Lashings of ginger beer and adventures are in store as some of Enid Blyton's best-loved characters return in a new series of books.

More than 50 years after their first appearances, the Famous Five, the Faraway Tree and Malory Towers will be revisited in 20 newly commissioned books.

Chorion, which owns the rights to Blyton's characters, said that the new stories would be released over the next two years and would “remain true to Blyton's classic storytelling style and values”.

The Famous Five will be the first to return with the publication on September 4 of The Famous Five's Survival Guide. In the book, touted as “a brand new Famous Five mystery and adventure survival handbook in one”, the grown-up Julian, Dick, Anne and George revisit the only case they failed to solve in their childhood: the mystery of the royal dragon of Siam. The Survival Guide will include extracts from the super-sleuths' diaries, clues that they collect to solve the mystery and a guide to cracking codes, building an escape raft and camping.

New stories from the Wishing-Chair, Malory Towers and the Secret Series will be published next year.

Tony Summerfield, organiser of the Enid Blyton Society, believes that the new books will encourage children to rediscover the old adventure classics. “Anything that promotes the original books can only be a good thing,” he said. “I have already read one of the books that will be released next year, The Secret Valley, and I can say that it is very much in Enid Blyton's original style. In fact, I defy anyone to know that it is not actually Enid Blyton writing.”

The Secret Valley, written by Trevor Bolton, was first serialised on the Enid Blyton Society website last year. Mr Summerfield was so impressed that he brought it to Chorion's attention.

In September the Faraway Tree will provide the setting for a new adventure for the first time since 1951. Blyton originally wrote four books in the Faraway Tree series, each revolving around a giant enchanted tree and the adventures of its magical inhabitants and three local children.

The Enchanted World, a spin-off story written by Elise Allen, will focus on one character, Silky the Fairy, and will be told in a modern style. It will follow the fairy and her four new friends, Melody, Petal, Pinx and Bizzy, on a mission to save the magic faraway tree from an evil troll.

Jeff Norton, from Chorion, said: “Blyton's stories have been enjoyed

by millions over the years and there is a huge demand for more of her magical storytelling. Blyton was passionate in her advocacy of child literacy and as the guardians of her estate we see it as our duty to continue that legacy.”

The author wrote 700 stories and eight million of her books, including more than one million Famous Five tales, are still sold worldwide every year. After her death in 1968 her creations were criticised as sexist and racist, with many modern copies given a politically correct rewrite. But she has come back into favour recently and was named the nation's best-loved author at this year's Costa Book Awards, beating Shakespeare, Dickens and Roald Dahl.

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