Book Review: The Secret Mountain by Enid Blyton (Secret #3)

The parents of Mike, Peggy and Nora are held captive in the Secret Mountain in Africa. Together with their friends and Prince Paul, they run away to search for them. But can they find the mountain - and who are the strange and dangerous red-haired people living there?

My Review:
The four children are distraught to hear that their parents are missing again, this time on a trip to Africa. Prince Paul comes to the rescue by insisting that they use his pilots and plane to fly to Africa to find out what happened and rescue Captain and Mrs Arnold. On arrival, the local tribe tell them of a strange red headed tribe who live inside the Secret Mountain, who were seen capturing the couple when they landed. Led by a young local boy Mafumu, the group make their way to the mountain to look for a way to get inside, but when they do, that is just the start of their problems.

I very much like the four children, now on their third adventure. They aren't whiny and they approach danger with a mixture of excitement and bravery. This time they are joined by two excellent adult characters and an endearing local boy who befriends them. Mafumu is a young boy, regularly physically abused by his spiteful uncle who guides the group on the start of their adventure. He hero worships Jack who is initially embarrassed by the attention but the children adore him, and he turns out to be the perfect guide. He is able to get them right to the foot of the mountain but how do they get inside? Eventually patience pays off and they discover a secret door.

The two adults are also from Baronia. Pilescu is Paul's personal pilot and Ranni is his manservant, a man who has pledged to live and die for his little Prince and will do whatever it takes to protect him. The two men are not very keen to go on this adventure but they take their orders from Paul and go with them. They are responsible for the security of the group while relying on local knowledge to get them too the mountain. I liked both men and they don't treat the kids like idiots. Jack is certainly the brains of the kids and he remains my favourite character out of them. He and Mafumu are the only ones left outside when the secret door closes again so they have to use their brains and find another way in.

This was an interesting addition to the series. While it seems silly to have four kids rushing across to Africa to rescue their parents, I wasn't bothered because it was a fun adventure. We get the children arriving and learning about the heat and wild animals, followed by the tiring trek to the mountains without being seen by the tribe who kidnapped their parents. It goes in a completely different direction once we get inside the mountain, with escapes and captures, and a potential human sacrifice. Even as a kid I loved this kind of adventure with danger and scary situations, and as an adult I still found it entertaining. 

Very much enjoying my re-read of the series.

Read July 2020
3 stars.