Book Review: The Secret Seven

Diana’s Project

Some days ago I finished reading a very interesting book “The Secret Seven” which was written by Enid Blyton. It is an adventure story. It was my first book that I read in English.

Briefly about the author

Enid Mary Blyton (11 August 1897 – 28 November 1968) was an English children’s writer whose books have been among the world’s best-sellers since the 1930s, selling more than 600 million copies. Blyton’s books are still enormously popular, and have been translated into 90 languages. Her first book, Child Whispers, a 24-page collection of poems, was published in 1922. She wrote on a wide range of topics including education, natural history, fantasy, mystery, and biblical narratives and is best remembered today for her Noddy, Famous Five, Secret Seven and Malory Towers series.

Blyton worked in a wide range of fictional genres, from fairy tales to animal, nature, detective, mystery, and circus stories, but she often “blurred the boundaries” in her books, and encompassed a range of genres even in her short stories.

The Secret Seven Society consists of Peter, his sister Janet, and their friends Jack, Colin, George, Pam and Barbara. Although not an official member of the Secret Seven, Peter and Janet’s golden spaniel Scamper also attends meetings.

The children meet in a shed with “S.S.” on the door. Admission is by password only and badges must be worn. Peter, as head of the society, makes jolly well sure that everyone complies with the rules.

Their adventures begin when Jack witnesses suspicious activity on a snowing night, after searching for his badge near a large house where only a denf caretaker lives. Suspecting a person is being held prisoner the seven children investigate the mystery.

I was taken away by the unpredictable and gripping plot, the way the author portrays the main characters that  I couldn’t help reading this book from cover to cover. The book is worth reading. I recommend everyone to read this amazing story.

And one more positive thing. Reading in English I enriched my vocabulary and improved my reading skills. If you want to learn English more quickly, lots of reading is important. The more you read, the more input your brain gets about how the language works. When you read in English, you can improve your vocabulary, your grammar, and your writing skills at the same time.