Chalet school book advice please!

I started on the Chalet School at about 9. First one I read was Eustacia goes to the CS. She's an orphan, shipped off to school in Austria because her Aunt, with whom she is living, finds her unbearable. Parental death and family rejection were mere background noise. The appeal was that school (which is a common enough experience) took place in such an unusual and exciting setting. I moved onto CS from St Clare's and Malory Towers and found it much more satisfying (became a collector, got the whole set now).

Your daughter may be a bit young, but if she has already gone through the Enid Blyton school stories, then I would say CS is a logical next step. There's nothing in them that you wouldn't let the Robin read (you'll need to read 'em to get the reference ).

I'm just re-reading the Dimsie series by Dorita Fairlie Bruce - about a boarding school set just after the first world war. They will be quite hard to get hold of though.
www.ggbp.co.uk/dorita-fairlie-bruce/ has the first book in the series in print, and if you have a browse through their books in print you may find others suitable.

I loved the Chalet School as a child and still have a nearly full collection, but I think 6 is a bit young for them.

I was a pretty advanced reader, but when I started reading them at around 8 I really didn't understand half of what was going on, due to the dated language, cultural references etc.

Can't think of any alternatives at the moment, but will now probably spend half the night happily reminiscing about favourite childhood books, so I may come up with something!

Antonia Forest's books are completely brilliant, but are quite demanding on the reader in terms of having a big range of cultural reference and exploring complex issues like religious belief, courage, cowardice etc etc. I would say they were far above even an advanced, mature six year old. But bear them in mind for later.

I do actually rather enjoy the Chalet School books. But then I am 43 and inclined to giggle at Robin's continually-threatened TB and all those magisterial doctors dosing everyone every time something mildly alarming happened.

I read the chalet school books years ago, all what I can remember is that they were quite goody two shoes with moral messages? Dead parents, nazis, sick children all passed me by. Didn't like them as much as mallory towers

I lost my kingdom to the Nazis Barbour .

I collect boarding school stories, and I would second the Jennings suggestion. They were always my favourites.
I was never a huge fan of the Chalet School (though that hasn't stopped me collecting them). The books remind me of Little Women - a bit too cloying in parts for me.

Definitely no upsetting themes in Jennings, just lots of hilarity (although one of my old 1950's copies does have an incident of a racist word. I'm sure it's been edited out in later editions.)

OMG royalty

There are lots of us over on the Chalet School threads who remain unscathed by the dead parents, Nazis, Catholicism and mad usurping cousins . I would wait until she's about 8 though.

I'm not familiar with Drina Ballerina but if she likes ballet there are all the Wells books - though not exactly boarding school. I think though she will probably enjoy them all if she comes to them at the right time - 6 is so young. It's a constant problem, though, finding good books for a good reader without ending up with inappropriate content.

There are boyfriends galore in Trebizon. They're good books though and there's a lot of tennis and ice skating. Antonia Forest's books are probably the best boarding school ones - they really are so good - but not till she's about 11 I'd guess.

I absolutely hated Heidi.

Actually just looking at Simon's link reminds me of Robin Stevens's own books - I think there are three in the series now - Murder Most Unladylike is one of them. They are young girls (probably tennis?) who meet at boarding school and get solving cases. There are dead bodies but not in a horrifying way, they are like a combination of spoofy Agatha Christie / Elsie Oxenham and while I wouldn't have thought they were pitched at 6, if she's an advanced reader she might like them.

robin-stevens.co.uk

X-posted there..

Would the Worst Witch books be worth a try? I think they're boarding school books and more light hearted than the Chalet School.

ideas

They brim with dead parents, near-death experiences, delicate children (the school's USP) continually about to die, and there's a neighbouring Sanatorium brimming with people -and I quote - 'falling asleep to wake with God'. My real issue with them for a sensitive young reader would be the sickly, coercive Christian message, though.

As a child I read all these boarding school books, still have them. To be honest I think the reference to Nazis and the dead parents thing might go over her head. I say that as I honestly can't remember that at all and I'm reading the comments now going 'really?'.

I don't think I even realised the books were set during the war as at that age I knew nothing about it. It took me a while to realise the St Clare's and Mallory Towers were set in the '50s! I just thought that's what kids did.....6 is quite young but unless she is versed in WW2 history, I don't think she'll understand some of the content.

And Juliet - let's not forget that she gets abandoned by her parents (they enrol her at the school, then run off and leave a letter essentially saying, "we're not coming back, the kid's your problem, bye") before her parents die and leave her an orphan.