The Chalet School reunion (by Elinor M Brent-Dyer)

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In my gradual, one-per-month reread of Elinor M Brent-Dyer’s lengthy Chalet School series, I reached the one noted as 50th in the original series. I last read ‘The Chalet School reunion’ about nine years ago, although before that I hadn’t read it for at least a couple of decades. 

Indeed, it’s not a book I really recall at all; possibly because it’s one of the non-school ‘holiday’ books which I appreciate all the more as I get older. This one is mainly about Grizel Cochrane, one of the original members of the school who returned, for a while, as a music teacher. She’s spent the last few years in New Zealand working with a friend, but is about to return to Europe after the business folded. 

Before going to the UK to wind up some business affairs, Grizel plans to visit Joey Maynard at her home in Switzerland - which appears to expand any time guests are expected. Grizel and Joey were the two founding members of the school, so Joey decides to host a mini reunion with other ‘girls’ who were around at the start - not that all of them are available.

The Chalet School triplets (by Elinor M Brent-Dyer)

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It’s only nine years since I last read ‘The Chalet School triplets’, one of the later volumes in the lengthy series by Elinor M Brent-Dyer. It's book 49 in the original list. But it’s not one I reread regularly when I was younger, and I found that I hadn’t recalled any of the story-lines.  

The last time I read this, I only had the Armada paperback edition. It was supposedly only shortened in minor ways, but ‘frequently’.  So I was very pleased when I was able to acquire a Girls Gone By edition in the intervening years, containing the full original text, with the bonus of a relevant short story at the end.

This book focuses on Joey Maynard’s oldest offspring, her triplets, who are now approaching sixteen. They are some of my favourite characters in the book, and I find them all three-dimensional and believable. They look quite different: Len is tall, slim and auburn, Con is shorter, with very dark hair, and even more slim. Margot has curly red hair, and is slightly more stocky, though there’s a discrepancy in the book making it uncertain whether she’s a little shorter than Len, or a little taller. It doesn’t matter: minor mistakes like these are common in these books. Somehow, they add to the charm. 

The feud in the Chalet School (by Elinor M Brent-Dyer)

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As a teenager, I read all the Chalet School books by Elinor M Brent-Dyer at least once. I reread many of them again over the decades; I acquired some myself, and my mother managed to get the entire set, though some were abridged Armada paperbacks. I would dip into some of them whenever I visited, but inevitably some were read more often than others.

It’s nearly ten years since I last read ‘The feud in the Chalet School’, and I’m pretty sure it’s one of the ones I didn’t read very often. I had not recalled the story at all, or any of the new characters. I did vaguely remember one rather dramatic and dangerous escapade, but would not have known it was in this particular book.

The basic story involves another school, St Hilda’s, that starts in Geneva by a Miss Holroyd. She takes on three staff, including a matron, and begins with just thirty or so girls. They discover that the summer heat is too much, so for her second year she acquires the lease of a chalet in the mountains. Forty-seven girls are due to arrive when disaster happens. Miss Holroyd is taken to hospital, and the girls are taken on, temporarily, by the much larger Chalet School.  

A future Chalet School girl (by Elinor M Brent-Dyer)

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There are some of the Chalet School series by Elinor M Brent-Dyer which I have read multiple times over the decades. There are others which I have apparently read only three or four times at most, as I find that I have forgotten most of the story and even some of the people. One of the latter category is ‘A future Chalet School girl’. I last read it in 2016, but couldn’t remember anything about it when I reread it in the past couple of days.

It’s one of a handful of books in this series which doesn’t feature school life at all. Not everyone appreciates them, but I always liked Joey Maynard, mother of 11 and a ‘foundation stone’ of the Chalet School.  In this book, she and her family go for a long summer holiday in the Tiernsee, where the original Chalet School was located. And they have an extra visitor - fifteen-year-old Mélanie. 

We meet Mélanie in the first chapter, in tears as she argues with her aunt. Mélanie’s parents, we learn, are travelling abroad so she’s being brought up by her aunt and uncle. She’s very fond of them, but he has been offered a promotion which means locating to Switzerland, and they’re not willing to leave their niece behind. She is horrified at the thought of leaving the school she loves, and all her friends, and tries to persuade her aunt to let her board. 

The Chalet School wins the trick (by Elinor M Brent-Dyer)

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It’s ten years since I last read ‘The Chalet School wins the trick’, which was 46th in the original series by Elinor M Brent-Dyer. I have a hardback edition, which was probably my mother’s originally. Apparently the Armada paperback version has minor but frequent cuts, meaning the story is essentially the same but probably with fewer asides and shorter conversations.

This story features a summer term at the Chalet School, following on from ‘A leader in the Chalet School’, which I reread in March. So there are the usual sports, and some details about the annual sale. But this is slightly unusual in that some of the main characters are not Chalet School girls - or not yet. They’re five girls who are in the area because of relatives in the nearby Sanatorium. 

These girls are staying at a Pension - a kind of inn - and because their parents or guardians are taken up so much with their loved ones who are ill. And, at first, they’re pretty much running wild. Audrey, the eldest, is almost fifteen and is supposed to be in charge of the others. Her sister Celia is around the same age as their friend Val - I assume about eleven or twelve. Audrey and Celia’s youngest sister is called Win. Then there’s Solange, a French girl, who is around thirteen. 

A leader in the Chalet School (by Elinor M Brent-Dyer)

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It’s nearly ten years since I last read ‘A leader in the Chalet School’, one of the later books in Elinor M Brent-Dyer’s lengthy series. I had vaguely remembered that Len Maynard emerges as a leader, but nothing else. 

Jack Lambert is a new girl in this, aged eleven. Her sister Anne is also new, but Anne is quiet and conforms with others, so we don’t see much of her. Jack (whose real name is Jacynth, but she loathes it) is much more interesting. She’s outspoken, she’s mischievous, and she’s something of a tomboy. She is thrilled to be at the Chalet School, and - to start with, at any rate - works hard and makes some friends. 

But Jack is easily bored. When the girls are stuck inside due to bad weather, or when others are reading or playing quiet games, she decides to be independent. And more than once she plays a practical joke which doesn’t turn out too well. But Jack is truthful, and always owns up to her sins.

