The third and final list. Which, to me personally, is quite possibly one with the most memorable books.

The Barney 'R' Mysteries / Komplotan
Roger and Diana are the mandatory brother-sister in this series. Then there's Snubby, their orphaned cousin whose real name is Peter. Barney is the leader of the gang and a kid with lotsa talents, much like Fatty, but much less hateful. In fact, he was my second fav character after Snubby. Barney has a monkey named Miranda and Snubby has a dog called Loony / Sinting.

This series is of Lima Sekawan type, though the kids are older by a year or so. It is distinguishable nonetheless thanks to the development of the characters, most notably Barney. Also, the later stories make references to the earlier ones, unlike those of Lima Sekawan, which, save a few exceptions, are independent of one another. You could read Lima Sekawan books in any order and would not miss anything. With Komplotan, you'd be better off reading the books -- or at least the first five -- in their intended chronological order. I did.

I can also proudly say that I had all the books in the series -- the only such series. My now-52 dad bought me the first five books in one go. Which was a rarity then, especially with each book price-tagged 1800 to 2000 rupiahs. Come to think about it, was it my birthday? Could be.

1) The Rockingdown Mystery (1949) / Komplotan Bawah Tanah
A shade of Beraksi Kembali here, with Roger, Diana, and Snubby being tutored during their holiday by an unfamiliar teacher Mr King. We're also introduced to a Ms Pepper, who will also accompany the kids on many of their future adventures. The three meet Barney for the first time -- well, they meet Miranda first, actually. They also find a deserted manor, the Rockingdown Hall. Barney the nomad decides to use one of its rooms as his sleeping quarter and uncover some suspicious activities in the process.

I enjoyed this first book completely. The comical Snubby really livens up the story. And Miranda made quite an impression on me. At one point I was even convinced that having a pet monkey would be a great idea. A trip to Sangeh brought back a dose of reality, thankfully. Also, this book is where I first heard of a guy called Shakespeare.

BTW, interesting to note is Enid's position on education. One moment, she seems to stress that education is important, hence extra lessons for her main characters whenever they didn't do too well in school in the past semester. Next, she would make the characters sick -- or rather, have just recovered -- so that they would avoid going back to school after a holiday and go instead on an extended holiday, where they would without a doubt have their next adventure.

She also suggests that formal education is not everything, as a lot of her characters -- other than the girly type like Lucy-Ann and Anne -- are just so-so in terms of grades. Then she would also show how kids like Barney and Jo are getting by all right without any formal education. I may well be overanalyzing this, but I guess her intention is to show while one has to take education seriously, school is by no means the only way. Enid herself was a teacher, of course.

2) The Rilloby Fair Mystery (1950) / Komplotan Tangan Hijau
This book left me in stitches! Snubby's encounter with Uncle Robert is damned hilarious! The chimps -- Hurly and Burly -- are great. The characters from the fair are the usual Blytonian fair/circus folk. Oh, there's this scene with a very hairy man visiting a museum or something while the kids are there and somehow I got this silly idea that it could be one of the chimps disguised as a man -- WTH, Young Me!

One bit bothered me when I finished the book. It's made known early that Uncle Robert is Roger and Diana's father's uncle. Yet, Mrs Lynton -- that's the mother -- tells Diana how as a young girl she had to endure Uncle Robert's lectures on books. Maybe she and Mr Lynton (the father) were match-made since very young? This is Britain post-war we're talking about.

3) The Ring O' Bells Mystery (1951) / Komplotan Penculik
An exciting trip -- another of those "kids have just recovered from an illness, so let's prolong the holiday by a few weeks" plots -- to a village called Ring O' Bells. A lot of characters come straight out of children books -- or so Enid wanted us to believe. Too bad I knew only the Red Riding Hood. Then there's another spaniel named Loopy / Miring, who makes a perfect companion for Sinting.

