Five and the Forest of Secrets

'A rip-roaring delight.' Anna James The Famous Five are back as a new group of kids go camping in the Forest of Secrets and crack their third mystery. A brand-new adventure by bestselling author Chris Smith, inspired by Enid Blyton and featuring original and new characters. Maddy, Fran and Tom - plus Gilbert the dog - are off on a camping trip with Professor George, and they can't wait! There will be sausages to cook over the campfire and amazing places to explore . . . but before long, the New Famous Five discover there's a bigger adventure in store for them. A famous scientist has gone missing and a criminal gang wants to use his research for nefarious purposes. Can the children solve the mystery, rescue the scientist and stop the criminals in their tracks?

Chris Smith is a bestselling author and the joint recipient of the 2024 Ruth Rendell award for his work promoting literacy and campaigning for school libraries. Chris created the Kid Normal series with his friend Greg James and recently the pair published The Twits Next Door which became an instant bestseller. Chris is also a solo author and has published two fantasy adventures set in his fictional kingdom of Parallelia including Frankie Best Hates Quests. Before he was an author Chris worked as a newsreader and presenter on radio stations including Xfm and BBC Radio 1. His most famous news bulletin is probably the one sampled by George Michael in 1998 and used on his international hit Outside. Chris lives in London with his wife Jenny, their son Lucas and Mabel the cat.