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The Chalet School #2
Jo of the Chalet School
The Chalet School now boasts over 30 pupils. The autumn term sees adventures of all kinds - a flood that threatens the school and the dramatic rescue of an unwanted St Bernard puppy. Finally Joey, Robin and Madge spend a delightful Christmas at Innsbruck.
302 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1926
21 people are currently reading
444 people want to read
About the author
Elinor M. Brent-Dyer
171 books113 followersElinor M. Brent-Dyer was born as Gladys Eleanor May Dyer on 6th April 1894, in South Shields in the industrial northeast of England, and grew up in a terraced house which had no garden or inside toilet. She was the only daughter of Eleanor Watson Rutherford and Charles Morris Brent Dyer. Her father, who had been married before, left home when she was three years old. In 1912, her brother Henzell died at age 17 of cerebro-spinal fever. After her father died, her mother remarried in 1913.
Elinor was educated at a small local private school in South Shields and returned there to teach when she was eighteen after spending two years at the City of Leeds Training College. Her teaching career spanned 36 years, during which she taught in a wide variety of state and private schools in the northeast, in Middlesex, Bedfordshire, Hampshire, and finally in Hereford.
In the early 1920s she adopted the name Elinor Mary Brent-Dyer. A holiday she spent in the Austrian Tyrol at Pertisau-am-Achensee gave her the inspiration for the first location in the Chalet School series. However, her first book, 'Gerry Goes to School', was published in 1922 and was written for the child actress Hazel Bainbridge. Her first 'Chalet' story, 'The School at the Chalet', was originally published in 1925.
In 1930, the same year that 'Jean of Storms' was serialised, she converted to Roman Catholicism.
In 1933 the Brent-Dyer household (she lived with her mother and stepfather until her mother's death in 1957) moved to Hereford. She travelled daily to Peterchurch as a governess.
When her stepfather died she started her own school in Hereford, The Margaret Roper School. It was non-denominational but with a strong religious tradition. Many Chalet School customs were followed, the girls even wore a similar uniform made in the Chalet School's colours of brown and flame. Elinor was rather untidy, erratic and flamboyant and not really suited to being a headmistress. After her school closed in 1948 she devoted most of her time to writing.
Elinor's mother died in 1957 and in 1964 she moved to Redhill, where she lived in a joint establishment with fellow school story author Phyllis Matthewman and her husband, until her death on 20th September 1969.
During her lifetime Elinor M. Brent-Dyer published 101 books but she is remembered mainly for her Chalet School series. The series numbers 58 books and is the longest-surviving series of girls' school-stories ever known, having been continuously in print for more than 70 years. One hundred thousand paperback copies are still being sold each year.
Among her published books are other school stories; family, historical, adventure and animal stories; a cookery book, and four educational geography-readers. She also wrote plays and numerous unpublished poems and was a keen musician.
In 1994, the year of the centenary of her Elinor Brent-Dyer's birth, Friends of the Chalet School put up plaques in Pertisau, South Shields and Hereford, and a headstone was erected on her grave in Redstone Cemetery, since there was not one previously. They also put flowers on her grave on the anniversaries of her birth and death and on other special occasions.
Elinor was educated at a small local private school in South Shields and returned there to teach when she was eighteen after spending two years at the City of Leeds Training College. Her teaching career spanned 36 years, during which she taught in a wide variety of state and private schools in the northeast, in Middlesex, Bedfordshire, Hampshire, and finally in Hereford.
In the early 1920s she adopted the name Elinor Mary Brent-Dyer. A holiday she spent in the Austrian Tyrol at Pertisau-am-Achensee gave her the inspiration for the first location in the Chalet School series. However, her first book, 'Gerry Goes to School', was published in 1922 and was written for the child actress Hazel Bainbridge. Her first 'Chalet' story, 'The School at the Chalet', was originally published in 1925.
In 1930, the same year that 'Jean of Storms' was serialised, she converted to Roman Catholicism.
In 1933 the Brent-Dyer household (she lived with her mother and stepfather until her mother's death in 1957) moved to Hereford. She travelled daily to Peterchurch as a governess.
When her stepfather died she started her own school in Hereford, The Margaret Roper School. It was non-denominational but with a strong religious tradition. Many Chalet School customs were followed, the girls even wore a similar uniform made in the Chalet School's colours of brown and flame. Elinor was rather untidy, erratic and flamboyant and not really suited to being a headmistress. After her school closed in 1948 she devoted most of her time to writing.
Elinor's mother died in 1957 and in 1964 she moved to Redhill, where she lived in a joint establishment with fellow school story author Phyllis Matthewman and her husband, until her death on 20th September 1969.
During her lifetime Elinor M. Brent-Dyer published 101 books but she is remembered mainly for her Chalet School series. The series numbers 58 books and is the longest-surviving series of girls' school-stories ever known, having been continuously in print for more than 70 years. One hundred thousand paperback copies are still being sold each year.
Among her published books are other school stories; family, historical, adventure and animal stories; a cookery book, and four educational geography-readers. She also wrote plays and numerous unpublished poems and was a keen musician.
In 1994, the year of the centenary of her Elinor Brent-Dyer's birth, Friends of the Chalet School put up plaques in Pertisau, South Shields and Hereford, and a headstone was erected on her grave in Redstone Cemetery, since there was not one previously. They also put flowers on her grave on the anniversaries of her birth and death and on other special occasions.
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October 9, 2014
There's very little to say about the early Chalet School books other than to rhapsodise over how awfully lovely they are. And they are. They are like snow on the day when you don't have to go to school. There's something other worldly about them at this point in the series and it is something rather special and beautiful.
