Enid Blyton and the Mystery of Children's Literature

Book excerpt: Blyton has captivated children worldwide for almost 80 years, but there has been very little serious critical attention paid to her. This book remedies this, looking particularly at her three most popular and well-known series, Noddy, the Famous Five and Malory Towers. It is the first study to draw extensively on the views of her readership, past and present, and to use a wide variety of critical approaches to show how adult criticism has consistently missed the secret of her appeal.