Ruey Richardson - Chaletian (by Elinor M Brent-Dyer)

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It’s nearly ten years since I read ‘Ruey Richardson - Chaletian’ by Elinor M Brent-Dyer. It's 44th in the original series. I recalled that I was very pleased to have acquired a ‘Girls Gone By’ full edition, and then a tad disappointed that the book wasn’t all that interesting. So I wasn’t expecting much of it. Still, I hadn’t remembered most of the details, and once I’d started I found it hard to put down. 

The book follows on directly from ‘Joey and co in Tirol’, which I reread - and very much enjoyed - last month. It follows Ruey, the Maynards’ new ward, in her first term at the Chalet School. She is looking forward to it, but she hasn’t been to a boarding school before. So she’s not entirely happy about the rules, and bedtimes in particular. However, she’s a likeable girl, and mostly happy to go with the flow.

Ruey is disliked on site by Francie, a girl in her form who had hoped to become Margot Maynard’s best friend. This thread runs through the book, mostly in a low-key way, and is eventually resolved rather unexpectedly. 

Joey and co in Tirol (by Elinor M Brent-Dyer)

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When I first read Elinor M Brent-Dyer’s Chalet School books in my childhood and teens, I wasn’t all that keen on the books set out of school, in holiday periods. As I grew older, I appreciated some of them more - in particular, ‘Jo to the rescue’, which has long been one of my favourites. But I wasn’t so sure about the later ones.

Having said that, I did enjoy ‘Joey goes to the Oberland’, which I reread about eighteen months ago, so I was quite looking forward to ‘Joey and co in Tirol’, which I last read in 2016. I hadn’t remembered much about it other than that it introduces the character Ruey Richardson and her brothers.

The story involves the Maynard family going to stay in their new holiday home very near the location of the original Chalet School. Joey has been getting tired, and had a recent nasty shock when her mischievous son Mike nearly had a bad accident. So Mike, along with three of his siblings, goes to stay elsewhere. Joey and Jack travel with their triplet daughters, who are almost fifteen, their sons Steve and Chas, and their new babies Phil and Geoff. 

Theodora and the Chalet School (by Elinor M Brent-Dyer)

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In my slow re-reading of the Chalet School series by Elinor M Brent-Dyer, I reached the one numbered 42 in the original series. It follows straight on from ‘Trials for the Chalet School’, which I reread last month; unfortunately I still haven’t been able to find a reasonably priced full edition of that, but it was still enjoyable in the abridged Armada.

However, I managed to buy a full ‘Girls gone by’ paperback of ‘Theodora and the Chalet School’ about six years ago. I must have read a full hardback as a teenager, when I borrowed the whole series from my school library. But that was around fifty years ago. Since then I have only read it in the abridged Armada. The last time I read it was in 2016. I’m happy that I was able to acquire so many Armada editions in my teens, which tell the stories well. But I’m thoroughly enjoying the fuller editions, particularly those which were heavily abridged. 

‘Theodora’ opens with a scene of Joey Maynard and her friend Rosalie Dene (secretary to the Chalet School) peacefully dealing with paperwork together. Rosalie exclaims in horror at a letter - and I was quite convinced I had never before read the exchange that follows, as the two banter about the phrase Rosalie uses. I compared it to my Armada version, and - sure enough - several paragraphs were removed, right at the beginning. 

Theodora is fourteen, and is to be the only new girl in the summer term. She has been thrown out of three schools, although it was for pranks and wildness rather than anything dishonest. Unfortunately her mother seems to have written her off, which has made things worse. Joey suggests she be offered a new start, keeping her past to herself, and even abbreviating her name, so that she can be known as Ted.

I thought this an excellent addition to the series. It’s not one I had read all that frequently anyway, and it’s a bit different from some of the run-of-the-mill later books. Ted is a likeable person; she expects to be bored, and to be thrown out of the Chalet School. She doesn’t expect people to be friendly, and to offer to help her. Nor does she expect to find the work - and play - so interesting and fulfilling that she barely has time to think of anything against the rules. 

Ted is befriended by Len Maynard, and that starts another subplot involving Margot, youngest of the triplets, who develops an extreme jealousy. It’s quite unreasonable, since Margot has her own special friend Emerence, as several people point out to her. She insists that it’s different. Margot used to get into a lot of trouble, and had somewhat reformed, but this term she starts listening to her ‘devil’, as she puts it. And when she overhears something she thinks she has found a way to stop Len and Ted being so friendly…

I thought this thread was very well handled, particularly, again, in the full edition. I kept the paperback beside me, checking every so often. There really were large chunks removed from the original text. It was well done: all the important aspects of the story are there in the Armada version. But it lacks a lot of the conversation, and some entire scenes. Perhaps they’re not necessary, but I always like the thoughtful discussions, and extra details which Brent-Dyer put into her books. 

In particular I felt that Margot’s thought processes were clearer in the version I’ve just read, showing when she gives in to temptation, and when - sometimes - she manages to fight against it. There’s also just a brief hint that she is already dreaming of the future which she eventually reveals in the final book of the series. 

There isn’t a lot in the classroom in this book, although there’s a chapter or so involving three girls in isolation after contact with a dangerous infection. There are plenty of walks and a half-term weekend expedition which introduce some of the local places, but they’re not as educational as in some other books, and are instead a background to Margot’s jealousy coming to a head. 

The ‘Sale’ comes and goes with barely a mention, which I didn’t mind at all, and even the sports day at the end has only a page or so. Most of the book is taken up with Ted’s story, and I liked it very much. I appreciated Mary-Lou being involved, too; it's her last term as head girl. Some readers find her pushy and rather obnoxious, but I've always liked her, and appreciated her empathy and desire to solve problems. 

At the end of the book is a short story involving Ted’s mother’s cousin and her family, which I thought very well written, although I had worked out about half way through what was revealed, supposedly as a surprise, at the end. 

I would definitely recommend ‘Theodora and the Chalet School’ if you enjoy the series, particularly if you can get hold of a full version, either in one of the original hardbacks or the GGBP one which I have. Unfortunately they don’t stay in print very long, and can be quite expensive second-hand. And even the Armada edition is better than nothing. 

These books were, of course, intended for teenagers but most of today's audience seems to consist of people like me who remember them fondly from our own teenage years. 

Review copyright 2025 Sue's Book Reviews

Trials for the Chalet School (by Elinor M Brent-Dyer)

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In my gradual re-reading of Elinor M Brent-Dyer’s lengthy ‘Chalet School’ series, I finally reached ‘Trials for the Chalet School’.  According to the unofficial lists, it has been quite extensively abridged in the Armada version, which is what I have. I actually have a ‘two-in-one’ Armada, which also contains its immediate sequel, ‘Theodora and the Chalet School’. But I have been able to acquire that in a ‘Girls Gone By’ unabridged edition, so I have just read ‘Trials’. I last read it in 2016. 

Maybe one day it will be republished, or I’ll manage to find a full edition of this book; I have looked in many places and inquired online, but second-hand editions are very expensive, and it’s not as if I don’t have this story at all. And it doesn’t feel like an abridged book, somehow. Maybe there are a lot more asides and religious references in the full edition; maybe there’s an extra chapter. But this still feels complete in itself.

Naomi Elton is the only new girl in the spring term in Switzerland. She’s an orphan who lost her parents in a fire, some years ago. The fire left her quite seriously disabled. She has been looked after by relatives but has become very bitter and resentful. And she really doesn’t want to go to the Chalet School. It's unusual for someone of sixteen to join, and the staff are quite concerned. 

It’s a fairly common trope in the books to have girls who have no wish to be at the school, but I think it’s the only one that touches on physical disability.  The girls want to accept Naomi and offer assistance when it’s clear she needs help; but she snaps, and is sarcastic and rude. She also insists that she is an atheist, something unknown in the Chalet School.

Mary-Lou is head girl, and, unsurprisingly, does what she can to talk to Naomi, hoping to find out what is beneath the anger and resentment. And, predictably, Naomi gradually relaxes and softens under the Chalet School influence. She’s very bright, quite advanced in all academic subjects. 

The title of the book is ‘Trials for the Chalet School’, and sure enough there are a lot of trials in this term. Mary-Lou unwisely says that it should be an easy term, thus tempting providence, as her somewhat superstitious friends tell her. Herr Laubach decides that he will retire, after an unpleasant incident. And then most of the school go down with scarlet fever, something that still required quarantine and notification in the late 1950s when this book was first published. 

If that wasn’t enough, there’s a slightly scary interlude during the half-term break, when several people are trapped in a hut by an avalanche. Scary for the people involved, that is; it turns out that they all have bits and pieces of food in their knapsacks, and of course they are eventually rescued.

Then there’s an incident with some of the senior middles trying to get the sixth formers into trouble… three of them are mainly responsible, with a few extra hangers-on. The seniors deal with them in a suitably appropriate way, thought of by Naomi. 

There’s rather a lot of detail in the chapters about the St Mildred’s pantomime, which takes place at the end of term. I’m never entirely sure why Brent-Dyer liked (apparently) to write full plays herself and then provide most of the script and characters in her books. I would have thought that, if anything was going to be abridged, it would be this. However, it’s slightly more interesting than some of the pantomimes from other years. A few ‘old’ old girls return, much to the audience’s delight, and then there are power cuts.

The pantomime is not quite the end of the  book, however; on the way back to school afterwards, there’s a nasty accident, leaving Naomi fighting for her life. It’s almost a cliff-hanger as the book ends. 

I don’t think this is a book I’ve read all that often. I vaguely recalled Naomi, but did not remember any of the plot. I thought it one of the better books for this era of the Chalet School, and look forward to reading it again in another eight of nine years. I hope to have a full edition by then, but if not this one is quite adequate. 

Definitely recommended to fans of this series; most seem to be adults like me, rather than the teenage audience for whom they were originally written. This wouldn't make a particularly good introduction to the school, and those unfamiliar with the era and style might find it irritating or inaccurate. However, as a Chalet School fan, I enjoyed it very much. 

The link above is to an Armada paperback second-hand edition of this; they are fairly easy to find in used versions and not too expensive. While the hardback or GGBP versions are complete, they're extremely expensive, and this abridged version does at least tell the story, and is one of the better books from the Swiss era, in my opinion.  

Review copyright 2025 Sue's Book Reviews

The Chalet School and Richenda (by Elinor M Brent-Dyer)

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The last time I read ‘The Chalet School and Richenda’ by Elinor M Brent-Dyer was at the end of 2015. At the time, I had the Armada paperback version, and said that I wasn’t going to look out for a full one. I’m not sure why, since the official guide states that there are ‘very major cuts’ in the abridged version. 

However, in the intervening decade, I have acquired a ‘Girls Gone By’ full edition; I don’t recall how. Perhaps my Armada was starting to fall to pieces, or perhaps I was offered a used GGBP version at a good price from a Chalet School Facebook group. But it seemed to be new when I picked it up to read a few days ago. I finished the previous book, 'The coming of age of the Chalet School' early in July, and then was travelling for most of August. 'Richenda'... is the 40th book in the original series. 

Richenda is an interesting character. She’s fifteen at the start of the book, though treated by her father (and her old Nanny) as if she were rather younger. Her father is rather old-school; he was widowed when Richenda was a toddler, and she hasn’t had much to do with him. He’s a collector of antique ceramics, in particular Chinese ones, and has a room where Richenda is not allowed to go unaccompanied. But she, too, has a passion for these ceramics, and can’t resist the temptation to go in and handle them.

So her father decides, as a punishment, to send her to the Chalet School in Switzerland. She’s devastated at leaving her friends and her current school, although she acknowledges that she’s not learning much there. Her father has no idea how to treat her, and no interest in understanding why she keeps going into his special room. He tells her she won’t be home until Christmas, and that he hopes her attitude improves by then.

But Richenda is basically a likeable girl. She travels to the school with a very negative attitude, but she gradually realises that the girls are friendly, the environment is beautiful, and the teaching is excellent. So she decides, perversely, to enjoy herself to get back at her father. She sends long letters to Nanny and to her best friend, but only terse notes to her father. And she works hard at her lessons, particularly French and German, so that she can stay in the form where she is placed, with the girls whom she is beginning to like.

While I don’t remember much from the last time I read the book, I can see how easily the full edition could have been abridged without losing much. There are quite a few somewhat long-winded, pseudo-moralising sections which I expect were removed. And apparently a whole chapter about a half-term expedition was missing in the Armada. I usually skim details of educational expeditions for Chalet School girls, but I quite enjoyed reading the one in this book. Richenda’s half-term is spent with the Maynard family, rather than with the school. 

There are other side stories, as ever with these books. In particular, there’s a lot of concern for Joey Maynard, who has been having some nasty bilious attacks. The eventual diagnosis is somewhat bizarre - Brent-Dyer was very vague and possibly somewhat ignorant about medical conditions. And she doesn’t even mention the fact that having nine children in fifteen years would put a serious toll on anyone’s body, even if, as with Joey, that included triplets, and one set of twins.

