Really pleased to welcome YA and NA author Carla Luna Cullen to the blog today, to talk about Enid Blyton's St Clare's series.
Name of the Series:
The St. Clare’s series, written by Enid Blyton, originally
published from 1941- 1945.
Number of books:
Six official books in the series:
- The Twins at St. Clare’s
- The O’Sullivan Twins
- Summer Term at St. Clare’s
- The Second Form at St. Clare’s
- Claudine at St. Clare’s
- Fifth Formers at St. Clare’s
To round out the
series, Pamela Cox wrote three additional books, published after
Blyton’s death in 1968: Third Form at St Clare’s, Kitty
at St Clare’s, and Sixth Form at St Clare’s.
Availability:
The books have been available in print for years. Digital versions
are also available. Egmont is doing a reissue of the series, complete
with modern covers, which will be available in early 2014.
The Premise:
Like Blyton’s Malory Towers series, the St. Clare’s
series is set at a British boarding school. The main characters are
the twins, Pat and Isabel, but the stories contain a large cast of
characters, including numerous students and teachers (such as the
fair-minded headmistress, Miss Theobald, and the zany, over-the-top
French teacher, Mam’zelle). Each book takes place during a school
term or school year. In the first book, which sets the stage for the
rest of the series, Pat and Isabel are new students at St. Clare’s.
For the first half of the book, they act like spoiled, demanding
brats, earning the scorn of their fellow students, who call them the
“stuck-up” twins. They gradually adjust to St. Clare’s (a
“sensible” school) and learn to fit in. By the end of the story,
they have come to love St. Clare’s and can’t wait to return after
the Christmas break.
The other books in the
series feature the full cast, but each book spotlights a few
characters, often the “new girls” for that term/year (e.g. rich
and vain Angela, sad sack Gladys, spiteful Elsie, wannabe poet
Anne-Marie, mischievous French student Claudine, and so on). The
books tend to be anecdotal in nature, with various crises cropping up
and being resolved fairly quickly. Characters who steal, lie, or
behave poorly usually get their comeuppance and repent at the end.
Why I Really Like
It: Growing up in Canada, I read a lot of children’s books
written by British authors. I assume it had something to do with
being a part of the Commonwealth, because when I lived in India, I
also noticed a predominance of British children’s books available
in stores and libraries. One of my favorite authors as a child was
Enid Blyton, a prolific writer who created various mystery and
adventure series. I loved her two boarding school series, Malory
Towers and St. Clare’s, because I attended a pseudo-British private
school in Canada, complete with prefects, an all-important sports
captain, house games, and a “head girl” that everyone worshipped.
I deeply regretted that my school, Norfolk House, was a day school
rather than a boarding school. Whenever I read Blyton’s books, I
fantasized being at one of her schools—sharing secrets, enjoying
midnight feasts, and playing pranks on the teachers. The midnight
feasts were the best part of the books, with treats like sponge cake,
ginger beer, and pork pies (none of which were familiar to me—making
them seem even more exotic!).
Best Books: My
favorite book of the series is the last one, Fifth Formers at St.
Clare’s, because the girls are older. As fifth-formers, they
were paired up; each pair got their own private study, with
furnishings and a fireplace, where they could have cozy afternoon
tea.
Who it Will Appeal
to: This series is almost seventy years old, so the writing has a
somewhat stilted feel. Although I enjoyed these books immensely as a
child, when I tried to re-read them now, I was more critical. Many of
the characters are depicted one-dimensionally, with the same
adjectives cropping up again and again: feather-headed Alison,
strapping Mirabel, fat Alma Pudden (“Pudding”), and Carlotta, the
wild Spanish girl (described more than once as “dark as a gypsy”).
Blyton is a truly omniscient narrator, flitting in and out of the
girls’ (and teachers’) heads at will. Exclamation points are
liberally used, in dialogue and description. Despite being put off by
the writing style, once I started reading these books again, I felt
that familiar longing for boarding school life. I was also sucked
back into the mini-dramas that played out in each book (and there
were a lot of them!). Overall, they’re a fun read, ideal for kids
at an elementary school reading level (Grades 1 – 4).
Others By the Same
Author: Enid Blyton wrote an astounding number of children’s
books in her lifetime, most of which were grouped into series. In
addition to the two boarding school series, some of her series
include: the Famous Five, the Secret Seven, the Barney Mysteries, the
Naughtiest Girl, and the Noddy books.
A huge thanks to Carla Luna Cullen for this great piece - which makes me want to dig out my copies and reread! She can be found at her website and on Twitter.
I remember loving these! I was obsessed with boarding school books, like so many other kids.
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