So! Here we are. It is only book two and the school is still finding its feet. We are on the side of the bluest lake in all of Austria and it includes one of my most favourite moments in the entire series. It's no spoiler to say that there is a point in this book where Joey disappears and nobody knows where she has got to. Dear wonderful Simone insists on looking for her inside the piano. How glorious a sentence is that? There is everything in this series inside that moment; the earnest belief in ones abilities, the knowledge that Jo is a skinigallee (sp, naturally), and the glorious innocence that characterises so much about these early books. It's lovely. I adore you young Simone and a part of me wishes you'd retained that romantic dippiness of yours for ever.
The Robin makes her debut in this book and I remember spending hours studying the pages and wondering when she lost her 'The'. That still fascinates me. The Robin (oh lord, I'm doing it now) is rather lovely here and winsome and a welcome addition to the cast (and one, might I add, who should have had more book than she did, but I digress, yet again).
The other thing that Jo of the Chalet School benefits from, quite immensely, is that Madge is still on the scene. She's such a glorious character; vivid, sharp and lovely and rather inspirational in her own way. What a character she is, and [potential spoiler alert] .
But again, I digress.
What makes this series so glorious in its early days is this sense of greatness about it. You feel that this is real. You feel that this is happening. You feel that this is, to paraphrase a certain somebody else, a very great adventure and you feel privileged to be a part of it. And even now, even 88 years later (!), you can feel that there is something quite beautiful and pure and elegant and joyful about these stories and that is a something which deserves to be treasured.
Plus there's Rufus.
So! Here we are. It is only book two and the school is still finding its feet. We are on the side of the bluest lake in all of Austria and it includes one of my most favourite moments in the entire series. It's no spoiler to say that there is a point in this book where Joey disappears and nobody knows where she has got to. Dear wonderful Simone insists on looking for her inside the piano. How glorious a sentence is that? There is everything in this series inside that moment; the earnest belief in ones abilities, the knowledge that Jo is a skinigallee (sp, naturally), and the glorious innocence that characterises so much about these early books. It's lovely. I adore you young Simone and a part of me wishes you'd retained that romantic dippiness of yours for ever.
The Robin makes her debut in this book and I remember spending hours studying the pages and wondering when she lost her 'The'. That still fascinates me. The Robin (oh lord, I'm doing it now) is rather lovely here and winsome and a welcome addition to the cast (and one, might I add, who should have had more book than she did, but I digress, yet again).
The other thing that Jo of the Chalet School benefits from, quite immensely, is that Madge is still on the scene. She's such a glorious character; vivid, sharp and lovely and rather inspirational in her own way. What a character she is, and [potential spoiler alert] .
But again, I digress.
What makes this series so glorious in its early days is this sense of greatness about it. You feel that this is real. You feel that this is happening. You feel that this is, to paraphrase a certain somebody else, a very great adventure and you feel privileged to be a part of it. And even now, even 88 years later (!), you can feel that there is something quite beautiful and pure and elegant and joyful about these stories and that is a something which deserves to be treasured.
Plus there's Rufus.
September 18, 2021
Another fun read of an old favourite. There's lots of nostalgia to love here - an impossibly old-fashioned Austrian Christmas, romantic descriptions of the Tyrol and exploits and adventures without an online selfie posting in sight. School magazines are set up and Shakespeare gets sent up. More Girls Own magic.
September 10th, 2021: Still as enjoyable as ever. The review above still stands.
September 10th, 2021: Still as enjoyable as ever. The review above still stands.
January 16, 2019
The Bettany sisters - Madge, who founded a boarding school for girls in the Austrian Tyrol, in
The School at the Chalet
, and her younger sister Joey, who was enrolled as the school's first pupil - return in this second installment of Elinor M. Brent-Dyer's epic fifty-eight-volume series (sixty-two, in the paperback reprints), which first saw print in 1925. The little school on the Tiernsee has grown since its first term, and now boasts more than thirty pupils, with all of the old girls - Joey herself, reformed trouble-makers Juliet and Grizel, Head-Girl Gisela Marani, the Mensch sisters, sentimental Simone - returning, and some new ones - six-year-old Robin (real name: Cecelia Marya Humphries), a semi-orphaned young girl who quickly becomes the adored baby of the school, and American Evadne Lannis - being introduced as well.
Winter is an exciting time in the Tyrol, and many adventures and misadventures befall Jo and the other Châlet girls, from the publication of the first issue of the school magazine, The Châletian, to the flooding of the school as the snows melt. In between are the rescue of Rufus, a Saint Bernard puppy; a slang rebellion, in which the girls adopt Shakespearean language; a Nativity play and holiday concert, and Christmas celebrations for the Bettanys in Innsbruck; a covert trip to the local Ice Carnival, with disastrous results; and Jo's writing of an "Elsie" book (based on Martha Finley's Elsie Dinsmore series), and discovery of her true calling. The book concludes with a not-altogether-unexpected announcement from Madge, concerning Dr. Jem, who, as a result of Joey's many illnesses, has become a regular visitor at the school...
I enjoyed Jo of the Châlet School every bit as much as the first in the series - possibly even more! - and came away with a strong desire to read the next installment, The Princess of the Chalet School , which looks to combine school story with Ruritanian fantasy. I can see why a friend has described these books as having strong series appeal! There were so many aspects of this story that I found charming - the Shakespearean slang, the absurd excerpt from Joey's "Elsie" book - and I particularly enjoyed reading about the Christmas doings in Innsbruck, as the Bettanys visited with the Mensch family, and participated in a traditional Tyrolean holiday. I discovered that, as I spent more time with the characters, I came to care more about what happened to them. Of course there were some aspects of the story that were somewhat silly and overused - Joey's constant illnesses, Robin's appeal as the baby - but it never approached the level of irksomeness that would have ruined the book.
