After the startling success of “Five On Brexit Island” in the bestselling books list last Christmas, humourist Bruno Vincent is hoping to emulate that feat with the launch this Autumn of five new titles in the ‘Enid Blyton For Grown Ups’ series. This time around, the familiar ‘Famous Five’ characters will face the modern-day challenges of buying a new house, surviving the office Christmas party and introducing an elderly family member to the wonders of the internet.
Blyton support
Although many observers may wonder what the great lady herself would have made of the reimaginations of the adventures of Dick, George, Julian, Anne and Timmy, the late author’s representatives seem to be supportive of the novel concept.
A spokesperson from Enid Blyton Entertainment suggested that she “would have delighted in the gentle parody of her characters.”
Brexit sequel
With a target launch date of 5th October, publishers Quercus – founded back in 2004 by Mark Smith and Wayne Davies – will hope that the timely sequel “Five Escape Brexit Island” hits a satirical note with book fans. The original Brexit-based offering proved to be a popular purchase, with estimated sales exceeding 82,000 copies in the key period just before Christmas.
In addition to the keenly awaited Brexit-themed sequel, the Famous Five characters feature in “Five at the Office Christmas Party”, “Five Get on the Property Ladder”, “Five Get Gran Online” and perhaps most intriguingly of all, “Five Go Bump in the Night”.
Author’s legacy
Blyton died in 1968, leaving behind a legacy of sumptuous books to fuel the rich imaginations of children across the world. With total sales exceeding a staggering 600 million copies, her popularity with young readers is well established and her books have been translated into more than 80 languages.
She reflected an interest in many themes in her literature output, including fantasy, mystery, natural history, and education.
Yet it is for hugely popular series such as ‘Noddy’ and ‘Secret Seven’, in addition to the ‘Famous Five’ adventures, that she is most fondly remembered.
‘Mr Men’ and ‘Little Miss’ for a modern audience
It seems that modern revamps of children’s titles are the flavour of the month at present with publishing houses. Besides new life being breathed into the ‘Famous Five’ series, the ‘Mr Men’ and ‘Little Miss’ books are also set to develop adult themes in fresh titles, as a satirical look at topics such as online dating, motherhood and clean eating are incorporated into their pages.
The four new books will feature the adventures of Mr. Greedy, Little Miss Busy, Little Miss Shy and the ever-popular Mr. Happy, as he also braves the seasonal office party shenanigans. They are also hoping to attract the pre-Christmas shoppers, with an expected publishing release of this November.
