The Secret Seven (The Secret Seven, #1) (2024)

A big thank you to hubby, for spending an age up in the loft sifting through boxes to find my treasured childhood copy of ‘The Secret Seven’.

Re-reading it through adult eyes made me realise, that it is books and authors such as Enid Blyton, who fired my imagination, and left me with a lifelong love of books. Re-reading this was unadulterated joy!

If someone asks me what is the most precious possession in my life, my answer will be a few books by Enid Blyton, a few first-edition comic books, and the first edition of all the Harry Potter books. I have lost many valuable things during multiple home shiftings I had to go through in my life. The first thing that I always ensured safe was this small book collection.

Enid Mary Blyton was one of the first few authors that introduced me to the world of fiction. One of the most challenging phases in my life was when I was young and my parents were doing their residencies. I was transferred from a village/suburban-like place with many young friends and open areas and grounds for playing various sports to an urban city where there was not even enough space for walking when our family relocated for my parent's residency. It is also, interestingly, one of my favorite phases in my life, as it was the time I discovered the beauty of fiction. Authors like Enid Blyton helped me to enjoy fiction and enjoy solitude.

Secret Seven is one of my favorite series written by Enid Blyton. When it comes to mystery books, we enjoyed during our childhood, Secret Seven, Famous Five, Hardy Boys, and Nancy Drew are those that come to most readers' minds. Peter, Janet, Pam, Barbara, Jack, Colin, and George all became my friends in no time. Each character has their own unique characteristics and personality, which the author vividly describes. The silly fights between them and the meetings they held in their old shed using secret passwords are all entertaining things for any kids to read.

I still love to reread these books every once in a while. Rereading them as adults will help us appreciate the beauty of these books and our childhood. These are also good choices to remove your reading slump.

This first book is the one where all the adventure began. Jack becomes suspicious when he witnesses something strange in the large house. He was there searching for his missing badge when this predicament happened. Is the caretaker hiding someone in this house? The seven embark on an exciting, adventurous journey that will entertain all readers.

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5 stars 🌟

Also rant down further as I don’t like reading reviews that bash a book for ridiculous reasons!

These books are so cute, honestly love the little mysteries they solve. Perfect for children as they are short as well and the writing style has a way of making the reader feel included amongst the children.

The fact that people try bashing these books is ridiculous they were written in 1940s for kids and your adults saying the language or style is poor and they are really short books but that’s the whole point meant for 7 year olds and many 7 year olds are not going to sit down and want to read 200+ page books! She uses easy language so it’s readable for children!

I read this to my second oldest daughter (aged 7), here's her review: Dad helped me to choose it...well, I was the one that thought of it! I liked the title but it wasn't my favourite part! My favourite part of the story is that the Secret Seven was amazing and very important. You will get a HUGE surprise when you find out the full mystery! But thanks to Jack and Peter, Kerry Blue was saved.

This is the first book in the Secret Seven Series (although Peter and Janet had appeared in an earlier book called “At Seaside Cottage” in 1947 and the formation of the Secret Seven was told in “Secret of the Old Mill” in 1948).

The Secret Seven consists of Peter and his sister Janet, and their friends Jack, Colin, George, Pam and Barbara . Peter and Janet’s spaniel Scamper is an unofficial member of the Seven and helps warn them when Jack’s annoying little sister, Susie, is creeping about spying on them. Their meeting place is the shed at the bottom of Peter and Janet’s garden and there is no entry unless the children are wearing their club badges and remember the password. When the children meet up in the Christmas holidays, Jack first forgets the password and then loses his badge in the field opposite a spooky old house, where the children were making snowmen. Banned from going out after lunch, Jack decides to creep out of the house and go and see whether he can find his missing badge at night and discovers a mystery worth investigating...

I have really enjoyed re-reading this book to my daughter at bedtime and look forward to sharing the entire series with her. Slightly shorter than the Famous Five books, these are a great introduction to Enid Blyton’s adventure stories and will appeal to both boys and girls. Great to read alone from approx 5+ or to read together at any age! In order, these are:

1. The Secret Seven (1948)
2. Secret Seven Adventure (1950)
3. Well Done Secret Seven (1951)
4. Secret Seven On The Trail (1952)
5. Go Ahead Secret Seven (1953)
6. Good Work Secret Seven (1954)
7. Secret Seven Win Through (1955)
8. Three Cheers Secret Seven (1956)
9. Secret Seven Mystery (1957)
10. Puzzle for the Secret Seven (1958)
11. Secret Seven Fireworks (1959)
12. Good Old Secret Seven (1960)
13. Shock for the Secret Seven (1961)
14. Look Out Secret Seven (1962)
15. Fun For the Secret Seven (1963)

