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What to read after St Clare's and Malory Towers?

27 replies

lookingsuspicious · 25/10/2023 09:20

Dd in Y4 and has almost finished both series and loved them. What have your children enjoyed who also liked these books?

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SaracensMavericks · 25/10/2023 09:26

If she likes school stories, what about the Chalet School books? I loved the "Autumn Term" series by Antonia Forrest, but they can be hard to get hold of. Also try Nancy Drew, Anne of Green Gables, The Worst Witch. And Harry Potter of course.

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Forgottenmyphone · 25/10/2023 14:00

Naughtiest Girl
Silver Spires
The Children of Castle Rock
Trebizon

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InvisibleDuck · 25/10/2023 14:13

Beswitched (by Kate Saunders - a modern girl time travels to 1930s boarding school)
Charlotte Sometimes (similar storyline but older book)
What Katy Did (and sequels)
Little Women
A Little Princess
Matilda
Murder Most Unladylike (has lots of sequels!)
The Mysterious Benedict Society

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Latenightreader · 01/11/2023 16:10

Seconding The Chalet School! I moved onto them about that age after loving Malory Towers and St Clare’s. I also enjoyed Antonia Forrest but only discovered them as an adult.

I really enjoyed What Katy Did at School (though you need to have read the first book to appreciate it, the later three books are fun but more grown up). I also read The Secret Garden and lots of E Nesbit books around the same age, and Anne of Green Gables too.

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TillyTrifle · 01/11/2023 16:16

Babysitters Club!

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Littlelucas · 01/11/2023 16:18

I second babysitters club. I also loved sweet valley twins at that age and my dd's loved Jacqueline Wilson, especially the hetty feather and Tracey beaker books.

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Bigtom · 01/11/2023 16:44

Definitely Trebizon!

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Potofteaplease · 01/11/2023 16:46

Elly Griffiths A Girl called Justice. 1930s boarding school combined with a mystery to solve

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Potofteaplease · 01/11/2023 16:46

There are about three in the series

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itwasdifferentinthe90s · 01/11/2023 19:39

The jill pony books ?

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elliejjtiny · 01/11/2023 19:45

My boys are loving the naughtiest girl series

Trebizon

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MissyB1 · 01/11/2023 19:52

Chalet school! I’m still reading them!

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SwingsAndRoundabouts22 · 01/11/2023 20:05

The Murder Most Unladylike Series! So good!

Also the newer Jacqueline Wilson historical novels - Hetty Feather, Opal Plumstead, Dancing the Charleston etc

For a stage school spin - Noel Streatfield's "shoes" books - Ballet Shoes, Theatre Shoes, White Boots, The Painted Garden (which I think is published under a different title now)

The Skylark's War by Hilary McKay

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CanIPetThatDawg · 01/11/2023 20:08

Another vote for the Murder Most Unladylike series. They're fab. Also agree with a pp's suggestion of Beswitched, this one is a modern classic in my opinion.

Emma Carroll's historical fiction books are ace too.

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BitofaStramash · 01/11/2023 20:09

Chalet School and the Trebizon books.

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MouseTheDog · 01/11/2023 20:11

My dd loves the Alice-Miranda series

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lookingsuspicious · 01/11/2023 21:38

Thanks all! Lots to choose from!

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SurvivorsInc · 24/11/2023 01:50

The Trebizon series- Anne Digby

Me, Jill Robinson series - Anne Digby.

The Marlow family books especially the "term" books set at Kingscote school - Antonia Forest


Anything written by Malcolm Savile

Class
Rules - Jane Beaton (Jenny Colgan). Not aimed at children but set in a boarding school like Mallory Towers

Anything written by Noel Streatfield

Anything by Linda Newberry

Anything by Rumer Godden

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SurvivorsInc · 24/11/2023 01:53

Oh and the Peter High series by Jean Ure. I'm not sure if still in print but eBay is your friend here. I loved reading about Jo Jameson in her early 90s girls day school. I also like You Two by the same author as that's about school friendships. To be fair Jean Ure books are brillaint , there's a series about a ballet school she did called Dancing Dreams and two wannabe ballerinas called Jessamy and Karen.

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lookingsuspicious · 23/01/2024 09:35

Hello again, to those who have kindly recommended the Trebizon series, would they be appropriate for an 8 year old - particularly "Boy Trouble" and "More trouble" books? Thanks.

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CanIPetThatDawg · 23/01/2024 09:44

Trebizon is all very clean and wholesome. The main character Rebecca has a boyfriend called Robbie, who is brother to one of the other characters, but there’s no hint of any sexual activity or anything like that. I seem to remember that the trouble in Boy Trouble refers to him being falsely accused of stealing a bike, or something like that. 

They'd be fine for an 8 year old in my opinion.

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elliejjtiny · 23/01/2024 09:47

The later trebizon books probably not. The early ones when they are in the 2nd year are fine but then they have a lot more freedom in the 3rd year and start going out with the boys from the nearby boys boarding school. It's all fairly innocent, and I don't think they go beyond hand holding, the occasional kiss etc but there is a lot of angst about whether the boys are going to phone and the main character 's boyfriend goes off in a huff because she doesn't watch his rugby matches because she is concentrating on her tennis if I remember rightly. I have all boys so not sure what 8 year old girls are into but she might find the boyfriend bits a bit boring.

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Nachtvlinder · 29/01/2024 20:54

I have probably about 100-200 old annuals of girls' comics back in 60s, 70s and 80s such as Bunty; Debbie; Judy; Tracey; Misty etc., plus the old picture libraries with complete stories. Some of these were mine and the rest I found in carboots and charity shops. I can lend/sell you some if you like. I passed them onto my daughter who were as obsessed with them as I was. They're gathering dust since my daughter had left home 13 years ago.

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MargaretThursday · 29/01/2024 21:39

lookingsuspicious · 23/01/2024 09:35

Hello again, to those who have kindly recommended the Trebizon series, would they be appropriate for an 8 year old - particularly "Boy Trouble" and "More trouble" books? Thanks.

I read them at about aged 8-10. Tbf a certain amount of the boy/girl thing went over my head, but a lot of the boy trouble and stuff around that could equally well have been a set of girls. It's jealousy and pinching friends etc that an 8yo can relate to.
They did seem much older than me, I think because Robbie (Rebecca's boyfriend) driving a car and things like that, in the way Malory Towers or even the Chalet School didn't seem.

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lookingsuspicious · 31/01/2024 20:07

Thanks all, much appreciated!

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