The Mystery of the Hidden House facts for kids
The Mystery of the Hidden House is an exciting children's book by Enid Blyton. It's the sixth story in her popular Five Find-Outers series. The book first came out in 1948. It was published by Methuen and had cool pictures drawn by Joseph Abbey.
Contents
What Happens in the Story
This mystery begins when Pip, Bets, Larry, and Daisy make a funny mistake. They think Ernest "Ern" Goon, who is the village policeman's nephew, is their friend Fatty in one of his clever disguises. They even call him Fatty! Bets gives Ern a Christmas gift meant for Fatty: a special notebook with Fatty's name on it.
The Fake Mystery Plan
When Ern tells his uncle, Mr. Goon (the policeman), about this, Mr. Goon gets upset. He asks the children's parents to stop them from solving any more mysteries. To get back at Mr. Goon, the children come up with a fake mystery. They pretend there are kidnappers and robbers on Christmas Hill. They hope Ern will tell his uncle about it.
The Find-Outers also encourage Ern to investigate Christmas Hill himself. Larry and Pip plan to flash lights, and Fatty will hide to give Ern a little scare. But then, Mr. Goon finds Ern's notes about this "mystery." He threatens to punish Ern.
Ern's Real Discovery
Mr. Goon decides to go investigate Christmas Hill himself one night. Ern tries to follow him but goes the wrong way. He ends up on the road to a place called "Harry's Folly." There, Ern hears strange voices, footsteps, and sees mysterious lights.
He tells the Find-Outers about what he saw. At first, they don't believe him. But soon, they decide to check it out for themselves.
Solving the Mystery
For fun, Fatty dresses up as Ern. Because of this, Ern is accidentally captured and taken to Harry's Folly. Bets suggests to Fatty that Ern might be there. Fatty, with Pip and Larry, goes to investigate. They find Ern!
Fatty asks Ern to wait until the next morning so they can catch the people involved. Later, Inspector Jenks, a friend of the Find-Outers, sends six police cars to Harry's Folly. Ern is rescued safely. He promises to tear up a funny poem Fatty wrote about Mr. Goon. Both Ern and Mr. Goon think Ern wrote it!
Who Are the Characters?
- Bets – She is the youngest member of the Five Find-Outers team.
- Pip – A clever member of the Five Find-Outers.
- Larry – He used to be the leader of the Five Find-Outers.
- Daisy – Another important member of the Five Find-Outers.
- Fatty – The current leader of the Five Find-Outers. He's very good at disguises.
- Buster – Fatty's loyal dog, who often helps the team.
- Mr. Holland – A garage owner who is secretly involved in illegal activities.
- Mr. Peters – The person who guards the gate at "Harry's Folly."
- Ern Goon – The nephew of the local policeman, Mr. Goon.
- Mr. Goon – The policeman in the village of Peterwood.
- Inspector Jenks – A friendly police inspector who often helps the Five Find-Outers.
- Mr and Mrs. Hilton – They are the parents of Pip (Philip Hilton) and Bets (Elizabeth Hilton).
