by Graeme, BookSeriesInOrder.com
The inception of the Famous Five was born out of the mind of Enid Blyton, a British author and creator of a series of books about the Famous Five. For decades, the Famous Five have come alive in the hearts and minds of children everywhere beginning in 1942 when the first novel was written.
The Fast Five delve into the iconic adventures of active children of the era, taking their dog Timmy with them everywhere they go. Timmy becomes as much of a developed character as the rest if the four children are.
Although she only intended on writing about half a dozen of books featuring her iconic characters, Blyton, geared by the popular demand of the books, went on to author 21 novels featuring Julian, Dick, Anne, Georgina and of course Timmy.
The Famous Five are a close knit group; three of them, Julian, Dick, and Anne are siblings and have been close since each of their births. The fourth child in the series is a rather untamable girl by the name of Georgina; fixed with the personality of a tough tomboy and the desire to be called just George; Georgina is also the cousin of the other three children.
While they may be welded together as inseparable characters in the series, each have their own unique qualities that make them interesting in their own right.
Julian
Of all the children, the eldest and the most responsible is Julian. The older brother of Dick and Anne, he is described as being the epitome of what an older brother is; he’s tall and intelligent and the strongest of all. Julian also has a deep sense of compassion and kindness, that vibrates from him and onto the rest of the characters in the series. As he is the eldest, Julian has had enough experience to earn him the gift of cleverness and resourcefulness.
Leaning on his guidance, the children find their ways through unique situation and can always rely on “older brother Julian” to see them through. Julian is also considered to be the leader of the famous five; as such he is, as any other brother would be, very protective of his younger sister Anne. In 1942, when the series began, Julian stated as being 12 years old.
Dick
Dick can be considered to be the funniest of the five. He has a unique sense of humor but gets his kindness and compassionate nature from his older brother Julian. Dick and Georgina are the same age, and thus, are in the same train of thought during most of the children’s adventures. Dick is stated as being 11 in the beginning of the series.
As Julian is very protective of his younger sister, Dick is also protective of Anne, but more caring than anything. He has soft spot in his heart for her and does whatever he can to keep her happy and make her laugh when she gets upset throughout the series.
Dick gets one of his most memorable mentions in the novel Five on a Treasure Island, where he becomes the hero of the story, using his cleverness and resourcefulness to save the group on an adventure.
Georgina
Georgina is a classic tomboy. She is the iconic character that represents any girl that grows up in a rural area, among boys as her cousins. Although she bears a beautiful name, Georgina prefers that everyone call her George. She sports short hair and always wears boys’ clothing, much to her content, this appearance often gets her mistaken for a boy.
Georgina’s parents Quentin and Fanny are often mentioned in the series, as they are the guardians of the children during their adventures. Quentin, her father has a rather explosive temper which Georgina inherited. She’s a stubborn child and very headstrong however she makes up for it with her loyalty that never falters when it comes to adventures with her mates.
Georgina is the owner of Timmy, the dog that often accompanies them on their adventures. She loves her dog very much, and is very possessive and protective over him. Georgina prefers that everyone know that Timmy is her dog, rather than just another member of the group. In many instances, the author of the series Enid Blyton confesses that this character represents herself when she was a child.
Anne
And is the youngest sibling of Dick and Julian, she is two years younger than Julian and one year younger than Dick. Both of her brothers are very protective over her throughout the series, and is described as being responsible for the domestic aspects of the Famous Five’s adventures.
She is brave enough to go on these adventures, but as the youngest, she often becomes more frightened than the rest when they encounter sticky situations. When the series began, Anne was described as being 10 years old and unable to control what comes out of her mouth.
When it comes to organizing and planning adventures and even preparing lunches for the children, Anne is the go-to person. She’s very neat regardless of where the children happen to be camping. While in many instances the adventures take place in caves, Anne happens to be claustrophobic; this of course, was insinuated in the Smugglers Top book.
Timmy
Timmy is the incarnation of the phrase “Old Faithful” when it comes to a dog. He’s very loyal and friendly. Timmy loves to play with the children and is most affectionate towards his owner Georgina. While Julian serves as the older protector of the Famous Five, Timmy says as more of a physical guard for the children on their adventures.
There are some occasions where characters in the book insult Timmy, much to Georgina’s anger. Although Timmy is a loyal and a staple part of the series, Georgina is not actually allowed to have a dog. Therefore, Georgina keeps the dog in the care of a fisher boy.
Most of the adventures carried out by the children occur during holidays or special occasions, where Julian, Dick and Anne are sent over to aunt Fanny and uncle Quentin’s house; Georgina’s parents, where they team up with cousin George and her dog.
All of the children attend boarding school, so most of the year they’re not in contact with each other. But when they get together it turns into an exciting time for everyone. Although each series has a different setting for the children’s’ adventures, there are quite a bit of the novels that place the children near George’s home, which is called Kirrin cottage; located in Dorsett.
The cottage is serenely place on Kirrin Island, which is owned by none other then George’s family near the bay.
The location is prime for the adventures the children run into. It’s perfect for open imagination and active little minds to develop plots in each novel. But the island it’s not the only location that present adventurous opportunities to the children. The majority of the homes the children visit within the series happen to be very old and historical dwellings, that feature secret passages that the children use to their wonder.
Over the course of the series, other children also join the famous five on their adventures. For some, including Sooty and Tinker, the children get along with them from the beginning. But characters like Jo the Gypsy girl and Henrietta, who happens to be a tomboy just like Georgina, are often disliked during the beginning stages of the relationship.
Publication Order of Famous Five Books
| Five on a Treasure Island | (1942) | |
| Five Go Adventuring Again | (1943) | |
| Five Run Away Together | (1944) | |
| Five Go to Smuggler’s Top | (1945) | |
| Five Go Off in a Caravan | (1946) | |
| Five on Kirrin Island Again | (1947) | |
| Five Go Off to Camp | (1948) | |
| Five Get Into Trouble | (1949) | |
| Five Fall Into Adventure | (1950) | |
| Five on a Hike Together | (1951) | |
| Five Have a Wonderful Time | (1952) | |
| Five Go Down to the Sea | (1953) | |
| Five Go to Mystery Moor | (1954) | |
| Five Have Plenty of Fun | (1955) | |
| Five on a Secret Trail | (1956) | |
| Five Go to Billycock Hill | (1957) | |
| Five Get Into A Fix | (1958) | |
| Five on Finniston Farm | (1959) | |
| Five Go to Demon’s Rocks | (1960) | |
| Five Have a Mystery to Solve | (1960) | |
| Five Are Together Again | (1963) |
