The Valley of Adventure
The Valley of Adventure (published in 1947) is a popular children's book by Enid Blyton. It is the third book in the Adventure Series. The first edition of the book was illustrated by Stuart Tresilian. It is one of the few novels by Enid Blyton with a second world war theme.
 First edition | |
| Author | Enid Blyton |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Stuart Tresilian |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Adventure Series |
| Genre | Adventure novel |
| Publisher | Macmillan |
Publication date | 1947 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback) |
| Preceded by | The Castle of Adventure (1946) |
| Followed by | The Sea of Adventure (1947) |
Summary
When Bill gets a new plane, the children are allowed to go on a night flight but when they board the wrong aircraft the four get taken to an unknown land where they uncover a sinister plot. After some days of hiding in the forest, Jack discovers a prisoner named Otto who gives him a mysterious map that leads them to the hidden treasure. The children discover a cave with priceless statues taken throughout the country during the war. What are the statues? And why are they there?
Historical references
The second world war is mentioned a few times in the novel.The treasure, found in the cave in the novel are later revealed to be statues taken from churches throughout Austria and hidden in the cave for safety from the Nazis.The Germans are described as 'the enemy' throughout the book, and it is not revealed that they are the Nazis until the second last chapter.