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Author | Enid Blyton |
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Illustrator | W. Lindsay Cable |
Language | English |
Series | St. Clare's |
Publisher | Methuen |
Publication date | 1944 |
Publication place | United Kingdom |
Preceded by | Kitty at St. Clare's |
Followed by | Fifth Formers at St. Clare's |
Text | Claudine at St.Clare's online |
Claudine at St. Clare's is the seventh novel in the St. Clare's series by Enid Blyton. The narrative follows the O'Sullivan twins, Patricia and Isabel, and their adventures at exclusive boarding school St Clare's. The book introduces four new characters: Claudine, the French mistress' niece; Eileen, whose mother joins the school as matron; Pauline, a wannabe rich girl; and Angela, a rich and spoiled society girl.
When Pat and Isabel arrive at school, they are surprised to meet a new matron and her daughter, Eileen. Then, French teacher Mam'zelle introduces Claudine, her niece, who will be joining them for this term. Alison O'Sullivan, the twins' rather silly, 'feather-headed' cousin, meets and befriends Angela, who is rich, beautiful and well dressed. Soon, Alison is completely under the spoilt, snobbish Angela's spell. The new Matron's daughter Eileen is a reserved girl who is later identified as a sneak. Pauline is soon discovered to be a snobbish and conceited girl who continuously brags about her family's 'wealth'.
During the inevitable midnight feast the girls find themselves in trouble when Matron is spitefully locked for hours in a broom cupboard by Claudine while they were having the feast. She is furious to find that she is released by her daughter, and thinks that she was with the other girls, while actually she was speaking with her brother Eddie, who lost his job but doesn't dare to tell his mother. Eileen is in trouble.
Pauline suffers a worse fate than Eileen when her mother visits unexpectedly and is happened upon by Alison and Angela, who mistake the poor, worn-out woman for one of the cooks. Pauline, like Eileen, is exposed as working class. Angela is scornful to discover that all Pauline's boasts of wealth are lies, and that she is ashamed of her lower-class background.
The more compassionate Alison, however, takes pity on Pauline's mother, and to her credit, stands up to Angela's snobbish and domineering attitude, vowing not to fall under her thrall in the future. Alison also makes this action because of the awful behaviour of Angela's mother at half-term. Even she felt that though beautiful, Angela's mother was horrible and Alison was also secretly pleased when the brave and mischievous Claudine fell into the water from a balcony so that Angela's mother gets wet, even though Claudine hates the water.
Near the end of the book Matron reveals that someone is stealing food, money and even stamps from her. It is written that Eileen stole the things in order to feed Eddie and apply for a new job. When Eddie does get employed, Eileen and Eddie go to Miss Theobald to confess about the stealing, for they heard that Pauline had been accused of this even though she had been taking money from her mother's bank account (In a short section also Claudine is suspected for stealing, for she suddenly has a lot of money and buys expensive birthday presents, but it turns out that she sold her lovely cushion cover that Mam'zelle showed to everyone at half term to Alison's mother.) Miss Theobald sends Eileen and Eddie into her other room next door, and calls for Matron. She tells her that she knows who stole from her, and asks Matron whether the girl should be expelled or not, since it was Matron who had been stolen from. The unkind Matron insists that the girl should be expelled, and is then lead to Eileen and Eddie. Matron cannot believe her eyes, and then sees the trap she fell into. She leaves St. Clare's at the end of the year with her children, but Eileen sends a last letter to Alison thanking her for inviting her to eat together at half-term.
As is typical in Blyton's boarding school novels, class lines are drawn sharply. St Clare's is an upper middle-class domain, and its pupils are from the upper middle-class (if not always fabulously wealthy) backgrounds, with one or two "Honourables" from the upper classes. With wealth, however, comes responsibility - the girls are expected to treat any working-class people with the respect that goes with their own privileged positions. Working class girls are seen to try to fit into St Clare's by deception, but their class lies are unmasked, to their great shame. Being working class is not considered intrinsically bad, but working class girls are expected to know their place in society and are not able to fit into the St Clare's milieu. Eileen, for example, is the daughter of Matron, and has a brother with a working-class name - Eddie - who gets into trouble. All these things are marks of a workingclass girl. This book shows a moral - Never judge others or yourself from the amount of wealth you have, or family background; always see one for the person they are.
