A character called Peter (Petronella) in an old boarding school story

[LostMyLastHatfulOfWords]

Can anyone help? I'm searching for a book I remember but don't have its title. It was an old book when I was a child.

It was a very traditional boarding school story with the main character 'Peter'(real name Petronella), her school friends (one whose name began with an i) and her brother Tony (who went to another school but featured in the story by almost dying after a car accident).

I recall that Peter and Tony had lived in Canada but were in England when the story began. Peter had stories about her eye-lashes freezing and other tales from Canada. She was an excellent ice-skater. (I remember her friend's name began with an I -because she joked it was the only letter she could figure-skate... dotted with her hat!)

Thank you all for confirming Petrova was never Petra. That had me very confused.

@tcjotm

Thank you all for confirming Petrova was never Petra. That had me very confused.

I apologise sincerely for any confusion caused, on top of all the existing confusion in this thread

No sign of the title so far .

Did I invent this book? (Am I an author after all :) )

I thought I read it during (illegal) reading sessions after bedtime.

There was a case of well-worn novels at the head of our stairs (where the light was left on to keep the night-beasts away).

I read the nameless one there - more than once- and others that were full of pressed flowers.

(There was a copy of Coral Island that looked exciting but had a squashed spider inside the cover. I didn't get to read that one for many years.)

I am starting to suspect that you've combined elements from a few different stories in your memory - is that possible?

I don't think so OnlyAFleshWound, though forgetful in many areas, I remember stories well -as a rule.

It was a book I read more than once. (On that shelf, the ones of interest to children were limited and only two of them were boarding school stories.)

Perhaps it was a book of limited success and an author who did not become famous.

I was excited to read on here that there was a Peter/Petronella in Noel Streatfeild - I would have loved this - but our local library didn't have the fashion model book - just Ballet Shoes and Tennis Shoes and the ice-skating one.

Angela Brazil - I found her books much later.

The Enid Blyton school stories were available from our library... but only from under the counter. (Her books were on a secret banned list and you had to ask for them by name.) Being a stickler for sets I did read the Mallory Towers books and in order as far as possible. (The names for different years were a bit of a puzzle sometimes.)

I remember the Arabel and Mortimer books (and Jackanory).

It's not this by any chance is it @LostMyLastHatfulOfWords: www.victorian-novels.co.uk/product/29588/Petronella-The-Coming-of-Polly

This is two stories - Petronella is one, and it's a boarding school story. Can't find too many other details though.

That looks really interesting @noodlezoodle though I don't recognise it. The author looks like someone I need to know better!