All in all, an enjoyable second entry in a series I intend to continue to explore. I read the original unabridged version, reprinted in a facsimile edition by Girls Gone By Publishers, which also contained a history of the book's publication, and a Christmas Châlet story by Catherine Bradley.
Winter is an exciting time in the Tyrol, and many adventures and misadventures befall Jo and the other Châlet girls, from the publication of the first issue of the school magazine, The Châletian, to the flooding of the school as the snows melt. In between are the rescue of Rufus, a Saint Bernard puppy; a slang rebellion, in which the girls adopt Shakespearean language; a Nativity play and holiday concert, and Christmas celebrations for the Bettanys in Innsbruck; a covert trip to the local Ice Carnival, with disastrous results; and Jo's writing of an "Elsie" book (based on Martha Finley's Elsie Dinsmore series), and discovery of her true calling. The book concludes with a not-altogether-unexpected announcement from Madge, concerning Dr. Jem, who, as a result of Joey's many illnesses, has become a regular visitor at the school...
I enjoyed Jo of the Châlet School every bit as much as the first in the series - possibly even more! - and came away with a strong desire to read the next installment, The Princess of the Chalet School , which looks to combine school story with Ruritanian fantasy. I can see why a friend has described these books as having strong series appeal! There were so many aspects of this story that I found charming - the Shakespearean slang, the absurd excerpt from Joey's "Elsie" book - and I particularly enjoyed reading about the Christmas doings in Innsbruck, as the Bettanys visited with the Mensch family, and participated in a traditional Tyrolean holiday. I discovered that, as I spent more time with the characters, I came to care more about what happened to them. Of course there were some aspects of the story that were somewhat silly and overused - Joey's constant illnesses, Robin's appeal as the baby - but it never approached the level of irksomeness that would have ruined the book.
All in all, an enjoyable second entry in a series I intend to continue to explore. I read the original unabridged version, reprinted in a facsimile edition by Girls Gone By Publishers, which also contained a history of the book's publication, and a Christmas Châlet story by Catherine Bradley.
September 17, 2021
In the second in the series of Chalet School stories, Jo Bettany returns to school for a new term to discover that her sister, Madge Bettany, who is the headmistress of the Chalet School, is expecting an increased intake. The pupils for the new school year would number 33. And that is just enough to evolve an adventurous old-fashioned tale around the threesome of Jo, Grisel and Juliet, who often take the lead roles in any escapades.
Just before the new term begins, a six-year-old girl who has lost her mother and finds her father committed to going to do business in Russia arrives as a boarder. Cecilia Marya is nicknamed 'The Robin' and that name sticks when she is introduced into the company of all the older girls, who all adore the little girl so tend to favour her a great deal.
The winter in the Austrian countryside presents a variety of problems to the school, all of which tend to involve the girls in some sort of trauma. The nearby lake freezes over and skating becomes something of a problem when mishaps occur and heavy rain causes severe floods that have the girls and school mistresses remaining on the upper floors of the largest chalet in the school for a period. But they overcome all these challenges to enjoy a happy and fun-filled time, even though there are occasions when tempers get frayed and fall outs occur. These are usually soon resolved and life goes on as usual at the Chalet School.
One venture that Jo embarks on is the production of a school magazine, 'The Chaletian'. Initially Madge feels that it is too much of a challenge to succeed but the girls rally round Jo and, with her as editor, the magazine becomes quite a success and one of the stories therein gets surprising wider circulation. In addition a nativity play is staged just before the Christmas break and everyone gets involved in making that an excellent production, which pleases Madge immensely.
All the time the girls, usually outside of the hearing of Madge and just among themselves, use slang in their speech but Madge overhears it. All the girls from different countries all speak English fortunately and Madge therefore expresses the wish that proper English is spoken, 'in the style of the classics', as she says. She stresses that such words as ripping, topping and the like are not for general use and she definitely dislikes and does not want to hear the word 'beastly'! Her view is, 'I will not allow it! You can surely speak English without descending to these ugly, meaningless, slang phrases. At any rate, they are strictly forbidden! Please understand that I shall punish severely any girl who is reported to me for using slang!'
The girls therefore set about polishing up their Shakespearian English and such phrases as 'Marry, how dark 'tis! In sooth, the night hath not given place to light!' work their way into conversations. But eventually, and thankfully, the fad wears off and the girls get back to more normal speech - avoiding of course, except in extreme moments of provocation, the use of slang.
There are plenty of activities to keep the girls occupied and they make the most of their time outside of lessons to have as much fun as possible, and, of course, to get into as many scrapes as possible! In addition there is a little romance between a couple of the teachers and it all transfers itself to the reader as the various terms at the Chalet School wind down to another summer holiday when the girls repair to their various homes to recharge their batteries and prepare themselves for future adventures when they return.
'Jo of the Chalet School' is a jolly hockey sticks type of tale, absolutely topping and top drawer and definitely not in the least bit beastly ... sorry Miss Bettany!
Just before the new term begins, a six-year-old girl who has lost her mother and finds her father committed to going to do business in Russia arrives as a boarder. Cecilia Marya is nicknamed 'The Robin' and that name sticks when she is introduced into the company of all the older girls, who all adore the little girl so tend to favour her a great deal.
The winter in the Austrian countryside presents a variety of problems to the school, all of which tend to involve the girls in some sort of trauma. The nearby lake freezes over and skating becomes something of a problem when mishaps occur and heavy rain causes severe floods that have the girls and school mistresses remaining on the upper floors of the largest chalet in the school for a period. But they overcome all these challenges to enjoy a happy and fun-filled time, even though there are occasions when tempers get frayed and fall outs occur. These are usually soon resolved and life goes on as usual at the Chalet School.
