Books: My Best Companions
My Mother and Mothers father were avid book readers.
Thus I got acquainted with books in the third standard in school. My first book
was written in English by an Indian writer.
I loved the girl and boy in it.
In school we had large tables and eight chairs
around each of them. And delightful books spread on the tables. Here I am going
to tell you about the books I read. I hope it will engage you till the end.
Enter
Enid Blyton:
I got hold of a book call ‘Mr. Meddle’s Mischief’. This opened to me the
Magic and Adventurous world of Blyton
Bai (As my grandfather referred to her.) Enid Blyton was born in the year 1897
and died in 1968 the year when most of us were born. The next books I read were
of Naughty Amelia Jane, Mr Pink Whistle, and The Wishing Chair. Soon came
Noddy. In front of our house was a bungalow were some Christians lived. They
brought almost all the collection of Noddy to their children. We, being friends
they shared them with us. Here’s some information about Noddy. Noddy’s best
friends were Big Ears, Tessie Bear, Bumpy Dog and the Tubby Bears. Tessie is a
gentle hearted, gold bear who often wears a bonnet with flowers and a skirt.
She is very kind and very loving towards all of her friends and neighbors. Bumpy
Dog is Tessie's pet. He loves to run up and "bump" people over. Noddy
frequently gets annoyed with Bumpy but still likes him. Whenever Noddy
threatens Bumpy, Tessie gets upset, and sometimes even begins to cry. The Tubby
Bears live next door to Noddy. They are good and chubby teddy bears. Mr. and
Mrs. Tubby Bear frequently help Noddy. It is clear that Mr. and Mrs. Tubby Bear
are the superiors of Noddy, as if he were a child. Their first names are never
mentioned and Noddy always refers to them as Mr. and Mrs. They have one son,
also named Tubby, who is occasionally referred to as Master Tubby. Tubby is
naughty and is usually in trouble for breaking rules, being rude, or doing
something wrong. Noddy often attempts to scold or punish Tubby, with little result.
We grew and so did the maturity of the books. There came
‘The Secret Seven’, ‘The Famous Five’ and ‘Five Find outers and Dog Buster’, my
favorite being the last.
The
Secret Seven have a secret password, a badge, and a
secret headquarters in a garden shed. The Seven are led by Peter and include
Peter's sister Janet, and their friends Jack, Colin, George, Pam and Barbara.
They are joined by their golden spaniel, Scamper. I remember being laid on the
bed with the Secret Seven book one early evening, just enjoying it immensely.
The List of Secret Seven Books:
1.
The Secret Seven
2.
Secret Seven Adventure
3.
Well Done Secret Seven
4.
Secret Seven on the Trail
5.
Go Ahead Secret Seven
6.
Good Work Secret Seven
7.
Secret Seven Win Through
8.
Three Cheers Secret Seven
9.
Secret Seven Mystery
10.
Puzzle for the Secret Seven
11.
Secret Seven Fireworks
12.
Good Old Secret Seven
13.
Shock for the Secret Seven
14.
Look Out Secret Seven
15.
Fun for the Secret Seven
The Famous Five novels feature the adventures of a group of young children – Julian, Dick, Anne and Georgina (George) – and their dog Timmy. Three of the children, Julian, Dick and Anne, are brothers and sister. Their father is Quentin Kirrin's brother. Quentin Kirrin is married to Fanny and their daughter is Georgina, a tomboy who insists on being called George. During their holidays, Julian, Dick and Anne are regularly sent to the seaside village of Kirrin to stay with their Aunt Fanny, Uncle Quentin and cousin George. George owns a large mongrel dog, Timmy, who is very much part of the group and a character in his own right. Timmy accompanies the four children on every adventure.