I liked the way we got to see the Chalet School through fresh and artistic eyes. I also liked the way Richenda’s personality is explored. She’s quite a thinker, but not ready to consider her father’s point of view until it’s pointed out to her. And I appreciated the way it became clearer that while Joey and Jack expect ‘obedience’ from their younger children, they’re always willing to explain their reasons. They also listen, and hug their children a lot, and spend time playing games and going places with them. Richenda’s father is portrayed as a rigid man, but not a deliberately cruel one. And when something shocking happens in the second part of the book, he realises just what his daughter means to him. 

I’m very pleased that I managed to acquire this book in the full edition, and already look forward to rereading it in another decade or so. Unfortunately the GGBP edition is not currently in print, and the used hardbacks tend to be extremely highly priced. If you can't find a full edition, the abridged Armada is still probably worth having, if you are a fan of this author and don't have it.  

Review copyright 2025 Sue's Book Reviews

The coming of age of the Chalet School (by Elinor M Brent-Dyer)

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In my slow reread of the Chalet School books by Elinor M Brent-Dyer, I reached the one numbered 39 in the original hardback series published last century. I last read ‘The coming of age of the Chalet School’ towards the end of 2015, but it’s not one that I reread regularly. It was foreshadowed through a lot of the previous book, ‘Excitements at the Chalet School’ which I reread just over a month ago. 

This is the book where the Chalet School celebrates 21 years of existence. It was first published in the late 1950s. The school had come up with some ideas to celebrate, mentioned in ‘Excitements…’, and in this book it all happens. So earlier in the term, albums are made with information from old girls, and everyone is encouraged to avoid fines, so they can contribute to the fund for building two chapels. 

Old girls arrive, too, and stay at St Mildred’s, so the main Chalet School is quite crowded, with the St Mildred’s ‘finishing’ branch included. But we don’t actually see much of most of the old girls; the only ones given much space in the book are Jo Maynard’s three closest friends: Frieda, Simone and Marie. And they only really come to the fore towards the end, when the four travel, with the prefects, to Austria and the original location of the Chalet School.

Earlier in the book are some regular classroom antics; the twins Prudence and Priscilla have, at last, come to the Swiss branch from the UK one, and Prudence doesn’t like the fact that her peers have grown up. She likes to have fun and cause mischief, and she introduces pranks and irritations that get her into trouble - they’re not seen as amusing, in these books, but childish and silly. 

There’s also some discussion about the annual ‘sale’ done in aid of the sanatorium nearby. Everyone works at hobbies to create things to sell, and they hope to make it a record year. As ever, each form suggests a theme, and the prefects vote on it. It’s a tad ironic that the one representative without a form suggestion picks something randomly to propose, and has it accepted. 

So on the whole it’s a run-of-the-mill Chalet School book, one which I find hard to remember in much detail even though I finished it this morning, and read most of it yesterday. The trip to Austria is interesting, and I like the interactions between the four close friends (who have travelled alone, with no children or babies) and the prefects. There’s even an unexpected adventure for Joey and Mary-Lou. 

But there are a lot of details about the sale, which, for all its new theme each year, follows a fairly predictable pattern. There are stalls and competitions, and prizes awarded at the end. Towards the end of the book there’s also a sports day, on the final day of term, where team sports and races, including some ‘silly’ ones, are also explored in some detail. 

There are a couple of poignant scenes. One involves a character who appeared unexpectedly in 'Excitements...' and was apparently dropped. She reappears in this book a few times, and the author manages to make her so unfortunately circumstanced that I almost forgot her extreme unpleasantness much earlier in the series. The other poignant scene involves one of the pupils called home because her step-sister is dying. 

I mostly enjoyed the book while reading it, though it’s not one of my favourites. There’s a short story at the end, picking up on an incident mentioned in the main book but without any descriptions in the usual canonical books. So that was quite interesting, and works well in EBD style. I like the ‘Girls Gone By’ publications; in addition to the full, original text there are brief introductory sections, and an addendum with both corrections made and inconsistencies spotted.  The short story is a bonus in a lot of them.

‘’The coming of age of the Chalet School’ wouldn’t be a good book as an introduction to the series; it references a lot of previous books, with footnotes, and has quite a lot of characters, some of them only mentioned briefly. It’s good for fans like me, who love catching up with these people regularly, so it’s certainly worth having if you’re a fan of the series. But it’s not one I am likely to dip into at random. These were originally written for teenagers, but more likely, now, to be read by adults who remember them from their childhood. 

The original hardbacks of this book tend to be sold for extortionate prices, and the paperbacks are out of print; however both the abridged Armada versions and the full Girls Gone By editions can sometimes be found second-hand at reasonable prices. Apparently there are major cuts in the Armada version, so if you can find a GGB paperback, it's worthwhile doing so. 

Review copyright 2025 Sue's Book Reviews

Excitements at the Chalet School (by Elinor M Brent-Dyer)

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In my gradual re-reading of Elinor M Brent-Dyer's 'Chalet School' series, I’ve reached the Swiss era, which is probably my least favourite. However, there are some gems still, such as ‘New Mistress at the Chalet School’, which I re-read in April. I’ve now finished the one after ‘New Mistress’, one which I recalled as somewhat run-of-the mill without remembering any of the details. 

‘Excitements for the Chalet School’ is 38th in the original series. I last read it nearly ten years ago. I have a hardback version which my mother acquired from a charity shop some decades ago, but it's not that different from the Armada paperback, which had just minor cuts. Bizarrely, while the outside of my book says 'Excitements for...', on the inside it's titled 'Excitements at the Chalet School', and that's the name used in both the abridged Armada paperbacks and the Girls Gone By full editions. 

This book is mainly about the form ‘Inter V’ - a kind of intermediate class, youngest of the seniors, which is in its second term. Miss Ferrars, the ‘new mistress’ is more confident, and they mostly like her.

The first chapter sees the prefects chatting about the girls in Inter V, after one of them has arranged an afternoon of PE for them, with somewhat amusing results. The second chapter sees Inter V themselves, having a meeting to protest the interference of a girl from Va who told them to be quiet. But nothing much transpires.

Several of them are happy because the snow has stopped (this is the winter term), and they’re going to be able to go skiing and sledging. This happens… once. 

