Enid Blyton novels to be revamped

Many of Enid Blyton's classic children's novels are to be revamped with new illustrations and dialogue to make them more appealing to young readers in the 21st century.

Publisher Hachette UK is behind the move, after purchasing the rights to Enid Blyton's entire estate, excluding the Noddy books.

Last year, the publisher modernised the Famous Five adventures to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the publication of the quintet's first adventure and now plans to do the same with the Secret Seven and Malory Towers titles, as well as other famous Blyton works.

Marlene Johnson, the managing director of Hachette's children's books division, said it has 'great plans for the future' that will 'catapult Enid Blyton into contemporary society'.

'We will look at all of the works. We modernised the Famous Five last year, amid much murmuring, but these days you don't talk of jolly japes to kids.'

She added that the plotlines of the books will not be altered, only language and dialogue that today's youngsters may not be able to relate to.

Many of the authors' works that were previously only available in print will also be released in eBook form for the first time, with Johnson claiming the number of digital Blyton titles on the market could rise from 50 to 800.