Last time I re-read my Chalet School books - the lengthy series by Elinor M Brent-Dyer, originally written for teenage girls - I missed out ‘The Chalet Girls in Camp’. That’s partly because I had just acquired a later book in hardback and was eager to read it; but also partly because I recalled finding this book rather dull. So it was with a little reluctance as well as some curiosity that I picked it up to read this time.
I had no memory at all of the story, other than that some of the Chalet School girls went on a camping trip. And that’s basically the story - instead of taking place in term time, with incidents in the school, most of the action takes place at a campsite, where the girls - as Guides - have gone for a camp.
However it opens with some family scenes at Madge and Jem’s house, where Jo and Robin are staying for their holiday, and Elisaveta - of ‘Princess of the Chalet School’ - is with them, trying hard to be an ordinary schoolgirl as long as she can. I quite liked these scenes, which help to make some of the adults a bit more three-dimensional.
Once the camp starts, the girls are by a lake so there’s some swimming (albeit barely mentioned) and a fishing trip that goes rather wrong. There are expeditions, someone falling into an unexpected pit, and a visit from some rather angry insects. Oh, and an unsuccessful attempt at laundry. There are also minor incidents - something wasn’t packed, there’s a night-time visitor… really rather a lot is packed into this very slim volume (just 128 pages in my paperback edition).
Indeed, the book is so short that I assumed, at first, that it must be quite severely abridged, as happened with many of the books in the series when they were republished in Armada paperback in the 1960s and 70s. But that’s not the case. This is listed as ‘uncut’ on the page about cuts in the Armada versions of Chalet School books, and I’m reliably informed that it’s simply a short book.
I found that I liked it on the whole - as I’ve grown older, I’ve increasingly appreciated the ‘holiday’ books about Chalet School characters, but not set in the school. There are some quite amusing scenes where I smiled; some where I rolled my eyes a little at the author’s attitudes, particularly towards the idea of women having to learn to be housewifely even if they plan on having careers. But it was written in 1930, and the author’s ideas were quite radical and liberal for their time.
I’m glad I decided to read ‘Chalet Girls in Camp’ this time around. Some of the things that happened went into the school annals and are referred to in later books, so it helps to fill in a few gaps, although from the school chronology it wouldn’t much matter if this one was missed out. And it could be read alone, although it wouldn’t make a particularly good introduction to the series as it’s not set in the school.
Recommended if you’re a fan of the series; a plus point is that there’s no need to look out for a hardback or modern facsimile edition, since the Armada paperbacks are not cut. It’s not in print, but the paperback versions can often be found inexpensively at charity shops or online second-hand stores.
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