #1)|Enid Blyton|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1404498992s/17492.jpg|1598982]: In this novel, Philip, Dinah, Lucy-Ann and Jack meet each other for the first time on a holiday in an old house in Cornwall. Everything seems to be perfect when Lucy and Jack are allowed to live with their friends for the rest of the holiday - until they begin to realize that some strange things are going on at this mysterious island close to the coast. Soon, they plunge into a dangerous adventure when they discover that the abandoned copper mines and secret tunnels are not quite as abandoned as they might have thought.
Their first adventure and perhaps their most remarkable one full of memorable scenes. 4,5/5 stars.

2. [b:The Castle of Adventure|487479|The Castle of Adventure (Adventure, #2)|Enid Blyton|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328846931s/487479.jpg|3008523]: Another holiday leads the four friends to a small little town in the country, with an old castle catching their interest. Despite the locals' warnings, they decide to investigate after seeing flashing lights in one of the castle's towers.
The creepiest book of them all, which gave me nightmares at the age of eight. Yet also one of my personal favorites. 5/5 stars.

3. [b:The Valley of Adventure|689929|The Valley of Adventure (Adventure, #3)|Enid Blyton|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1177260727s/689929.jpg|676280]: The four friends are allowed to enter on a night flight with their friend Bill - pure excitement for them all. Until they discover that they mistakenly entered the wrong plane and were flying straight into an amazing adventure when they find themselves searching for a secret treasure hidden in the lonely valley where they land.
My absolute favorite. The setting is awesomely described, with the waterfall and the caves being the paradise of my childhood. 5/5 stars.

4. [b:The Sea of Adventure|804568|The Sea of Adventure (Adventure, #4)|Enid Blyton|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333025906s/804568.jpg|2413583]: Bill takes the four friends on a mysterious trip to the northern isles, making up for a great adventure - because then Bill is kidnapped and the children, marooned far from the mainland, find themselves playing a dangerous game of hide-and-seek with an unknown enemy.
Beautiful setting with the lonely islands, and still full of funny scenes. 4/5 stars.

5. [b:Mountain of Adventure|28363457|Mountain of Adventure (Enid Blyton's adventure series)|Enid Blyton|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1451216294s/28363457.jpg|48434993]: A peaceful vacation in the Welsh mountains seems sure to keep the children out of trouble, but the mystery of a rumbling mountain soon has them thirsty for more adventure. Philip, Dinah, Lucy-Ann, and Jack are determined to explore the mountain and uncover its secret, but first they must escape from a pack of ravenous wolves and a mad genius who plans to rule the world!
To be honest, I don't remember a lot about this book, as I lost it as a child and only read a library copy. But what remained in my mind was just as fantastic as the contents of the other books. 3,5/5 stars.

6. [b:The Ship of Adventure|519312|The Ship of Adventure (Adventure, #6)|Enid Blyton|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1356447078s/519312.jpg|2413313]: A voyage on a cruise ship with Mrs. Mannering (Philip and Dinah's mother) turns out to be an exciting quest for a lost treasure when the four friends, accompanied by the cutest monkey ever, discover a ship in a bottle and soon hunt for a lost treasure with some ruthless villains hot on their trails.
Full of exciting descriptions of an island I spent a lot of weeks during my childhood on, this was the book which introduced me to the series, and if only for the perfect descriptions of the cruise ship, the Greek island and the monkey, this will forever be one of my favorite books. 4,5/5 stars.

7. [b:The Castle of Adventure|487479|The Castle of Adventure (Adventure, #2)|Enid Blyton|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328846931s/487479.jpg|3008523]: The four friends are not very enthusiastic when the strange, wimpish Gustavus has to accompany them on their holiday, but when Gustavus is revealed not to be who they thought he was, they are thrown into a complex plot full of adventures in a faraway country.
Not my favorite book, especially as I didn't like the circus setting, but maybe it was only my childish mind which thought so. 3,5/5 stars.

8. [b:The River of Adventure|955942|The River of Adventure (Adventure, #8)|Enid Blyton|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1356451145s/955942.jpg|2277670]: A river cruise in Africa ends up being their last adventure when Bill disappears and the children, along with Kiki the parrot, are trapped beneath a forgotten temple.
I remember struggling with this book, but maybe it was only the knowledge that it was the last Adventure book. 3,5/5 stars.



Whole-heartedly recommended for readers of children's adventure novels. ( )

A VERY INTERESTING SERIE BOOKS FOR AGE GROUP OF 10-12 YRS ( )