Yet again, I read this book throughout the night. Worse still, the fluorescent light in my room was broken and I used a small desk lamp to read. When came the scene of Barney hitchhiking and catching a glimpse of a white something moving in the back of the van, I was scared to death and had to stop reading for a few minutes! I did pick up and finish the book amidst the fear. Snubby's antics helped indefinitely.

The ending is a reminiscence of Trio Detektif - Misteri Laba-Laba Perak, which is grand.

4) The Rubadub Mystery (1952) / Komplotan Tukang Sabot
When I first read this, I had my reservations. Years later -- IIRC, I was in SMA -- I re-read the book and actually thought it was the highlight of the series. The Barney-looking-for-his-father angle takes the center stage here. Snubby is funny as usual. The supporting characters play bigger parts. The blowhole sequence is a bit too much of make-believe, but the ending is satisfactory otherwise. I did guess the conclusion, but only by virtue of the number of pages left after the adventure had seemingly been wrapped up -- and not how. Nice touch on using one of Snubby's stunts there.

5) The Rat-a-Tat Mystery (1956) / Komplotan Pencuri Senjata
This books follows Tukang Sabot nicely, with Barney now having a family to call his own -- which is awww. After reading this, I wanted badly to experience ice skating, tobogganing, snowball battles, and building a snow house. A seemingly alive snowman, footprints that go nowhere, Snubby pretending to be a bear, and the ingenious way to mark the spot for the incoming help. Good stuff.

6) The Ragamuffin Mystery (1959) / Komplotan Perampok Bank
Sadly, nothing extraordinary in this last Komplotan book. In fact, you'll be forgiven for thinking you're reading a Lima Sekawan and not a Komplotan. There's a hard-to-believe mix-up between Snubby and a ragamuffin that starts the 'mystery'. The only highlight for me is Snubby's newly discovered bird species: burung dara goreng mentega.

The Secret Seven / Sapta Siaga
It's the first ever Enid Blyton's series I read and still leaves a lot of memories with me. The stories are the lightest of the lot, suitable to younger children. Well, I was one of those younger children -- 7 years old when a neighbor lent me my first Blyton.

Sapta Siaga is a secret society -- careful using that term in this country -- of seven kids. Peter is the leader. I remember not liking him very much for his (to me then) bossiness. Janet is the leader's sister and she does not giggle. Which is good. Jack is Peter's unofficial right-hand man and my fav. Colin and George are almost interchangeable, so are Pam and Barbara -- now, these are two girls that giggle. Scamper / Skippy is Peter and Janet's spaniel, always present although not an official member of Sapta Siaga.

What's different about this series is the society's rules: badges, passwords, and formal meetings -- invitations to which are sometimes written. In short, very organization-like, but for the lack of charter. Hmm, or so I think.

I like how the adventures take place during school terms, unlike the other series, where the kids are almost always on vacation. Sapta Siaga also introduced to me many English cultural things, such as tea, cricket, train sets, Guy Fawkes bonfire, and the confusing denominations -- pounds, shillings, pence, farthings, etc.

1) The Secret Seven (1949) / Serikat Sapta Siaga
I expected the story to be about how they formed Sapta Siaga. It is not. Well, they do have their first meeting. And invitations are in the form of letters, written formally by Peter and Janet, how 'bout that. I barely recall anything else. The boys pose as snowmen -- I don't remember how -- to spy on the bad guys and there's someone held prisoner.

2) Secret Seven Adventure (1950) / Rahasia Jejak Bundar
I remember this one well. It was one of the first Sapta Siaga I owned. The kids play Indians and cowboys and Colin is hiding on a tree -- cheating, some of them say later -- when a man climbs that very tree and hides himself! The man turns out to be a burglar and the only way Colin will recognize him again is by looking at the back of his head. Hmm, that sounds familiar...

There are strange round holes on the ground of the crime scene. Of course I immediately knew what made the holes *smug* -- it was subtly mentioned several pages later. The investigation at the circus is fun, with children trying to find a match for a piece of wool they found on the crime scene -- CSI officers won't like that.

3) Well Done Secret Seven (1951) / Memecahkan Rahasia Kapak Merah
This is another of the first books I owned. Sapta Siaga build a cool tree house and a kid named Jeff steals their food. Jeff has overheard some crime being planned and relays a few cryptic words to the seven. Some of these words have been misheard and I'm curious to know what the original words are in English. A quick peek at the books in front of me and this book is one of them, woohoo!

4) Secret Seven on the Trail (1952) / Mencari Jejak
This book has a reference to Lima Sekawan, with Susie and four of her friends starting their own secret society -- called Famous Five, what else. They get Sapta Siaga into believing that they are solving a mystery. Well, guess what, the false trail does lead to a real mystery, what are the chances! As with the previous book, this one also features snippets of conversation, which the children -- started by Janet, I think -- solve while playing with a railway set.

5) Go Ahead Secret Seven (1953) / Mencari Anjing yang Hilang
One of the thicker books in the series. Sapta Siaga practice shadowing people and it lands George into trouble. As a result, his parents make him quit the society. Skippy is made a member in his place. I guess should I find some kid shadowing me, I might get him into trouble also.

Reading this one, I learned about some dog breeds, terrier and stuff. Oh, and if I'm not wrong, it's also in this book that Janet wins a memory game. A tray full of objects is shown for a min or so, then taken away, and the kids are supposed to write down from memory the items they saw. I was in Pramuka when I read this book and we had a similar game. Only I couldn't pull off a Janet there.

6) Good Work Secret Seven (1954) / Komplotan Misterius
This book has the honor of being the first ever novel I've read. I learned about Guy Fawkes and the bonfire/fireworks nights that highlight a lot of Sapta Siaga adventures. BTW, such bonfire nights are noticeably missing from other Blyton series, I wonder why.

7) Secret Seven Win Through (1955) / Gua Rahasia
Another with Lima Sekawan references in it. Sapta Siaga has to find a new meeting as the shed is deemed unusable for a while. So they select a comfortable cave, how about that. Some of Colin's Lima Sekawan books are missing. For a reason I can't recall, the kids then search for a scarecrow.

8) Three Cheers Secret Seven (1956) / Rahasia Rumah Kosong
The story starts with Susie -- Jack's annoying (according to Enid) sister -- showing off her new model aeroplane. I can't remember how, but suddenly she allows Sapta Siaga to play with it. The result? The plane crashes onto a tree in an empty house's yard. One of the boys (either Jack or Peter) climbs to retrieve it and is surprised to see that one of the rooms looks inhabited.

9) Secret Seven Mystery (1957) / Tuduhan Palsu
I didn't like this story as a kid. Or, to be precise, I didn't like any Sapta Siaga stories that had no real criminals. But now, I think I may change my mind. I checked, this is one of the books standing in front of me. The story evolves around stables, which I found cool, learning how horses actually like sugar blocks. The ending is a bit Pasukan Mau Tahu-esque, with Peter acting out of character and his friends thinking he's lost his mind. Some friends.

10) Puzzle for the Secret Seven (1958) / Misteri Biola Kuno
No real criminals here, either, albeit being the thickest book in the series, so it wasn't one of my favs then. I suppose if I re-read it now, I may find it quite touching. There's a poor family with a blind -- sorry, visually challenged -- kid who works violins pretty well. So, when an antique violin is stolen, we should be able to guess who took it, right? Actually, IIRC, this wasn't the case at all when I read the book. I was misled by Enid, shoot.

11) Secret Seven Fireworks (1959) / Bermain Api
Susie forms a rival society again, this time called Tiresome Three, which is translated Trio Rewel, what a name. It's time for another Guy Fawkes bonfire night, so Sapta Siaga are planning to have a big one. The book tells in details the kids' effort to raise a fund for their upcoming bonfire. Someone conveniently wins the first prize in some writing competition, so that helps the cause a lot. In the end, the bonfire almost becomes The Bonfire That Never Was, but for the fact that Blytons always have happy endings.

12) Good Old Secret Seven (1960) / Gara-Gara Teleskop
I learned the word teleskop here and naturally wanted to have one. My parents bought me binoculars from Dugder instead. Anyway, Jack has a new 'toy': a telescope. Naturally, the children then use it to spy around. There's the usual commotion with Susie when she claims half-ownership of the 'scope. Thanks to the instrument in dispute, Sapta Siaga find another mystery -- another Blytonian face-in-a-castle-tower.

13) Shock for the Secret Seven (1961) / Keributan Sesama Kawan
I liked this one so much. Peter and Jack have a fight and a big one. A French kid is staying with him (Jack) and his (Jack's) mom wants him (Jack) to show him (French kid) around. Then he -- all right, Jack, I'm tired of this -- forgets the week's password and has his badge stolen by Susie. The fight ensues, resulting in Jack quitting Sapta Siaga.

Did I tell you that Jack was my fav? Well, all Jacks are my fav characters in whichever Blytons they're in. Anyway, this Jack is. So I naturally sided with him and hated Peter's guts. In retrospect, I think Enid did a good job of not picking sides and that leaves the readers uncomfortable with the fight but unable to say for sure who's in the wrong.

Another dog thief is on the loose and Skippy is one of the victims. I liked the ending so much, though a little contrived. True to the premise that all Blytons end on happy notes, this one by default sees Sapta Siaga reunited. I don't think I cried -- I was around 8 then -- but I must've come close *blushes*.

BTW, is Susie spelled without an e in the Indonesian version? I can't remember.

14) Look Out Secret Seven (1962) / Menerima Tanda Jasa
The fourteenth installment in the series was for some reason published by Gramedia as the fifteenth. There's some water fight in the beginning that involves Sapta Siaga and Susie and her silly friend Binkie -- we had a pair or rabbits once and I named one of them Binkie after her. I can't remember whether this water sequence is related to the story at all.

There's a retired general whose medals of honor are stolen. Colin -- his neighbor -- foolishly promises him that Sapta Siaga will find them. The other six aren't so sure, but of course in the end they do find the medals. Then they themselves receive medals -- can't remember whether the general gives them some of his or the police presents the seven with medals.

15) Fun for the Secret Seven (1963) / Membela Teman
Number fourteenth in my Indonesian version. Sapta Siaga have graduated themselves from dealing with dog thieves to dealing with horse thieves. Turns out Peter and Janet have their own horses. I guess their dad must be some kind of a landlord and not just an ordinary farmer, looking at all the things they own. There's an old man with his own horse that Sapta Siaga try to help. The man's name is Pak Tolly. I took a peek at the book in front of me and in it he's just Tolly, not Mr Tolly. But somehow Pak Tolly in the translation feels more appropriate.

There's this book where Secret Seven become Secret Six, can't remember which. In the original book, it's easy, for SS -- as in the badges -- can be applied to both Secret Seven and Secret Six. I remember in Bahasa Indonesia the translators struggle with among others Sat Siaga. In the end, they go with Serikat Siaga, from the official name Serikat Sapta Siaga, in order not to change the initials. Credit to our creative translators.

I always feel strongly that translators as well as editors should be those who are capable of writing themselves. It's one thing to translate or spot grammar errors, it's a totally different thing to do it such that the flow and flavor of the original materials remain. As a side note, there's one particular Agatha Christie translator that I like best. Sadly, I have no recollection of the name.

So there, Ladies and Gents, Blytons I have read. In addition to those listed, I have also read several other Enid Blyton works, such as Empat Petualang mentioned earlier, as well as independent stories like The Mystery That Never Was and The Treasure Hunters. But to list one is to list all and I'm not gonna do that. Not now, anyway.

Next, as promised: individual reviews of Blytons in front of me, starting with, lemme see... Five on Kirrin Island Again.

Current music: Dewa - Larut
Current mood: happy