Joey Maynard calls some of the staff to a meeting, to let them know that it’s almost 21 years since the Chalet School started. She suggests having some big celebrations, and the staff decide to ask for ideas from the girls.

Then there’s a comment about one of the girls using the adjective ‘marvellous’ all the time; the Head asks her to find alternatives. So her sister and friends use a thesaurus to find other words, some of them quite unusual, and they start to use them. At least, they do in one chapter, but nothing really comes of it.

Oh, and someone from the distant past appears near the Chalet School. She comes to visit the school heads, and asks if she can have a part-time teaching job. She is offered it, although several of the staff (and Joey) predict disaster. And… nothing comes of it. 

There’s the inevitable chapter about a half-term visit - somewhat interesting but obviously educational - and there’s a chapter about the St Mildred’s pantomime. There’s a potential disaster at the end of it, and one of the girls is hailed as a heroine, but that rather peters out too. 

Somehow, it’s all a bit disjointed. Each chapter is more-or-less complete in itself, with hints of more to come. But the only subplot which runs through the entire book is that of the coming-of-age celebrations. Some of the girls have excellent ideas, including group photos, and the plan is to get in touch with all past pupils, to invite them for a long weekend. 

It’s still very readable, in my opinion. I found it easy to pick up for a chapter or two, and also easy to put down when I had to do other things. I like the continuity of the characters (some of them, anyway) and I don’t mind reading a book like this which doesn’t have much plot. I was mildly amused at the end when there’s a discussion about whether or not the term was exciting; evidently the author thought it was, given the title. But it seemed to me a rather un-exciting term, filling the gap between ‘New Mistress’ and the ‘Coming of Age’ book which follows it. 

Recommended, on the whole, if you love the series and like to read the books in order. But it’s not one to dip into at random, and definitely not one to introduce someone to the series. The link above is to an Armada paperback version in Amazon's marketplace; hardbacks or full GGBP second-hand editions are often very expensive, and with so few changes, there's little point paying a huge amount for them. 

Intended originally for teenagers, this is more likely to appeal to adults like me who loved these books as a child, or perhaps older children who like school stories and are looking for more. 

Review copyright 2025 Sue's Book Reviews

The new mistress at the Chalet School (by Elinor M Brent-Dyer)

(Amazon UK link)

In my gradual meandering through Elinor M Brent-Dyer’s lengthy Chalet School series, I was pleased to reach one which I recalled liking very much. ‘The new mistress at the Chalet School’ is 37th in the original series, and follows on from ‘A problem for the Chalet School’, which I reread in April. 

It’s nearly ten years since I last reread ‘New mistress…’, and I had forgotten a lot of the detail. I have a hardback edition that my mother acquired many years ago. Kathie Ferrars is the main character in this book; unusually for this series, she is a new teacher rather than a new pupil for the school. We meet her in the first chapter at home with her aunt, who brought her up. I don’t know why it’s relevant that she was orphaned at a young age; Kathie is clearly very much loved, and adores her aunt and uncle.

She has just finished her teacher training and has been applying for jobs. She’s delighted to be offered the ones she wanted most, teaching at the Chalet School in Switzerland. Her aunt is very supportive; we next see Kathie en route to school. Her journeys have been explained to her, and she meets up with Biddy o’Ryan, an old girl (and the history teacher) who is not much older than Kathie. They get along well, and I liked reading some of their interactions. Quite a big deal is made about use of first names, something which I’m sure would be much less of an issue nowadays. 

Kathie has been appointed as the form mistress for the newly-formed ‘Inter V’ form. As a child I thought of this as ‘Inter-vee’, but of course it’s really ‘intermediate five’. It’s explained, more than once, that these are girls who are either too old or too advanced academically for the upper fourth form, but are not ready for the harder work of the lower fifth. Schools weren’t so strict about age then, and the new Inter V has girls from almost thirteen up to sixteen working together.

Unfortunately Kathie has been given some unhelpful advice by her aunt, about staying dignified. And she went to a traditional day school where staff and students were unlikely to meet or become friendly socially. So she doesn’t understand how relaxed most of the staff are out of school time, and she becomes quite offended by Mary-Lou’s rather over-friendly manner. 

I thought this was well-handled; Mary-Lou is an interesting character who is generally helpful and kind, but her classmates have told her before that she shouldn’t treat everyone as a best friend as soon as she meets them. But this is perhaps the first time it’s turned into a problem. Thankfully this is eventually resolved and discussed.

I’m not sure why this book is so appealing; perhaps it’s the different perspective, seeing everything from the eyes of a young adult rather than one of the girls. And while Kathie is new and inexperienced, she has no qualms or reservations about joining the Chalet School. Nor does she have any strange quirks; despite some mistakes, she’s evidently a good fit for the school. 

Much of the story follows the life of the school, particularly the new Inter V who have to meld together somewhat. There’s a strange new girl called Yseult (pronounced something like Izz-ult, to rhyme with ‘result’, as far as I know). She provides some extra interest, as well as a lot of frustration as far as the staff are concerned. 

Naturally there’s a dramatic incident part-way through, where danger is averted at the last moment - this is a common theme in these books - but other than that, it’s a fairly standard Chalet School book with the perspective of a member of staff. These books were written for teenagers in the early and mid part of the 20th century; this book was first published in 1957. Perhaps Brent-Dyer, a school head herself, hoped to give something of a teacher's perspective to give a new insight to teenage girls. 

The pace is good, and although there are rather a lot of author asides, explaining why some of Kathie’s ideas are not helpful, I very much liked reading this book again. It could stand alone, although there are many references to earlier books (some of them with footnotes giving the relevant book) so on the whole I would recommend this as part of the series rather than by itself. 

The hardback versions of this can be very pricy, and the GGBP paperback with the full text is out of print, unfortunately. But even an Armada abridged version is better than nothing. 

Review copyright 2025 Sue's Book Reviews

A problem for the Chalet School (by Elinor M Brent-Dyer)

(Amazon UK link)

It’s nearly ten years since I read ‘A problem for the Chalet School’, 36th in Elinor M Brent-Dyer's original series. It's the first time in several decades that I read it in an unabridged edition. I previously had an Armada paperback which was starting to fall to pieces, so I was pleased to be able to acquire a ‘Girls gone by’ version, with the full original text. Apparently it was quite seriously abridged, with an entire chapter missing in the Armada paperback.

