ENID BLYTON'S

 Enid Blyton's Secret Series

This series of five books revolves around the four Arnold children: Peggy, twins Mike and Nora, and their adopted brother Jack. They often team up with Prince Paul of Baronia, who became their staunch friend after they rescued him from kidnappers in their second adventure, The Secret of Spiggy-Holes.

The five books in the series, in reading order, are:

1) The Secret Island

2) The Secret of Spiggy-Holes

3) The Secret Mountain

4) The Secret of Killimooin

5) The Secret of Moon Castle

 BOOK REVIEWS

1. The Secret Island

Peggy, Mike and Nora go to live with their aunt and uncle on a farm after their parents are presumed dead in an aeroplane crash. Unable to bear their aunt and uncle's unkind treatment, they run away to a hidden island in the middle of a lake, together with Jack, a local orphan. They manage to outwit search parties that are looking for them, and build a proper home on the island. However, one day, Jack returns with surprising news: the children's parents are alive and looking for them. The three Arnold children are soon reunited with their parents and they decide to adopt Jack as their elder brother.

2. The Secret of Spiggy Holes

The children are on holiday in Spiggy Holes, an old smugglers' haunt, where they are staying with Miss Dimity in an ancient house called Peephole. Higher up the cave-ridden cliff is the Old House, which has remained empty for years. However, suspicious people move into the old  mansion, and after overhearing their conversation, the children suspect them of smuggling goods by sea just like the old-time smugglers. There is a surprise in store for the children: the smuggled goods are in fact Prince Paul, who is the crown prince of Baronia.The children manage to rescue the prince via a secret passage leading from Peephole to the tower of the Old House. The children, together with Prince Paul, run away to the Secret Island in their first adventure. They manage to strand the kidnappers on the island, while Paul is reunited with his father, the Baronian King.

3. The Secret Mountain

Captain and Mrs Arnold's plane is forced to make an emergency landing in remote Africa, but while their plane has been found, they themselves seem to  have disappeared. The children are determined to rescue their parents and enlist the help of Prince Paul of Baronia, who has a royal aeroplane at his disposal. They fly to Africa and discover that their parents have been abducted by the mysterious Folk of the Secret Mountain. All of the children except Jack and his young guide, Mafumu, are captured and taken prisoner by the Folk of the Secret Mountain. Mafumu and Jack discover a secret way into the mountain and they manage to rescue the Arnolds and the prince. However they are soon recaptured and Paul is to be sacrificed to the Sun ... if not for a few surprising twists that lead to a happy ending.

4. The Secret of Killimooin

The children are invited by Prince Paul to his native kingdom of Baronia, a rugged but beautiful mountainous country. The children learn of the Secret Forest, a valley completely cut off from the outside world by a ring of steep mountains. The children soon discover a hidden way into the Secret Forest, which is being used as a hideout by a band of robbers. The boys enter the valley in order to rescue Ranni and Pilescu, who have been taken prisoner by the robbers. The two men are safely rescued, but the secret way into the valley is destroyed, isolating the robbers in their hidden valley forever.

5. The Secret of Moon Castle

When Prince Paul's mother, the Queen of Baronia, decides to bring her entire family on holiday to England, the children search for a castle that will suit their needs. They decide on Moon Castle, which is next to an abandoned mining town.  The children soon discover that something mysterious is going on in  the village, and the castle caretaker's son, Guy Brimming, might be involved in it. Together with Prince Paul, the children discover the secret of the castle: the abandoned mines contain a valuable but dangerous metal. They manage to outwit Guy and his friends, who are scheming to steal the precious metal.

This series was adapted for television by Cloud 9 Screen Productions in 1996. The storyline was changed to suit audiences of today. Among the changes included Nora, the youngest Arnold, being renamed Laura. Each book was made into four half-hour episodes.

 EPISODE GUIDE

Episode 1: The  Secret Island

Thaddeus Arnold, explorer extraordinaire, goes off a sailing trip, accompanied (to his dismay) by a female photo-journalist, Charlotte "Charlie" Clancy. Being a widower, he has to leave his three children, Peggy and twins Laura and Mike with his old nanny. But when Thaddeus's yacht sinks in a storm and the old nanny dies, the children are forced to live with their Aunt Harriet and Uncle Henry. Little do they realise that Thaddeus and Charlotte are alive, stranded on a desert island. The children are unable to bear their aunt and uncle's unkind treatment, and decide to run away to a secret island in the middle of a nearby lake together with a local orphan, Jack Bennett, and the dog, Prince. The children discover that an elderly monk lives in a hidden cave on the island, tending to injured wild birds. The children manage to elude search-parties until they are finally caught. The monk manages to locate Thaddeus using his transmitter and the children are reunited with their father. Thaddeus decides to adopt Jack.

Episode 2: The Secret of Spiggy Holes

The children explore the old monastery on the cliff behind their house, Peephole. They discover the suspicious activities of Mr Diaz and his accomplice, who are plotting to kidnap the Crown Prince of Baronia and force the King to abdicate in favour of his brother. The children make friends with the young prince, Paul, who is being held captive in the monastery's tower. The children attempt to rescue him, but instead Mike is caught and becomes a prisoner in the monastery. Jack, Peggy and Laura free the two boys through a secret passage leading from Peephole to the old monastery. They run away to the secret island, but are closely pursued by Mr Diaz and his accomplice. Despite the children's new nanny, Ruby's attempts to trick the kidnappers, they manage to catch up with the children, but the children manage to strand the kidnapper's boat in the lake until the police arrive with Thaddeus, Charlotte and the King of Baronia.

Episode 3: The Secret of Killimooin

Prince Paul invites the Arnold children to the Royal Lodge in the forests of Killimooin in his native country of Baronia. Meanwhile, Thaddeus's unveiling of the poisonous Maluku Devil Spider is disrupted when the spider is stolen by the insane scientist, Clovis Monk. Monk also kidnap Charlotte Clancy, who had exposed his criminal activities before. Thaddeus goes off to rescue her and recover the spider, but discovers he has been bitten by the spider and has only 48 hours to live if he doesn't locate the antidote. Clovis Monk has his laboratories underground in the Secret Forest of Killimooin. Laura stumbles upon the hidden entrance to the valley and is taken prisoner by Monk's assistant. Meanwhile, the other children go to the Forest to rescue her, with the exception of Laura's twin, Mike, who has also been bitten by the venomous spider. They all manage to escape from the Forest and thwart Monk's plans to create a world of living dead.

Episode 4: The Secret of Moon Castle

Charlotte invites Thaddeus, his children and their nanny, Ruby, to follow her to Moon Castle in Ireland. However, a sinister experiment is being carried out in the castle's tower, for the castle's owner, Pietra O'Moon, is seeking the Elixir of Immortality that her ancestor Finbar O'Moon had discovered. Ruby becomes a guinea pig in the experiment, while the children begin to suspect something. At the end, the Elixir is destroyed and Thaddeus and Charlotte plan to get married.

Episode 5: The Secret Mountain

Thaddeus, Charlotte and the children go on a hiking trip in the forests of Africa. However, Thaddeus and Charlotte are taken captive by the Folk of the Secret Mountain and are to be offered as sacrifices to the Moon Goddess. The children and their young guide Chuaca have to attempt to rescue them.

• CHARACTER PROFILES
• THEME SONG

To watch the promotional video for the Secret Series, click on the link below: