Top 15 Enid Blyton Books Every Child (and Parent) Should Read

With over 600 books to her name, Enid Blyton shaped the childhoods of millions through stories that blended mystery, adventure, fantasy, and school life.

But with so many series to choose from, parents and readers often ask: which Enid Blyton book or series is the best to start with—or the most essential overall?

The answer depends on your child’s age, reading level, and interests.

Some children love the magical whimsy of The Faraway Tree, while others are drawn to the suspense and clever puzzles of The Famous Five or The Adventure Series.

1. The Famous Five Series

The Famous Five series is arguably Blyton’s most iconic adventure collection. It centers on four children — Julian, Dick, Anne, and their tomboy cousin George (Georgina) — along with her loyal dog Timmy.

The series is structured around the children going on holidays and, often by coincidence, stumbling upon mysteries involving smugglers, secret tunnels, lost treasure, or suspicious characters. 

The stories are grounded in real-world settings, with clear-cut good-versus-evil plotlines. The books are paced with gradual buildup, investigation, and a final resolution. George is a standout character, challenging gender roles at the time.

Notable Elements:

• Rural and coastal English settings
• Focus on independence (kids explore without adult supervision)
• Emphasis on logical reasoning and courage
• Light moral lessons
• Repetitive but comforting structure

2. The Secret Seven Series

This series is intended for slightly younger readers than the Famous Five. It features a secret club of seven children who hold meetings in a garden shed and wear badges with passwords.

They tackle small-scale mysteries like missing dogs, stolen goods, or local disturbances. The plots are simpler and the vocabulary more accessible.

The group dynamic focuses on loyalty and order, with Peter as the leader. The stories emphasize working together to reach a goal and foster a sense of belonging and curiosity.

Notable Elements:

• Realistic community-based scenarios
• Accessible language for early readers
• Repetition of structure (problem, meeting, investigation, resolution)
• Light interpersonal tension within the group

3. The Faraway Tree Series

The Faraway Tree books follow siblings Jo, Bessie, and Fanny (sometimes renamed Joe, Beth, and Frannie) who discover a magical tree in an enchanted forest.

At the top of the tree, different lands appear, each with unique rules and characters. These lands can change from fun (Land of Goodies) to threatening (Land of Dame Slap).

Each chapter tends to follow a complete visit to a land, making the book episodic and well-suited for bedtime reading. 

Notable Elements:

• Repetition builds familiarity and anticipation
• A mix of humorous and tense scenes
• No overarching villain or goal — purely imaginative and situational
• No dependence on real-world logic

4. The Wishing-Chair Series

This series is composed of three books following Mollie and Peter, siblings who discover a chair that can sprout wings and fly them to various magical lands.

They are joined by Chinky the pixie. Like Faraway Tree, this series is episodic, with each chapter often focusing on a new location or challenge.

The chair takes them to lands of giants, talking animals, or magical mischief. Each story contains a mild conflict that is resolved before they return home.

Notable Elements:

• Simple structure and plot per chapter
• Very child-centric viewpoint
• Magical rules (like the chair needing to recharge its wings)
• Little character development; the focus is on external adventures

5. Malory Towers Series

Malory Towers is a school series following Darrell Rivers through her years at a prestigious girls’ boarding school. Unlike Blyton’s fantasy books, this is a character-driven story focused on academic life, friendships, rivalries, and personal development.

Each term (one per book) introduces new students and situations. Darrell evolves from a quick-tempered and impulsive girl into a more balanced and responsible person.

Notable Elements:

• Peer-to-peer moral conflicts (bullying, cheating, exclusion)
• Character arcs across the series
• Themes of integrity, fairness, and confidence
• Discipline from teachers is respected but rarely the main focus

6. St. Clare’s Series

This is a similar boarding school series, centered on twins Pat and Isabel O’Sullivan.

Initially snobbish and reluctant to attend St. Clare’s, the twins gradually adapt to the school’s culture. The tone is slightly more dramatic than Malory Towers, with more conflict among students and lessons in humility.

Each book corresponds to a school term and features recurring and new students, exploring how peer pressure, personality clashes, and learning challenges are navigated.

Notable Elements:

• Sibling relationship as a focal point
• Less idealized than Malory Towers
• Internal struggles (identity, pride, self-doubt)
• Set routines and school rules play a role in plot progression

7. The Adventure Series

A more intense series, these books feature Philip, Dinah, Lucy-Ann, and Jack — along with Jack’s parrot, Kiki — as they travel across Europe and the British Isles, often encountering danger and adult-level threats.

Unlike most of Blyton’s work, the stakes here include espionage, kidnapping, and near-death experiences.

Philip is good with animals, Jack is interested in birds, and Dinah provides balance with reasoned decision-making. Lucy-Ann is the youngest and often nervous, adding tension and realism.

Notable Elements:

• Exotic and remote settings (mountains, islands, castles)
• Long, developed plots with multi-step mysteries
• Adult antagonists with real criminal intent
• Family-like bond among the children

8. The Mystery Series (Five Find-Outers)

In each of the 15 books, the Five Find-Outers — Fatty, Larry, Daisy, Pip, and Bets — solve a mystery that usually involves tricking or outrunning the local policeman, Mr. Goon.

Fatty is the main detective and often uses disguises. The mysteries usually happen in their quiet village, and each book focuses on one case.

