Summer term at St. Clare's

I read school stories because, as a rule, the authors encourage girls to strive for themselves and be very active in different things (school clubs, sports, etc). The problem with this book, which wasn't so prevalent in the first one, is that the plot doesn't revolve around a mystery, or who's

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going to a win a competition, or whether a pupil's piece is good enough for the school's journal. Each chapter has a new prank played on one of the teachers and there's a lot of bullying going on - in one scene, one of the girls almost drowns and at first she's teased solely because she's a good student. I really abbhor this kind of attitude and it seems Enid Blyton encouraged it, often having one of the teachers comment on a good student that she 'should laugh more'. To each their own, Enid, to each their own. Some students like studying and the sort of pranks your characters play don't appeal to everyone. Also, my primary reason for adoring boarding school stories in particular is that a lot can happen outside of class - sadly, nothing much happens here until the end, which is a real shame as I think girls living together is an ideal way for friendships to blossom in unusual circumstances. I missed the description of tuck boxes and food in this too, there weren't that many. This was a frustrating book but I loved the setting too much to give it less than three stars.

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