Retro school/ boarding school books- which were your favourites?

[tiggersneverdie]

I am pleased to note that the Trebizon series is being published again- I loved those. I also loved the Peter High school books about a day school in the 90s by Jean Ure- anyone else remember them?

Antonia Forest. I like most of the ones named in this thread, but she really is in a different league.

Has anyone here read Nancy Breary's school stories? They are pretty hard to find now and afaik have never been reissued. Lots of passionate admiration of senior girls by juniors, fascinating when I was a little lesbian-in-the-making!

Lots of passionate admiration of senior girls by juniors, fascinating when I was a little lesbian-in-the-making!

No, but the open and honest 'crushes' in most girls school books intrigue me, as well as the constant mention of 'tomboy' characters. It's almost as if authors were innocently just describing it like it is.

Exactly what @GnotherGnu said. I'm a Forest devotee.

@Sadik
I loved the Jennings books, I’ve not found anything as funny as an adult.

I love Jennings too - fossilised fishhooks, Darby! And of course Antonia Forest is peerless.

Antonia Forest. If she had written in a different genre, they would be modern classics. Amazingly nuanced and psychologically true.

Was always Malory Towers when I was younger. I'm going to Austria (the Tyrol) at the weekend, so bought the first 2 Chalet School books, out of curiosity. Wished I'd read them when I was younger (Now at 43, I'm hooked!!)

Loved the Chalet school. But the Antonia Forest books are still in my all time favourite books ever. So good.

Testarossa1 But, lucky you having them all to read for the first time!

Well yes that's very true Valenta! I keep googling the German language, got a few up my sleeve for my holiday next week. 10 days in the Tyrol, can't wait.

@bertrandrussell - YES re Antonia Forest. She is criminally underrated.

The Naughtiest Girl in the School
Mallory Towers

The Chalet School, definitely! I am a huge Chalet fan.

I discovered Antonia Forest this year and I love her books. I've now got Autumn Term, The Marlows and the Traitor, Falconer's Lure, End of Term, Peter's Room, The Ready-Made Family and Attic Term but I keep reading references online to Cricket Term and it doesn't even seem to pop up on Ebay any more.

The four Marys - how many were there of these? My granny had a box of old Buntys that I think belonged to my aunt and I read at least a couple of Four Marys ones. I've never seen any references to them anywhere else!

Loved Trebizon and Malory Towers. I never got on with The Chalet School for some reason.

But I was obsessed with What Katy Did at School - I loved that book so much!