''Five Go Down To The Sea'' is the twelfth novel in
The Famous Five series by
Enid Blyton
Enid Mary Blyton (11 August 1897 – 28 November 1968) was an English children's writer, whose books have been worldwide bestsellers since the 1930s, selling more than 600 million copies. Her books are still enormously popular and have been tra ...
. It was first published in 1953.
Plot
Siblings Julian, Dick and Anne Kirrin, their cousin Georgina 'George' and her dog, Timmy, spend a holiday at a coastal farm in
Cornwall
Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
. There, they are nicely welcomed and hosted by the talkative Mrs Penruthlan and her enormous husband, whose monosyllabic utterances they find incomprehensible and quite funny. The children encounter a young boy named Yan (Jan), as well as a group of travelling entertainers called the Barnies.
The children learn that long ago, villainous locals would shine a light on stormy nights to direct ships onto rocks to wreck them, so their cargoes washed ashore and could be stolen. Julian and Dick discover a light is again being shone at night, so the children set out to solve the mystery. They discover the Secret Way, a path used by the old Wreckers and they are locked up in a cellar by some locals after being told they have come at an 'awkward time'. Yan comes and helps the Five escape, as he knew the Secret Way and they go back to Mrs Penruthlan.
The Five and Yan discover that Mr Penruthlan is actually with the police, they all quickly warm to him. Later, after a show by the Barnies and a good meal at the Penruthlans', they discover that the 'Guv'nor' of the Barnies is the exchanger of the goods that the Wreckers stole from the ships. Mr Penruthlan discovers a white package inside Clopper (a funny, pretend horse, that is the highlight of any Barnie show), and after calling the police, he hands Clopper over to Julian and Dick, and wishes them luck with it.
Characters
''Main Characters''
*George Kirrin
*Anne Kirrin
*Dick Kirrin
*Julian Kirrin
*Timmy (dog)
''Other Characters''
*Mrs Penruthlan – farmer's wife and host
*Mr Penruthlan – surly farmer
*Yan – a hungry and neglected orphan, who is cared for by his great granddad. He takes a liking to the five, and Anne in particular.
*The Barnies and the ''Guv'nor'' (antagonist)
Adaptations
The
gamebook
A gamebook is a work of printed fiction that allows the reader to participate in the story by making choices. The narrative branches along various paths, typically through the use of numbered paragraphs or pages. Each narrative typically does not ...
''The Wreckers’ Tower Game'' (1983) was based on this novel.
Other appearances
The book is mentioned in the Podcast
The Magnus Archives
''The Magnus Archives'' is a supernatural horror Podcast#Fiction_podcast, fiction podcast written by Jonathan Sims, directed by Alexander J. Newall, and distributed by Rusty Quill. Sims starred as the Head Archivist for the fictional Magnus Ins ...
in statement 147 Weaver.
External links
*
Enid Blyton Society page*http://www.enidblyton.net/famous-five/five-go-down-to-the-sea.html
1953 British novels
Hodder & Stoughton books
Novels set in Cornwall
Famous Five novels
1953 children's books
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