What do you think?
Rate this book
The Secret Seven #0.5
Saith Selog: Cyfrinach yr Hen Felin
Manon Steffan Ros's Welsh adaptation of one of Enid Blyton's stories in the Secret Seven series, namely Secret of the Old Mill featuring the seven friends establishing their special club which meets in the shed at the bottom of the garden. For 5-8 year old readers. Addasiad Cymraeg Manon Steffan Ros o Secret of the Old Mill o'r gyfres Secret Seven gan Enid Blyton, sef y stori sy'n adrodd hanes y saith ffrind yn sefydlu clwb arbennig sy'n cyfarfod yn y sied gudd yng ngwaelod yr ardd. Llyfrau sy'n addas ar gyfer darllenwyr 5 i 8 oed.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1948
6 people are currently reading
77 people want to read
About the author
Enid Blyton
4,967Ìýbooks6,152ÌýfollowersSee also:
Ένιντ Μπλάιτον (Greek)
Enida Blaitona (Latvian)
Ðнид Блайтон (Russian)
Inid Blajton (Serbian)
Інід Блайтон (Ukrainian)
Enid Mary Blyton (1897�1968) was an English author of children's books.
Born in South London, Blyton was the eldest of three children, and showed an early interest in music and reading. She was educated at St. Christopher's School, Beckenham, and - having decided not to pursue her music - at Ipswich High School, where she trained as a kindergarten teacher. She taught for five years before her 1924 marriage to editor Hugh Pollock, with whom she had two daughters. This marriage ended in divorce, and Blyton remarried in 1943, to surgeon Kenneth Fraser Darrell Waters. She died in 1968, one year after her second husband.
Blyton was a prolific author of children's books, who penned an estimated 800 books over about 40 years. Her stories were often either children's adventure and mystery stories, or fantasies involving magic. Notable series include: The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, The Five Find-Outers, Noddy, The Wishing Chair, Mallory Towers, and St. Clare's.
According to the Index Translationum, Blyton was the fifth most popular author in the world in 2007, coming after Lenin but ahead of Shakespeare.
See also her pen name Mary Pollock
Ένιντ Μπλάιτον (Greek)
Enida Blaitona (Latvian)
Ðнид Блайтон (Russian)
Inid Blajton (Serbian)
Інід Блайтон (Ukrainian)
Enid Mary Blyton (1897�1968) was an English author of children's books.
Born in South London, Blyton was the eldest of three children, and showed an early interest in music and reading. She was educated at St. Christopher's School, Beckenham, and - having decided not to pursue her music - at Ipswich High School, where she trained as a kindergarten teacher. She taught for five years before her 1924 marriage to editor Hugh Pollock, with whom she had two daughters. This marriage ended in divorce, and Blyton remarried in 1943, to surgeon Kenneth Fraser Darrell Waters. She died in 1968, one year after her second husband.
Blyton was a prolific author of children's books, who penned an estimated 800 books over about 40 years. Her stories were often either children's adventure and mystery stories, or fantasies involving magic. Notable series include: The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, The Five Find-Outers, Noddy, The Wishing Chair, Mallory Towers, and St. Clare's.
According to the Index Translationum, Blyton was the fifth most popular author in the world in 2007, coming after Lenin but ahead of Shakespeare.
See also her pen name Mary Pollock
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 22, 2025
Wow, the origins of the Secret Seven revealed. Not sure how I've never seen this book before despite having gone through all the Secret Seven books as a child. It's pretty strong with a nice mystery and a good introduction to the secret club concept. Too short for my liking, so Blyton was right to change the format around and write longer books following the group. 3 stars.
February 8, 2024
Avaliado pelo meu filho
August 11, 2019
Peter and Janet think Old Mill is perfect for their Seven Society meetings - until they make a startling discovery about some stolen goods. So the gang hatch a plan to wait for the thieves to come back!
With the stolen goods safely hidden in the mill, the children split up. Peter stayed at the mill with Scamper, his faithful Spaniel, while the others set off to alert the police about their surprising discovery.
At dusk, Peter and Scamper are up in a tiny room in the darkness. After a while, they hear the sound of somebody coming up the stairs. No password came! Unfortunately for Peter, one of the thieves discovered him, while flashing the beam of his torch around the dark tiny room!
However, thankfully, all was not lost! Scamper protects Peter. He bravely jumps up the legs of the thief, and aggressively barks and growls fiercely, forcing him to stumble down the staircase. Just at the right moment, Jack arrived at the old mill with two policemen.
The thief is caught, questioned and subsequently arrested.
What I really like about this story is: The Secret Seven discovered the stolen goods, initiated a sensible plan to keep the stolen goods safe, and they ensured that they had enough evidence before informing the police.
The next day, the Secret Seven received an unexpected letter from the owner of the stolen goods. He thanked them for their good work, and even better, they received an unexpected reward. When you read about what the Secret Seven decided to do with their reward, I'm sure you will agree with me, that it was generous and most humbling, to say the least! Well done the Secret Seven and Scamper!
Length: 47 Pages. Age Level: 6 - 11
The Secret Seven are siblings Peter and Janet, and Jack, Barbara, Pam, Colin and George. Together they are The Secret Seven - ready to solve any mystery, any time.
With the stolen goods safely hidden in the mill, the children split up. Peter stayed at the mill with Scamper, his faithful Spaniel, while the others set off to alert the police about their surprising discovery.
