Mallory Towers is a story about a girl's boarding school in Cornwall in Cornwall. It is written in a series of six novels, which sees the main character Darrell Rivers and her friends grow into women. For a child these days, Mallory Towers may be dull compared to the adventures in Hogwarts, the school from Harry Potter but it has good characters and children who love too create havoc just the same. The Malloryb Towers Headmistress, Miss Grayling has an ethos, that every new girl heres. She desires that they learn the things that will make them dependable women the world can lean on. Mallory Towers has some unforgettable characters. My favourite is Alicia, it was her that made me love the books. Alicia these days would be considered a gifted student, she is miles ahead of her fellow pupils, has a photographic memory and is the classic, bored, bright student and likes to cause trouble. Darrell quickly makes friends with Alicia and Betty, Alicia's best friend. Alicia and Betty are the cool kids and Darrell in her first term badly wanted to be a cool kid too. However at the end of the first book she becomes best friends with Sally Hope. Sally Hope arrived at Mallory Towers sullen, closed off and eatten up with jelousy at the arrival of a baby sister. In the we discover a warm, loyal, steady young girl, who already seems to have the ethos of the school. Mallory Towers is set in Cornwall, the description makes it appear a beautiful place. The school has large grounds, a swimming pool made in the rocks and filled with sea water when the tide is in. They have hills and cliff walks, as exercise is very much emphasised as important for young girls. There is little sympathy so those that drag their heals and loathe games. The school has stables and are allowed to bring their own horses, the stables become important in book three, with the introduction of a girl named Bill. Each book introduces new girls to the class. And from book four Darrell's sister Felicity and Alicia's cousin June, start in the first year and become increasingly important up to the end of the series. Enid Blyton does have some morals to teach in her writing, always and she can be fairly harsh. It shows how much she dislikes spoilt, lazy children and she has little time for vainess in young girsl. Her writing of foreign characters do have old-fashioned stereotypes. The books cover issues such as independence, study pressure, learning kindness, rudeness, dominance, arrogance, sibling rivallery,building confidence. Good leadership and bad, working hard, working as a team, bringing down boasters, the folly of the vain etc.
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Ive never heard of this one but used to like Enid Blytons books.
Essexgirl2006 04.08.2006 17:46
I loved these books at the time, but they must seem really dated now.
Bollinger28 04.08.2006 17:44
I so loved these books when I was a girl (and the St Clare's (?) series). I really wanted my parents to send me to boarding school, as it sounded so much fun...all those midnight feasts and tricks! Lexy
Aug 4th, 2006
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