The Mystery Of The Invisible Thief (1991) - Plot & Excerpts
I discovered Enid Blyton's books in a used bookstore in Katmandu when I was twelve years old. They were the only English-language kids' books in the place and they opened 1950s English village life to me as if I'd stepped directly into a painting of it.I kept the battered paperbacks as a reminder of a life-changing journey, and then dug one out to read aloud when my oldest son was four. He was wide-eyed, occasionally nervous, and completely captivated by the Five Find-Outers and their dog as they solved mysteries during school holidays in their village of Peterswood. That one book led to a great hunt through used bookstores and Amazon UK to find the rest of the series, and sparked the very best kind of addiction in my now 10-year-old son - reading.So now it's my youngest son's turn. Admittedly we went a bit out of order with him. The Harry Potter series came first and now his favorite games to play usually involve a pair of glasses and a wand. Then the 10-year-old suggested I re-read the Five Find-Outers series so his brother could love them too.And he does.The five children have the innate manners of English schoolchildren of the 1950s, with just enough mischief to keep them current. They're smarter than the bumbling village policeman, and loved by the district Inspector. Parents are strict, yet loving, and the mysteries are just complex enough to keep even an adult guessing as the clues unfold. My older son is still just as captivated by them as his brother, and 4 o'clock tea time has been revived as a tradition in our house just because it's what Pip, Bets, Daisy, Larry, Fatty and Buster the dog do in their summer house or at the bottom of the garden.Here's the thing about reading a book I love out loud to my kids: I enjoy it. I really do. I even suggest it at odd times during the day when they're getting antsy or fighty or their imaginations start to fail in that "Mom, I'm bored" way. And when I pick up the book and just start reading out loud to them they NEVER say "Stop reading, Mom." Not once. Never. One will usually find his way next to me, soothed by the sound of my voice reading words he's heard before, while the other shifts to quiet play with legos while he absorbs every word into the wonder that is his steel-trap-memory. And connecting with my boys in such an effortless, lovely, enjoyable way is worth far more than the five stars I can give this book.
Enid Blyton, who is the author, wrote The Mystery of the Invisible Thief. The story is the from the types of adventurous mysteries as it talks about the robberies that took place but strangely with clear clues. There are several characters revealed in the story. The five kids are Pip, Bets, Fatty, Larry, and daisy. In addition to the 2 two police men, Mr. Tonks and Mr. Goon, and the thief himself, the baker. The baker would go in houses wearing big shoes and gloves so the detectives would predict a huge man. The house keepers would here a grumpy voice for he had, but the detectives would not discover him since he is small. They found a mark somewhere near the houses, which later found that hey are the marks of his basket. He would be at the crime at the same time it happened, and then act as a guy who wants to catch the thief. When the kids came to investigate, they asked about any exits, and there wasn't any except a small window, so they were puzzled for how a huge man would go out without being seen. Moreover, that explains why he was called the invisible thief, but he was later caught after they found out about his sneaky clear clues which were oddly placed at the robberies. In conclusion, I would say it is an interesting book. It had many setbacks; nevertheless, they kept searching for the thief. This clearly states that no one should give up and keep working on something he wants to do.
What do You think about The Mystery Of The Invisible Thief (1991)?
A great book. One of the best of Enid Blyton. Mr.Goon was very intelligent in this story. but like always fatty had the last word.
—Vashini Kotikalapudi
I was never a huge fan of the Five Find-Outers, give me Secret Seven and Famous Five any day. Still this is an enjoyable tale and it killed a couple of hours this afternoon.That said, having now re-read six Enid Blyton books for the first time in 10 years this was the only one which I very quickly recalled the plot point - and in fact I recalled the villain as soon as he was introduced. I'm sure children will enjoy this book, but I would say its re-read value is low in comparison to other books by this author.
—Carina