I vaguely recalled the story, which involves two girls called Rosamund and Joan. They go to the same day school, and are neighbours. Joan is something of a leader who uses emotional blackmail, while Rosamund is quieter and easily led. Rosamund’s parents were from ordinary working backgrounds, but brought her and her siblings up to be polite, honest and kind. Joan’s family are more snobbish, despite similar background, and Joan thinks it amusing to be rude, sneaky and arrogant. 

Rosamund is told, at the start of the story, that she has been given a full scholarship to the Chalet School by Tom Gay’s parents. She really doesn’t want to go to boarding school in Switzerland. Partly this is because she’s horrified at the thought of lessons in French and German, when she speaks neither. Partly it’s going away from family and friends. And partly because she thinks that girls will look down on a ‘scholarship girl’, whose mother was a maid and whose father was a market gardener. 

But Mrs Gay persuades her to take it up, and to do her best to be happy there. Rosamund is a likeable, if biddable person, and she does decide to make the effort. She has been thinking that she would like to be an air hostess, and realises that having extra languages would be useful. So Rosamund begins, rather nervously, and gradually starts to make friends. By the time she’s been in the Chalet School for two weeks, she’s beginning to feel settled, and even starting to understand some French.

Then she has a shock - Joan arrives. Her father had a big win on the football pools, and decided to send his daughters to private schools. Joan was very envious of Rosamund being chosen for the scholarship, and certain she can lord it over her in their new environment. But Joan is stymied, again and again, by the ‘gentlewomen’ approach of the Chalet School. She’s told that her gaudy outfits and heavy make-up look ‘cheap’. Nobody admires her when she’s rude or cheeky. And when people learn that Rosamund’s father is a gardener, they ask her questions about plants…

It’s a slightly different book from most, in that Joan isn’t reluctant to be at the school - she simply doesn’t fit in, finding their values and expectations to be entirely at odds with her own. She thinks some things, like Saturday evening games, are ‘childish’, and she wants a lot more independence than she is given. She also doesn’t  like having to wash so much, particularly the cold baths in the mornings (I can sympathise with her on those!) 

Joan is undoubtedly a caricature, but the author does it well, contrasting her nicely with Rosamund. They’re from the same school with similar backgrounds, yet Rosamund is polite, and full of integrity whereas Joan is not. The point is made, more than once, that what matters is how people behave, not their backgrounds, or their ‘class’.

Inevitably Joan does gradually absorb some of the Chalet School ethos. But there are quite a few incidents and discussions before she realises the value of the school and its principles. Mary-Lou, Joey and Miss Annersley all talk to her and help in different ways. And evidently Joan does have a seed of niceness inside her; she is horrified when it’s implied that her parents must have brought her up badly when she swears. 

Although I don’t know for sure which chapter was omitted in the abridged version, I suspect it’s one near the middle of the book where nothing much happens and there’s no real progression in the story. I expect there were a lot of other cuts too; there are a lot of conversations which don’t add to the plot. But they do add to the characterisation, and to the pace of the book. I’m very glad to have the original text at last, and liked taking a little longer to read it than I would have done with the Armada.

What I particularly appreciated about this book is that, although there’s a half-term trip, it’s not bombarded with educational information. Indeed, Nancy Wilmot says, several times, that they should ask Miss O’Ryan, rather than going into detail. And the end-of-term flower festival is only mentioned in passing, rather than in minute detail. 

Definitely recommended if you like this series. It could possibly even be a good introduction to someone new to the Chalet School books, although the number of people could be a bit overwhelming.  First published in 1956, it doesn't feel seventy years old to me, although it's obviously somewhat dated, including the class attitudes that are somewhat explored. I don't know that today's teenagers would appreciate it, but there are plenty of people my age or older who loved these books in our own teenage years.

As a bonus, there’s a short story at the end of my GGBP edition. It’s called, ‘A trying day for Joan’, and is set towards the end of the main book but before the final chapter. It’s well-written, very much in EBD’s style, by Lisa Townsend, and I enjoyed it very much.

Unfortunately the original hardbacks and the Girls Gone By editions are out of print, and tend to be quite pricey second-hand. Despite the abridgement, the Armada version is a useful alternative, and still tells the story well, if a tad more abruptly. 

Review copyright 2025 Sue's Book Reviews

A Genius at the Chalet School (by Elinor M Brent-Dyer)

(Amazon UK link)

When I last read Elinor M Brent-Dyer's book ‘A Genius at the Chalet School’ in 2015, I only had the paperback edition, which contains just the first half of the original. So immediately afterwards I re-read the second half, published in Armada as a sequel, ‘Chalet School Fete’. Since then, I had the good fortune to acquire several of the series in hardback, courtesy of a relative whose late aunt had collected some of the books. 

Apparently the book wasn’t abridged at all when it was issued in paperback - presumably that’s why it was in two volumes in Armada. But it was intended to be one book, and I think reads better as a single story. I had vaguely recalled the plot when I picked up my hardback edition to read a day or two ago, but forgotten the details.

Nina Rutherford is the ‘genius’ of the title, and her great gift is in music. She is fifteen, and  has been motherless for many years, and travelled extensively with her father. She is passionate about her piano playing, and usually practises for at least four hours every day. But then her father dies in a tragic accident. His cousin Guy is now Nina’s guardian, and he takes her back to the UK, much to her distress. He wants her to go to school, and she is very resistant.

On the way back, in a train, they meet four girls from the Chalet School, who are friendly and chat to Nina about the fact that two other musical prodigies have been through their school, which is now based both in the UK and in Switzerland. So cousin Guy decides to send Nina there, rather than to the local private school which his three daughters attend. None of them quite know what to make of Nina’s genius and passion for music, and there are some difficult scenes; she’s grieving her father, stressed about moving, and very concerned that she won’t be able to play the piano as much as she needs to. 

The Chalet School is good at giving extra time to people with exceptional talent, and they also recognise that, at fifteen, Nina probably doesn’t need algebra, geometry or art. She’s already completely fluent in both French and German, so it’s not too difficult to find extra times for her to practise. And everyone who hears her acknowledges that she really does have something special - a gift that is way beyond her years. 

Nina is a likeable girl, with a kind and generous heart, so long as she’s not prevented from doing her daily four hours. There are several comments made about being a ‘genius’, and how it’s very much a mixed blessing. She puts her music ahead of everything, and can be quite tunnel-visioned; this leads to some unpleasantness when an accident happens that temporarily stops her from playing.

