Famous Five Art Nostalgia – Summer Special (2/3): Camping
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Be it in a tent, a caravan or even a cave, on a mountain ⛰️, on the moor 🍃 or by a lake 🏞️, how better to enjoy nature than camping 🏕️? And once night falls 🌜, come gather around the campfire 🔥 before bundling up in a cosy sleeping bag 😴!
Simone Baudouin, #03 Five Run Away Together, 1955
Click for more!
Simone Baudouin, #03 Five Run Away Together, 1955
Simone Baudouin, #03 Five Run Away Together, 1955
Simone Baudouin, #08 Five Get Into Trouble, 1957
Paul Durand, #07 Five Go Off To Camp, 1957
Paul Durand, #07 Five Go Off To Camp, 1957
Paul Durand, #07 Five Go Off To Camp, 1957
Paul Durand, #07 Five Go Off To Camp, 1957
Simone Baudouin, #10 Five On A Hike Together, 1958
Jeanne Hives, #08 Five Get Into Trouble, 1962
Jeanne Hives, #16 Five Go To Billycock Hill, 1962
Jean Sidobre, #21 Five Are Together Again, 1973
Jean Sidobre, #05 Five Go Off In A Caravan, 1976
Jean Sidobre, #05 Five Go Off In A Caravan, 1976
Jean Sidobre, #07 Five Go Off To Camp, 1977
Jean Sidobre, #07 Five Go Off To Camp, 1977
Jean Sidobre, #07 Five Go Off To Camp, 1977
Claude Pascal, #LC21 Les Cinq jouent serré, 1980
Claude Pascal, #LC21 Les Cinq jouent serré, 1980
Umberto Nonna, #08 Five Get Into Trouble, 1981
Umberto Nonna, #15 Five On A Secret Trail, 1981
Jeann Sidobre, #16 Five Go To Billycock Hill, 1983
Annie-Claude Martin, #03 Five Run Away Together, 1984
Anne Bozellec, #03 Five Run Away Together, 1991
Anne Bozellec, #LC01 Les Cinq sont les plus forts, 1997
Philippe Munch and Jame’s Prunier, #07 Five Go Off To Camp, 2000
Frédéric Rébéna, #LC21 Les Cinq jouent serré, 2014
Famous Five Art Nostalgia – Character Portrait: Julian [François]
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Character profile (adapted from Wikipedia):
Julian is the oldest 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 and is very protective towards Anne and sometimes, to her frustration, towards George. Twelve years old at the start of the series, Julian is the most mature of the group but, although well-meaning, his manner can at times come over as overbearing, pompous or priggish.
In Claude Voilier’s continuation series ‘Les Cinq’, Julian can often be found correcting Dick for his colloquialisms or cheeky barbs. Despite being the voice of caution, he can rarely stop his headstrong cousin George from acting recklessly.
Eileen A. Soper, #08 Five Get Into Trouble, 1949
Click below for more portraits from every illustrator I could find!
(in chronological order)
Simone Baudouin, #06 Five On Kirrin Island Again, 1955
Paul Durand, #07 Five Go Off To Camp, 1957
Aldo de Amicis, #12 Five Go Down To The Sea, 1959
Jeanne Hives, #08 Five Get Into Trouble, 1962
Jeanne Hives, #19 Five Go To Demon’s Rocks, 1963
Jeanne Hives, #20 Five Have A Mystery To Solve, 1966
Jeanne Hives, #15 Five On A Secret Trail, 1968
Jeanne Hives, #08 Five Get Into Trouble, 1969
Jean Sidobre, #LC07 Les Cinq contre le Masque Noir, 1974
Jean Sidobre, #07 Five Go Off To Camp, 1977
Jean Sidobre, #15 Five On A Secret Trail, 1977
Claude Pascal, #LC14 Les Cinq vendent la peau de l’ours, 1977
Jean Sidobre, #18 Five On Finniston Farm, 1979
Claude Pascal, #LC20 Les Cinq jouent serré, 1980
Umberto Nonna, #03 Five Run Away Together, 1981
Umberto Nonna, #18 Five On Finniston Farm, 1981
Buci, #LC21 Les Cinq contre les fantômes, 1981
Annie-Claude Martin, #LC24 Les Cinq contre le loup-garou, 1985
Yves Beaujard, #18 Five On Finniston Farm, 1988
Anne Bozellec, #03 Five Run Away Together, 1991
Paul Gillon, #07 Five Go Off To Camp, 1991
Philippe Munch and Jame’s Prunier, #16 Five Go To Billycock Hill, 1999
Frédéric Rébéna, #LC05 Les Cinq à la télévision, 2011
Auren, #09 Five Fall Into Adventure, 2019
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And as a bonus, here is probably my favourite scene featuring Julian when, in #03 Five Run Away Together, he masterfully faces off the Sticks who would have denied the Five their meal. Enjoy!