The Secret Seven is the first book in the series. First published in 1949 there are definitely parts of it that seem dated, especially some turns of phrase that are used (particularly by straight laced Janet). However they were probably also outdated in the mid 1980s when I read these books the first time, and I was never aware that they were so old fashioned through my childhood eyes. The same could well be true for children in modern society, infact I would go as far as to assume that it IS true, or the books would surely have gone out of print-nostalgia alone is not enough to keep publishers printing books, they have to actually sell too.

I whizzed through the story, and recalled many of the key moments throughout. It was almost like being transported back to my own childhood, a sense of deja vu. I loved reliving the adventure, particularly the sense of being tucked away in the shed sat on a flowerpot in the meetings the children have. Passwords and disguises abound as the seven set off to find out who the stealthy men sneaking around a spooky old house are. What are they doing, and why? Of course the Secret Seven come up trumps, I don't think that is a spoiler, and as an adult I finished the book with the same sense of satisfaction that I did the first time around. This surely shows the power a good book has, it can stand the test of time and be read at varying stages in life and still be appreciated.

The Hodder edition I had to review was illustrated by Tony Ross, which is obviously an attempt to make the books as visually appealing as possible to the young audience of the twenty-first century. Whilst I liked the illustrations I didn't feel they gelled especially well with the text, but this may just be because they are not what I would traditionally associate with Blyton.

Don't overlook Blyton thinking her work outmoded and irrelevant for children today. Any child seeking high adventure and a story about true friendship and teamwork will find plenty in the Secret Seven books to appeal to them.

I have already decided that I'm going to buy all the books in the series to reread and review. They will then remain on my son's bookshelf to hopefully be enjoyed again and again-they are classics, pure and simple.

I loved it. I always have and always will.
The story consists of 7 children who are friends and live locally - Peter, Janet (siblings), Jack, Barbara, Pam, Colin, George and the family dog Scamper.
Each book takes them on an adventure whilst they solve a mystery.
They are a little dated, but if you love kids books or have children if your family yourself i highly recommend.

To be honest, I never made the connection of the badge SS with fascist Germany, probably because I've read the Greek translation of the books (and there it's ME). It does make sense however, and since Blyton wrote so soon after WWII the initials are distasteful. Anyway, for me this series is the weakest of all adventure series written by Blyton. The protagonist, Jack, is actually a bossy, arrogant and sexist male in the disguise of a boy. And unlike Fatty from the Five Find-Outers (another series by Blyton), he's not even funny. Even as a child I hated the guy! The female characters are described as stupid, passive or annoying and although Blyton is known for her sexist comments in all of her books, I feel that nowhere is this more prominent than in this series. However, I still give this book -and the series as a whole- 3 stars. The plots are clever (remember this is a children's book) and most children dream to be able to do adventurous, exciting things in an adult-dominated world.

Re-reading the Secret Seven with my eight year old girl and it´s amazing how much I can remember more than thirty-five years after originally reading the books. The characters are clear in my mind, as our the original drawings (not sure if they appear in this edition - certainly not the cover) - what really shocked me was how much of the plot I remembered. There are various bits and pieces of text which have been updated and changed, which sometimes works and sometimes doesn´t, and the world it describes is very quaint and post-war Britain, but the pacing and characterisation is dead on. For my money, the Secret Seven adventures wipe the floor with the Famous Five tales.

Oh what a wonderful adventure! And how lovely it was to take this trip with the Seven :D :D

Childhood memories of curling up with their books come back to me as I read this one. Nostalgia is at its peak right now. I remember how much I loved the idea of having a secret society and creating adventures of my own as a child. Reading this book brought back memories of sitting atop a wall with my friends, talking about adventures and queer happenings in our society while going off to 'investigate'. Of course, there were none to match this league but it was a time of true pleasure and fun for me and my friends. I don't know about you but we did have our own password and badges, we recreated the fun of the Seven right at our own homes. Frivolous, you might think today, but at that time, it was exciting.

After that trip down memory lane, lets get to the business of reviewing this book itself shall we? :)

The first book of the series, it brought together the seven friends; Peter, Janet, Barbara, Pam, George, Jack and Colin and of course Scamper the dog. The Secret Society had already been formed earlier in another book but they were meeting after a long time and this time to solve a mystery. Strange noises and occurrences were heard and witnessed by Jack, when he goes to search for his lost badge. After reporting it to the others in their next meeting, they decide to investigate and what follows is one of the sweetest investigations that a child can undertake and another can enjoy.

