Review: Malory Towers: New Class at Malory Towers: Four brand-new Malory Towers

Malory Towers: New Class at Malory Towers: Four brand-new Malory Towers by Enid Blyton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Four new authors write about four new girls attending Malory Towers during Darrell River's years there.

On the plus side, the tone is almost perfect all the way through. I'm not too sure about Mam'zelle in the last one, but I can let it slide. The girls are recognizably themselves - although neither Alicia nor Gwen were ever quite that mean in Enid's stories. The new girls are intriguing and interesting in and of themselves, and the stories go along nicely.

This is a great addition to the classic stories and will go well.



'Shall we show you to your dormy?' asked Sally, her voice shaking. She was an excellent leader but she hated conflict and the tension in the common room was so thick that it felt like a heavy fog hanging in the air. 'It's really lovely.'

'What is that supposed to mean?' Margaret's words were quiet and her eyes bored into Gwen. 'What about my parents?'

'I expect your trunk has been taken upstairs by now,' said Darrell, slightly desperately. She could see that Alicia was loving every second of the confrontation but there was something about Margaret's voice that was making Darrell feel increasingly nervous.

'Oh, you know very well!' Gwen clearly wasn't about to back down. 'My mother married up and your mother married down and that is why I am who I am and you are, well-' she gestured at Maggie -'you.'

There was silence and the rest of the girls held their breath. They were used to arguments between them but they'd never heard anyone say anything so personal and unkind before.

'I'd rather be me with my wonderful parents, than spoilt darling Gwendoline Mary,' murmured Margaret, her face pale. 'There isn't enough money in the world that would make me ever want to swap places with you.' She turned and let her gaze sweep over them all. 'I wouldn't want to be like any of you. Not even for one day.'

And then she turned and ran from the room, her long legs striding across the floor and out of the door before anyone could stop her.

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