Eileen A. Soper, #03 Five Run Away Together, 1944
Simone Baudouin, #03 Five Run Away Together, 1955
Jean Sidobre, #03 Five Run Away Together, 1976
Annie-Claude Martin, #03 Five Run Away Together, 1984
Famous Five Art Nostalgia – Character Portrait: Anne [Annie]
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Character profile (adapted from Wikipedia):
Anne is the youngest in the group, and generally takes care of the domestic duties during the Five's various camping holidays. As the youngest (ten years old in the first book of the series), she is more likely than the others to be frightened, and does not really enjoy the adventures as much as her brothers and her cousin. 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, and 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, which remind her of bad dreams. But the adventures invariably lead the Five into tunnels, down wells, and into dungeons and other enclosed spaces, demonstrating how brave she really is.
Anne keeps the same general characterisation in Claude Voilier’s continuation series ‘Les Cinq’, although she occasionally insists that her brothers and cousin take part in household-y chores.
Eileen A. Soper, #03 Five Run Away Together, 1944
Click below for more portraits from every illustrator I could find!
(in chronological order)
Simone Baudouin, #02 Five Go Adventuring Again, 1955
Simone Baudouin, #03 Five Run Away Together, 1955
Paul Durand, #07 Five Go Off to Camp, 1957
Paul Durand, #07 Five Go Off to Camp, 1957
Aldo de Amicis, #12 Five Go Down To The Sea, 1959
Jeanne Hives, #13 Five Go To Mystery Moor, 1961
Jeanne Hives, #19 Five Go To Demon’s Rocks, 1963
Jeanne Hives, #19 Five Go To Demon’s Rocks, 1963
Jeanne Hives, #20 Five Have A Mystery To Solve, 1966
Jeanne Hives, #08 Five Get Into Trouble, 1969
Jean Sidobre, #19 Five Go To Demon’s Rocks, 1975
Jean Sidobre, #10 Five On A Hike Together, 1976
Claude Pascal, #LC14 Les Cinq vendent la peau de l’ours, 1977
Claude Pascal, #LC14 Les Cinq vendent la peau de l’ours, 1977
Claude Pascal, #LC19 Les Cinq en croisière, 1980
Buci, #LC21 Les Cinq contre les fantômes, 1981
Umberto Nonna, #15 Five On A Secret Trail, 1981
Jean Sidobre, #14 Five Have Plenty Of Fun, 1983
Annie-Claude Martin, #LC22 Les Cinq en Amazonie, 1983
Yves Beaujard, #21 Five Are Together Again, 1988
Anne Bozellec, #03 Five Run Away Together, 1991
Paul Gillon, #16 Five Go To Billycock Hill, 1994
Philippe Munch and Jame’s Prunier, #16 Five Go To Billycock Hill, 1999
Philippe Munch and Jame’s Prunier, #20 Five Have A Mystery To Solve, 2001
Frédéric Rébéna, #05 Five Go Off In A Caravan, 2010
Auren, #LC03 Le marquis appelle les Cinq / Les Cinq mènent l’enquête, 2022
Famous Five Art Nostalgia – Character Portraits: Aunt Fanny [Tante Cécile]
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Character profile (adapted from Wikipedia):
Aunt Fanny is George's mother, and aunt to 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. She is a very kind and easy-going woman, and shows considerable patience with her husband over his short temper and absent-mindedness.
In Claude Voilier’s continuation series ‘Les Cinq’, Aunt Fanny remains ever supportive of her husband, daughter, niece and nephews, but also takes on some hobbies such as antiquing, leading the children to some of their adventures.
Eileen A. Soper, #01 Five On A Treasure Island, 1942
Click below for more portraits from every illustrator I could find!
(in chronological order)
Eileen A. Soper, #14 Five Have Plenty Of Fun, 1955
Simone Baudouin, #02 Five Go Adventuring Again, 1955
Simone Baudouin, #06 Five On Kirrin Island Again, 1956
Jeanne Hives, #14 Five Have Plenty Of Fun, 1961
Jean Sidobre, #11 Five Have A Wonderful Time Together, 1974
Jean Sidobre, #19 Five Go To Demon’s Rocks, 1975
Jean Sidobre, #09 Five Fall Into Adventure, 1975
Claude Pascal, #LC20 Les Cinq jouent serré, 1980
Umberto Nonna, #06 Five On Kirrin Island Again, 1981
🐆🐕🐒 Les Cinq au cap des Tempêtes – The Famous Five and the Missing Cheetah
Original publication date: 1972 (France), 1981 (UK)
(Original cover by Jean Sidobre, 1972)
In this volume titled Les Cinq au cap des Tempêtes (lit. Five at Demon’s Rocks), the Five visit their old friend Tinker, who first made an appearance in Blyton’s #19 Five Go to Demon’s Rocks and came back in #21 Five Are Together Again.