At dusk, Peter and Scamper are up in a tiny room in the darkness. After a while, they hear the sound of somebody coming up the stairs. No password came! Unfortunately for Peter, one of the thieves discovered him, while flashing the beam of his torch around the dark tiny room!
However, thankfully, all was not lost! Scamper protects Peter. He bravely jumps up the legs of the thief, and aggressively barks and growls fiercely, forcing him to stumble down the staircase. Just at the right moment, Jack arrived at the old mill with two policemen.
The thief is caught, questioned and subsequently arrested.
What I really like about this story is: The Secret Seven discovered the stolen goods, initiated a sensible plan to keep the stolen goods safe, and they ensured that they had enough evidence before informing the police.
The next day, the Secret Seven received an unexpected letter from the owner of the stolen goods. He thanked them for their good work, and even better, they received an unexpected reward. When you read about what the Secret Seven decided to do with their reward, I'm sure you will agree with me, that it was generous and most humbling, to say the least! Well done the Secret Seven and Scamper!
Length: 47 Pages. Age Level: 6 - 11
The Secret Seven are siblings Peter and Janet, and Jack, Barbara, Pam, Colin and George. Together they are The Secret Seven - ready to solve any mystery, any time.
May 11, 2014
Although this is not listed as one of the 15 books in the Secret Seven series, it is actually the first story to feature them in an adventure. In fact, Peter and Janet appeared first in an earlier book called “At Seaside Cottage� in 1947 and the formation of the Secret Seven was told in “Secret of the Old Mill� in 1948.
This is a short book, only 47 pages long, so more a novella than anything else and that is why, perhaps, it is not listed as part of the series proper. It begins with Peter engrossed in a book called, “The Secret Society,� which gives him the idea of beginning his very own, “secret band of boys and girls,� with their own password and meeting place. Rather than using the shed at the bottom of the garden, as Peter and Janet do in later adventures, they decide to invite members to the tumbledown Old Mill of the title. However, it soon appears that they are not the only people using the Old Mill � is there a ghost, or are the ‘spirits� people who have their own reasons for visiting the deserted Mill? Before long, the Secret Seven are in the middle of their first adventure.
It is not essential to read this book but, if you enjoy the Secret Seven mysteries, it is nice to discover how the society came about.
Rated 3.5
This is a short book, only 47 pages long, so more a novella than anything else and that is why, perhaps, it is not listed as part of the series proper. It begins with Peter engrossed in a book called, “The Secret Society,� which gives him the idea of beginning his very own, “secret band of boys and girls,� with their own password and meeting place. Rather than using the shed at the bottom of the garden, as Peter and Janet do in later adventures, they decide to invite members to the tumbledown Old Mill of the title. However, it soon appears that they are not the only people using the Old Mill � is there a ghost, or are the ‘spirits� people who have their own reasons for visiting the deserted Mill? Before long, the Secret Seven are in the middle of their first adventure.
It is not essential to read this book but, if you enjoy the Secret Seven mysteries, it is nice to discover how the society came about.
Rated 3.5
January 10, 2019
One of the Secret Seven short stories where surprise surprise the seven prats stumble on nefarious activities and save the universe once again. The youngsters in this series are somewhat obnoxious and toffy with their upper middle class airs but it is still mildly entertaining, if somewhat dated.
March 24, 2021
New plots, stunning escapes, and chilling mysteries keep you hanging on every word! And of course the descriptions of the elaborate meals that the seven have. Let's not forget the official "seven" meetings that each of us, deep down, wanted to be a part of, like those eavesdropping intruders.
September 8, 2018
A great read and lovely memories of reading it to my farther as a small child
March 12, 2022
'The Secret of The Old Mill' (The Secret Seven Short Stories #1) by Enid Blyton.
Rating: 4.0/5.
Rating: 4.0/5.
September 19, 2016
The Secret of the Old Mill is a lesser-known Enid Blyton short story that describes the formation of the Secret Seven Society. (It pre-dates the full-length novel series) It is fast-paced and enjoyable, although not much actually happens, because the story is so short. As in my earlier comments on First Term at Malory Towers, I am pleasantly surprised by an emphasis on community service (the children here are raising funds to help pay for a friend's surgery). The marriage of text with colourful illustrations by Tony Ross increases its attractions considerably; kudos also to a clever marketing strategy that has made this an individual title aimed at emerging readers (the Secret Seven short stories were previously collected and published as a collection, presumably aimed at older children who were fans of the full-length titles; now they will make more money published as eight separate short books, and can hook readers in at a younger age).
I know very little about Secret Seven before this, but this story was engaging enough for me to look forward to more.
I know very little about Secret Seven before this, but this story was engaging enough for me to look forward to more.
May 11, 2014
A lovely little children's story that is an abridged version of an Enid Blyton Secret Seven novel.
Told in a simplified way to encourage younger readers to get involved and read too the story is enhanced by the charming illustrations of Tony Ross.
When the Secret seven find a new meeting place in an old mill they soon get caught up with a gang of thieves and stolen loot.
Can the Secret seven win through and save the day?
Well worth reading especially if reading with a child.
Told in a simplified way to encourage younger readers to get involved and read too the story is enhanced by the charming illustrations of Tony Ross.
When the Secret seven find a new meeting place in an old mill they soon get caught up with a gang of thieves and stolen loot.
Can the Secret seven win through and save the day?
Well worth reading especially if reading with a child.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.