Hmm.. just as I thought I was not going to find anything to write about, a visit to the library reminded me of this.. Phew!!
I might have mentioned earlier that my knowledge of young children's fiction pretty much stops at Enid Blyton, as I have read those by the dozen. Which means most of the newer stuff was unknown to me until many of you kindly gave me some ideas in a recent blog post :). But we recently came across this series:
Wondering why the EB fans among you haven't heard of this book? When I(or D) picked up the first book of this series, I didn't even notice the author's name. It was only when I flipped a few pages myself (yes I can't resist EB even at this age!) that I noticed the different style of writing. Well I am apparently an EB purist/puritan/whatever the word is, and really couldn't relate to these as much as the usual EB books. D on the other hand LOVES it, and regales me with tales of Bizzy, Melody and who-ever-else is in it. The author has created a lot of new characters, and also has some passing references to Saucepan and Moon-face and I really wonder how the concept of using EB's universe and writing her own books came out, but to me somehow it feels like a very sneaky way of marketing them. Why not just have your own universe? And pardon me, I don't feel like googling it just now to figure it all out!
I might have mentioned earlier that my knowledge of young children's fiction pretty much stops at Enid Blyton, as I have read those by the dozen. Which means most of the newer stuff was unknown to me until many of you kindly gave me some ideas in a recent blog post :). But we recently came across this series:
Wondering why the EB fans among you haven't heard of this book? When I(or D) picked up the first book of this series, I didn't even notice the author's name. It was only when I flipped a few pages myself (yes I can't resist EB even at this age!) that I noticed the different style of writing. Well I am apparently an EB purist/puritan/whatever the word is, and really couldn't relate to these as much as the usual EB books. D on the other hand LOVES it, and regales me with tales of Bizzy, Melody and who-ever-else is in it. The author has created a lot of new characters, and also has some passing references to Saucepan and Moon-face and I really wonder how the concept of using EB's universe and writing her own books came out, but to me somehow it feels like a very sneaky way of marketing them. Why not just have your own universe? And pardon me, I don't feel like googling it just now to figure it all out!
What series? If you've put a JPG, its not visible :( Sounds lovely. Is it a new series? Iam an EB fan too, needless to say!
ReplyDeleteMeera
It's a series called Enid Blyton's Enchanted World that uses the Faraway tree as a backdrop and craft a whole lot of characters. It's by a completely different person, which is what I'm cribbing about!
DeleteDon't know why the photo is not visible, I uploaded it the usual way :(.
I found a book called "The train that lost its way" by EB and R and me love the book :-)
ReplyDeleteDidn't know about the Enchanted world..will check it out too :-)
Oh sounds so nice :). We've recently discovered the library of the Catholic Club to be quite a storehouse of EB, really looking forward to rummaging there more!
DeleteI can always totally make out too when the books aren't original EBs. I remember reading a Famous Five book and throuóut I had the niggling feeling that something was off-center...later I realized that the book had been ghost-written after her death. Next on the list is EBs autobiography - can't wait!
ReplyDeleteFamous Five too :O !! Haven't come across that one yet, but I'm seeing a lot of Malory Towers, St. Clares written by other authors now too.
DeleteI love EB series....great fan of Malory towers, O'sullivan twins :)But, few months back I read one Malory Tower book and realized that it is ghost-written....You can make out the difference :)
ReplyDeleteI too used to be fascinated by Enid Blyton's books as a child. Thus my affection for Enid Blyton and her books would later lead me to write and publish a book on her, titled, The Famous Five: A Personal Anecdotage (www.thefamousfiveapersonalanecdotage.blogspot.com).
ReplyDeleteStephen Isabirye
My personal EB collection crossed the 200 mark on my 12th birthday. It has grown since. (:
ReplyDelete