Despite me being a lot older today, I really enjoyed their 'clever deductions' and steps taken to solve it.

Kudos to the Seven as usual and thank you Enid Blyton for giving me an enjoyable read :)

I read this first installment of Blyton's Secret Seven series to my children, aged 5 and 7, after having read 5 Famous Five books to them previously. I thought it would bore them because the content is tamer, less thrilling. In fact, they appeared to engage more with the Seven than they did with the Five and I guess it's because the Seven are more age appropriate. How disappointing! Half the joy of reading to your children is it legitimately allows you the indulgence of children's literature that you would otherwise consider yourself too old for, and frankly I'd prefer to spend my kid-lit time with the more exciting Five. But it's not all about me. Is it?

Really liked it with this book and adventurous!! Enid Blyton is amazing author!

While searching for his badge in a snowy field late one night, Jack witnesses a strange van approaching an old house whose only occupant is a deaf and cranky caretaker. Why are two men going to the old house and what is that strange noise coming from inside the van? Is a prisoner being kept in the house against his will? This calls for The Secret Seven to spring into action and solve the case.

This is the first of Enid Blyton's Secret Seven books. Originally published in 1949, it seems quite dated now. There are lots of 'Oh bothers' and head hopping, and it probably won't win too many fans among feminists (though at least the girls get to help solve the mystery, unlike some earlier books such as Emil and the Detectives). In hindsight, it seems strange that British children are keen to wear S.S. badges so soon after World War II, and where on earth are the parents when these pre-teens are traipsing round the countryside at night? In fact, why am I even reading it?

Well one reason is that I'm doing the Pop Sugar reading challenge and I thought one of the categories was 'a book you haven't read since school'. As it turns out, it was supposed to be a book I hadn't read since high school. Whoops. But I'm still glad I re-read it because it actually did have a big impact on my life. I first came across the Seven when I was in Grade 6 or 7 and it started my love of mysteries. I so wanted to be a member of the Secret Seven and solve mysteries in my own back yard. I even remember looking through my front window one day, pen and notebook in hand, so that I could jot down suspicious happenings in my neighbourhood. I gave up after half an hour because the only thing that had happened was that someone went into the corner store across the road holding a shopping bag. Mmm ... big mystery there!

It may be old-fashioned, a bit daggy, and a bit 'jolly hockey sticks', but it's also a product of its times and good fun. It shows that children can do valuable things on their own initiative. Thank you for inspiring my imagination, Enid Blyton. As the last line in the book says, 'Hurrah for the Secret Seven'.

A fine little mystery, the first book in the Secret Seven series. I never really liked this series as much as the Famous Five, because time and time again the girls get left out, or comments are made like it's suprising they could solve mysteries. Even child Kirsti preferred George and her stubborn wish to be 'as good as a boy'. Janet always tries her best, but Peter gets the final word and often makes the girls stay out of things. Annoying.

While looking through my read lists I realized I hadn't read this series since joining Goodreads, so a read was in order. They're quick and fun, if not quite as good as some of her other stories.

It was Enid Blyton and her books that drew me into this wonderful world of reading. Before Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, were Enid's mystery series, one of which were led by the Secret Seven (the other was the Famous Five). I felt bummed I had no recall of the story, but I still knew all 7 members. Originally published in the 1950's, children's idea of friendship, things to do/enjoy in the story are way different now -- like comparing the period when my father was boy to the era where his grandson is now. Overall, I did solve they mystery chapters before, but who cares, I once more, enjoyed this novelty trip... (picked up a book on sale,again,while waiting for my son).

Much of my childhood reading involved mass produced children's mysteries -- started with The Secret Seven, graduated on to The Famous Five (also Enid Blyton) and then hit Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew. What a way to spend a childhood!

it's the first part of secret seven there are 7 childrens i it peter, janet, jack, barbara, pam, colin and george it's a good book for childrens above age of 6

A childhood favorite that I'll always love. Enid Blyton's mysteries were the first I read in the mystery genre. I used to love the simple yet engaging writing style, the adventures the characters had and of course the detective work they did!

I reread this book a few days ago when my younger sister brought it from the library. The reread really made me nostalgic of the time I only read Blyton and Roald Dahl. It was fun having those childhood memories refreshed. Even though the mysteries would feel disappointing if I read them now, I really liked them as a kid.

