The Chalet School and Rosalie & The Mystery at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 3 of 5 stars Two books in one which can be basically summed up as “girls: mean” and “girls: complicated!!!” We begin with a Mystery at the Chalet School which gives us a new girl with aContinue reading “The Chalet School and Rosalie and The Mystery at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
Tag Archives: Chalet School
The New House at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
The New House at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 5 of 5 stars Today was a day for New House. The weather was thick and hot and dense; that still, heavy air that is just hot and nothing else, and what else should one do on such days but read aContinue reading “The New House at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
Guest Post: Rebecca Mills on ‘Grand Tours and Great Escapes in the Early Chalet School Books’
I am so happy to be able to share this guest post with you today from the lovely Rebecca Mills. As you may know, I have a great love for the early Chalet School characters and so this was right up my street. I suspect you’ll enjoy it a lot as well – it’s soContinue reading “Guest Post: Rebecca Mills on ‘Grand Tours and Great Escapes in the Early Chalet School Books’”
Tom Tackles The Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
Before I get to the review itself, can I tell you a bit about my copy of Tom? It’s one of the most precious books in my stash and honestly, it doesn’t look like it should be. It’s a slightly mothy Armada paperback with those soft, rubbed corners, so familiar to a book that’s beenContinue reading “Tom Tackles The Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
Changes for the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
Changes for the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 4 of 5 stars I remembered how much I love these books when I got to the part where one character vaults out of the window and vanishes. Honestly, I think I cackled for a week over that one and I will probably cackleContinue reading “Changes for the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
The Rivals of the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
The Rivals of the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 4 of 5 stars I realised recently that I have a handful of books left to do before I have reviewed the entire Chalet School series and so, I headed off to Rivals to start ticking them off. It had been a whileContinue reading “The Rivals of the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
A Future Chalet School Girl by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
A Future Chalet School Girl by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 3 of 5 stars It recently hit me that there were still a few titles to do in my review of the Chalet School series and, that A Future Chalet School Girl is quite poor in every definition of the word, so where elseContinue reading “A Future Chalet School Girl by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
Monica Turns up Trumps by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
Monica Turns Up Trumps by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 4 of 5 stars The more I read of Elinor M. Brent-Dyer‘s connectors, the more I’ve come to realise that she is an author of extremes. She is either very good or very bad, and only sometimes does she land in the middle. Were IContinue reading “Monica Turns up Trumps by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
The Oberammagau Passion Play and the Chalet School
It’s no secret that we support the works of Elinor M. Brent-Dyer on this blog (and if it is, then welcome! stay! let us talk about romantic omelettes and improbable speedboat shenanigans!), and the Chalet School books in particular. One of the earlier titles in this sprawling series, The Chalet School And Jo, is ofContinue reading “The Oberammagau Passion Play and the Chalet School”
Shocks for the Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
Shocks for the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 4 of 5 stars There’s a point somewhere around Peggy that the Chalet School series seems to start to mark time a little. The novelty of the Island setting has worn off, a batch of eminent faces have been shipped off to the OberlandContinue reading “Shocks for the Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
“She has torn yet another dress”: Reflections on being a book collector
It’s hard to pinpoint where you fell in love with something when you have been in love with that something for a while. I don’t remember my first book, nor my first library, nor my first story. I remember beats in my journey of literacy, of reading; moments that echo in my heart and singContinue reading ““She has torn yet another dress”: Reflections on being a book collector”
The Chalet School and the Island : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
The Chalet School and the Island by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 4 of 5 stars It’s perhaps the context that I’m in right now, swithering from thesis research to thesis research, that when I reread The Chalet School and the Island, I was deeply amazed to find a book that I’d never read before.Continue reading “The Chalet School and the Island : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
The New Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