One venture that Jo embarks on is the production of a school magazine, 'The Chaletian'. Initially Madge feels that it is too much of a challenge to succeed but the girls rally round Jo and, with her as editor, the magazine becomes quite a success and one of the stories therein gets surprising wider circulation. In addition a nativity play is staged just before the Christmas break and everyone gets involved in making that an excellent production, which pleases Madge immensely.
All the time the girls, usually outside of the hearing of Madge and just among themselves, use slang in their speech but Madge overhears it. All the girls from different countries all speak English fortunately and Madge therefore expresses the wish that proper English is spoken, 'in the style of the classics', as she says. She stresses that such words as ripping, topping and the like are not for general use and she definitely dislikes and does not want to hear the word 'beastly'! Her view is, 'I will not allow it! You can surely speak English without descending to these ugly, meaningless, slang phrases. At any rate, they are strictly forbidden! Please understand that I shall punish severely any girl who is reported to me for using slang!'
The girls therefore set about polishing up their Shakespearian English and such phrases as 'Marry, how dark 'tis! In sooth, the night hath not given place to light!' work their way into conversations. But eventually, and thankfully, the fad wears off and the girls get back to more normal speech - avoiding of course, except in extreme moments of provocation, the use of slang.
There are plenty of activities to keep the girls occupied and they make the most of their time outside of lessons to have as much fun as possible, and, of course, to get into as many scrapes as possible! In addition there is a little romance between a couple of the teachers and it all transfers itself to the reader as the various terms at the Chalet School wind down to another summer holiday when the girls repair to their various homes to recharge their batteries and prepare themselves for future adventures when they return.
'Jo of the Chalet School' is a jolly hockey sticks type of tale, absolutely topping and top drawer and definitely not in the least bit beastly ... sorry Miss Bettany!
Read
January 2, 2023I did not read the Chalet School books as a child, but when I became aware of them I begin acquiring ones that showed up in my path for no more than a dollar or two....I don't think I will ever read them all, and I'm reading them so very out of order that it is rather dreamlike. This one had a really lovely Christmas, too many accidents for Jo which I found tiresome, and wasn't, on the whole, desperately interesting. Basically descriptions punctuated by accidents/the cuteness of the Robin/the specialness of Jo.....
September 3, 2022
Another memory lane adventure! I much prefer the second book in this series to the first as all the characters feel a lot more real and believable with individual personalities shining through. This book also contains one of my all time favourite Chalet School chapters with descriptions of an Austrian Christmas.
June 27, 2016
Robin makes her first appearance at the Chalet School, and headmistress Madge, who is Jo's sister, gets engaged to Dr. Jem Russell of the nearby TB sanitarium ("The San"). Not the most compelling of the Chalet School series, but you need to read it for background for the subsequent books.
November 7, 2014
Such lovely tosh. Surely in real life the Chalet School would have shut down by the end of this book, yet another accident making it uninsurable.
July 25, 2021
#2 in the series, introducing The Robin, Dr Jem and Rufus the dog. A Christmas in Austria, complete with sleigh rides.
March 12, 2018
В прошлом томе все устраивались и организовывались, в этом дело пошло еще веселее. Главу про Рождество в Иннсбруке вообще можно издавать отдельной книжкой с иллюстрациями, она совершенно чудесная.
July 13, 2025
Book 2! In which the Chalet School has grown exponentially (conveniently, every time the school grows another chalet, perfect for their needs, becomes available to let), the Middles battle the prefects about slang (and go full Elizabethan English as a result), the girls have a new singing teacher but manage not to fall in love with him, and there's a flood. Probably some other things, but I'm writing this a week after finishing it, so, you know. Some things have been lost to time.
Oh, this is also the book in which Robin shows up, and everyone immediately falls in love. Madge does collect the strays, doesn't she? In book 1, Juliet was abandoned to the care of Madge and the Chalet School; now it's Robin, who is not abandoned but is given over to the total care of Madge. I guess Brent-Dyer wanted a little sister for Joey. And of course Madge gets engaged, though with a promise that she'll be Head for some time yet.
It is all predictably Sweet and Good (any of these girls can be reformed by a good scolding) but compulsively readable nonetheless. In this one Joey makes an effort to write an Elsie Dinsmore book, and I'm almost tempted to go reread one myself—we'll see. Will definitely be rereading more of the Chalet School books, though—how could I resist?
Counts:
Pretty: 38+ (the pretty pale-green curtains, her pretty French, your pretty Christian name... count does not include "prettiest", "prettily-embroidered", etc.)
Fresh: 4 (looking very fresh and pretty, looking fresh and dainty, looked fresh and trim... count does not include "fresh wind", etc.)
Honest injun: 2. Neither of which anyone objects to, despite the injunction against slang.
Little: 255 (gregarious little soul, the little white steamer, a dear little girl, a quiet little mouse, a little sallow face—includes "little sister" and "a little freedom" and the like, but dear god)
Dainty: 5 (its dainty yellow curtains, neat and dainty, a dainty little collar)
Delicate: 6 (the delicate face, her delicate face, delicate fingers)
Oh, this is also the book in which Robin shows up, and everyone immediately falls in love. Madge does collect the strays, doesn't she? In book 1, Juliet was abandoned to the care of Madge and the Chalet School; now it's Robin, who is not abandoned but is given over to the total care of Madge. I guess Brent-Dyer wanted a little sister for Joey. And of course Madge gets engaged, though with a promise that she'll be Head for some time yet.