Enid Mary Blyton was an English children's writer, whose books have been worldwide bestsellers since the 1930s, selling more than 600 million copies. Her books are still enormously popular and have been translated into ninety languages. As of June 2019, Blyton held 4th place for the most translated author. She wrote on a wide range of topics, including education, natural history, fantasy, mystery, and biblical narratives. She is best remembered for her Noddy, Famous Five, Secret Seven, the Five Find-Outers, and Malory Towers books, although she also wrote many others, including; St. Clare's, The Naughtiest Girl, and The Faraway Tree series.
Malory Towers is a series of six novels by English author Enid Blyton. The series is based on a girls' boarding school that Blyton's daughter attended, Benenden School, which relocated during World War II to the Hotel Bristol in Newquay, Cornwall. The series follows the protagonist, Darrell Rivers, on her adventures and experiences in boarding school. Darrell Rivers' name was inspired by that of Blyton's second husband, Kenneth Darrell Waters.
The Faraway Tree is a series of popular novels for children by British author Enid Blyton. The titles in the series are The Enchanted Wood (1939), The Magic Faraway Tree (1943), The Folk of the Faraway Tree (1946) and Up the Faraway Tree (1951).
St. Clare's is a series of nine books written by English children's authors Enid Blyton and Pamela Cox about a boarding school of that name. The series follows the heroines Patricia "Pat" and Isabel O'Sullivan from their first year at St. Clare's on. Other characters include Alison O'Sullivan, Hilary Wentworth, Sadie Green, Kathleen Gregory, Janet Robins, Doris Elward, Vera Johns, Sheila Naylor, Roberta "Bobby" Ellis, Pamela Boardman, "Sour Milk" Prudence Arnold, Carlotta Brown, "Catty" Elsie Fanshawe, Gladys Hillman, Mirabel Unwin, Kitty Flaherty, Pauline Bingham-Jones, sisters Claudine and Antoinette, "the Honourable" Angela Favorleigh, Alma Pudden, Anne-Marie Longden, Felicity Ray, Winifred James, Belinda Towers, Tessie, Margery Fenworthy, Lucy Oriell, Erica, Priscilla Parsons and Joan Terry.
The Twins at St Clare's is a children's novel by Enid Blyton set in an English girls' boarding school. It is the first of the original six novels in the St. Clare's series of school stories. First published in 1941, it tells the story of twin sisters Pat and Isabel O'Sullivan in their first term at a new school. They meet many new friends.
The O'Sullivan Twins is the second in the St. Clare's series of children's novels by Enid Blyton. It was first published in 1942 by Methuen.
Summer Term at St. Clare's is the third novel in the St. Clare's series of girls' school stories by British author Enid Blyton. The series is about the boarding school adventures of twin girls Patricia and Isabel O'Sullivan.
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The Naughtiest Girl is a series of children's novels written by Enid Blyton in the 1940s–1950s. Unusually, they are set at a progressive boarding school rather than a traditional one. The school, Whyteleafe, bears a striking resemblance to the independent Suffolk boarding school, Summerhill. Anne Digby, author of the Trebizon series, has written some additional books in the series.
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First Term at Malory Towers is the first Malory Towers book by Enid Blyton. The book introduces the main characters including Darrell Rivers, Sally Hope, Mary-Lou, Alicia Johns, Gwendoline Mary Lacey, and teachers as Miss Potts and Miss Grayling.
The Second Form at Malory Towers is a novel by Enid Blyton set in an English boarding school. It is the second book in the Malory Towers school story series. The novel was published in 1947 by Methuen Publishing. The first edition was illustrated by Stanley Lloyd, both the dust jacket and the inner illustrations. It has been reprinted 20 times, the most recent being in 2019. The Second Form at Malory Towers has a rating of 4.06 stars on Goodreads.
The Young Adventurers is a collection of books written by Enid Blyton, also known as The Riddle Series.
Third Year at Malory Towers is a novel by Enid Blyton set in an English girls' boarding school. It is the third book in the Malory Towers school story series. The novel was first published in 1948.
In the Fifth at Malory Towers is a novel in the school story genre written by Enid Blyton. It is the fifth book in her Malory Towers series and, like other books in the series, follows Darrell Rivers at the eponymous girls' boarding school.
Malory Towers is a 2020s British-Canadian historical drama television series based on the eponymous book series of the same name by Enid Blyton.
Last Term at Malory Towers is a novel in the school story genre written by Enid Blyton. It is the sixth and final book written by Blyton in her Malory Towers series and, like the previous books in the series, follows Darrell Rivers at the eponymous girls' boarding school.