The New Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 5 of 5 stars There’s a moment in this book, relatively early on, where Joey is advised to rub butter on a bruise and it is a moment which fascinates me to this day. Would the butter have to be salted or unsalted? How muchContinue reading “The New Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
Peace Comes to the Chalet School : Katherine Bruce
Peace Comes to the Chalet School by Katherine Bruce My rating: 4 of 5 stars As a rule, I find the Chalet School fill in novels complex. A part of me welcomes their presence as it reflects that readerly hunger of mine for this series, and yet another part of me rampantly dislikes it andContinue reading “Peace Comes to the Chalet School : Katherine Bruce”
A United Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
A United Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 4 of 5 stars Full of the vibrant light and deft skill that characterises her early Tyrolean work, A United Chalet School sees Brent-Dyer working at the top of her powers. She’s on her way here to the great heights and nuances of The ChaletContinue reading “A United Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
New Beginnings at the Chalet School : Heather Paisley
New Beginnings at the Chalet School by Heather Paisley My rating: 3 of 5 stars First published in 1999, New Beginnings at the Chalet School has been in my consciousness ever since. Partially, it’s because of that searing front cover but also because of the fact that this was one of the first big non-EBDContinue reading “New Beginnings at the Chalet School : Heather Paisley”
First Pages : Eustacia goes to the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
Welcome back to another one of my intermittent looking at the first pages of books series. I’ve chosen the great Eustacia Goes To The Chalet School for today’s post, and a lot of it hinges on that near legendary first sentence: “There is no disguising the fact that Eustacia Benson was the most arrant little prigContinue reading “First Pages : Eustacia goes to the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
The Chalet School at War : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
The Chalet School at War by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 5 of 5 stars It’s easy for me to be flippant about the Chalet School and, to be frank, it is a mode I adopt quite often when discussing this bizarre, brilliant and all too frustrating series. But it is not easy for meContinue reading “The Chalet School at War : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
First Pages : ‘The School at the Chalet’ by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
Welcome to a new feature here on DYESTAFTSA, and what better book to debut it with than one of my beloved Chalet School books? ‘First Pages’ is precisely that. I plan to have a look at some of the first pages of some of the best books in the world, she says nonchalantly, and tryContinue reading “First Pages : ‘The School at the Chalet’ by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
The Head Girl of the Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
The Head Girl of the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 4 of 5 stars It always fascinates me how early this series shifts things; how early things change. The status quo of the first few books is already being changed at this point. Head girls have been and gone (my beloved BetteContinue reading “The Head Girl of the Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
Jo of the Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
Jo of the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 5 of 5 stars There’s very little to say about the early Chalet School books other than to rhapsodise over how awfully lovely they are. And they are. They are like snow on the day when you don’t have to go to school. There’sContinue reading “Jo of the Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
The Chalet School In The Oberland : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
The Chalet School in the Oberland by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 4 of 5 stars Coming back to the Chalet School after some time away is the most comforting of things. Whilst my books have been in storage, I’ve been relying on public libraries and second hand bookshops and the odd, hysteria-inducing car bootContinue reading “The Chalet School In The Oberland : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
Happy Birthday Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
It’s hard sometimes to quantify the influence that Brent-Dyer has had on my life. Clearly there are the obvious factors, such as my longing for every doctor to be both good in a crisis and rather dashing (and also a solid lump of comfort), and the fact that I now know enough German to order coffee andContinue reading “Happy Birthday Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
The Chalet School Encyclopaedia (volume one) : Alison McCallum
ISBN: 978-1-84745-157-6 Doing pretty much what it says on the tin, in distinctly impressive style, The Chalet School Encyclopaedia is an encyclopaedia of everybody who has played a part in the Chalet School world (up to D). Interspersed between the letter sections are a few one-off entries detailing various aspects of Brent-Dyer’s work. This volumeContinue reading “The Chalet School Encyclopaedia (volume one) : Alison McCallum”
Mary-Lou of the Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
Mary Lou at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 3 of 5 stars Dearest Mama, I lifted up mine eyes to the hills, from whence cometh my wealth, and I thought lo, it is Alpengluckwhateveritis tonight. The pink and dusky sky made me think of you and your habit of bringing GodContinue reading “Mary-Lou of the Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
