To think we are all ready to remove to Inter V at the Chalet School.

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

New thread for all the Chalet School fans!

Oh yes, I became obsessed with the books in my late teens (ie at 19) and used to hide the copies I acquired because I thought people would take the piss. This was in the mid-to-late 80s when Armada were reprinting them all in abridged versions, and I used to scuttle through every bookshop I passed to see if there was One I Hadn't Read Yet...

I've been lurking on this thread for a couple of days, chortling away to myself. I have a full set of paperbacks and dip into them a few times a year. I'm reading Tom at the moment, it's February and the Bettany family are about to sale home from India. Unfortunately EBD has completely forgotten about the war. That's some inconsistency, since bombs were dropping all over the place a few months ago. And what's with the age of the second twins. They're meant to be 31/2 years older than the triplets but end up in the same class.

Weren't the triplets meant to be very advanced though, it's why they went into Inter V because they were only 12 and were too young to be classed as seniors (I think they have their 13th birthday in New Mistress). Obviously Mauve was only of average intellegence.

Maeve was very good at arranging flowers though (Bride Leads the Chalet School) - so her future is sorted

So who would be able to go on Mastermind with their specialist subject as the Chalet School. Although I've read them numerous times I think my abysmal memory would let me down.

Kevin and Kester, Madge's twins, had their futures all worked out when they were about two months old didn't they? One for the navy, one for some other worthy profession...can't recall exactly.

Navy and Army wasn't it?

Not doctors???

I think her older son David was already set on the doctor path.

Has Reg Entwistle been mentioned yet? If not, WHY NOT? He's deliciously annoying.

Did Bride ever achieve her 'ambition' to come back to the school as a teacher?

Ah Reg, along with Rosamund Lilley the token 'decent working class' character, who does so well for himself that he's allowed to marry the crown princess of the Maynard family. It's like a fairy tale

Reg Entwistle sounds like the name of a joke character. I have just finished Prefects in which he keeps hanging round leering at Len in her tunic wondering when she will grow up. Urrgh.

I can't help noticing how rude all the teachers are about their charges - they call them "imps" and "demons" and the Dawbarns are repeatedly called "born to be hanged" despite not doing much more interesting than sliding down a bannister or disagreeing on the merits of milk and plain chocolate. My friend worked in a school which hit national headlines when a teacher was found to have referred to a pupil as a "wally"! Also if a child today stated that she had behaved violently because she has a devil in her head that told her to, a CAMHS referral might be in order.

Reg gets mentioned in the book before Tom, Jo to the Rescue. He was always Grammar school material but his old Aunt was too mean to pay for it until Jack had a word, or maybe maybe slipped something in the old dear's milk. So really the Maynards brought up young Reg since the age of 12 which does make the whole relationship with Len somewhat incestuous.

I have an idea one of Kester and Kevin is destined for the merchant navy - is that wildly wrong? I don't remember which book that comes in. Yup, no gender stereotyping going on here: David, doctor. Sybil, embroidery college followed by marriage. Josette, what, uni followed by marriage? Ailie, no idea. Marriage, probably. Kester and Kevin: merchant navy and army/clergy/something.

I HATE REG ENTWISTLE! He's a whiny brat originally, and then he just develops into a creepy Len-stalker. I read them with such a big gap between the first Phoebe/Reg one (Jo to the Rescue, that's what I'm trying to remember) and the Swiss ones where he appears as a proper doctor that I didn't make the connection. Now I have it's even more creepy.

at EBD having completely forgotten the war. I've never noticed that! EBD wrote Tom in the 1950s, which is why she's conveniently forgotten that it ought to be set in the early forties.

The triplets being all in Inter V is really annoying because Len is supposed to be super-industrious and smart; Con is supposed to be good at English but crap at Maths and very dreamy; and Margot is supposed to be highly intelligent but constantly let down by not knowing her groundwork thoroughly. Yet by the age of 12 Con and Margot overcome these issues and wind up in Inter V at the same time as Len. Also, surely, surely, no matter how smart a kid is, you wouldn't just keep bumping her up the classes regardless until she wound up in the same class as Joan Baker who was nearly 17? The triplets must spend about 3 years in Inter V as a result.

What does happen to Bride? Does she...wait for it...get married? I know Peggy does, to Polly and Lalla Winterton's big brother, but I don't remember any further update on Bride, apart from the odd appearance as bridesmaid to Peggy or whatever.

In Prefects someone asks when Bride's wedding is going to "come off".

Just thought of a perfect crossover, The Chalet School and the Exorcist, where an expert is sent for to cure Margot of her devil.

Sorry - as in, she's engaged and they are waiting for the date to be confirmed, not doubting it will actually happen No clue as to who she is marrying, maybe as the plainest of the Bettany girls it's irrelevant.

Jo To the Rescue is the ultimate comfort read, even if it does introduce the massive pain that is Reg.

Really, Bee? I have to admit that it's one of my least favourite. I never really liked the out-of-school stories.

I have to admit, though, that I feel I may be beginning to over think the whole thing. I'm seeing similarities between Grizel and Margot: both are heedless, both have hair trigger tempers, both cause near-death to another person because of their tempers. Do you think that EBD felt the need to write Margot the way she did because she'd sent Grizel off to Australia but still needed those character traits for her plots?

Ooh - I seem to have admitted rather a lot there. I suspect Miss Annersley would speak seriously to me about repeating myself. My form average will be much reduced.

Also, surely, surely, no matter how smart a kid is, you wouldn't just keep bumping her up the classes regardless until she wound up in the same class as Joan Baker who was nearly 17?

I'm sure if EBD felt a storyline needed it, Jo and The Robin would have been in the same class as the Trips too. How much fun!

Ah but Joan was commen and had cheaply pretty face and permed hair so of course she was thick. Like Elma Conroy.

Silly mothers my lambs silly mothers.

alterego I like the out if school knew too. *joey goes to the oberland, new the ones where they meet ruey and Melanie Lucas.

Bridie gets engaged to a simon carrington a young lawyer.

Of course Melanie is the long list neice of Jeannie la cadolec while Adrienne is the long lost cousin of Robin.

Would have lived to read her views in India. The natives of Kenya were enough

.

And of course Ruey is the long lost cousin of Daisy's husband.

Fruit yes of course Joey could run ancestory.com really.