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Original poster

Something along the lines of Malory Towers/St Claire's books please?

34 replies

MrsMcGregor · 19/12/2013 13:30

Any recommendations please? 11 year old loves Enid Blyton Malory Towrs and St Claire's books but has read all of them. What else would she like! Is there anything boarding school themed from other authors?

Thanks

OP posts:
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hels71 · 31/12/2013 22:04

Gwendoline Courtney's books are ace! (I think the title mentioned earlier is A Coronet for Cathy?) I also suggest Clare Mallory, but they are hard to find. Antonia Forest's Kingscote books are also fantastic....the only problem with them is there are not enough...

kimlo · 23/12/2013 15:56

I loved the chalet school dd1 has just started them and seems to be enjoying them. I had most of them when I was her age but my dm gave them to the charity shop.

I've got the first five from ebay I wish they were available to download as a kindle book though.

PrincessButtercup · 23/12/2013 15:06

Take a look at Eva Ibbotson's The Dragonfly Pool, perhaps?

Also I can't remember being 11 without thinking of Judy Blume. Entirely off the boarding school theme, I know, and American but great tween books, I think...

purplebaubles · 21/12/2013 18:58

Antonia Forest's Kingscote novels are fab

I second this!

DeWe · 21/12/2013 18:56

The thing for me that really dates The Swish of the curtain is the amount of smoking by the main cast of children. I think all the older boys do it to "calm their nerves" by the end except one of the boys for whom it "disagrees with".
Although it gave me no issues when I read it as a child, I found that quite difficult to read as an adult to my dc, I don't think the younger boys were older than 15.

timtam23 · 21/12/2013 00:28

It's not boarding school exactly, but The Swish of the Curtain - Pamela Brown was a favourite of mine when I was a child, I remember it being a TV series in the 1980s? There are other books in the series as well, following the characters as they get older (some feel a bit dated now as the books were written in the 1940s)

ZeroSomeFestiveGameThingy · 20/12/2013 23:46

Well I'll have to search out some more now that they've been recommended.

I first discovered the Chalet School at a bring and buy sale... Sadly the RL boarding school I subsequently attended was entirely lacking in romance and adventure.

DeWe · 20/12/2013 23:24

Zero we found some GGBP books by her at a charity shop and she loved them. We haven't got that one though.
Her favourite is one about a girl who finds she's a duchess and doesn't tell anyone at school because they're terribly snobby about such things. Can't remember the name though.

Original poster
MrsMcGregor · 20/12/2013 22:11

Thanks everyone. The Royal ballet school books look ideal. St Judes books look like a nice series but might be a bit advanced for her. Will keep a note of some of these for future reading though!

OP posts:
ZeroSomeFestiveGameThingy · 20/12/2013 12:20

DeWe I have never heard anyone else mention Gwendoline Courtney! "Elizabeth of the Garret Theatre" is one of my all time favourite books.

OP What does your Dd like apart from boarding school stories? Is she moving into teen stuff? There's lots more to be recommended but it depends on her level of maturity - and how you might feel about more grown up writing...

DeWe · 20/12/2013 12:07

Both my dc enjoy school stories. Dd1's 13, and now prefers more advenurous stuff generally.
I've just bought half a dozen of the harder to find Chalet school for dd2 (age 10) who likes the quieter stories.

School stories my two have enjoyed:
Chalet school (dd1 never got into them, but dd2 loves them)
Kingscote (Antonia Forest)
Trebizon (though they get very into boys quite early)
Gwendoline Courtney (another 50s/60s writer but dd2 likes that sort)
Olivia and XXX (Stage school)
Royal Ballet School stories (don't know what they're called but the main character is Ellie/Ella)

Similar ilk that mostly dd2 loves (she likes the old fashioned stories)
Monica Edwards
Noel Streatfield
Little House
Rose and the XXX (I think by Holly Wells)
Violet Needham
Geoffrey Treese Bannermere series
Eva Ibertson (not sure about spelling)

The older books are republished by GGBP which is brilliant for her.
I don't recommend the Abbey girl series. They're just too far from modern life, i found.

ChristmasStrumpet · 20/12/2013 09:56

The Trebizon ones by A Digby are almost a modern day (1980's) Malory Towers. I believe she based the books on MT. The school is based in Cornwall and as you read there are some similarities but without the same Enid Blyton snobbery. There are boys in the book but its all very clean cut and above board.

Middleagedmotheroftwo · 20/12/2013 07:51

Ballet shoes, and the others in that series
What Katy Did series
Anne of Green Gables
Little Women

GirlWithTheDirtyShirt · 20/12/2013 07:48

I've been devouring Chalet School books again the last couple of year. I think the most I've paid is about 2.99 on Amazon.

gingerbead · 20/12/2013 07:35

No I didn't click the link.... But great minds think alike and all that ! ;)

Jaynebxl · 20/12/2013 07:25

Definitely Chalet School. Am just hoping my mum has kept all mine in the loft so we don't have to splash out on them for dd.

madamehooch · 20/12/2013 07:11

The Secret Hen House Theatre. Not so much a school story but more a modern day Noel Streatfeild. Same principles as Malory Towers - friends helping each other against the odds with a nasty girl thrown in for good measure! Comes highly recommended by my Year 6 reading groups and is one of the best children's books I've read in a long time.

redrubyindigo · 19/12/2013 22:32

Why did I say 'but'? Hmm

redrubyindigo · 19/12/2013 22:26

Angela Brazil's books and please check out the Hugo and Josephine trilogy. Written by a Swedish writer but they are just amazing.

Joan Aitken 'The Wolves of Willoughby Chase' not 'boarding school but wonderful.

The Chalet School books of course. I have in my bedroom an original watercolour by Nina K Brisley who drew the Chalet School illustrations.

Noel Streatfeild (not a typo) and Nina Bawden could be looked into.

youcantakethegirloutofwales · 19/12/2013 22:26

www.carmenreid.com/st-judes/

Maybe for 12+ - more modern, boys and mild snogging/fumbling, set in Scottish boarding school present day-ish for fairly priveleged girls. My broad minded and, by 12, totally sex ed'ed DD devoured them . . . I read them too. Some important social issues covered well e.g. a mum with cancer, a parent going bankrupt, friendship group issues. But not at all Tracey Beaker-ish. If your DD is very sheltered or you are wary of exposure to snogging etc, hold off a bit. Also agree re the Trebizon books by Anne Digby

fedup21 · 19/12/2013 22:23

What about Frozen in Time by Ali Sparks-an excellent mix of now and then!

bramblethecow · 19/12/2013 22:21

Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield, and I think there are others in that series. I don't really like Enid Blyton, her books have a lot of classism/racism, even taking into account that they're from a different era.

SledYuleCated · 19/12/2013 22:18

Also, not boarding school, but I'm rereading Ballet Shoes at the moment.

SledYuleCated · 19/12/2013 22:16

Has she read The Naughtiest Girl series? Originals by Enid Blyton, and later imprint type ones by Anne Digby.

AnneOfGreenGarbles · 19/12/2013 22:11

I loved Chalet School. If they are too hard to get hold of these days, how about the Sadlers Wells ballet school books? I keep meaning to reread these. I also loved all Enid Blyton books - Famous Five, The Mystery of xxx and loads of others to choose from.