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megs_s's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nehanibu's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
books_coffee_cornwall's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
rayne_1906's review
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
1 hour 24 minutes - I have less memory of reading this book, so it was almost as if reading it for the first time. While I still think that the ways some of the characters are treated, this is just the way Enid Blyton books tend to work, and therefore Cox has done a great job in cohesively continuing the series. I really did enjoy the plot of this one, and while the twists were predictable, I am, admittedly, 19 instead of 9, and this was to be expected.
eline_berk's review against another edition
4.0
Er was weer dikke drama wowowow en ik ga hier TE GOED OP
sarahlee2000's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
kaypat23's review against another edition
5.0
Now this is how you write a Malory Towers story!
I thoroughly enjoyed Winter Term the most out of all of Pamela Cox's other books. Those were good too but Winter Term takes the cake. We have a decent amount of drama, a really dastardly villain teacher, solid character development and redemption arcs.
Pamela Cox follows the standard formula of all the Malory Towers books: a constant cast of familiar characters meets 2 or 3 new girls whom they are unsure about. Adventure, betrayal and good old fashioned rivalry ensues!
In this book, the girls at Malory Towers meet 2 new interesting characters: Olive and Sylvia. The girls aren't popular in the form because Olive is extremely unpleasant and refuses to make any friends. Most of the Malory Towers girls wrote her off as mean, petty and jealous because she is the most beastly towards Nora, Amy and Bonnie, the three prettiest girls of their grade. Sylvia on the other hand is a big try-hard who is too straight and blunt for their liking. She makes it well-known that she used to be head of her form in her other school but she doesn't have much sense of humor and looks down on pranks. The real reason would be revealed at the end in a satisfying twist!
They also have much bigger problems going on because a terrible teacher named Ms. Tallant has moved in and she is making life extremely hard for them. There's also the problem of a sneak in their form who seems to be letting Ms. Tallant know about every single move the girls make. Could Olive or Sylvia actually be Ms. Tallant's niece? Signs point to yes and lots of red herrings were scattered about, causing the girls to suspect and isolate Olive even more.
I really enjoyed seeing how certain initially unpleasant characters like June and Bonnie have matured and shone in the 9th book of the series. June is known for being headstrong, malicious, cunning and hard. But it was her who reaches out to Olive at the end in a rare moment of kindness and finds out the shocking reason for her meanness. I didn't like Bonnie at first because she seemed too smarmy and too much of a cunning suck-up, using her dainty looks to get what she wants. But I was pleased to see her standing up for herself and making some very responsible, self-sacrificing decisions even for a certain person she hated because she has a good sense of honor now. How these girls have grown! I actually felt a little touched because I felt like I grew up with these rebellious children and now they're all grown up.
But I like how the author doesn't make these girls too saintly and perfect. The Malory Towers girls still have a midnight feast, play tricks and are fiercely loyal to each other. No one is allowed to sneak on another girl, rifle through her belongings or humiliate another girl publicly in front of the lower form. They still have some quarrels and some girls like Amy still remain quite vain even though she has shown some character growth in terms of her loyalty to Bonnie.
Despite the interesting new additions to the form, I do feel it gets a bit repetitive because at the end, the new girls never end up staying for long. None of them ever stay and next term, there will be the same cast and new faces again to stir up conflict.
I'm eager to continue this series and can't wait to see what lies ahead for them.
I thoroughly enjoyed Winter Term the most out of all of Pamela Cox's other books. Those were good too but Winter Term takes the cake. We have a decent amount of drama, a really dastardly villain teacher, solid character development and redemption arcs.
Pamela Cox follows the standard formula of all the Malory Towers books: a constant cast of familiar characters meets 2 or 3 new girls whom they are unsure about. Adventure, betrayal and good old fashioned rivalry ensues!
In this book, the girls at Malory Towers meet 2 new interesting characters: Olive and Sylvia. The girls aren't popular in the form because Olive is extremely unpleasant and refuses to make any friends. Most of the Malory Towers girls wrote her off as mean, petty and jealous because she is the most beastly towards Nora, Amy and Bonnie, the three prettiest girls of their grade. Sylvia on the other hand is a big try-hard who is too straight and blunt for their liking. She makes it well-known that she used to be head of her form in her other school but she doesn't have much sense of humor and looks down on pranks. The real reason would be revealed at the end in a satisfying twist!
They also have much bigger problems going on because a terrible teacher named Ms. Tallant has moved in and she is making life extremely hard for them. There's also the problem of a sneak in their form who seems to be letting Ms. Tallant know about every single move the girls make. Could Olive or Sylvia actually be Ms. Tallant's niece? Signs point to yes and lots of red herrings were scattered about, causing the girls to suspect and isolate Olive even more.
I really enjoyed seeing how certain initially unpleasant characters like June and Bonnie have matured and shone in the 9th book of the series. June is known for being headstrong, malicious, cunning and hard. But it was her who reaches out to Olive at the end in a rare moment of kindness and finds out the shocking reason for her meanness. I didn't like Bonnie at first because she seemed too smarmy and too much of a cunning suck-up, using her dainty looks to get what she wants. But I was pleased to see her standing up for herself and making some very responsible, self-sacrificing decisions even for a certain person she hated because she has a good sense of honor now. How these girls have grown! I actually felt a little touched because I felt like I grew up with these rebellious children and now they're all grown up.
But I like how the author doesn't make these girls too saintly and perfect. The Malory Towers girls still have a midnight feast, play tricks and are fiercely loyal to each other. No one is allowed to sneak on another girl, rifle through her belongings or humiliate another girl publicly in front of the lower form. They still have some quarrels and some girls like Amy still remain quite vain even though she has shown some character growth in terms of her loyalty to Bonnie.
Despite the interesting new additions to the form, I do feel it gets a bit repetitive because at the end, the new girls never end up staying for long. None of them ever stay and next term, there will be the same cast and new faces again to stir up conflict.
I'm eager to continue this series and can't wait to see what lies ahead for them.
kat_hart08's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
These books will always be my favourites but I think as an older reader I’m noticing the more patronising elements of them. Things I didn’t notice as a younger reader that I would change or rewrite nowadays. However this book was still amazing and the plots that Pamela Cox imagines up are astounding.