Enid Blyton's 'Famous Five' to get 21st-century updates

Enid Blyton's children's book series
The Famous Five, which was published from 1942 through 1963, is due to get a 21st-century update, announced industry publication
The Bookseller on July 26. Several changes to the dated dialogue are planned for the new editions, due to roll out beginning in August.

Hodder Children's Books, which says it sells more than 500,000 copies of Blyton's 21 Famous Five novels per year, said the old-fashioned language used in the original books were found to be preventing some parents from buying the books for their children.

Among the changes: "Mother and father" become "mum and dad," "School tunic" will be changed to "uniform," "house mistress" will become "teacher," and "She must be jolly lonely all by herself" now reads "She must get lonely all by herself."

Publishing director Ann McNeil points out that no modern slang has been used to replaced the outdated expressions; rather, the goal is to make the books "timeless."

Enid Blyton was an English author who wrote several adventure series for children of varying ages, including The Five Finder-Outers, The Secret Seven, and the Noddy books. In 2007, Unesco reported that Blyton was the fifth most translated author worldwide, with books translated into 90 languages.

Blyton's Famous Five series, which launched with Five on a Treasure Island, centers on a group of four children - Julian, Dick, Anne, and Georgina (George) - and their dog, Timmy, who have a series of adventured with little help from adults.

The first book will be published on August 5. Nine more titles are planned for August release, and another two a month later. According to The Daily Mail, Hodder says the original novels will continue to be available alongside the updated versions.

An updated website, featuring an online treasure hunt, will mark the launch at http://www.famousfivebooks.com.