As exciting as it is to revisit the extraordinary location that was the setting to the Five’s 19th adventure, don’t get your hopes up too much as the children will only make a brief visit there. It should also be noted that the lore surrounding the lighthouse has been slightly changed: in this story, the Haylings live in a large house in a village a few kilometers away from Kirrin Cottage, and the lighthouse is located off the coast of the same village. The lighthouse is not said to belong to the Hayling family; it is abandoned and in disrepair and has merely been “commandeered” by Tinker, who does not hold any owning rights. By contrast, in Blyton’s original lore, the lighthouse was stated as belonging to the Haylings, and it also seemed further away from Kirrin village as the Five had quite a long drive to reach it.
Now, let’s see what’s in store for our young detectives!
~~~~~~
Plot summary:
(Disclaimer: All provided translations are my own.)
The Five go to Demon’s Rocks to stay with Professor Hayling and his son, their friend Tinker. Along with Tinker’s monkey Mischief, the Five discover that another, rather unusual, pet has joined the Haylings’ household: a tamed cheetah named Attila, which was gifted to Professor Hayling by one of his friends.
(Meeting Attila)
[TRANSLATION: Anne: Aaahhh ! Tinker: Don't be afraid, this is Attila, our pet cheetah. He's as gentle as a lamb. He was given to us by a friend of Dad's, an explorer.]
During their first night there, George is awakened by some noise and sees two shadowy silhouettes moving in the garden... The next morning, Attila has disappeared! The Five search the grounds with no results. Soon, Professor Hayling receives a ransom note that was left in the mailbox: Attila’s kidnappers cheetahnappers are demanding the formula for a groundbreaking, low-cost fuel newly-developed by the scientist. After weighing the pros and cons, Professor Hayling decides not to agree to the ransom.
(Discussing the request for ransom)
[TRANSLATION: Julian: I understand, Professor Hayling, that Attila pales in comparison to such a discovery. Tinker: You can’t possibly give up your formula, Dad. Dick: By the way, have you sent your formula to the Ministry? Professor Hayling: No, not yet. Those bandits are well-informed. Tinker: Why don't you call the police? Professor Hayling: We’re short on time. I won't be at ease until my formula is at the Ministry. Going to the police would mean several hours wasted.]
Per the cheetahnappers' instructions, the Haylings’ housemaid, Jenny, is tasked with bringing the professor’s answer inside a wicker basket to a certain location in the woods. The children keep watch in the area, hoping to follow the bandits, but to their surprise a dog comes to fetch the wicker basket instead! The children follow the dog (a cocker spaniel) to a nearby beach but they are too late as the animal seems to have been picked up by the bandits who have then taken off in a boat.
(Investigating on the beach)
[TRANSLATION: Narrator: Anne makes a discovery at the water's edge. Anne: Footprints! George: And dog paw prints. Dick: All these tracks are heading towards the sea and stop at the water's edge. Julian: Blow!* George: So the bandits left in a boat with the cocker spaniel.]
[*Side note: I am ridiculously happy for this opportunity to use the outdated interjection “blow!” in one of my personal translations. I always find it very difficult to use old-timey language accurately, so this was a boon. 😁]
The next day, a letter arrives for Tinker, telling him to steal the formula from his father in exchange for Attila. Tinker is given four days to accomplish this task and the drop-off is arranged the same way as before. The children spend the next few days scouting the area in hope that Timmy will smell Attila’s trail, but to no avail. They also visit a nearby zoo, reasoning that not everyone is able to handle a cheetah and the culprit may work there, but they don’t accomplish anything other than Mischief living up to his name and making mischief with the resident monkeys.
George devises a plan for them to follow the cheetahnappers' boat after dropping off Tinker’s reply, taking advantage of a local boating festival, but the plan fails when the bandits don’t take the itinerary that the children expected them to.
(The Five get to have fun at the festival, while poor Tinker is on watch duty at the drop-off point – bad luck for Tinker!)
[TRANSLATION: Narrator: The Five enjoy the festival until the agreed time. Narrator (second panel): After a short meal, they get down to business and take up their observation post.]
Tinker receives a new three-day ultimatum and the children decide to capture the bandits' mail dog.
(Making plans to capture the bandits’ dog)
[TRANSLATION: George: It's you, Timmy, who'll catch Filibuster*. Dick: And to be on the safe side, we'll take a fishing net with us. Narrator: A moment later, Tinker writes a note to the bandits...]
[*Note: The children do not know the dog's name and decide to call him Flibustier (lit. Filibuster).]
(An adorable captive)
[TRANSLATION: Anne: Poor Filibuster! You don't look so scary. George (to both doggies): There! Here we go! You two make up.]
