A review by mat_tobin
First Term at Malory Towers by Enid Blyton

4.0

Well, well, well. I didn't have high hopes for enjoying this book...but I did. Quite a bit in fact - especially after the parents have been over to boarding school and seen the girls swim. Before this episode, the story chundered along with nothing really happening. Darrell's story is a mediocre one but Blyton's strength here comes in the telling of the stories of Mary-Lou, Sally and Gwendoline, I felt. These are all additional characters with Sally arguably being a minor one yet they feel like real girls who have real problems adjusting to boarding school life. No one wants to read about Darrell who seems to settle in quite quickly but girls who had anxiety issues about being away from those they love and feel comforted by is something different. Well done, Blyton!