English writer Enid Blyton is one of the most popular authors in the world.
More than 400 million copies of her children's books have been sold worldwide and generations of British children have grown up hooked on her stories of adventure and magic. But not everyone likes Enid Blyton. Some people are objecting to plans to put up a plaque where her house once stood in the town of Beaconsfleld, as part of a festival to celebrate her life and work. They complain that her books are racist and sexist. One of the problems is that Blyton wrote between the 1920s and 1960s. Since that time British society has changed enormously, especially with regards to how we should speak about race, gender, class and how to bring up children. Generations of children have been willing to overlook the punishments and prejudice and have avidly read her 5,000 short stories and 150 novels. Children's writer Michael Rosen says this is because she knew what children wanted in a story.