to prefer St Clare's to Malory Towers?

[Olivetti]

I love both of them,but for some reason St Clare's has always had the edge for me. So why does Malory Towers get all the fame and glory?

Ah you need to all discover The Chalet School series. Much much better than either although I loved them all as a kid.

Oops my apologies already mentioned.

I thought Alicia was a real bully!

Wasn’t the boot polish not boot polish?? Or did pat pretend to be Isabel?

Yes agree re Alicia. She could never understand why she was never made head girl of the form. It was because she was a heartless bitch totally lacking in empathy.

Ahh, so much nostalgia in this thread. I think I preferred Mallory Towers but it was a close call because I really wanted to be a twin. Also really liked Trebizon and the Chalet School.

Did anyone read the Enid Blyton "R" mysteries? There were six of them, the Rockingdown Mystery, the Ring O'Bells mystery and a few others? The characters were Roger and Dinah and their cousin Snubby, and they had a friend called Barney who had grown up in the circus and had a pet monkey called Miranda and was looking for his father. Those ones were great but seem to be quite little-known!

We’re they the ones who had the spaniel Loopy who used to fetch all the hairbrushes?

I liked it when Clarissa came back from the dentist and the ‘occultist’ all in one day and was stunningly beautiful

Think it was Clarissa anyway she had been plain.

There was a “Secret” series (Island, Mountain, of Spiggy Holes, Killimooin) and “of Adventure” series (Castle, Island, Mountain etc” featuring groups of 4 children. I liked both.

I liked it when Clarissa came back from the dentist and the ‘occultist’ all in one day and was stunningly beautiful grin

Yes, she was a green eyed redhead (with lovely thick wavy hair) and no one had the imagination to see what she would look like without the brace and specs!

As someone who wore glasses and a brace as a teenager I sympathised greatly with Clarissa. I didn’t suddenly become a beauty when I got rid of them though !

Yes I think so Giggorata! It was either Loopy or Loony, but the hairbrush thing definitely rings a bell!

And they were looked after by a spinster aunt called Miss Pepper.

SerenDippity

That’s right and didn’t she also have a title? I remember her parents being titled and rich?

I loved the sixth form studies in St Claire’s where they decorated them themselves! Carlotta was a kind of rich gypsie or such and shared with Bobbie while Angela and Alison?? Spent lots of money on theirs.

I so wanted to go to boarding school as a kid but went on a week long field trip aged 10 and hated it! I wouldn’t have lasted

I think it was the Find-Outers and it may have been Banshee Towers

Ah yes, Banshee Towers!

Do they have any politically incorrect elements requiring modernising? I seem to think EDs been controversial in recent times but I’m not sure why exactly.

They have been modernised.

I bought the MT and SC series for my daughter who didn't get past the first page! I loved re-reading them though although was disappointed at the PC changes that we made

Also preferred FF to SS but I think that was due to their adventures in Cornwall!!

apriljune12 she was an Honourable, so presumably her father was a Lord!

I bought the MT and SC series for my daughter who didn't get past the first page! I loved re-reading them though although was disappointed at the PC changes that we made

I re-bought Malory Towers and St Clares a few years back - on Ebay though as to make sure I got the exact same ones that I had when young, as I didn't want any reworked versions as they'd have just wound me up!

Yes, I've bought old copies on Abe Books so no changes to decimal currency, or gramophones being called record players etc.

I only realised as an adult what a nasty piece of work Alicia was. Sneery, dismissive of any weakness in others, and generally unpleasant. There's a scene where Miss Grayling refuses to consider her for head girl saying that Alicia will always attract admiration and envy, but not much genuine friendship and affection. A good description of a typical queen bee type.

Not Enid Blyton (Malory Towers & The Secret Island ftw) but in a very similar vein - did anyone ever read any of Malcolm Saville’s Lone Pine Club series?
I loved them just as much as the FF & I think I had an early crush on Tom.

apriljune12

Wasn’t the boot polish not boot polish?? Or did pat pretend to be Isabel?

The boot polish was supposed to be anchovy paste - Antonia put it on Angela and Alison's toast (and a guest - Anne-Marie?) to get them back and Angela made a big fuss of feeling sick and had to be dosed by Matron

Isabel pretended to be Pat because Pat didn't want to wait on the upper formers so Isabel did her duties.

I want to read these all again now but they're packed away somewhere!

I always preferred MT though don't remember it as well as others here! I also enjoyed the 'Adventure' series, Famous 5 and the Naughtiest Girl books. I had no idea they'd been 'modernised', I've only read old versions, do they take out the slapping and such then?

I read St Clares and Malory Towers but looking back them now they were a bunch of over-privileged bitches!

I prefer the Chalet School and Trebizon though ditto re overprivilege.

As for adventure stories, I read some Famous 5 and Secret 7 but was never that enamoured by them. I did like the Adventurous Four and Adventurous Four again and the series the Island to River of Adventures (there were 8 books I think).

But I think I prefer the Lone Pine books by Malcolm Saville most of all and my favourite all time adventure story is the Master of Maryknoll by Malcolm Saville.

I read St Clares and Malory Towers but looking back them now they were a bunch of over-privileged bitches!

Yep, totally passed me by as a child how well off and privileged they were! How horrible they were to people who went there on a scholarship too - they were "beastly" to Eileen who's Mum was Matron one of the terms.
Also one of them was nasty to Carlotta - "nothing but a low down charity girl!" To be fair, that was from Sour Milk Prudence who was a total cowbag anyway.

Malory Towers was better than St Clare’s but Fifth Formers at St Clare’s was the best book.
Agreed! And the PP who said they cried when Darrell & co left, well at the end of the last book of the add-ons Felicity leaves and Darrell is there as well and there were more tears from me! Loved the one where Bill comes and also the one where Darrell is made head of year but then loses it because of June. Happy, happy, happy

stayathomer

I remember the Four Marys... pretty sure it was Bunty annual, although I read all the others too (including Misty, the supernatural annual!!). There was Ruddy who was the perfect blonde rich Mary, then a short haired sporty one, then a sort of nothingy brown haired one, and then Simpy!! The skint one who Veronica and Mabel always took the piss out of. I think her mum was the Char woman or summat! I must say Simpy was always annoyingly earnest and they were all right goody-two-shoes, I’d have been hanging with the bitches

Also, IMO, St Clare’s shits all over MT. Darrell was insufferable, she would’ve felt some sharp elbows from me if she’d tried any of her strong slaps or shaking me til my teeth rattled... what a twat! Alicia was a show off and a bully, and I always thought the line about the dads admiring her in her red Lycra devil suit was a bit dodge...!