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First Term: Book 1 (Malory Towers)

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Originally published in 1946, this first entry in Enid Blyton's immensely popular six-book Malory Towers series - which follows its heroine, Darrell Rivers, through her years at a boarding school in Cornwall - seems to include many of the characters and plot devices that have come to be so closely associated - almost to the point of cliche - with the girls' school-story genre. Blyton wrote two other series about boarding-school life: the St. Clare's and the Naughtiest Girl series.

Apart from breaks to play golf and spend time with her children, Enid's working week was consumed with writing new stories, correcting proofs and answering the hundreds of letters she was, by now, receiving weekly. She explained that her characters evolved organically and her stories seemed to naturally form, she described herself as "merely a sightseer, a reporter, and interpreter." Today I finally re-read the first book and just like so many years ago I fell in love with the girls, the teachers and Malory Towers all over again. I had forgotten quite a few things, but I was also surprised how many little details I still remembered. Although some things are a little outdated, I think these books can certainly be read by modern kids these days too. When Sally recovers from her operation, she gets insight into her past behaviour. Conversations with Darrell help her to understand that it’s been jealousy of her baby sister - resentment of the love that her mother has lavished on the second-born - that has caused her to become withdrawn. When she gets a healthy perspective on this, Sally soon manages to become the balanced individual and constructive team member she has the capacity to be. She turns out to be a very good reader of character and is able to advise Darrell more wisely than Alicia when it comes to the next vital issue of trying to get poor Mary-Lou to pull herself together.

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The book covers one term of the first year in school for Darrel, Sally, and Gwendoline. They settle in slowly. Sally gets an interesting story for the probably the only time in the series. Plenty of things happen, but somehow many of the plots centre around Gwen. Frustrated with everyone bullying her, she bullies the only one she could: Mary-Lou. Darrel rages and slaps her. Suddenly, Gwen becomes the villain! The spin on this by Blyton is dizzying! Each tower acts as a boarding house and provides accommodation for about 60 girls, ten in each year group. There is a Matron in each tower and a House Mistress in overall charge. The towers have four storeys, with kitchen, dining hall and common rooms on the ground floor, dormitories on the first and second floors, and staff rooms and storage are on the top floor. I’d love to know more about this: who made this decision? Did they have to get permission from Blyton’s estate? Why did they think it was a good idea? Have times changed so much? Have kids changed so much? I was a horrified little kid when I first read this, and in no way did I think it was a good idea, or that the text recommended it. I hope this wasn’t a “think of the children!” decision - the children can think on their own.

Molly Ronaldson is Games Captain in Darrell's third year when Darrell is trying get into the school lacrosse team. Things calm down for half-term, at least until Darrell sees Sally later that night. She says that Sally does have a baby sister, as her mother has just told her. Sally again denies it, the girls row, and Darrell pushes Sally so hard she flies across the room (grrl power!). The next morning Sally is in the San., seriously ill. Oops!

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First Term at Malory Towers is the first of six Malory Towers books by Enid Blyton. Malory Towers is the third school series written by Blyton, and was started the year after she finished the St Clare’s series. Malory Towers was inspired by Blyton’s oldest daughter Gillian going to boarding school.

Pamela Cox wrote six sequels of the series in 2009 which focus on the adventures of Felicity Rivers, June Johns and Susan Blake: Miss Tallant replaces Miss Hibbert for one term during Felicity's fourth year. She is spiteful to the pupils, especially to June. Mavis arrives the term before Third Year at Malory Towers. Her boastfulness and pride in her singing voice leaves her unpopular among the other girls. Violet Forsyth appears in Secrets at Malory Towers as a spoiled snob, frequently boasting about her family's wealth. Moira Linton appears during Darrell's fifth year and is appointed Head Girl of the form. She is domineering and hard.Betty Hill is Alicia's best friend from West Tower and is very similar to Alicia. For this reason, she is not permitted to move into North Tower with Alicia, as the headmistress, Miss Grayling feels sure the two would be insufferable together. Betty is the only girl from another tower to appear regularly in the books. Fun fact: Did you know that the protaganists name--Darrell Rivers--was a play on Blyton's own husband's name, Kenneth Fraser Darrell Waters?

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