Enid Blyton has been translated into more languages than anyone
except Walt Disney Productions, Agatha Christie, Jules Verne and
Shakespeare The Famous Five: Five on a Hike Together. By Enid
Blyton. Illustrated by Eileen A. Soper. Hodder Children’s Books,
196 pp., varied prices. Ages 12 and under. By Janice Harayda
Enid Blyton is the Agatha Christie of children’s literature. Not
all of her books are mysteries. But like Christie, she was born
in Britain in the 1890s and achieved an unparalleled fame for
her suspenseful plot-driven novels that remain popular worldwide
with readers and filmmakers. And like Christie, she has drawn
fire from critics who have accused her of perpetuating the
stereotypes of her era and social class. Blyton is best known
for the 21 novels in her “Famous Five” series, most of which
have been adapted for television. Each book involves three
English siblings, their cousin, and a mutt named Timmy. Five on
a Hike Together is the tenth, and it suggests why the novels
still appeal to childre