It is all predictably Sweet and Good (any of these girls can be reformed by a good scolding) but compulsively readable nonetheless. In this one Joey makes an effort to write an Elsie Dinsmore book, and I'm almost tempted to go reread one myself—we'll see. Will definitely be rereading more of the Chalet School books, though—how could I resist?
Counts:
Pretty: 38+ (the pretty pale-green curtains, her pretty French, your pretty Christian name... count does not include "prettiest", "prettily-embroidered", etc.)
Fresh: 4 (looking very fresh and pretty, looking fresh and dainty, looked fresh and trim... count does not include "fresh wind", etc.)
Honest injun: 2. Neither of which anyone objects to, despite the injunction against slang.
Little: 255 (gregarious little soul, the little white steamer, a dear little girl, a quiet little mouse, a little sallow face—includes "little sister" and "a little freedom" and the like, but dear god)
Dainty: 5 (its dainty yellow curtains, neat and dainty, a dainty little collar)
Delicate: 6 (the delicate face, her delicate face, delicate fingers)
December 8, 2023
Another comfort re-read and this is easily my favourite of the series!
April 20, 2021
Another good Chalet School romp with new characters being introduced. I enjoyed the Christmas chapters, the stories have an old fashioned charm to them which is soothing to the soul amidst all the modernity and change that is happening so quickly these days.
June 6, 2016
Published in 1926, this volume reflects a time when upper middle class girls' education wasn't taken all that seriously. English, math, a bit of history and languages are mixed with dancing, singing and the all-important needlework. I'm just surprised there is no cookery/household management class (though I suppose the German girls get that at home and the English girls expect to have servants when they marry). The most important aspects seem to be games, long walks, crafts and of course no slang! And oh hurrah! The newly fledged Girl Guide movement appears on the far horizon! School terms are extremely elastic; on more than one occasion headmistress Madge considers breaking up for vacation nearly a month early, and any excuse seems a good one.
Mind you, there are plenty of "excuses" going. There's no bullying at this small boarding school in the Tyrol and scarcely a disagreement between students, let alone cliques (it is fiction, after all), but lots of excitement. Someone may have told Brent-Dyer that the first volume was a bit bland; there are enough hair-breadth 'scapes of one type or another in this one to satisfy the most demanding reader of school stories! Most of them seem to involve Jo, as befits her mention in the title. Being "delicate" doesn't seem to stop her being a total hoyden and tomboy, climbing and jumping and playing cricket with the best of them--not to mention breaking rules and getting into scads of trouble! However, she can faint at the drop of a hat (or at least whenever the chips are down) and her illnesses seem always to entail her being unconscious/delirious for days on end. A simple sprained ankle can keep her in bed for weeks. Not to mention the dreaded Thermogene--apparently a cotton or woolen pad saturated with eucalyptus, menthol and turpentine (among other things, including possibly capsicum) which was slapped on the chest to keep pneumonia at bay. And I used to complain about Vicks Vapo-Rub!! The author doesn't seem to remember that at the beginning of the book we are told how much stronger and healthier Jo is!
I'd like to know where British lady authors of this time period got their idea of what was a "normal" name in the first third of the 20th century in America. Granted we are a melting-pot nation, but seriously--Evadne Lannis?? Is this supposed to be a "normal" name for an American girl of the 1920s? Those were the days of the Gladyses and Mabels and Effies, the Marys and Janes and Esthers and Berthas...but Evadne? This is a problem shared by some of the classic mystery writers of the day. I suppose they tried for something "foreign"--well that's certainly what they got. Credible, not so much, but then I'm only a half-pye colonial myself.
That said, I giggled madly over some passages, but not the ones the authoress wrote to be funny, bless her heart.
Mind you, there are plenty of "excuses" going. There's no bullying at this small boarding school in the Tyrol and scarcely a disagreement between students, let alone cliques (it is fiction, after all), but lots of excitement. Someone may have told Brent-Dyer that the first volume was a bit bland; there are enough hair-breadth 'scapes of one type or another in this one to satisfy the most demanding reader of school stories! Most of them seem to involve Jo, as befits her mention in the title. Being "delicate" doesn't seem to stop her being a total hoyden and tomboy, climbing and jumping and playing cricket with the best of them--not to mention breaking rules and getting into scads of trouble! However, she can faint at the drop of a hat (or at least whenever the chips are down) and her illnesses seem always to entail her being unconscious/delirious for days on end. A simple sprained ankle can keep her in bed for weeks. Not to mention the dreaded Thermogene--apparently a cotton or woolen pad saturated with eucalyptus, menthol and turpentine (among other things, including possibly capsicum) which was slapped on the chest to keep pneumonia at bay. And I used to complain about Vicks Vapo-Rub!! The author doesn't seem to remember that at the beginning of the book we are told how much stronger and healthier Jo is!
I'd like to know where British lady authors of this time period got their idea of what was a "normal" name in the first third of the 20th century in America. Granted we are a melting-pot nation, but seriously--Evadne Lannis?? Is this supposed to be a "normal" name for an American girl of the 1920s? Those were the days of the Gladyses and Mabels and Effies, the Marys and Janes and Esthers and Berthas...but Evadne? This is a problem shared by some of the classic mystery writers of the day. I suppose they tried for something "foreign"--well that's certainly what they got. Credible, not so much, but then I'm only a half-pye colonial myself.
That said, I giggled madly over some passages, but not the ones the authoress wrote to be funny, bless her heart.