Joey and Co. In Tirol : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
Joey and Co. in Tirol by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 4 of 5 stars Ladies, control yourselves, but this is the book in which Hot Roger makes his debut. Oh, we all know Reg is the official hottie in the Chalet School series (Joey’s first born does, after all, memorably swoon into his arms)Continue reading “Joey and Co. In Tirol : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
A Problem for the Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
A Problem for the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 4 of 5 stars I rather love A Problem for the Chalet School though I have the suspicion that I’m not meant to. I suspect I’m meant to be Team Chalet and Team Good Egg throughout but I can’t help sort of lovingContinue reading “A Problem for the Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
The Coming of Age of the Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
The Coming of Age of the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 3 of 5 stars “Hey, so you know that Jane? Well, we ran into her Sister’s Aunt’s Uncle who taught us music that one time back in Tyrol and he’s agreed to sign over his firstborn to the School! Isn’t thatContinue reading “The Coming of Age of the Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
A 21st Century Chalet School Girl
I’ve mentioned this previously on Twitter but I thought I’d share it with you. This, the below, is part of my Great Project . I am writing a book about the Chalet School series. (I know, right? Joyous nerdery abounds) And these are the two introductory chapters. They’re subject to change, naturally, but I thoughtContinue reading “A 21st Century Chalet School Girl”
The Chalet School Triplets
Chalet School Triplets by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 2 of 5 stars It’s the one where, well, things happen? You know, that thing? And the other one? And that other onezzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz sorry where was I? Ah yes, I was recounting the tales of the Chalet School Triplets, immortalised forever in their distinctly sack-like blueContinue reading “The Chalet School Triplets”
Sunday Catch Up
Hello! It’s been a while hasn’t it? I’ve been in France (pain! boursin! beaucoup de bandes dessinees!) and so this is a slightly bigger catch up than usual for it covers two whole weeks. Two weeks! Anything could happen in two weeks! Kirrin Island could get over-run by pirates! Julian could stop being a knowContinue reading “Sunday Catch Up”
Jane of the Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
Jane and the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 4 of 5 stars The later Chalet School books are, to be fair, somewhat poor. That is to say, they lack the vibrant quality and resolute ‘otherness’ that made the early ones so spectacularly unique and glorious in their genre. But every now andContinue reading “Jane of the Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
Chalet Girls Grow Up : Merryn Williams
The Chalet Girls Grow Up by Merryn Williams My rating: 3 of 5 stars Oh. So, where to begin with this? It’s a book that has, rightly or wrongly, reached an almost mythological status. I remember when it first came out and the mailing list I lurked, somewhat awkwardly on, exploded. My memories of thatContinue reading “Chalet Girls Grow Up : Merryn Williams”
Fat, the Chalet School, and a bit of a rant
The other night, I had a dream. I woke up and I had a book idea, formed, whole in my hands. This book was to tell the story of girls in a genre that I love, that of the Girls’ Own Novel. The turn of the century boarding school story. The jolly japes and theContinue reading “Fat, the Chalet School, and a bit of a rant”
Bride leads the Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
Bride Leads the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 4 of 5 stars I have a soft spot for Bride Leads the Chalet School because it’s one of those books where Important Things Happen. This is one of the ways that the Chalet School is almost impenetrable should you enter it at theContinue reading “Bride leads the Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
A Genius At The Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
A Genius at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 3 of 5 stars It strikes me as curious that I’ve never actually reviewed this until now. Nina Rutherford is very much a fascination of mine and so this is a book that is very much overdue a review. Brent-Dyer once wrote aContinue reading “A Genius At The Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
Two Sams at the Chalet School
Two Sams at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 2 of 5 stars Two Sams at the Chalet School is a book of peaks and troughs and near-unbearable coincidence. So the same old thing really. Samantha Van Der Byl and Samaris Davies are two new girls at the Chalet School. Although they’reContinue reading “Two Sams at the Chalet School”
The Chalet Girls in Camp : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
The Chalet Girls in Camp by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 5 of 5 stars If there was anything that Brent-Dyer was particularly good at, it was shifting tone. She had a skill whereby the farcical could be transferred to the heartbreaking, often within moments on the same page. Whether it was from the RobinContinue reading “The Chalet Girls in Camp : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