Realising that they can’t bring their dognapped hostage to Professor Hayling’s house, it occurs to Tinker that they can hide the dog in 'his' lighthouse.
When they arrive at the lighthouse, they are astonished to find Attila locked up in there, as the bandits chose this seemingly abandoned location to keep their captive away from prying eyes!
The bandits arrive at the lighthouse just as the children are discussing the situation and they only have time to hide. After some difficulties, they manage to evade the bandits and to escape by locking them up in the lighthouse. Meanwhile, a storm has risen, giving the children a few scares on the way back to the mainland.
(The children are stuck in the lighthouse while the bandits are in the next room, and Tinker has an idea: he shows Mischief how to close and lock a door so that Mischief will do the same and thus lock up the bandits discreetly… Monkey see, monkey do!)
[TRANSLATION: Narrator: The Five are desperate to find a solution when, suddenly, Tinker... Julian: Are you nuts? Tinker: Your turn, Mischief! Do as I do!]
(This picture mainly for the view of the lighthouse in the storm)
[TRANSLATION: Narrator: Outside, the storm is raging. Narrator (second panel): Mischief pushes against the door with all his might but... Anne: He'll never be able to do it.]
The police arrest the bandits, who were also wanted for other offenses in addition to cheetahnapping. The children go back to professor Hayling’s to celebrate their victory, and Tinker decides to adopt the cocker spaniel.
(Let’s celebrate!)
[TRANSLATION: Narrator: After the storm has calmed, the children take their boat and head back to Professor Hayling's house. Jenny: Is that Attila? Where did you find him? Tell me all about it! Tinker: Not until we’ve had a good meal!]
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Fun lines:
There’s an adorable moment in the lighthouse when Dick is holding the cocker spaniel in his arms while the children are hiding from the bandits:
« La petite troupe monta ainsi plusieurs marches. Mick avait pris Flibustier dans ses bras et lui parlait d’une voix rassurante en faisant mentalement des vœux pour que le cocker ne se mette pas à aboyer. Mais le chien, qui était d’un naturel placide, était trop heureux d’être caressé pour se soucier de donner de la voix. Il ferma les yeux et se laissa bercer comme un bébé. […] Entendant ses maîtres parler, Flibustier, alias Tommy, écarquilla un œil et agita une oreille. Mais Mick le serra doucement contre lui et Claude lui fourra un morceau de sucre dans la gueule. Béat, le chien resta tranquille. »
Translation:
“The little group climbed several steps. Dick had taken Filibuster in his arms and was talking to him in a reassuring voice, hoping that the cocker spaniel wouldn't start barking. But the dog, who was naturally placid, was only too happy to be cuddled to even think about making racket. The dog closed his eyes and let himself be rocked like a baby. […] Filibuster, a.k.a. Tommy, widened one eye and wiggled one ear upon hearing his owners’ voices. But Dick gave him a gentle squeeze and George stuffed a lump of sugar in his mouth. The dog was content and remained quiet.”
Cuuuuuuuute! 😍 I mean, Dick and the doggy are cute; George is… rather brusque!
[Note: Tommy is the dog's original name used by the bandits.]
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Cover art through the ages:
(Disclaimer: This is not an exhaustive list; sometimes the dates are difficult to pinpoint; and I have purposefully not included editions that re-used similar cover art, with differences only in layout and font style.)
(Cover art by Jean Sidobre, Hachette, 1984 – minor layout changes compared to the original 1972 cover art)
(Paul Gillon, Hachette, 1992 – the Five with their extended menagerie!)
(Quite a peaceful scene depicted by Frédéric Rébéna, Hachette, 2011 – the red-and-white paint scheme makes for a striking visual, although it is not necessarily what I have in mind when I think about an abandoned lightouse in disrepair…)
(Auren, Hachette, 2021 – facing the storm) [Note: You have to wonder where Tinker is, on all the modern covers…]
🏞️🎊💼 Les Cinq au bal des espions – The Famous Five in Fancy Dress
Original publication date: 1971 (France), 1983 (UK)
(Cover by Jean Sidobre, 1976)
Today the Five take a trip to Switzerland and get to enjoy a masked ball while uncovering a spies’ nest!
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Plot summary:
(Disclaimer: All provided translations are my own.)
Siblings Julian, Dick and Anne join their cousin George at Kirrin Cottage for a glorious two months of summer holidays.
(The Five celebrate their reunion in true Kirrin fashion: with a tasty snack followed by an energetic swim in the sea!)
[TRANSLATION: Narrative: Once reinvigorated with their snack, the Five concluded their first afternoon together with a swim in the sea.]
That evening, Uncle Quentin announces that a scientific conference that was planned in Geneva in the fall has been moved to the summer. As a result, all the family goes on a trip to Switzerland: Uncle Quentin and Aunt Fanny will be at the hotel where the conference is held, while the children get to enjoy two weeks at a youth camp near Lake Geneva.
