The Five Finder-Outers series by Enid Blyton

The Author

Born in South London, Blyton was the eldest of three children, and showed an early interest in music and reading. She was educated at St. Christopher's School, Beckenham, and - having decided not to pursue her music - at Ipswich High School, where she trained as a kindergarten teacher. She taught for five years before her 1924 marriage to editor Hugh Pollock, with whom she had two daughters. This marriage ended in divorce, and Blyton remarried in 1943, to surgeon Kenneth Fraser Darrell Waters. She died in 1968, one year after her second husband.

Blyton was a prolific author of children's books, who penned an estimated 800 books over about 40 years. Her stories were often either children's adventure and mystery stories, or fantasies involving magic. Notable series include: The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, The Five Find-Outers, Noddy, The Wishing Chair, Mallory Towers, and St. Clare's.

According to the Index Translationum, Blyton was the fifth most popular author in the world in 2007, coming after Lenin but ahead of Shakespeare.

The Books

The Five Find-Outers (and Dog): Enid Blyton's Mysteries Series

A fantastic children's crime story from the world's best-loved children's author, Enid Blyton. Who could have set fire to Mr Hick's Cottage? There are plenty of suspects: the cook, Mrs Minns, young Mr Peeks and even a tramp. But it's the clues - a grey suspicious footprint and some grey cloth - that point the kids in the right direction. The Mystery series follows the adventures of 'The Five Find Outers' - Pip, Bets, Larry, Daisy and Fatty, as they solve the most unusual crime cases with the help of their dog Buster.

The books in suggested reading order
Mystery of the Burnt Cottage
Mystery of the Disappearing Cat
Mystery of the Secret Room
Mystery of the Spiteful Letters
Mystery Of The Missing Necklace
Mystery of the Hidden House
Mystery of the Pantomime Cat
Mystery of the Invisible Thief
Mystery of the Vanished Prince
Mystery of the Strange Bundle
Mystery of Holly Lane
Mystery of Tally-Ho Cottage
Mystery of the Missing Man
Mystery of the Strange Messages
Mystery of Banshee Towers