Five Get into a Fix
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First edition
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| Author | Enid Blyton |
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| Illustrator | Eileen A. Soper |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Famous Five series |
| Genre | Mystery, Adventure novel |
| Publisher | Hodder & Stoughton |
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Publication date
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1958 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback) |
| Pages | 250 |
| Preceded by | Five Go to Billycock Hill |
| Followed by | Five on Finniston Farm |
Five Get into a Fix is a children's novel written by Enid Blyton and published by Hodder and Stoughton in 1958. It is the seventeenth book in the Famous Five series.
Story
The novel begins with the four and their dog Timmy, having the worst Christmas holidays ever with coughs and colds at Julian’s house. To recover Julian’s mother sends them to a farmhouse in the Welsh mountains for the last week of their holiday.
The Five had nearly reached their destination, when they get lost in the dark and drive up a dead-end driveway leading to a large and strange old building called Old Towers on the top of the lonely hill. They think of asking for directions but seeing the building and grounds being protected by huge gates and snarling dogs, they hurriedly depart. However, while going down the slope their car feels heavier than before, as if someone/something is pulling it back. Finally, they reach the farmhouse where they meet Mrs Jones, the owner of the farmhouse.
The next morning when the Five come down for breakfast they meet Mrs Jones's son, Morgan. He is as strong as ten horses, his voice can be heard from miles away and his seven dogs are as angry as him. When the Five go for a walk that day Timmy gets bitten by three savage farm dogs which prompts George to resolve to leave the next day. Leaving George, Anne and Timmy in the farm house, the boys spend the day at a hut on the hills. On the way back,they meet a wild little girl in rags, Aily with her dog named Dai and her lamb, Fany. Aily is a shepherd’s daughter. Mrs Jones however dislikes Aily and asks Julian and Dick to stay away from her. Julian and Dick share their experience with George and Anne and they decided to spend their holidays at the hut instead of the farm. They enjoy their day at the hut, but at night strange sounds and vibrations come from the Old Towers. Next day, they decide to meet the caretaker of Old Towers who tells them that no one lives there. But at night they see people at Old Towers which turns them suspicious about the whole affair.
The Five decide to seek the help of Aily as she roamed about the hills and perhaps Old Towers too. Aily slowly becomes friends with the Five and gives them information about how the owner of Old Towers lives with many other people. Once when she had spotted the owner dropping a piece of paper out of a window, Aily had picked it up and told the Five it was a note telling her what a good girl she was. When she reluctantly shows the Five the note, they are astonished to read: “I’m kidnapped in my own house. Please call the police”. Aily refuses to take them to Old Towers. On seeking Morgan's help, he snatches the note from them and tells them not to interfere with this. Thus, Aily agrees to take them to Old Towers.
She takes them to a pothole which led to a tunnel leading to Old Towers. They met the owner and asked her why she was kidnapped, she said that some men had kidnapped her and killed her son to exploit a very precious metal with magnetic properties beneath the hill. While getting out from there they spot Morgan and the shepherd on a rescue mission. But all are spotted by the kidnappers, Morgan calls to his dogs who help in the rescue. When all of them return to the farm they find a party being arranged as it is Morgan’s birthday.
Characters
- George – A short-tempered tomboy with curly black hair
- Timmy – George’s dog
- Anne – A very domesticated person
- Julian – Anne and Dick's brother. He is very domineering.
- Dick – A likeable boy with a good sense of humour. Julian and Anne's brother
- Dr. Drew – The doctor who suggested they go and have a short recovery holiday.
- Jenkins – The gardener at Julian's house. He is Mrs Jones' nephew and suggested the five go to Magga Glen
- Mrs Jones – The owner of Magga Glen
- Morgan – Son of Mrs Jones. A very strong man with a very loud voice.
- Aily – The shepherd’s daughter who knew the hills very well and hid in mountains whenever scolded and often played truant. She speaks broken English (like: "Aily hide", "Aily not tell") and often reverts to Welsh.She was the one who led the famous five in Mrs.Thomas' house.
- Mrs Thomas – The old lady who owns Old Towers and is being kept prisoner
- Llewelyn – Son of Mrs Thomas who she believed was killed by the kidnappers to exploit the precious metal under the hills.
- The Shepherd-Aily's father. He was a kind and gentle man and helped Morgan solve the mystery