December 2, 2013
This is ne of the treasures I found in a second-hand children's bookshop Hay-on-Wye when i was there recently – a third edition of ‘Jo of the Chalet School’ by Elinor M Brent-Dyer, published in 1936, with illustrated bookplates intact. This is the second book in the famous series about a girls’ school in the Austrian Tyrol, but was the first one I ever read. I had found a box of them in my grandmother’s attic while staying there on Christmas holidays, and read my way through them. Years later, I asked my grandmother if I could have that box of books and she said she had thrown them in the bin. If only she had known how much they are worth now! A first edition of ‘Book 1: The School at the Chalet’ is now worth a cool $3,600. Brent-Dyer wrote 59 books in the series in total, and they are the longest-surviving series of girls’ school stories every published, having been continuously in print for more than 70 years. More than 100,000 paperback copies are still sold every year. This one was first published in 1926 and is full of quaint expressions and old-fashioned values, but the setting and time is marvellously created and the story is full of charm and humour, just like I remembered.
August 28, 2016
Who writes these synopses?!
The Chalet School now boasts over 30 pupils. Correct
The autumn term sees adventures of all kinds - a flood that threatens the school I think you'll find this happens in the EASTER term and the dramatic rescue of an unwanted St Bernard puppy. Oh, well done. Although we don't actually witness the rescue, do we?
Finally Joey, Robin and Madge spend a delightful Christmas at Innsbruck. 'Finally'? No, this happens halfway through the book, before the flood. HELLO! Did you read this properly? Lose half of it? Pick up my copy (which consists entirely of loose pages because I've read it so often) and put the pages back in the wrong order?
There's not actually a great deal to put into a review of 'Jo of', except a huge health warning: if you have finished this one, and really enjoyed it, watch out! You are about to get sucked in to Chaletworld, a land which gets increasingly bonkers the more time you spend in there. Seriously, stop here.
The Chalet School now boasts over 30 pupils. Correct
The autumn term sees adventures of all kinds - a flood that threatens the school I think you'll find this happens in the EASTER term and the dramatic rescue of an unwanted St Bernard puppy. Oh, well done. Although we don't actually witness the rescue, do we?
Finally Joey, Robin and Madge spend a delightful Christmas at Innsbruck. 'Finally'? No, this happens halfway through the book, before the flood. HELLO! Did you read this properly? Lose half of it? Pick up my copy (which consists entirely of loose pages because I've read it so often) and put the pages back in the wrong order?
There's not actually a great deal to put into a review of 'Jo of', except a huge health warning: if you have finished this one, and really enjoyed it, watch out! You are about to get sucked in to Chaletworld, a land which gets increasingly bonkers the more time you spend in there. Seriously, stop here.
January 6, 2016
Jo of introduces a number of new ideas that EBD does not really use in other non-Chalet books: hobbies club, Shakespeariana, St Bernard dogs, a nativity play, etc. The much-lauded Christmas scenes also help to introduce her readers to another facet of continental life. Like its predecessor, it is made up of a series of short scenes and events rather than attempting to follow one or two characters through the course of the book. Of course, having so few characters means that almost all of them get at least a few key scenes across the title. It is the descriptions of location that remain a delight at this point in the series.
December 10, 2013
I can't give these books anything less than 5 stars. Adorable and of a time. Gruss gott!! Loved the Shakespearean slang and new character the Robin.
June 17, 2017
Review - Jo of the Chalet School - Second book of the series and second for me too. The scenic settings of the school nestled in the Austrian mountains are the best part of the book. I found this book needs a different kind of mindset to enjoy compared to Enid Blyton school stories. Enid Blyton school stories usually have a central conflict that grabs the reader by collar and drags them along. I found even the one book of Angela Brazil I read had that probably even stronger than in Enid Blyton books. The Chalet school doesn't have that. One just has to enjoy the moments like you do in say a vacation. Things move at a relaxed pace. Few small incidents happen along the way. But not like you are all excited to reach the end of it. You just need to hang in there and enjoy the details. In this book, we get to see more of the local traditions. How Christmas was celebrated, the local festivities, how people manage during natural disasters like floods and things like that. There are a few humorous scenes such as the Jo's rebellion against imposition of rules against use of slang. It reads more like real life in a different place and time - nothing too dramatic as such. In terms of characterization also, we are stuck with one girl Jo and we see everything through her eyes. We hardly get to know the others in school except maybe her sister Madge who is the head mistress of the school. With the expectations thus aligned it makes an enjoyable read.
August 26, 2020
My second trip down memory lane with Book 2 of the Chalet series, this time the school is building on its success with pupil numbers growing but plenty of adventures to be had. I like the fact that it isn’t all roses round the door and the children aren’t all sweet and light. They have personality clashes and sometimes they are unkind to each other and harsh but that is what children are like. Then there are instances of kindness, understanding and bravery. Rufus and his Mom Zita join the school (St Bernard dogs!😍) and Joey learns the reality of being poor and tough choices have to be made which aren’t always easy to understand when you are young. Also a thumbs up for the multi-cultural and religious diversity of the students.
October 6, 2019
well, it's the chalet school
April 13, 2021
The start of my sporadic re-read of the Chalet School series which will be done in a mixture of unabridged hardbacks and abridged paperbacks. 4 stars for this because of the Christmas scene
November 2, 2021
I have no idea why I reread this now. I wanted to read the book for my book club, and this popped up on my Kindle. so I read it. a nice, light book for a break in heavy science fiction.
November 20, 2021
might be a very interesting one
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 26, 2025
Fun enough read, they sure have had a lot of accidents for only being 2 books deep though!
December 5, 2016
If I was reviewing the section that covered Christmas in Innsbruck this would be a 5 star review. I can't remember how long ago I first read this but it planted something ineffable in my head, and it's very strange actually that not only have I never been to Innsbruck at Christmas, I've never even been to Austria.
The rest of the book is a necessary read because it lays down a lot of information for later in the series. And it's certainly not uninteresting.
