Award's latest editions of Enid Blyton's Secret series (The Secret Island, The Secret of Spiggy Holes, etc) are now on sale here (and might have been for a while, but I've only just come across them). They look and feel fabulous - quite bulky, as if there's a lot of story in them. And I was wondering whether Gabe might like them,when I picked up The Secret Valley, a continuation or filler in the series, written by Trevor Bolton and published earlier this year.

If you didn't know, you'd think it was written by Enid Blyton, not some fellow writing in 2009. And that's judging the book by its cover (which, as we all know, we shouldn't). The Secret Valley it says on the cover. Enid Blyton it says on the cover. The back cover blurb talks a bit about the adventure Mike, Jack, Peggy and Nora (and the hideous Prince Paul) are going to get into. No mention of Mr Bolton having written it. In fact, you have to look inside, at the half-title page to see the words "by TJ Bolton" in little letters. And, really, who looks at the half-title page apart from people working in the book industry?

Any casual shopper, looking for a Christmas present for a kid, would think they were picking up a Blyton original. Even those who read the Secret books as a kid might think this new title is just a title that's been changed (like The Secret of Killimooin is now The Secret Forest ... why?). A quick look at Keith Robinson's kiddie-magnet Blyton site would show you lots of kids who think Ms Blyton is still alive. So why wouldn't this book be authored by her?

Not only does this cover have to be against a Trades Descriptions Act somewhere, but it's terribly unfair on an author not to be credited for his work. (Well, unless you count the half-title page that hardly anyone's going to glance at.) Previous Blyton continuations have credited the author: Anne Digby's name appears in smaller letters on the cover of "Enid Blyton's" Naughtiest Girl continuations. Pamela Cox's appears in tiny letters on "Enid Blyton's" St Clare's fillers. But, wait! I  found that Pamela Cox's recently published Malory Towers continuations are also on sale in Australia (in which case it would be really nice, Borders, to have Carmen Reid's much, much better Secrets of St Jude's books out here as well). The cover says they're by "Enid Blyton TM". So where does Pamela Cox get credited? On the half-title page.

Move over, Carolyn Keene and RL Stine. Enid Blyton is here.

Boo, hiss.

My plan to make lots of things from Cherry Cake and Ginger Beer this year didn't quite come off, did it? ;) But, you know, there are lots of years ahead to have a go at a few of the recipes. And, having seen that today (and the rest of the week) was going to be in the 30s, Gabe and I thought we'd have a go at making Marilla's Zero-alcohol Raspberry Cordial.

And, unlike the Holiday Lemonade, it's been a great success! We used frozen raspberries as fresh ones are too expensive and we've diluted it with carbonated mineral water. It's really delicious - highly recommended. It tastes much, much better than raspberry cordials from the supermarket, whereas Holiday Lemonade really wasn't up there with the fizzy stuff on the shelves!

Here's a photo of our raspberry cordial:



Very nice out in the backyard on a hot day!