Did you love boarding school books? If so tell us why for chance to win a tennis-themed prize worth over £100 incl Trebizon books + tennis garden set

yes they are fab

I loved reading the Enid Blyton boarding school books as a child, particularly the St Claire's ones. I think I found them fascinating because I knew my father went to boarding school and it always seemed to me somehow exotic. Thinking about it now, those books have stayed with me, as even now I am fascinated by boarding schools. I work near one and I often find myself staring at the children wondering what it feels like to have such independence from your family at such a young age.

I've never heard of these books before. am I the only one?

Yes i used to read all the Enid Blyton books when i was young.These included Mallory towers :)

I loved the chalet school first, then moved on to Trebizond, boarding school seemed like such fun and I thought the girls were tough and strong and like them I hated girls who were 'wet'! I went to an all girls secondary school and found most of my classmates a terrible disappointment, they were giggly and only interested in boys and makeup. Thankfully I held out and eventually found some good friends who were a lot more interesting :)

I've loved girls school stories since I found my aunts left behind Chalet school books at my grandparents house. They are just so safe and lovely - you know the sneak will be taken down a peg or two, the swot will find a life outside the books, the vain one will find a truth in an accident and so on. And I loved the idea of a world of women

I loved reading Mallory Towers by Enid Blyton when I was a little girl

Yes, especially Enid Blyton. Its the autonomy and control over your own life that really appeared to me as a young teen.

I didn't know Trebizon was being re-released. I still have the originals, figured one day they might be antiques...?!

I loved all the boarding school series, as re-read now for comfort when needed.

I loved that they had strong female characters, who were smart, or sporty, or loyal or whatever. It always seemed that the girls were able to solve their problems themselves, with support from adults but without being absolutely dependant on them.

I always enjoyed books about boarding schools as it seemed another world of fun & great friendships, usually with adventure too

I always used to read them as a child and always wanted to go to boarding school, and I did when I was 16 for 3 years- best 3 years of my life too.

I liked them as they always had the fantasy element - you would dream about what it would be like to be there with your friends all sleeping in a dorm and the adventures you would have

I collect boarding-school books. Or at least, I used to before having children, but we don't really have the space now to expand any more. As a child I mainly loved them for the escapism of the exciting stories, (so different from my own school, and already old-fashioned even when I was reading them!) as an adult more for the social history.

Trebizon are a bit modern for me really, but I do have some. I can't want to introduce my children to my whole collection, but I'm holding back on my real favourites, as I think they are still a bit young.

I loved Mallory Towers as a child and imagined how it would feel to board. Will look out for Trebizon books and read them first before giving to children!

I loved the Mallory Towers books and hope my daughter takes an interest too when she is older!

I loved reading Mallory Towers by Enid Blyton when I was a young girl. I have just bought the box set for my daughter in the hope she enhoys them as much as I did.

I loved these when younger, so made me wish I was in a boarding school all those midnight feasts and lifelong friends.... we can all still dream and get lost in a book

My daughters loved the Malory Towers books; as a child I was more a fan of Enid Blyton's 'Adventure' series with Philip, Diana, Jack and Lucy. I did like reading about boarding school adventures though and got my ration from various girls' comics such as 'The School Friend', 'Girl' etc. It didn't seem to bother me that as a working-class child I was reading about 'posh' people although the person I really identified with was the plump, studious Lily Rose in 'The Family from One End Street' by Eve Garnett.

*than
*old not bold!!

I loved the Trebizon books. I think it was because the characters were so impossibly competent at dealing with everything themselves, they didn't seem to need grownups at all. They were such good friends to each other, something I didn't have in real life. I remember being so disappointed when I realised I was older thanot the characters in the stories and it (boarding school) would never happen to me! I spent far too much on buying the rarer stories in the series online a good few years ago and still reread them now. Just waiting for my DD (4) to be bold enough to enjoy them too!

When I was little I loved the Enid Blyton's Mallory towers books.

I loved boarding school stories as a child, mallory towers and Trebizon were my favourites. I loved the escapism and imagining I lived in the schools. I loved the thought of always being surrounded by friends and the independence the girls had.

I loved boarding school stories because I am very much lacking in social confidence and at times felt very lonely. I could imagine to myself arriving and being in the popular group (as the books are always about a popular group) and everyone wanting to be friends. Unlike the reality, which was I could sit invisible at the back for a long time before making quietly and slowly a friend because they were in the same situation as me rather than we were totally suited together.

I read them all:
Mallory Towers, St Claires, Chalet School, Trebizon, Antonia Forest etc. And my gran's Sunday school prize. A little book called "Winning her Way" on which Daisy Pulls it Off could be based.

Dd2 (12yo) now loves them. She cried when I had to tell her the Chalet School didn't exist. She wanted me to send for a prospectus.

I liked them because the children could have secrets and adventures without their parents stopping them. Boarding schools were usually in spooky historic houses to add to the atmosphere.