But although this is a thread running through the book, as Nina (inevitably) makes friends and adjusts to school life, there isn’t much else that’s going on. There’s the St Mildred’s pantomime (in lengthy detail), and a belated half-term visit, also described in detail. And there’s the end-of-term annual fair (or fete) which raises money for the San. Most of the books have one, possibly two of these events that pause the action for a chapter or so - I don’t recall any others with three. As usual, I skimmed these sections.

Still, there are other minor interests for people like me who reread the series regularly, and who like to keep up with the many characters. For instance: Joey Maynard has her ninth baby; Nina displays an aptitude for skiing; an old friend of some of the staff bumps into them on a ferry, and her husband turns out to be related to Nina; Beth Chester is evidently in love (though we don’t find out who the young man is); Guy’s oldest daughter Alix becomes very ill and has to be treated at the sanatorium in Switzerland. 

There are some school scenes, too - prefects’ meetings, staff room conversations, and discussions in dormitories. I don’t recall any actual lessons, other than one where one of the staff was very grumpy with toothache, but we don’t learn what happened about it. There’s a token ‘middles’ misbehaviour scene involving the head girl and three of the most annoying girls, but even that blows over fairly quickly.

It’s good to read this again as part of the ongoing series, and I do like Nina as a character. But I wouldn’t recommend it as an introduction to the series.  The hardback is very hard to find, and the Girls Gone By full edition, linked to above, is not currently in print. However the two Armada books can fairly often be found used, reasonably priced. 

Review copyright 2025 Sue's Book Reviews

Mary-Lou of the Chalet School (by Elinor M Brent-Dyer)

(Amazon UK link)

In my slow meander through the lengthy ‘Chalet School’ series by Elinor M Brent-Dyer, I reached the one originally numbered 34. I last read ‘Mary-Lou of the Chalet School’ in 2015. It’s not one I remembered much; possibly I didn’t read it all that regularly when I was younger. It’s set in the winter term following on from the previous book, ‘A chalet girl in Kenya’. So it features the second winter of the new Swiss branch of the Chalet School. 

Mary-Lou is one of Brent-Dyer’s stronger characters, first introduced in ‘Three go to the Chalet School’. She’s now a senior, and is returning to school a week after the start of term. This is because her beloved grandmother has just died. Brent-Dyer doesn’t gloss over loss, and we see Mary-Lou somewhat pensive, although determined not to grieve or complain. 

When she returns to the school she discovers that there’s a new girl in her form called Jessica. And Jessica is so grumpy and miserable that she shuns any offer of help or even conversation. The other girls have rather left her to herself after initial overtures of friendship, but Mary-Lou is determined to get to the bottom of it. This is spurred on by Jo Maynard who explains privately to Mary-Lou a little of what has happened to cause Jessica to be so miserable.

It’s not a new trope; there have been many girls who arrived at the school determined to hate it (or to behave badly) but I thought this one was handled particularly well. This story-line goes alongside day-to-day events in the life of the school. We see the new prefects having meetings, and new arrangements whereby the St Mildred’s finishing school is now nearby, with a lot more coming and going. We also see glimpses into the staff room and one amusing anecdotes that almost made me chuckle aloud.

There’s an inevitable school trip, several hours in a coach each way to see Zurich and some of the sights there. Brent-Dyer liked inserting some history and geographical facts into her books under the guise of enthusiastic girls asking questions of the knowledgeable staff. I didn’t find these chapters particularly interesting, so skimmed them; for once, there are no ‘incidents’ to enliven the trip. 

In a sense this is a run-of-the-mill Chalet School book, with many references to things in earlier books, and repeats of previous ideas (such as a sheets-and-pillowcases party, and a visit from St Nicholas). But it does have a distinct storyline running alongside it, which is resolved well. It also has a temporary shortage of some food products during an extensive storm. 

However there’s no Christmas play for once, just a carol concert, which has barely a mention when it happens. There is, however, plenty of skiing and sledging, with reminders to wear dark goggles and to wrap up warmly. And a terrible accident, one which I had only vaguely remembered, when one of the girls disobeys orders about where to sledge.

This leads to a dramatic climax near the end. There’s a very moving section that almost brought tears to my eyes, when Jack Maynard talks to one of his daughters in a positive and encouraging way. He’s often portrayed as quite a harsh father, but I liked him a lot more in this book.

Worth reading if you like the series, or if you recall these books with nostalgia from your childhood. They were originally written for teenage girls, but I doubt if most of today’s teens would have much interest in such tame stories. However those who like series such as Enid Blyton’s ‘Malory Towers’ and ‘St Clare’s’ when they’re younger might well want to move on to ‘Chalet School’ at some point. 

Unfortunately most of the hardbacks are very hard to find (and expensive) and the Armada paperback editions published in the 1970s are often abridged. I am fortunate to have acquired a hardback of ‘Mary-Lou at the Chalet School’, but understand that its paperback edition had quite a bit cut out when it was abridged. However, even the Armada versions follow the main storyline, and I’m glad they were published as they kept me reading the series regularly when I was unable to acquire full editions. In more recent years a full version has been published by Girls Gone By, but unfortunately these quickly go out of print, and are often very expensive second-hand.

Review copyright 2025 Sue's Book Reviews

A chalet girl from Kenya (by Elinor M Brent-Dyer)

(Amazon UK link)

I’m slowly re-reading Elinor M Brent-Dyer’s lengthy Chalet School series for probably the fourth or fifth time. Since I only read about one of them each month, interspersed with other books, it’s not a quick process. But I find I appreciate them more when they are spaced out. When I read several in a row they can start to feel rather samey.

I last read ‘A chalet girl from Kenya’ almost ten years ago, and had pretty much forgotten the storyline. It’s 33rd in the original series, and covers the third term of the new Swiss branch of the Chalet School. So it follows directly on from ‘The Chalet School does it again’ which I re-read at the end of October. 

This book was first published in 1955 and features a young and very likeable new girl called Jo Scott. But we don’t meet her at the start. Instead the book opens with a letter from Jo’s rather fluffy mother, a former student of the school, to Joey Maynard. Joey learns that she has an unofficial goddaughter who is fourteen, and about to join the Chalet School. The Scotts - Paul and Maisie - work in Kenya, but are concerned about the political situation there, so they want their daughter safely in Europe.

We then meet Jo herself, on the school train and then a coach. Josette Russell has been asked to look after her, and the two bond quite well. Josette is Joey Maynard’s niece, also named for her. Josette is part of the ‘gang’, a group of school middles who are mostly generous, outgoing and helpful, although it’s quite exclusive. 