Enid Blyton is one of those authors I never get bored of!

This book is really called, I think, The Stupid Seven. I mean, come on!! These guys have peas for brains. I have never heard of kids like this. It's like, "Huh! Here's some tire tracks! I wonder if I should copy them down!" Other person: "No, no, they couldn't be useful at all!"

Beware this book. And especially all the other books that follow it in the series. It may cause serious brain damage. BEWARE!

Not one of her better mystery novels, to be frank. [edit: oh dear god I just realised 'Frank' was a rally bad unintentional pun here on my part.]
And wearing badges with 'SS' on it is a brilliant idea after WWII. Maybe they should also shave their heads and bleach their hair blonde as well.

One of my all time favorites.

Pure nostalgia. Storytelling at it's best.

This is the story about seven friends and their dog, Scamper who form a secret club and solve the first mystery they encounter. I really liked the book and will be reading more from the series.

The adventures are super cool and fun 🤩 also the story’s are so short so you can read it quickly.

Sarjassamme luetaan Blytoneita uudestaan. Henkilöiden nimet olivat outoja eikä mieleen ole jäänyt kukaan erityisesti, ei edes koira, mikä on esim. Viisikkoihin verrattuna poikkeuksellista, koska heidät muistaa kaikki! Itse tarina taas on niiiiiin tuttu niin kuin eilen olisin lukenut viimeksi, vaikka välissä on ehtinyt muutama vuosikymmen vierähtää. Eivät nämä koskaan ole yhtä paljoa vedonneet kuin Viisikot, Salaisuudet ja Seikkailut, mutta taattua perus-Blytonia nämäkin. Jotkut jutut hiukan ärsyttää ja samaan törmää paikoin Viisikoissakin, että "me pojat mennään nyt tutkimaan asiaa kun se on niin vaarallista ja te tytöt jäätte kotiin nukkumaan". Aikansa lapsia...

Author: Enid Blyton
Illustrator: George Brook
First Published: 1949

I remember, when I first read these, one was either a Famous Five or a Secret Seven fan. I can't remember which side I fell.

Having now read the first of each with my 7yo I find myself in the Secret Seven camp.

First up, they're shorter. (*grin*)

But also I found the adventure better developed, the characters more intelligent, the problem to be solved less selfish, and the adults (they're parents) more approachable.

On the negative, the girls have more of a background role in active tasks (eg they don't go on the night surveil) but they accomplish as much and are included in the solving of the mystery. They are also girls - George in Famous Five would rather be a boy - they giggle, sew, and keep the home fires burning. This I find conflicting; there's nothing wrong with being a girl and liking girl things, but it should be inclusive not restrictive. Your gender shouldn't hold you back.

And my 7yo said the series titles were dull and uninformative.

In the end, we liked it. "Secret Seven" was funny, clever, and approachable. The mystery had sufficient depth the 7yo appreciated the logical procession to solution. The characters were appealing. While the time and language has aged, it isn't as problematic as it was with Five on a Treasure Island.

It's still a series that has appeal to the next generation of young readers.

References:
w'pedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secr...
Enid Blyton .net: http://www.enidblyton.net/secret-seven/

The Secret Seven Society:
Peter - leader
Janet - Peter's sister
Jack
Barbara
George
Pam
Colin
Scamper (the dog)

Series:
Book 1 The Secret Seven (1949)
Book 2 The Secret Seven Adventure (1950)
Book 3 Well Done, Secret Seven (1951)
Book 4 Secret Seven on the Trail (1952)
Book 5 Go Ahead Secret Seven (1953)
Book 6 Good Work, Secret Seven (1954)
Book 7 Secret Seven Win Through (1955)
Book 8 Three Cheers, Secret Seven (1956)
Book 9 Secret Seven Mystery (1957)
Book 10 Puzzle for the Secret Seven (1958)
Book 11 Secret Seven Fireworks (1959)
Book 12 Good Old Secret Seven (1960)
Book 13 Shock for the Secret Seven (1961)
Book 14 Look Out, Secret Seven (1962)
Book 15 Fun for the Secret Seven (1963)
Secret Seven Short Story Collection: 6 Stories (1948-1957, collected in 1998)

Age:
Read aloud - 5+
Read yourself - 7+

(ISBN 9780340680919)

-CR-

An easy to read book. Although I find the "Secret Seven" constant requirement of a password to their "secret meetings" rather silly.

