(Incidentally, Gwendolen Mary’s habit of fawning over a new girl each term is much like Alison of St Clares too). I wonder how Blyton formed her picture of the typical American girl, but Zerelda in this one is very like Sadie from St Clares concerned with her complexion, hair, and nails, and not much else even though they are good natured people, mostly. This instalment, as I said, concentrates more on the stories of the three new girls.
While we do see what the usual cast of characters get up to, the focus of this one is the three new girls, their temperaments and problems, and how Malory Towers and the girls (and indeed teachers) they meet there change their approach to life, and to school.Īs I wrote in my review of book 2, reading this series, I really appreciate that Blyton has made these characters very real, even the ‘good’ ones have flaws, and not ones that get magically cured, but that creep back time and again as they do in real life, and have to be dealt with, at least by the ones who are capable of recognising these in themselves. Also we find, like Sally, Alicia’s pal Betty is in quarantine so Alicia decides to team up with Darrell for the time being. At school, we meet two other new students, Wilhemina or Bill whose whole life revolves around horses, especially her own horse Thunder, and Mavis who is supposed to have joined last term (but this is the first we meet her-I am not reading the books Blyton didn’t write for this challenge), and whose sole concern is her excellent voice which makes her rather conceited but also somewhat adored by Gwendolen Mary. She also appears a lot more grown up than she is because of this inviting disapproval from the teachers, though admiration from Gwendolen Mary. Zerelda is Blyton’s somewhat typical American student concerned with her appearance alone, and not so much with studies or the activities (sport and such) that the English girls love. Her friend Sally is in quarantine, and they must take along Zerelda Brass, a new American student, along as they drive down. The story opens as usual with Darrell preparing to return to Malory Towers, where her sister Felicity will be joining her next term.
Although this one is titled ‘third year’, as always, it deals with one term at the school. Book #3 for my Malory Towers Challenge, or rather of me reading through the Malory Towers books chronologically.
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