(Arrival at the youth camp)
[TRANSLATION: Narrative: Upon arrival, Mr and Mrs Kirrin settled at the hotel... The Five took a bus to the youth camp where a counsellor welcomed them. Counsellor: My name is André Sandry. Please, follow me.]
Over the next few days, the Five get to know their fellow campers, who all range from age 10 to 17 and hail from various European countries such as France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy or the UK. Most everyone is very friendly, except for one 17-year-old named Rudi originating from a small Central European country, who acts surly and aloof.
There is an announcement that all campers are invited to attend a masked ball that will be held the next week in Geneva, at the same hotel where the scientific conference is hosted. Over the next few days, the campers are all in a frenzy to find the best costume – George will be disguised as a cat burglar, Julian as a musketeer, Dick as a buccaneer and Anne as a shepherdess.
(Excitement at the camp!)
[TRANSLATION: Narrative: Over the next few days, small groups would meet to discuss their costume ideas in secret. One evening, George received a phone call from his parents. George: Everything's fine, Dad. We're being invited to a fancy dress ball. It's going to be fantastic. Quentin: I'll send you some money for your disguises.]
One night, George catches Rudi making light signals to a man called Malik, and conversing with him. She discovers that Malik is a member of the secret service of a foreign country and that Rudi is being paid to steal the plans for a rocket created by Professor Lancelot, a scientist who’s currently attending the international conference in Geneva. Rudi is supposed to steal the plans the following evening around midnight, during the masked ball that will be held at the hotel. After Malik and Rudi have gone their separate ways, George reports what she has discovered to her cousins.
During the night, a fire breaks out in the camp and George bravely rescues a young boy trapped in the flames. As a reward, the camp’s head counsellor gives her permission to bring Timmy to the masked ball – dressed as a sheep to go with Anne’s shepherdess costume! Unable to reach Uncle Quentin by phone that day due the upheaval following the fire, the Five decide to warn Professor Lancelot the next evening at the masked ball.
(Panic at camp!)
[TRANSLATION: Julian: Let’s go help with the bucket line. Female camper: Patrick! My little brother… He’s in there... George: There’s no time to lose.]
Once at the hotel for the party, the children try to contact Professor Lancelot but to no avail.
(Fancily-dressed Five!)
[TRANSLATION: Narrative: A few moments later, in the large ballroom... George: We must get to Professor Lancelot quickly. Every second lost could be fatal. Dick: It's a shame, really. I'd have gladly boarded the buffet. Julian: We should ask the hotel receptionist to announce us [to the professor].]
Dick goes up to the professor's room but the door is locked. George suggests climbing up the front of the hotel and walking along the stone ledge to reach the scientist's room through the open window, after which she opens the door to her cousins. Professor Lancelot has been drugged and is fast asleep. The Five soon find his briefcase and replace the rocket plans with worthless newspapers. Rudi arrives around midnight and grabs the briefcase. George follows him and clings to the back of the car that picks Rudi up. The car brings Rudi (and, unbeknownst to them, George) to an isolated house in the woods, where he has a meeting with the spy chief, a blonde man. The spies discover that the rocket plans have been swapped for newspapers and are clueless as to what might have happened. The blonde man sends Rudi back to the camp with orders to keep his eyes open.
(George out-spies the spies!)
[TRANSLATION: Narrative: Rudi explained to the man what happened at the hotel and the interference from Dick and Anne*. Rudi: Maybe they stole the plans? What should I do? Spy chief: Strange, really strange… For the moment, keep an eye on those kids and wait for my orders.]
[*Note: This refers to a commotion that happened earlier at the hotel: Julian, Dick and George had been hiding in the bathroom while Rudi entered the professor’s room, but Dick’s impulsiveness won through and he could not resist trying to capture Rudi – Rudi managed to lock them all up in the room and fled, after dodging Anne who made him trip with her shepherdess’s crook.]
George tries to warn her father about the plot against Professor Lancelot, but he is too busy with the conference. Closely watched by Rudi, she dares not reveal all her recent discoveries in a phone conversation for fear that Rudi will find out. The next day, the children learn that Professor Lancelot has been abducted in the street. Then, during a diving lesson organised for the campers, Rudi takes his chance and surreptitiously pushes George into the water, believing that she cannot swim. Despite George’s being none the worse for wear, the Five are more determined than ever to warn Uncle Quentin. They find their opportunity that same afternoon during a “treasure hunt” activity that sees all the young campers scattered around the camp. Julian had planned to take a bus to Geneva to warn Uncle Quentin in person, but the plan changes when they see Rudi conversing with the blonde man in the latter’s car. After Rudi leaves, the Five approach the car and introduce themselves as hitchhikers requesting a lift to Geneva. The man grumbles but agrees to take them part of the way, which helps the children locate the spies’ hideout.