The first of the Secret Seven books
13 July 2012

Well, there are a few things that I can say about this book: the first being that it seems to be a retelling of an earlier Blyton story, The Mystery of the Secret Room. In many ways it seemed to be the same story with different characters and a slightly different mystery. The reason I say that is because both stories seem to focus around an old abandoned house and in both stories the children go to a real estate agent, where there is a 16 year old boy behind the counter, to learn who actually owns the property. Okay, it might be somewhat different, but considering that this story is a lot shorter than the other it was the similarities that stood out.

One of the main reasons that I grabbed this book and read it is because I wanted to see how Blyton crafted some of her other groups that were outside of the Famous Five, and I had yet to read a Secret Seven book, and in a space of five hours (or less, I wasn't counting) I read it. Sure enough the dog in this series, Scamps, tends to play a bit part: simply a character that tags along with the rest of the group. Further, the children in this book seem to be a lot less developed than some of the children in the other books, almost to the extent that they seem to be little more than cardboard cut outs. No doubt it would be difficult to develop full blown characters for each of the seven in such a short book, but then some of her other characters (such as Fatty from the Five Finder-outers) seem to have a lot more life than some of these. However, noting that along with the Famous Five, the Secret Seven were also turned into television series must indicate their popularity.

Fortunately I am not the only one that was concerned about some of the aspects of this secret society. Having been written so soon after World War II one would have thought that Blyton would have been a little more tactful when coming up with the logo for the club. Seriously, using a logo saying 'SS' is not something that you want to encourage children to do, and since it is also a secret society with badges and passwords and what not one has to wonder what was going through Blyton's mind at the time and what she was suggesting to her readers. Maybe they were right when they suggested that even if Germany was defeated the era of fascism had not passed, and in many cases it hadn't. While discrimination against the Jews was crushed under the allied boots, discrimination against the negro population of the United States was still in full swing and would be so for at least the next fifteen years.

Another thing about this book is that it is predictable. I had worked out what the mystery was about and what the stolen object was by the forth chapter, and that was simply because Blyton made reference to the noise that was made by the animal which happened to be a horse. The other thing that made me scratch my head was the fact that the animal was kept in a cellar. I simply did not find that believeable, but then again I have never owned an animal larger than a small dog, and in Australia we don't have cellars and if we are fortunate enough to have one, then they will be quite small.

It seems also that Blyton had set into a pattern by the time she had written this book. The children are out playing and stumble over a mystery. The children then begin to investigate the mystery and a couple of them are captured and locked up. The ones who are not captured then go off and rescue the captured ones, solve the mystery, and hand the crooks over to the police. Fortunately in this book the Secret Seven are rebuked by the police for not informing them earlier, something that does not occur in her other writings.

The Secret Seven is a story about seven children who form a secret society with badges and passwords. Jack, one of the group members, misplaces his badge in a field opposite a spooky old house where they were creating a snowman. As punishment for misbehaving during dinner, he is forbidden from going outside the house. Jack determined to find the badge creeps out of the house once everyone is asleep, and that night he discovers something fishy is happening out there, maybe a mystery worth solving?

Enid Blyton has enjoyably written the story, making you want to have a secret society and solve mysteries. The plot and the characters are Mindblowing! It would have been better if she had briefed the characters and made the stories long. I think it did not reach her usual standard. It was not as good as Malory tower, Famous five, Five find outers and the dog etc.

One quote that made me laugh was-
‘Oh—that’s a mixture of scrumptious and delicious, too!’ said Barbara
with a squeal of laughter. ‘Delumptious and scrumplicious—that just describes
everything nicely.’

I liked this book but would like to recommend other books by Enid Blyton like Malory tower, Famous five, Five find outers and the dog as they are way more engaging and epic. I would give this a 2-star rating. I would still love to read the rest of her books(not in the same series)as I am a huge fan of the rest of her books.

Si tienes 11 años y no ves la ironía en The SS Club, pues tampoco verás el clasismo, el asqueroso conservadurismo detrás de estas historias. Verás, pues, eso, un club de niños detectives que lo pasan bomba. A ver, eran otros tiempos...
La colección tiene un montón de tomos y yo no los tengo todos, porque a partir del octavo o noveno comenzó a decaer muy mucho y ya me resultaba un tostón leerlos, incluso a mí, la misma tontaina que salía a la calle buscando misterios. En mi defensa: yo nunca era Janet, ni siquiera Georgina. Yo era Peter, obvio.