Jo to the Rescue : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
Jo to the Rescue by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 3 of 5 stars An odd one this, one of only a couple in the series set wholly outside of the school context and as such reading as a sort of curious hybrid of impenetrable relationships stuck in a picture postcard setting somewhere totally alien.Continue reading “Jo to the Rescue : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
Lavender Leigh at the Chalet School
Lavender Leigh at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 4 of 5 stars I have a soft spot for Lavender Leigh at the Chalet School for some very particular reasons. Published in 1943, during both the real Second World War and the Chalet School wartime books, it’s a tightly domestic book thatContinue reading “Lavender Leigh at the Chalet School”
The New Mistress at the Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
The New Mistress at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 5 of 5 stars It’s rare in the later books for a character to so firmly bounce from the page as Kathy Ferrars does. Jack does, almost, and I think Flavia does, sort of, but in the rapid character turn and turnContinue reading “The New Mistress at the Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
The one where I reach new levels of nerd-dom
So … ummmm … … ummmmmm… ….I sort of made a Chalet School Edible Book …
The New Normal : The Normalising of Creativity
Recently I’ve been thinking about doing a PhD ( Me! A PhD! Me who didn’t even get her GCSE Maths!), and as part of this I’ve been considering what I’d do it on. There’s a part of me that yearns, genuinely, just to get buried in the books and occasionally pop up and produce aContinue reading “The New Normal : The Normalising of Creativity”
The Chalet School in Exile : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
The Chalet School in Exile by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 5 of 5 stars I’m surprised to realise that I’ve not formally reviewed The Chalet School in Exile. I’ve mentioned it repeatedly across my blog, and made no bones of my admiration for it. So now, it’s time to redress the balance and letContinue reading “The Chalet School in Exile : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
Prefects of the Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
Prefects of the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 1 of 5 stars There’s a sort of addictive quality to the Chalet School series when you reach this point; an awareness that the best books are many moons behind us and somehow all that’s left is melodrama and farce, but it’s a melodramaContinue reading “Prefects of the Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
The Chalet School and Richenda : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
The Chalet School and Richenda by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 3 of 5 stars I have a lot of love for this one, even though it’s left me with the following ailment. Whenever I’m introduced to somebody with the surname of “Fry”, I automatically think “Fry. Are you related to Elizabeth Fry, the greatContinue reading “The Chalet School and Richenda : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
The Chalet School Reunion : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
The Chalet School Reunion by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 4 of 5 stars This one cracks me up, primarily because it’s such a sort of underwhelming exercise. If you’ve got this far in the series, you’re fairly committed to the Chalet School. You get it. You get the whole ‘mountains shifting position’ and theContinue reading “The Chalet School Reunion : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
Peggy of the Chalet School : Elinor M Brent Dyer
Peggy of the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 3 of 5 stars If there’s ever a point in the Chalet School series, where it could be described as to having jumped the shark, that point comes for me in this book. It comes for me in several ways; the chicken scene, theContinue reading “Peggy of the Chalet School : Elinor M Brent Dyer”
Theodora and the Chalet School
Theodora and the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 4 of 5 stars Theodora is one of the titles I have many many copies with. There’s something amusing to me about how it pushes its way into my collection, either bundled up as part of a double with Trials or as a fallingContinue reading “Theodora and the Chalet School”
A Rebel at the Chalet School
A Rebel at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 5 of 5 stars This book explains everything. It took a long time for me to find a copy of it, and when I finally did get a copy, it explained everything. Want to find out what happened to X ? Want toContinue reading “A Rebel at the Chalet School”
The curious case of Con Maynard
I’ve spoken before on how Giftedness in the Chalet School series is a strange and curious thing. But I’ve never really spoken about the curious case of Con. Consider Con. She’s a girl who is ‘dreamy’ (Daniel bit the Lions), speaks before she thinks (the whole Theodora/Ted/Margot going bonkers incident), and a girl who getsContinue reading “The curious case of Con Maynard”
The Chalet School and Jo : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