I shall say this just the once but I think it's probably very applicable to the rest of the series, especially the pre-war books.
This was written over 90 years ago and shouldn't be read unthinkingly with a 21st century PoV. Things were different then, just as they were in Dickens's time, or Chaucer's, or Ovid's. Even with children's fiction, we should be able to see through different eyes.
Nevertheless, it's amusing to observe the many oddities of this book and this series. Frankly, it's a preposterous concept from the start, the idea of people sending their daughters off to a tiny little boarding school that's a bit more than childminding but not really an education and not a finishing school. It now has four teachers, plus the music teaching men. It's not clear whether these teachers have any qualifications, either in their (many) subjects or in pedagogy. Yet the English girls are taken out of their perfectly decent middle class 'High' schools, where they would have been encouraged into a fairly academic education for this?
This, of course, is tremendous fun, and I think secretly we all wanted to be Chalet School pupils, with all their exciting adventures, and the absence of bitchery that characterised many of our own school lives.
Again, noting that it's nearly a century ago and is aimed at children, but I've realised there are no hints whatsoever of puberty. One can't reasonably expect explicit mentions of menstruation but I would imagine in reality it would be hormonal. 13 yo Joey at one stage is dressed only in her knickers, then puts on her tunic, so no 'support garment' there.
Conversely, we have 'the Baby' The Robin. In Innsbruck she sleeps in a cot and wears a bib, and is generally carried places rather than walking. I'm surprised she's not still in nappies, because in EBD's eyes, 6 year olds are still babies!
EBD, probably typical of her time and caste, doesn't seem to understand the difference between culturally influenced behaviour and personality. So, the Italians behave in a certain way, the French in a different but stereotypical way, the Tyroleans are musical (all of them? And unlike any other region of Europe?).
Joey's Elsie book was inspired by a series lent to her that featured spiffing adventures with the Ku Klux Klan, which sounded a large klaxon in my head. Yeah, they might have been hate-filled murderous racists but, hey, they enabled schoolgirls to have adventures!
So, I've got the silliness out of the way, apart from mentioning the often cloying over-sentimental language.
But you know what, this book is so alive, with characters we can believe in, who walk off the page so to speak. I'm not sure I would necessarily recommend it to adults who read none as a child, but it's definitely worth revisiting for former aficionados. I don't know if I'd recommend it today's 10-14 year olds. Likely to be sneered at for being dated etc, but any girl with imagination and a love of stories and words would surely like it as much as we did, back then.
PS I don't know why I missed this out initially but one simply must comment on Joey's illnesses. Quite an impressive amount, really. Two dunkings - in the stream and the lake, a falling over on the frozen lake, and the near death experience of standing in an open doorway for several minutes without her coat. One would think that 'germ theory of disease' hadn't been developed by then, although Wikipedia says otherwise https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germ_th... I particularly liked how "Doctor" Jem Russell gave her a stiff dose of brandy to prevent a cold developing. Brandy, of course, being medicinal doesn't in anyway count towards a young teenager's alcohol limits!
I could also mock the sprained ankle - stay in bed for a week - but having read Atonement, where one of the best sections was lifted from the Romantic novels of a woman who was actually a Second World War nurse, I simply have to accept that 'bed rest' was the norm for all sorts of injuries. As someone whose sprained ankles generally recovered within 24 hours I was dubious about this back in 1970-whatever when I originally read it. There again, it's only been very recently that the advice for back injuries has been gentle stretching and walking rather than lie flat on a hard board!
The rest of the book is a necessary read because it lays down a lot of information for later in the series. And it's certainly not uninteresting.
I shall say this just the once but I think it's probably very applicable to the rest of the series, especially the pre-war books.
This was written over 90 years ago and shouldn't be read unthinkingly with a 21st century PoV. Things were different then, just as they were in Dickens's time, or Chaucer's, or Ovid's. Even with children's fiction, we should be able to see through different eyes.
Nevertheless, it's amusing to observe the many oddities of this book and this series. Frankly, it's a preposterous concept from the start, the idea of people sending their daughters off to a tiny little boarding school that's a bit more than childminding but not really an education and not a finishing school. It now has four teachers, plus the music teaching men. It's not clear whether these teachers have any qualifications, either in their (many) subjects or in pedagogy. Yet the English girls are taken out of their perfectly decent middle class 'High' schools, where they would have been encouraged into a fairly academic education for this?
This, of course, is tremendous fun, and I think secretly we all wanted to be Chalet School pupils, with all their exciting adventures, and the absence of bitchery that characterised many of our own school lives.
Again, noting that it's nearly a century ago and is aimed at children, but I've realised there are no hints whatsoever of puberty. One can't reasonably expect explicit mentions of menstruation but I would imagine in reality it would be hormonal. 13 yo Joey at one stage is dressed only in her knickers, then puts on her tunic, so no 'support garment' there.
Conversely, we have 'the Baby' The Robin. In Innsbruck she sleeps in a cot and wears a bib, and is generally carried places rather than walking. I'm surprised she's not still in nappies, because in EBD's eyes, 6 year olds are still babies!
EBD, probably typical of her time and caste, doesn't seem to understand the difference between culturally influenced behaviour and personality. So, the Italians behave in a certain way, the French in a different but stereotypical way, the Tyroleans are musical (all of them? And unlike any other region of Europe?).
Joey's Elsie book was inspired by a series lent to her that featured spiffing adventures with the Ku Klux Klan, which sounded a large klaxon in my head. Yeah, they might have been hate-filled murderous racists but, hey, they enabled schoolgirls to have adventures!
So, I've got the silliness out of the way, apart from mentioning the often cloying over-sentimental language.
