Five Go Down to the Sea

Five Go Down To The Sea

First edition
Author	Enid Blyton
Illustrator	Eileen A. Soper
Language	English
Series	The Famous Five series
Genre	Mystery, Adventure novel
Publisher	Hodder & Stoughton
Publication date	1953
Publication place	United Kingdom
Media type	Print (hardcover and paperback)
Preceded by	Five Have a Wonderful Time(1952)
Followed by	Five Go To Mystery Moor (1954)

Five Go Down To The Sea is the twelfth novel in The Famous Five series by Enid Blyton. It was first published in 1953.

In this novel,The Famous Five decide to spend their time at a lonely and haunted farm in Cornwall suggested by Uncle Quentin and encounter Mr Penruthlan. They hear a story of the long-ago wrecking business. But lights are being shone at night directing ships to the rocks. Is there a mystery on the way?This book has 19 chapters describing the adventures of the five.

Story

The novel begins with The Famous Five failing to go on a cyclingtrip.So Uncle Quentin sends them to a farm in Cornwall. But on the way,there,they pass a mysterious hole on another street. Eventually they reach their destination, where they meet Mr Penruthlan, the farm’s owner.The next day, they go down to the cove.There,they nearly nearly chased ff a cliff by a bee.As they are falling to their death,two people catch them.That’s where the five meet Yan, and his granddad.They tell a story of the long ago wrecking business.As night fall,the five escape Into the night.Suddenly,strangers called the Barnies burst in,making the five hide behind rocks.one of The strangers,a young girl called Merlyin,points to a light in a old,sinster tower,explaining it’s called “Wreckers’tower”.Then another stranger,Herman explains that they are preparing for a party show.The five get ready by dressing in their most finest clothes.At the end they discover who the Barnies are-a family.Also the five meet meeting Herman’s young handsome female cousin, Robyn “Clopper” Flunk,Who says everyone just call her Clopper,then as the family makes some funny faces In some really silly poses,Robyn says-“Stop pulling those funny faces!And in those silly poses!One day,the wind will change and you will all get stuck like that!”.Then the writer says-“Well,the next dark afternoon,they did.”.The next afternoon,just before sunset,the five (and Clopper)trek to the tower.They make a rope out of old pants to climb in through a broken window under the roof (before throwing the rope into the bin).Inside,Clopper leads the five to a cupboard,which leads the six to a secret bathroom with water overflowing the loo,which is now gushing of the bowl,and the bathroom is underwater in seconds.Clopper leads the five over to the toilet,flushed the loo,and watches the water swirl to the pan.And they are swirling to the pan too.They have flushed themselves down the loo.They are taken to the sewers (which, (along with the toilet which was the opening for a secret passage),is a secret passage).Clopper doves into the river,and the five run beside,and they reach the drain (by which the five hop into the river)and they discover it’s a secret passage to a cave.The six are washed through it,and pop out into the cave.Just after they close the exit of the secret drain passage,the five and Clopper notice the cave is dark.They get out torches (only very little bright),and after turning them on to very bright,discover that someone has locked the opening to the cave.By putting their ears to the lock and listening,they discover that a strange young girl called “Wreckers’way”has locked them in,along the Barnies,so they are stuck in the cave.Anne chooses to climb back up the Drain,into the sewers and back up the toilet,but it’s impossible now,as the drain and the tubes leading to the toilet are all far too slippery.So the five and Clopper decide to remain locked in the cave for the rest of their lives, covered in dirt and grime and dust.But on the first night, long after midnight, the five and Clopper are awake, and are ready to find a way out,but they despair after the last one,flying up fails.Suddenly,Dick spots a hole in the ceiling of the cave,but a very heavy stone gets superglued on top,then Dick spots ropes,underwear and tissues,and gets a plan-make a rope, climb up it one by one,climb back to the drain and the sewers,go up a different toilet,climb the roof of a unfinished building on a building site,ambush the Barnies and Wreckers’ way,and turn them into cement statues.They make a rope out of the rope,underwear and tissues,one by one (starting with George)like monkeys,climb up it up the drain,find another set of tubes,climb up them,and make it the building site.Climbing up the red rubble chute,they find themselves on the roof on a unfinished building,but by the Barnies and wreckers’way-a beautiful young girl-(Who climbed up the same way and now showing off their funny faces and weird poses in all their glory) they are ambushed,and nearly fall off.But they balance carefully,and (because Dick ordered them to do so)throw hot water in the people’s faces.They actually fall backwards,landing in different cement mixers filled with thick,wet cement.Dick then orders Clopper to go down to the other cement mixers and get thick wet cement from them in pails,when she returns they pour the cement into the cement mixers with the family and Wreckers’ way in them.They slide back down,and see the builders (who saw this all happen)try to save them,but the cement hardens in moments,and before they can pull them out,the family and the girl are all encased in it.They Call Little Mix and Taylor Swift to perform a new song called-“We are sending our love into the cement mixers”.The five and Clopper them hurry over to see if there’s hope for The Barnies and Wreckers’way,but There isn’t.Anne suggests that they all remain Cement Statues as a warning to a child who might follow in their footsteps.The idea is agreed to,and the Queen is summoned as they drill the statues out of the thickened,hardened cement.She rather likes the statues,and has them places on plinths next to the lawnmower (dead now) in the corner of the barn,amongst the hay of The farm that five are staying in.She advises them-“So if you go into the barn,do go and see the statues of the Barnies and Wrecker’s way.”Back at the farm,Anne says-“Clopper was right,their faces and poses really (became stuck like that,forever.” (which the writer repeats).Tehybget to the farm,and after looking at the statues,they find themselves in a party!It turns out the night they defeated The family and the young girl,was Clopper’s brithdya,and as a treat she reads the title story of her collection of short stories “Mostly About Clopper”* (and other stories).

1. Note:In the end,the reader is told “So,if you pass through the barn,do go and see the statues of the Barnies and Wreckers’ way.”.Then “Stay At home,Clopper until the next adventure.See you all again Famous Five!”

Characters

• [George Kirrin]
• Anne
• Dick
• Julian
• Timmy (dog)
• Mrs Penruthlan - farmer's wife and host
• Mr Penruthlan - surly farmer
• Yan - a hungry and neglected orphan, who is cared for by his great granddad. He takes a liking to the five, and Anne in particular.

External links

• Enid Blyton Society page
• http://www.enidblyton.net/famous-five/five-go-down-to-the-sea.html