The Chalet School and Jo by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 5 of 5 stars Destined for head-girl ever since day one, she’s finally done it. The Chalet School and Jo sees Joey assume the mantle of head girl. She’s not happy at the prospect and goes off grumbling to the intensely serene now-married-and-making-of-the-babies formerContinue reading “The Chalet School and Jo : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
Jo Returns to the Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
Jo Returns to the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 5 of 5 stars Jo Returns To The Chalet School, or ‘the one where EBD couldn’t let go’, is, as nearly all of the Tyrolean books are, of a distinctly high standard. This book sees Joey, our darling, return to the school inContinue reading “Jo Returns to the Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
Adrienne and the Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
Adrienne and the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 2 of 5 stars There’s no escaping that Adrienne is, as a whole, a relatively poor book. It’s written with the tiredness that affects the end of the series, a sort of written by rote and necessity attitude that pervades the entire book. So,Continue reading “Adrienne and the Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
Althea Joins the Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
Althea Joins the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 2 of 5 stars It’s no secret that quality dips substantially towards the end of the Chalet School series, and Althea is emblematic of that shift. Following the now traditional format of ‘new girl attending the school’, we witness Althea’s eventual and inevitable integrationContinue reading “Althea Joins the Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
The Princess of The Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent Dyer
The Princess of the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 5 of 5 stars The Tyrolean part of the Chalet School series remains a constant and beguiling delight to me. There’s something so obvious about Brent-Dyer’s love for the surroundings and her brand new school that I can’t help but adore these earlyContinue reading “The Princess of The Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent Dyer”
Redheads at the Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
Redheads at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 5 of 5 stars Firstly, I think, I have to clarify the five star rating of this book. When it comes to Redheads, it is necessary to rate it on a wholly different level to the rest of the series. Whilst it’s nowhere nearContinue reading “Redheads at the Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
Gay Lambert at the Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
Gay Lambert at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 4 of 5 stars It’s interesting to compare and contrast parts of this book with the much later A Genius at the Chalet School. Both books feature a genius, or highly talented individual, and yet both books treat their characters distinctly differently. It’sContinue reading “Gay Lambert at the Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
The Chalet School and Sickness
Once upon a time there was a fictional school with a predilection for near-death incidents. These ranged from the understandable (clinging onto a precipice in the middle of raging floods, climbing a mountain and er hanging off a precipice, or falling into a frozen lake – no precipices involved in that one) through to theContinue reading “The Chalet School and Sickness”
Eustacia Goes to the Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
Eustacia Goes to the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 5 of 5 stars The sixth in the series, rich with the gorgeous detail of the Tyrol and the sheer thrill of the early titles, Eustacia Goes To The Chalet School is spectacular. It’s sort of a blueprint of everything the Chalet SchoolContinue reading “Eustacia Goes to the Chalet School : Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
Location, location, location
On the long drive back from Scarborough (everywhere seems MILES away when you’re a kid), we used to pass this house. It was a perfectly innocent house but in my head it was where Jill, from the books from Ruby Ferguson, lived. For some reason this innocent house in my home county, on the wayContinue reading “Location, location, location”
Children’s literature, food, and frenchwomen
Food is a central theme in children’s literature and school stories in particular. It’s something which has stayed eternally present from the cookery lessons of the Chalet School, the roundness of Billy Bunter through to the chocolate frogs of Harry Potter. Food is a magical device and it’s particularly magical when used in the schoolContinue reading “Children’s literature, food, and frenchwomen”
New Beginnings at the *insert name here* School
This post is part of Playing By The Book’s blog carnival: “I’m looking for a book about…”. Every month bloggers convene on a given topic and this months is: (Starting) School. The concept of the new pupil arriving at school is a common conceit amongst school-stories. Whether ranging from gym-slip time-slip classics such as CharlotteContinue reading “New Beginnings at the *insert name here* School”
Baby, it’s cold outside
Well. Er. I wish. But doesn’t that single line conjure an amazing image? Did it make you think of Kurt and Blaine, Cerys and Tom, Ella and Louis or Ricardo and Esther? Did it make you think of Christmas and burning log fires and snow piling down outside? Weather (typo *most* intentional) it did orContinue reading “Baby, it’s cold outside”
My proudest moment this week
The Chalet School : If There’s A Mountain, We’ll Try To Jump Off It