Much of the book covers day-to-day school events as Jo Scott settles in. She’s been to boarding school before, and she’s a sensible girl, unlike her mother. Part of the reason for her being sent away to school was that she worried more about finances and the future than either of her parents did, and they wanted her to have a more normal teenage life. Despite being a thoroughly nice girl who works hard, she manages to clash with one of the prefects, but this thread rather peters out towards the end.

There’s a very moving section towards the middle, however, when worrying news comes out of Kenya. Jo isn’t told at first - the only person with a radio big enough to get international news is Joey Maynard, and she doesn’t want to worry her goddaughter unnecessarily. But eventually Jo has to be told that her mother has been seriously injured and her father missing, after an attack on their farm by the Mau Mau. 

Elinor M Brent-Dyer kept her books grounded in reality, referring from time to time to world events that impact her girls. The school’s move out of Austria (in ‘The Chalet School in exile') was due to World War II.  They’re now in Switzerland as it’s safer there. I wouldn’t have known anything about the Mau Mau uprising and might have thought it was fictional if I hadn’t read (and re-read) Marcia Willett’s excellent trilogy that starts with a tragedy for three young children in ‘Looking forward’. 

Joey Maynard is at her best in this book, in my view. She cares for her family of eight, and also gives love and empathy to others who are suffering emotionally. She sometimes comes across as rather pushy, but I liked her very much as she does what she can to help Jo (and others). She’s also in loco parentis when Jo does something dramatic later in the book and strains her shoulders badly as a result. 

There’s an ongoing thread, introduced in an earlier book, involving a small girl in the nearby Sanatorium who has been very weak, and has to undergo dangerous surgery. Brent-Dyer’s grasp on medical matters is rather vague, and it’s not made clear what exactly Leila’s illness is. The San mainly deals with TB patients, in an era before antibiotics were so widespread, although I had thought they would have been used by 1955. 

As the summer term nears its end, with temperatures rising surprisingly high, the girls are able to have afternoons at a lake not far away. They also plan an end-of-term extravaganza, with a flower show and games. There’s rather too much detail about this, as is typical with these books, but it rounds off the term nicely. 

Overall, I thought this a nice addition to the series, although it probably appeals more to adults like me who read these books as teenagers than to today's more sophisticated teens. I have a hardback edition which was once my mother’s, but apparently the Armada paperback wasn’t cut at all.  Unfortunately it's not currently in print, and even the Armada paperbacks can be extremely expensive. 

Review copyright 2024 Sue's Book Reviews

The Chalet School does it again (by Elinor M Brent-Dyer)

(Amazon UK link)

I’m slowly re-reading the lengthy ‘Chalet School’ series by Elinor M Brent-Dyer, at a rate of around ten per year. I’ve just finished the 32nd book in the original series, ‘The Chalet School does it again’. I last read it in 2014. It’s not one I reread extensively when I was younger, and I had forgotten most of the story. 

The book takes place in the second term for the Swiss Oberland branch of the Chalet School, and follows directly on from ‘The Chalet School and Barbara’, which I re-read in the middle of September. This is the Easter term so it begins when the ground is frozen, and the Maynard triplets become boarders despite living next-door. 

The main new girl in this book is Prunella Davison, someone I had not remembered at all. She’s considered to be a very bizarre person, because she speaks in an extremely formal style. She sounds like someone from a 19th century novel, and expresses herself rather condescendingly in ways that annoy the other girls very much. She is average in most subjects, excelling in art; but her French is poor and her German non-existent, so she has to have extra coaching. 

Naturally there’s a chapter about skiing, when the weather is suitable, and the author’s oft-repeated information is imparted to people who are starting to ski, including Prunella. I learned from Brent-Dyer about snow blindness when I was a teenager, meaning that one should always wear dark sunglasses (ideally goggles) when out in the snow on a sunny day. I also learned about the importance of wrapping up warmly, and of keeping one’s skis straight. I don’t know why the same conversations happen in every Chalet School book that has a skiing scene but it’s not a huge problem.

The upcoming sale in aid of the sanatorium is (as in many of the books) an important theme, too. The prefects come up with an idea that has been done before, but not for many years. What’s significant is that they have sufficient costumes. I was a bit surprised that the Welsen branch (the finishing school not far away) grabs all the fairytale costumes for their pantomime, and then ends up doing something that wouldn’t need them at all… indeed, I would have thought there would  have been a clash, as far as costumes were concerned. But those of us who love the Chalet School books are used to what are affectionately known as EBD-isms. 

There’s high drama on a trip to Lucerne, where we’re treated to some descriptions of real places and statues - I even googled for some of the things mentioned. Perhaps I could have done a ‘street view’ tour along with the girls, but I decided against it, this time anyway. All is going well, until - inevitably - someone does something spontaneous and foolish and ends up in what could be a very dangerous situation. And - also inevitably, for this series - someone else rushes to the rescue, and is branded a hero although she brushes it off, insisting that she did what anyone would do.

There’s quite a moving section when Joey Maynard speaks to the girl who did the rescue, helping her to sort out some of her stresses and confusions about life. I know these incidents irritate some readers; and perhaps the conversation is unrealistic. But I thought it was helpful. This kind of thing helped to shape my own ideas when I was a teenager; I loved the way that Joey related to her own family as well as to the girls in the school.

There are one or two unfinished threads: during the pantomime, for instance, Miss Wilson spots someone who asks a question, and thinks she looks familiar. But we never learn who she is, or why she asked a specific question about some of the girls who were dancing. It’s also not entirely clear how Prunella manages to turn her life around completely, despite a significant incident; but, as one would expect, by the end of the term she’s a ‘real Chalet School girl’ who is making friends and getting along just fine.

Sometimes the scene-by-scene descriptions of the pantomimes or plays are tedious; they usually take up an entire chapter of the books. But I thought this one was quite interesting, even though I skimmed somewhat and didn’t really read the lyrics of the songs. 

All in all, I thought this a good addition to the series. Nothing special, but then it must have been increasingly hard for the author to come up with new storylines, so there’s inevitably some repetition. And while all the books technically stand alone, they work a lot better being read more-or-less in order. This helps to see the progression of the school, and also the personality development of the significant characters. It also introduces people a few at a time, rather than all at once. 

Recommended to adults or teens if you like this series, but probably not as an introduction to it. 

Review copyright 2024 Sue's Book Reviews