Enid Blyton's The Famous Five No. 5 'Five go off in a caravan' (1946) and No. 21 'Five are together again' (1963)

It's the penultimate episode of season one, and it's a longer episode than usual. We're looking at two books from the prolific children's author Enid Blyton and her series The Famous Five. In this episode, Mal takes a look at the themes of freedom and bloody awful parenting and how much Dick is ill-served in one book vs. another. There are lashings of other stuff too!Note: For some reason, I keep calling a character called 'Lou' Joe all the way through this, I don't know why, it's so embedded in all of this episode rerecording did not feel like an option! My apologies to anyone who remembers Lou/Joe and feels I am disrespecting that character. Let's not get into how I call 'Five are together again', well, 'Five are thrown together again'...that seems to be a slip that gives a lot away about my own feelings about the book!Content warning: Contains swearing and a discussion on racial and social stereotypes.Email: [email protected] Media: Since recording this podcast, I have deactivated my Blue Sky account so I am less distracted. This means at the moment, you can't find me and follow me on Blue Sky. Hopefully, I'll be back there some day!Useful links and sources:Michael Rosen websiteThe lasting legacy of Enid BlytonThe Enid Blyton SocietyEnidBlyton.netLoved by children and derided by the high-minded: Understanding Enid Blyton and her appeal - Jenny Byrne - University of SouthamptonEnid Blyton: The Famous Five Books - Peter Cash