(A crafty plan…)
[TRANSLATION: Narrative: On leaving Thiviey*, the car stopped to drop off the Five. Then it drove off again. Anne: We need to get the licence plate number. Dick: Impossible, the plate is too dusty. Julian: The car is turning down an alley. George: The spies’ hideout must be nearby. George (second panel): I swiped this glove from the car. After giving it a sniff, Timmy will lead us to the spies’ house. Let’s go!]
[*Note: Thiviey is the name of a village located near Geneva in the book. This seems to be a fictional village as I couldn’t find evidence that it exists in real life.]
Dick and Anne make their way to Geneva where, after some difficulty, they manage to locate Aunt Fanny and Uncle Quentin who, in turn, call the police. Seeing Rudi lurking at the hotel, Dick jumps on him and locks him up, gagged and tied up, in a broom cupboard. Meanwhile, Julian, George and Timmy reach the spies’ hideout and manage to gain access to the professor, who is being held in an underground chamber. The villains discover them and a fight ensues, but the police soon arrive and arrest the spies, including Rudi.
~~~~~~
Fun lines:
Trying on the costumes before the ball:
« Tu es ravissante ainsi ! déclara Claude à sa cousine pendant l’essayage. Mais tu devrais emmener avec toi au bal une bonne douzaine de moutons pour faire plus naturel ! »
François, de son côté, se trouvait magnifique avec l’épée au côté. Mick lui fit remarquer que « ce truc en fer-blanc » allait le gêner pour danser.
« Je m’en moque bien de danser ! répliqua François gaiement. Ce qui m’intéresse, moi, c’est le buffet !
— Un mousquetaire ne va pas au buffet ! fit remarquer Claude. Il doit monter la garde devant la porte.
— Tu as raison ! Pour empêcher les souris d’hôtel d’entrer ! »
Translation:
“You look lovely like this!” George said to her cousin [Anne] during the fitting. “But you should take a dozen sheep with you to the ball to look more natural!”
Julian, for his part, thought he looked magnificent with the sword at his side. Dick pointed out to him that this “tin thingie” was going to get in the way while dancing.
“I don't care about dancing!” replied Julian cheerfully. “What interests me is the buffet!”
“A musketeer doesn't go to the buffet!” remarked George. “They have to stand guard at the door.”
“You're right! To stop the cat burglars getting in!”
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Cover art through the ages:
(Disclaimer: This is not an exhaustive list; sometimes the dates are difficult to pinpoint; and I have purposefully not included editions that re-used similar cover art, with differences only in layout and font style.)
(Cover by Jean Sidobre, Hachette, 1976 – the Five in their fancy costumes!)
(Paul Gillon, Hachette, 1993 – George plays action hero!)
(Munch and Prunier, Hachette, 2003 – a cat burglar on a mission…)
(Frédéric Rébéna, Hachette, 2010 – all Five in their fancy dresses, including Timmy the sheepish dog 😂)
This concludes our foray into Famous Five vintage (and not-so-vintage) art!
I started this project about a year and a half ago and I’m very pleased to have brought it to its conclusion. I ultimately got more ambitious that I imagined at the start, and managed to gather physical copies from almost every edition from the 1950s to the 1980s (I also have a few from the 1990s onwards, but I didn’t make a concerted effort to find them all as they rarely contain original inside illustrations, and the cover art can be found online). The only physical book I know I’m missing is one from the Swiss publisher with Umberto Nonna’s illustrations. If it so happens that I find a copy of this book – or any additional editions that I don’t currently know of – I will make an additional post to the FFAN series, but until then I’m calling it done!
You can expect three more posts over the next few days focusing on the Five enjoying fun outdoorsy activities to accompany you into summertime! 🎒🏕️🏖️🌞
And to wrap thing up, I thought I’d share some light about my favourite books from both Blyton’s and Voilier’s series.
From Enid Blyton’s original series:
#10 Five On A Hike Together: I love how the action is condensed over five days, with the events leading smoothly one to the other. The children were just going on a carefree hike, when they inadvertently get pulled into a mystery and solve a puzzling “treasure map”. They get to show their wits, be self-reliant, outsmart the bad guys, and find the treasure just in time before going back to school, all the while enjoying the lovely scenery of the countryside in the fall! Dick and Anne also get their special moment in the spotlight, which doesn't happen in many of the books.
#03 Five Run Away Together: The first adventure where the Five go off on their own for an extended period of time without any adults around. I think this one appealed to me when I was a child because of the fantasy of running away from ill-meaning adults and thriving on their own. (Just to be clear, I did not personally live in an environment where I was faced with ill-meaning adults, so this wasn’t wish-fulfilment. But I do remember several books that I particularly liked and that were focused on a teen protagonist(s) running away and living for a time on their own away from adults, so this is clearly a storyline that appealed to me.) I also like how, this being early in the series, George tends to respond to things on her own, because she’s used to being an only child, and needs to get some sense knocked into her to realise that she now has three cousins who have her back.