I wondered once, somewhat facetiously, how much the insurance premiums would be for the Chalet School. There are very few titles in the series that don’t have some sort of life-threatening incident. It’s one of the hallmarks of the Chalet School for me, that sort of insouciant disregard for Common Sense and staff members withContinue reading “The Chalet School : If There’s A Mountain, We’ll Try To Jump Off It”
On Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
“The world of juvenile literature is made the poorer by the death on Saturday of Miss Elinor Brent-Dyer, whose 56 “Chalet School” stories, set in the Austrian Tyrol, attracted a huge readership from all over the world – not only of children but adults also.” (The Times : 1969) Poorer. I like that. It speaksContinue reading “On Elinor M. Brent-Dyer”
It is a truth universally acknowledged…
… that Summer Term at the Chalet School is a little bit pants. Train crashes! Swarming wasps! Impoverished orphans! Craters! But oh, this illustration is superb. The edition I’m reading is a very tattered old hb (on loan from library) and so I’ll apologise for the picture quality. If I had a scanner, I’d haveContinue reading “It is a truth universally acknowledged…”
The Highland Twins at the Chalet School : Elinor M Brent-Dyer
The Highland Twins at the Chalet School by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 5 of 5 stars I used to always think that The Highland Twins at the Chalet School was one of the poorer books. Coming so soon after the dizzy heights of the Chalet School In Exile, I always found Highland Twins atContinue reading “The Highland Twins at the Chalet School : Elinor M Brent-Dyer”
Eustacia and Eustace
The lovely Ali from Fantastic Reads has done a post which I am ridiculously pleased to be able to share with you today. If you’ve not checked out Fantastic Reads, may I heartily reccommend it? Ali knows her children’s literature and her reviews and posts are always an utmost delight to read. Now – to backContinue reading “Eustacia and Eustace”
The Chalet School and Genius
“That’s what comes of being a genius, my dear. You be thankful you aren’t one. It makes you a sickening nuisance to your friends and relatives at times!” Excitements at the Chalet School Nina is unlike any other girl to join the Chalet School community. She’s really got no choice in being so unique. HerContinue reading “The Chalet School and Genius”
Meet the family (confessions of a book collector)
My books! My lovely lovely books! Behold the heart of my Temple of Solitude! The left hand side is all Brent-Dyer, and a few Lorna Hills on the bottom. When you’re a book collector, you remember where so many of them came from. It’s almost as important as the book itself. My Chalet School collectionContinue reading “Meet the family (confessions of a book collector)”
The animated Chalet School
An alternative title for this post would be “The One Where I Reached A Zenith Of Nerdiness” Behold. It’s that scene where they all bobbed off for a walk around the Tiernsee and Joey gained go-go-gadget legs and somehow managed to jump into the lake. I think it’s safe to say that this was oneContinue reading “The animated Chalet School”
On fan-fiction and fill-ins
I am a fanfiction author. I dabble in fandoms. I do fanfic. My fanfiction is mainly Buffy the Vampire Slayer. To be more precise, I write stories about Faith and Xander. I’ve done a few Doctor Who things but nothing too exciting. My big thing is Faith and Xander. I write them because I getContinue reading “On fan-fiction and fill-ins”
Val McDermid’s doing a Chalet School documentary!
Or to be more accurate, she’s done her part now as it was yesterday, but mixing my tenses makes for a less exuberant title. Anyhoo. Here’s the info straight from the lady herself via the awesomeness that is Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/valmcdermid/status/80526573844955137 http://twitter.com/#!/valmcdermid/status/80767151551676416 Thanks to Ali of Fantastic Reads for the heads-up 🙂 ** UPDATED *** AndContinue reading “Val McDermid’s doing a Chalet School documentary!”
Chalet School amazingness of the day
From: “A Problem for the Chalet School” or The One Where Joan Baker Learns The Error Of Her Ways (And Those Ways Include Boys and Loose Morals)
“I take it we’re engaged? Like it darling?”
So. You may have heard that a certain couple is getting married tomorrow. As I’m never going to be the one to refuse the opportunity to jump onto a bandwagon, here are four of my favourite marriages /partnerships / expressions of love from children’s literature. Love, as one great sage once said, love changes everything.Continue reading ““I take it we’re engaged? Like it darling?””
The School at the Chalet
The School at the Chalet by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer My rating: 5 of 5 stars I love the Chalet School. It’s my big book crush of my life. Something about it is just so perfect and undying to me. This is one of the best books – and it’s worth trying to hunt out anContinue reading “The School at the Chalet”
“We want to make strong, helpful women of them – not spineless jellyfish!”
Jo returns to the Chalet School sees the beloved headmistress, Mademoiselle Leppâtre, discovered unconscious in her room and rushed to the Sonnalpe for an emergency operation. If it fails she’ll die. It’s not the first time that the reader of the Chalet School series has been presented with illness. In fact there are times when the early TyroleanContinue reading ““We want to make strong, helpful women of them – not spineless jellyfish!””
Daisy May Johnson 