Does anyone remember these books from childhood?

[oliveoil]

They were like the Famous Five style. The main character was fat (!), his mum played bridge and he always seemed to see somthing that needed investigating whilst selling the parish magazine. Then a gang of them would sort things out. I think he had a shed and was an expert at disguise.

I can't remember much more, but for some reason I keep thinking about them.

I know, I know, must go out more....

yipppe, Zaphod! Amanda it is! Is she anyone's sister?

No she arrives during the last term as some kind of swimming star who is hoping one day to get to the Olympics. Moira was the Head of sports, and Darrell was the second in command, but lost her temper and lost the 'job'.

Zaphod, you beauty! Ooh, will make my mum bring me all my old EB books now!

just remember Darrell always going "Potty's ace!" Arse-licker!

And who was the new girl whose fingernails shone like mirrors and whose uniform was tailor made in Paris? I wanted to be her!

You are so lucky to still have yours. I lost all mine, and I pretty much had them all, from the Adventure books, to the Secret books, and the Five Find Outers (Mystery)books, Naughtiest Girl, Famous Five, and all the fairy stories and individual ones as well. Anyone read the Land of Far Beyond?...This is where I got my moral guidance........

Daphne was the girl with the fingernails, and she was pretty and blonde, so shallow Gwendoline befriended her, but it turned out she had no money, though she pretended her parents were rich.

Yes, I REALLY have to get a life.

Daphne, now there's a name begging for a comeback...

Zaphod - thanks! I have just been searching in boxes under DD2's bed by the light of a torch, looking for that book! All my old school stories, Famous Fives etc are there so my DDs can read them when they are older, (if they want to!)Feel quite nostalgic now, but DH thinks I have lost the plot.

Aloha, EB is sooooo addictive, I used to practically inhale the pages!
Ooh, forgot about Gwendoline Lacy (and remember Mrs Lacy, and Gwen's governess??) Her pretend hear murmur? And remember Clarissa? Really poor but pretty and grabbed from Gwen's clutches by Darrell?

Gwendoline didn't go to finishing school, her poor dad became an invalid and she had to leave school and support her poor dear silly mother and she wrote to Darrell to apologise for being such a ninny for the last 5 years.

No mention yet of Sally?!

Darrell pushed her and she fell onto a chair...then a midnight operation by Darrell's dad of all people...Darrell wracked with guilt - till she found it was appendicitis and not caused by the fall - then she and Sally became bessy mates and her younger sister and Felicity came to MT as well and oh wow, jolly hockey sticks all round!

Sadie the American girl?

Does anyone remember Belinda, the artistic one, (and Irene's best friend) who kept getting into trouble for drawing caricatures of the teachers and was fond of sketching Gwendoline's scowls.

The bit in Mallory Towers that used to make me crease up (not now I hasten to add) was the episode in Last Term at Mallory Towers when the girls used a magnet in class to remove Mamzelle Dupont's hairpins from her bun without her realising.

Another sad person here who still has all her Mallory Towers and St Clares books hidden in the back of a cupboard, because she couldn't bear to part with them ...

There was another American girl called Zerelda, who wanted to be a film star. I think her nails were shiny

Wasnt Sadie from St Clares?

yes yes yes! oh, fab. and how could I have forgotten dear, dependable Sally?!

I went to a school where Lacrosse was played in winter, and I got dead excited about it, until I got hit in the face by a lacrosse ball and had 2 teeth knocked out.

And the horsey one called Wilhelmina (Bill) who had loads of brothers who used to ride to school with her at the beginning of term? She befriended Clarissa eventually when they discovered she also had a passion(!)for horses.

oh yes, Clarissa had that heart condition and wore shades. Didn't Gwendoline pretend to have a heart palpitations?

And Mamzelle Dupont (the other was Rougier??) always said "Tiens!"

I am going to read MT before bed this evening. How sad. I still have all of mine too.