#04 Five Go To Smuggler’s Top: A spectacular, spooky scenery for a baffling mystery. The secondary characters (Block, Mr Barling, Mr Lenoir, and of course Sooty) are particularly memorable!
#19 Five Go To Demon’s Rocks: Once again I like that the children are going away on their own (at least I’m consistent in my preferences! 😅), and the scenery of the lighthouse is spectacular! I do think that the resolution is a bit of a let-down with the children finding the treasure pretty much by chance. But it is followed by a thrilling climax at the top of the lighthouse in a storm!
#07 Five Go Off To Camp: This book is just a very good mix of humour and mystery. Mr Luffy is also a very entertaining character and I wouldn’t have minded seeing him in more books!
Honourable mentions to #01 Five On A Treasure Island, the book which opens the series and in which our main characters first meet; #08 Five Get Into Trouble, which only didn’t make it into my top five because I find Richard annoying (which is entirely the point of this character); #15 Five On A Secret Trail, whose plot I like but which again gets bumped a few spots down because I find the whole “twins” plot twist very quickly annoying; and #18 Five On Finniston Farm, with its charming scenery but ultimately very thin plot.
From Claude Voilier’s continuation series:
#LC23 Les Cinq et le trésor du pirate: I had not read this book as a child and it was a really nice discovery. As I mentioned in the detailed post, this book felt much better written than a lot of the other books in the continuation series, making for a very entertaining read. I can absolutely recommend it if you want dip your toes into Voilier’s series. (Although, well, this is one of the few books that were never translated into English, so you’ll have to make do with the original French! 😉)
#LC18 Les Cinq et le trésor de Roquépine: This one was a favourite back when I was a child, and the nostalgia remains strong to this day. What can I say, I do love the treasure hunt trope! 🤷🏻♀️
#LC11 Les Cinq dans la cité secrète: Also a childhood favourite, this one for the Indiana Jones vibes!
#LC07 Les Cinq contre le Masque Noir: Another recent discovery. I liked the wide cast of characters/suspects, and the Five striking them off their list one by one based on their sleuthing. I did, however, figure out who the real culprit was really early on, so that did diminish the impact of the ultimate plot twist. (But I do wonder if I would have figured it out if I had read this book as a pre-teen/teen and not as an adult.)
#LC08 Les Cinq et le galion d’or: Several fun twists with the customary treasure being found by the children very early on, but stolen again, and the mystery being where the thieves keep moving it to. But points docked off for the resolution being due to a stroke of luck rather than the children getting to use their wits.
Honourable mentions to #LC20 Les Cinq jouent serré due to several genuinely funny moments; and #LC21 Les Cinq contre les fantômes, for its mystery aura.
Original publication date: 1985 (France), never published in the UK
(Original cover by Annie-Claude Martin, 1985)
This is the last book in the continuation series written by Claude Voilier, and it has quite an odd theme compared to the other volumes in the series, with its backdrop of environmentalism versus industrialism. Not something I expected to find in a Famous Five book!
Without further ado, let’s see what awaits our protagonists for this last adventure, Famous Five vs the Werewolf.
~~~~~~
Plot summary:
(Disclaimer: All provided translations are my own.)
The Five are spending the summer holidays at Kirrin Cottage. An individual calling himself the Werewolf is making headline news by violently opposing the many new hotels, supermarkets, leisure facilities and amenities that are being built in the area in order to attract tourists, whom he calls ‘foreigners’. He threatens to attack both the developers and the construction sites. The Five agree with the underlying message, as it is indeed a shame when a natural spot is being defiled by modern buildings, but disapprove of the Werewolf’s violent methods. So they set about unmasking this individual, not to hand him over to the police, but to talk them out of their violent actions.
As part of their intimidation campaign, the Werewolf notably kidnaps a wealthy local farmer, Pierre Lacaut, who was planning to sell part of his land to a property developer. Lacaut reappears a couple of days later, claiming to have been abducted by a man wearing a werewolf mask, then held prisoner in a cellar without eating or drinking, before being left on a deserted road. The Werewolf threatened to attack his family and Lacaut now renounces to sell his land.
Elsewhere, a hotel complex is being built on what used to be a communal meadow, and the Werewolf sets about vandalising the site at night, stealing tools, slashing the truck tyres and sabotaging the machinery. The police set up a watchguard, appointing ‘Old Man Mailloche’ for the task, a retired postman whom the Five are friendly with. Days pass with the Werewolf avoiding the now-guarded site and focusing his efforts on other locations, until one night the future hotel blows up in an explosion; Mailloche later reports that he's been drugged and woke up in a nearby field after the events.
