Some Changes in School-Girl Fiction
Fon a great many years school-girl story books have been so much of a muchness that a hasty reader would hardly notice if a chapter here and there changed places with chapters from other volumes. Virtue has been triumphing for a very long time, and head mistresses and new girls have always known best.
Now there is beginning to be a slight (alas, still very slight !) change in fashion and a few writers are showing modern symptoms. For instance, Miss Ethel Talbot has quite a startling beginning to her new book, Jean's Two Schools (Nelson, 5s.). Jean managed to read some of the papers before she went into the examination room. This was dis- covered, and what did the head mistress say ? Not, " You wicked girl, you have failed to maintain the honour of the school ! " but, " To think that I have failed with one of my girls. Wattle House has failed and Wattle House takes the blame." Miss Elsie J. Oxenham is another writer who has scrambled out of the rut and has produced a really good chars aster study of an awkward-minded girl. We have met phys sisal gawks often enough between the covers of school books, but. now, in Dorothy's Dilemma (Chambers, 3s. 6d.) we see a mental one.
The Rest House in The School (Oxford Press, 5s.) has not a very modern title, but its author, Miss Dorita Fairlie Bruce has been strong-minded enough not to allow the best house in the school to win the banner of merit.
There is only one more on our list of dashing authors : Miss Deborah Tindall has been bold enough to write a story about sonic twins who have quite a silly mother I The Bowen Twins (Black, Os.) is the tale of two girls who are allowed to go leopard shooting and who have many exciting adventures (mostly because of their casual mother) during the year before they are sent home to school and England.
Besides these books, there are one or two quite good sequels to books that have already earned popularity. In The Abbey Girls Play Up (Collins, 5s.) Miss Elsie Oxenham continues her accounts of a nice family who are not violently school-girlish. All who have enjoyed the Chalet School series will welcome Miss Eleanor Brent-Dyer's latest volume, Eustacia Goes To The Chdlet School (Chambers, 3s. 6d.) which tells of a prig in the un-making.
Ups and Downs (Oxford, 3s. 6d.) is one of the very best books of the year for older girls, and is practically a novel. The author, Miss Violet Bradby, has told the tale of a governess- companion really well, and has managed to be unprovokingly witty.
But two books whirls have not a school setting also deserve mention, The Crow's Nest (Sheldon Press, 2s.) by Miss Deborah Tindall, and Ensign Lydia Gaff (Blackie, 3s. 6d.), by Miss Violet M. hfethley. The latter is an adventure novel of historical interest, and tells the tale of a " girl " ensign who saves the life of the famous Daniel Boone's daughter.
Previous page
