Upper fourth at Malory Towers (by Enid Blyton)

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In the past few decades I’ve dipped somewhat randomly into Enid Blyton books from time to time, particularly the school stories. But this year I’ve been reading the Malory Towers books in order, at around one per month. I was surprised how much I enjoyed ‘Third year at Malory Towers’ in July; I’ve just finished (almost in one sitting) the fourth book, ‘Upper fourth at Malory Towers’, which I last read in 2015.

I’m familiar with most of the storylines, of course; I read these books almost every year when I was a teenager; but with more than ten years since my last read, I had forgotten a lot of the details.

This is the year when Darrell’s sister Felicity finally gets to go to Malory Towers. She’s been ill - we don’t know what the problem was - so her first term is the summer term, Darrell’s last in the upper fourth form. Darrell is very excited about showing her sister around, so feels a bit annoyed when Alicia’s young cousin June decides to take Felicity under her wing. 

There are some new girls in Darrell’s form: the non-identical twins Connie and Ruth, and a shy girl called Clarissa, who has glasses and a brace; Gwendoline decides to befriend her having learned that she has a title. There are also the girls from other series such as Darrell’s calm, intuitive friend Sally, whom I like very much. Then there’s the somewhat arrogant Alicia who is very bright and never has to do any work. She has quite a part to play in this book, and learns a difficult lesson towards the end.

The musical Irene and artistic Belinda are both absent-minded, and cause hilarity amongst their peers; but their antics are a bit repetitive, much the same in each book (other than where Irene has managed to lose her health certificate). Mary-Lou barely comes into this; she’s still nervous, but is good friends with Daphne. And Mavis, who lost her voice in the previous book, is now a much nicer person.

Indeed, the only continued unpleasant person is Gwendoline, who is still spoilt tremendously by her mother and former governess when she’s at home. She writes them endless lies about how good she is at everything; and in this book she also comes up with a very unpleasant tactic in the hope of getting out of the major public exams which the class are all sitting.

These are the days of General Certificate, before O-levels, and a pass is considered necessary before moving up to the next form. So there’s a lot of studying and revising, but the staff are fair, and ensure that everyone gets plenty of time outdoors, and even a day off now and again to do something different. There's a midnight feast, as seems to happen regularly at this school, and quite an amusing trick played towards the end. 

Perhaps the most interesting subplot of this book involves the twins, who are different in personality as well as in looks. Connie is outgoing and confident; she’s also taller, and spends a lot of time looking after her twin. Ruth seems shyer and much less sure of herself, but gradually the other girls realise that Ruth is never allowed to speak or do anything much - Connie takes over all the time. Yet Ruth seems to be brighter, and often has to help Connie with her work. It’s an unusual dynamic, but it’s shown realistically.

Enid Blyton was a prolific writer, and many of us who grew up with her work have continued as avid readers well into adulthood. I can see, now, why parents and teachers disapproved - she used stereotypes, prejudice and clichés, as well as some authorial asides which don’t read well. The language isn’t well structured, and in places seems quite stilted. Some of the people are caricatured, too, particularly the French ‘mam’zelle’ staff. 

And yet Darrell feels three-dimensional; she’s far from perfect as she still struggles with her hot temper. I could empathise with both her and Sally in this book, and I admire their positive traits. The ethics and principles of this book are of 1940s British ‘sportsmanship’, which included integrity, honesty and fairness. I absorbed a lot of positive beliefs from books like these as a child, and I’m pleased to know that they’re still regularly in print, and that some young children today like them as much as I did as a child.

Recommended for fluent readers of about eight and upwards. 

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