Notable Elements:

• Structured like classic detective fiction
• Strong protagonist with real deduction skills
• Village-based continuity and familiarity
• Realistic child behavior (jealousy, showing off, growing up)

9. The Secret Series

Begins with The Secret Island, where neglected children escape and survive independently on an island. Later books involve more complex adventures with spying, foreign travel, and political tension. 

Notable Elements:

• Strong survival narrative in book one
• Focus shifts from domestic abuse to international intrigue
• Characters show real emotional growth and trauma response
• Themes of justice, rebellion, and family

10. Naughty Amelia Jane Series

The Naughty Amelia Jane books center around a big rag doll who lives in a nursery full of toys and constantly misbehaves. Unlike the human-centered adventure or school stories, these tales are told from the perspective of toys who live when the humans are away.

Amelia Jane is bossy, rude, and reckless, but each story involves her learning a lesson after her behavior causes problems for the other toys, such as Teddy, the Clockwork Clown, or the Sailor Doll.

Stories follow a pattern: Amelia Jane causes chaos, the toys band together to teach her a lesson, and she usually apologizes—only to repeat a new kind of mischief later. The structure makes them easy to follow for younger children, and the repetition reinforces behavioral learning.

Notable Elements:

• Everyday lessons on sharing, listening, and manners
• Gentle consequences (non-scary for young readers)
• Toy personalities reflect common child behaviors

11. Mr. Galliano’s Circus

Jimmy Brown is a young boy whose life changes when his father, a carpenter, is hired by a traveling circus. Jimmy and his family join the circus, and the series follows their life on the road, working and living among acrobats, animal trainers, and performers.

The books focus on Jimmy’s relationships with the animals, his efforts to help the circus thrive, and his desire to belong in this unusual but tight-knit community.

Blyton provides detailed insight into circus life from a child’s point of view, without glamorizing it. 

Notable Elements:

• Animal characters with defined personalities
• Exploration of the traveling lifestyle and teamwork
• Realistic problems and satisfying solutions
• Stable adult characters, unlike many of Blyton’s more “child-led” stories

12. Shadow the Sheepdog

World book day. For me it has to be Shadow the Sheepdog by Enid Blyton. #EnidBlyton #shadow pic.twitter.com/XqriPEQnfS

— Alison O’Neill ~ Shepherdess (@woolismybread) March 5, 2020

This is one of Blyton’s most emotional and grounded stories. It follows Johnny, a farm boy, as he raises and trains a sheepdog named Shadow.

Unlike many of her adventure stories, this book is deeply rooted in rural realism and focuses on the development of a strong human-animal bond.

The story tracks Shadow from puppyhood through difficult training and events that test his loyalty and courage.

There’s a strong focus on the day-to-day work of farm life and the care of animals, including discipline, routine, and trust-building.

Notable Elements:

• Rural setting with authentic daily routines
• Moral themes around loyalty, discipline, and patience
• Moderate emotional intensity (e.g., fear of loss)

13. The Children of Cherry Tree Farm

In this story, four siblings leave the city to spend a season in the countryside on Cherry Tree Farm.

There, they meet a reclusive but kind man named Tammylan, who teaches them about wild animals, nature, and how to live in harmony with the environment.

Each chapter often focuses on a different animal (badger, fox, otter, owl) and includes factual elements about the creature’s habits and habitat. 

Notable Elements:

• Environmental themes and wildlife appreciation
• Educational info embedded in the narrative
• Traditional British countryside values

14. The Naughtiest Girl Series

Elizabeth Allen is sent to Whyteleafe School, a progressive boarding school, after being expelled elsewhere for misbehaving.

She arrives determined to be the naughtiest girl in the school so she’ll be sent home, but gradually softens and learns to respect others.

The school uses a student-run self-governing system where pupils judge misbehavior and support each other’s development.

The setting is unique among Blyton’s school books due to the emphasis on student leadership, kindness, and emotional accountability.

Notable Elements:

• Redemption arc with a flawed, strong-willed protagonist
• Peer-led justice system
• Focus on inner change rather than external adventure

15. The Barney Mysteries

This series features a group of children (plus a monkey!) who solve mysteries during their school holidays. The stories include missing persons, forgery rings, stolen treasures, and impersonation.

Barney is a circus boy looking for his long-lost father, adding emotional depth. The other children support him while also solving mysteries together.

The mysteries are more layered than those in the Secret Seven or even the Five Find-Outers, with more dialogue and clue-based investigation. They often involve multiple locations, with more rural or secretive settings.

Notable Elements:

• A combination of emotional storyline (Barney’s search) and crime-solving
• Slightly older tone and more realistic mysteries
• Friendship is built through loyalty, not just shared interests

The Bottom Line

While every child is different, The Famous Five stands out as the most well-rounded and enduring series overall. It balances compelling mysteries, memorable characters, and consistent structure with age-appropriate challenges.

For kids who enjoy problem-solving, exploring the world of math through fun and engaging books can also spark their imagination and critical thinking.

For fantasy lovers, The Faraway Tree delivers unmatched imaginative charm.

If you’re looking for deeper plot complexity and real-world danger, The Adventure Series is the most mature of Blyton’s core adventure works. For early readers, The Secret Seven or Naughty Amelia Jane make excellent entry points.

Ultimately, Blyton offers something timeless for every reading stage.