Arthur Ransome is wonderful, and a better writer than many of those writing for adults.
Glad to see someone else enjoyed the Lone Pine books, too - always much keener on those than on Blyton. And I enjoyed Willard Price tremendously when I was in a zoology obsessed phase (c. 8-11).
Urgh, Blyton. Not too keen myself, although liked the Amelia Jane series as a child, and Mallory Towers/St Claires were okay if the school library had nothing else. In terms of school stories I liked the Trebizon series better. Anyone heard of them? Never bothered with most of the FF/SS even though my best friend had them all and freely leant them. Minidj1 likes/d to read FF & SS at his grandparents' house though and him reading just about anything (as opposed to nothing) is fine by me.
I've read all the Trebizon books, though as a children's librarian, not as a child. I can't remember the series well, but I must have liked them enough to read the whole series. Just reading one would have satisfied my professional need for stock knowledge. (For a grown-up, I have a rather shameful weakness for girly children's and teenage novels with pink covers.)
Trebizon was a contemporary series when I read them. They are about a girls' boarding school. Much more realistic (although I know that Mallory Towers & St Clares are quite comical in a simplistic sort of way, and also reflect a bygone age) and I had a friend at a boarding school at the time, whose letters tended to confirm the books' general accuracy.
Of course, when it comes to school stories, The Chalet School gets my vote.
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Glad to see someone else enjoyed the Lone Pine books, too - always much keener on those than on Blyton. And I enjoyed Willard Price tremendously when I was in a zoology obsessed phase (c. 8-11).
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Of course, when it comes to school stories, The Chalet School gets my vote.
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