The stories always take place in the children's school holidays when they have returned from their respective boarding schools. Every time they meet, they get caught up in an adventure, the location of which varies from book to book. Sometimes the scene is set close to George's family home at Kirrin Cottage in Dorset: Kirrin Island, a picturesque island owned by George and her family in Kirrin Bay, for example, presents many opportunities for adventure. George's own home and various other houses the children visit or stay in are hundreds of years old, and often contain secret passages or smugglers' tunnels. In some books, the children go camping in the countryside, on a hike or holiday together elsewhere. The settings, however, are almost always rural and enable the children to discover the simple joys of cottages, islands, the English and Welsh countryside and sea shores, as well as the adventures, picnics, lemonade, bicycle trips, home-made food, raspberry pop and ginger beer.
In some of the books, the four children and Timmy are joined by other children. Some of these newcomers start off being disliked by the four children including the gypsy girl Jo, and Henrietta, another tomboy; and some of them are friends from the start, including Sooty and Tinker, both sons of Uncle Quentin's scientist friends.
Blyton always said that George was based on a real girl she had once known: in her later life, she admitted that the girl was herself.
- Julian
Julian is the eldest of
the five, cousin to George and elder brother to Dick and Anne. He is tall,
strong and intelligent as well as caring, responsible and kind. His cleverness
and reliability are often noted by Aunt Fanny. He is the leader of the group.
He is very protective towards Anne. At the start of the series, Julian is
12-years-old.
- Dick
Dick has a cheeky sense
of humour, but is also dependable and kind in nature. He is the same age as his
cousin George, a year younger than his brother Julian and older than his sister
Anne – eleven at the start of the series. Dick is very caring of Anne and does
his best to keep her cheered up when she gets upset. He had a heroic role in Five On A
Treasure Island. He also uses his wits in many adventures.
- George
(Georgina)
Georgina is a tomboy
and insists that people call her George. With her short hair and boy's clothes
she is often mistaken for a boy, which pleases her enormously. Like her father,
Quentin, George has a fiery temper. She is fierce and headstrong, but very loyal
to those she loves. She is sometimes extremely stubborn and causes trouble for
her mother as well as her cousins. She is very possessive of Timmy, her dog.
George is cousin to siblings Julian, Dick and Anne and is aged eleven at the
start of the series.
Anne
Anne is the youngest in
the group, and generally takes care of their domestic duties during the Five's
various camping holidays. As the youngest, she is more likely than the others
to become frightened and does not really enjoy the adventures as much as the
others. She is ten years old in the first book of the series. As a small girl,
she sometimes lets her tongue run away with her, but ultimately she is as brave
and resourceful as the others. She likes doing the domestic things such as
planning, organising and preparing meals, keeping where they are staying clean
and tidy, be it a cave, house, tent or caravan. In Smuggler's Top it is
suggested she is claustrophobic
as she is frightened of enclosed spaces since it reminds her of bad dreams she
has - however, this just shows how brave she really is as the adventures
invariably lead the five into tunnels, down wells, into dungeons and other
enclosed spaces.
- Timmy
Timmy is George's
faithful dog. He is a very friendly dog – clever, affectionate and loyal to the
Five and to George in particular; he provides physical protection for the
children on multiple occasions. George adores Timmy and thinks that he is the
best dog in the world and often becomes angry when people insult him. In the
first book of the series, George's parents have forbidden her to keep Timmy,
and George is forced to hide him with a fisher boy in the village. After the
end of the Five's first adventure, her parents relent and she is allowed to
keep him.
Family
- Aunt Fanny
Fanny is George's
mother, and aunt to Dick, Julian and Anne. Called Aunt Fanny by Julian, Dick
and Anne, she is married to Uncle Quentin, and is, through most of Blyton's
Famous Five novels, the principal maternal figure in the lives of the children.
- Uncle
Quentin
Quentin is George's
father, and a world-famous scientist, who is kidnapped or held hostage in
several of the children's adventures. He possesses a quick temper and has
little tolerance for the children on school holidays, but nevertheless loves
his family and is extremely proud of his daughter. In the first book of the
series, it is established that he is the brother of Julian, Dick and Anne's
father.
List of Famous Five
Books:
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