(The children help Mailloche recover after being assaulted)
[TRANSLATION: Narrator: The following night, a plastic charge blew up the hotel where Mailloche was working as a watchguard. Anne: How fortunate that you were not injured! Mailloche: Perhaps, but what an affront to me! That wretched Werewolf must have slipped me a sleeping pill. I was half asleep when I saw a man with a werewolf’s head dragging me across the moor... in a wheelbarrow*!] [*Note: This explains Dick’s hilarity in the illustration above – he’s picturing Mailloche in the wheelbarrow.]
The Five try to track down where the Werewolf could have procured his mask, but don’t find any promising leads. They also wonder where he got hold of such explosives. Mailloche suggests that they could be remnants from WW2, as a local guy named Jérémie, who owns a hardware store, is famous for being descended from a former Resistance fighter. Other possible suspects are Victor Pivert, a retired history teacher who loves nature and leads a very solitary life; Ms Robineau, a spinster who’s hostile to any form of innovation; and the Colombet twins, two young bullies who enjoy messing around.
The Five find a way to search the hardware store's cellar, where they think the explosives might be, but their search turns up nothing. On Mailloche’s suggestion, the children investigate an isolated shack that belongs to Jérémie. They find a lighter marked with the initials ‘P.L.’ and deduce that this is where Pierre Lacaut was locked up. Lacaut recognises his lighter, but is reluctant to say anything else for fear of reprisals. The Five tell the police about their find, but when Jérémie is interrogated, he gives a solid alibi. The children are ultimately rebuked for their suspicions.
(A Clue™!)
[TRANSLATION: Narrator: Tim rushed to a door at the back of the hut. After lighting a match, the Five saw that the room was empty... except for one shiny object on the floor: a lighter... Dick: P.L. George: Pierre Lacaut! Narrator (second panel): Ten minutes later at Pierre Lacaut's... Lacaut: I can't deny that this lighter belongs to me. But I have nothing more to say.]
Next, the Five turn their investigations to Victor Pivert, who does seem to hate nature being destroyed for the sake of so-called progress. The children keep an eye on him over the next few days, but when another building site explodes while Pivert is at home, they have to remove him from the list of their suspects.
The children then visit Ms Robineau, offering their help with running a stall at the fair over the next weekend. Ms Robineau turns out to be an eccentric person with a very upbeat personality. During the fair, a business developer is attacked and spectacularly tied up to the church bell’s chain while being made to wear a werewolf mask. This incident exonerates Ms Robineau, who was at her stall the whole time.
(Shenanigans at Ms Robineau’s!)
[TRANSLATION: Narrator: It was a merry band that went to ring the bell at Ms Robineau's house. The "gentle dragon" accepted the Five's offer of service. Ms Robineau: And your dog can chase those who’d to leave without paying... Ha, ha, ha! Narrator (second panel): Ms Robineau, wanting to pet Tim, sprawled out. Narrator (third panel): Tim, excited, finished his antics on a cactus. Tim: Kaiii!]
The Five turn to the last suspects on their list, the Colombet twins, who are a pair of bullies with a very nasty streak. While keeping watch at night, the children see the twins leaving their house on the sly. They follow the suspects into the forest only to see the twins setting some snares – they’re just poachers! Disappointed with this turn of events, which sees all their suspects gone, the Five take petty revenge on the twins for their ill manners.
(As a revenge for their earlier misdemeanours, the Five give a good fright to the twins in the forest)
[TRANSLATION: Narrator: The Colombet twins ran off. George: I think they're too chicken to be the Werewolf.]
After a relaxing day away from their investigation, the Five go to the building site of a future supermarket, which the Werewolf had threatened to attack. Just as they arrive to the location, they see Old Man Mailloche approaching stealthily. They follow him to an old cemetery, where he enters a disused vault. Deep inside the vault, the Five find Mailloche puttering about in what amounts to be a weapons cache, muttering about his misdeeds – he is evidently the Werewolf. When the Five call him out, Mailloche starts getting defensive, but then confides in the children.
The story concludes on a moderation tone: many of the worst industrialists’ endeavours have been stopped by the Werewolf’s activism, and the local population will stand up to avoid further shameless defiling of their environment. But also, progress brings good things and should not be held back entirely. Balance is key!
~~~~~~
Cover art through the ages:
(Disclaimer: This is not an exhaustive list; sometimes the dates are difficult to pinpoint; and I have purposefully not included editions that re-used similar cover art, with differences only in layout and font style.)
(Original cover by Annie-Claude Martin, Hachette, 1985)
(Paul Gillon, Hachette, 1993 – in the vault)
(Frédéric Rébéna, Hachette, 2015 – trouble on a construction site!)