But you know what, this book is so alive, with characters we can believe in, who walk off the page so to speak. I'm not sure I would necessarily recommend it to adults who read none as a child, but it's definitely worth revisiting for former aficionados. I don't know if I'd recommend it today's 10-14 year olds. Likely to be sneered at for being dated etc, but any girl with imagination and a love of stories and words would surely like it as much as we did, back then.
PS I don't know why I missed this out initially but one simply must comment on Joey's illnesses. Quite an impressive amount, really. Two dunkings - in the stream and the lake, a falling over on the frozen lake, and the near death experience of standing in an open doorway for several minutes without her coat. One would think that 'germ theory of disease' hadn't been developed by then, although Wikipedia says otherwise https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germ_th... I particularly liked how "Doctor" Jem Russell gave her a stiff dose of brandy to prevent a cold developing. Brandy, of course, being medicinal doesn't in anyway count towards a young teenager's alcohol limits!
I could also mock the sprained ankle - stay in bed for a week - but having read Atonement, where one of the best sections was lifted from the Romantic novels of a woman who was actually a Second World War nurse, I simply have to accept that 'bed rest' was the norm for all sorts of injuries. As someone whose sprained ankles generally recovered within 24 hours I was dubious about this back in 1970-whatever when I originally read it. There again, it's only been very recently that the advice for back injuries has been gentle stretching and walking rather than lie flat on a hard board!
October 4, 2022
This is one of my favourite books in this series.
The chalet school is growing and more pupils are beocoming boarders, so another chalet is added.
In this story, Jo has more adventures in the Austrian Tyrol. We see how the chalet school celebrates Christmas, also the joy of Christmas in Innsbruck.
If you love school stories with good characters and a beautiful setting then try The Chalet School, it is a great series and one I love.
The chalet school is growing and more pupils are beocoming boarders, so another chalet is added.
In this story, Jo has more adventures in the Austrian Tyrol. We see how the chalet school celebrates Christmas, also the joy of Christmas in Innsbruck.
If you love school stories with good characters and a beautiful setting then try The Chalet School, it is a great series and one I love.
September 10, 2016
Where school stories are concerned, very few can rival the length, depth and quaint magic of Elinor M. Brent-Dyer's Chalet School series - none more so than at the very beginning, when the school is just getting started in the Austrian Tyrol. At this point, the universe is fresh and refreshing, filled with some of the characters who will stay with the series through over 50 books - many of them at their most winning and human.
Jo Of The Chalet School, in particular, is a joy - a world centred firmly around these schoolgirls and their mistresses, as they navigate cold, hard winters and grey, swirling floods. Mixed in amidst the natural disasters are human triumphs (Joey discovering her future career) and tragedies (the peasants of the region are so poor that they must drown their dogs rather than feed them through a winter).
Amidst all these happenings, Brent-Dyer demonstrates her wonderful gift for characterisation. It's what sets the series apart: she demonstrates a willingness to give as much depth and backstory (especially as the series progresses) to her students as well as her teachers. As a result, the books grow with their readers. Here, she brings the titular Jo skilfully to life: she's a charming handful, a naughty schoolgirl with a big heart, with an overflowing love for her sister - and headmistress - Madge Bettany.
Of particular loveliness is the Christmas holiday taken by the Bettany girls and Madge's young angelic ward, The Robin. It's a wonderful break from school happenings, as the trio enjoy a family Christmas with the Mensches: one which is suffused with carolling, skiing, sleigh-rides and crisp little German sausages in soup. It's a delightful account of the Bettanys' first Christmas in the Tyrol, and proof again that the series is at its best in combining the school story with the heart and weight of family.
Jo Of The Chalet School, in particular, is a joy - a world centred firmly around these schoolgirls and their mistresses, as they navigate cold, hard winters and grey, swirling floods. Mixed in amidst the natural disasters are human triumphs (Joey discovering her future career) and tragedies (the peasants of the region are so poor that they must drown their dogs rather than feed them through a winter).
Amidst all these happenings, Brent-Dyer demonstrates her wonderful gift for characterisation. It's what sets the series apart: she demonstrates a willingness to give as much depth and backstory (especially as the series progresses) to her students as well as her teachers. As a result, the books grow with their readers. Here, she brings the titular Jo skilfully to life: she's a charming handful, a naughty schoolgirl with a big heart, with an overflowing love for her sister - and headmistress - Madge Bettany.
Of particular loveliness is the Christmas holiday taken by the Bettany girls and Madge's young angelic ward, The Robin. It's a wonderful break from school happenings, as the trio enjoy a family Christmas with the Mensches: one which is suffused with carolling, skiing, sleigh-rides and crisp little German sausages in soup. It's a delightful account of the Bettanys' first Christmas in the Tyrol, and proof again that the series is at its best in combining the school story with the heart and weight of family.
July 10, 2024
3.75*
Jo of the Chalet School starts in September, at the beginning of a new term. It goes through the school year until May and there are some very Christmassy chapters in between. The book’s main character is Jo, or Joey as she is mainly known, an enthusiastic, kind hearted twelve year old girl. Joey has lots of friends, including Simone, Sophie and Margia and there is a new ‘baby’ called The Robin brought to the school by her Italian father. Joey’s elder sister, Miss Bettany, is Headmistress. Every chapter is an adventure of some kind - Joey saves a dog - Joey goes to the Ice Carnival - Joey starts a school magazine… and often there is a slightly rebellious element without the reader ever fearing there is any real danger.
It was a fun read and my first in this series. It was quite formulaic and I would have been happier with a few less mishaps, but all in all I really enjoyed the descriptions of the Tyrolean school life and scenery. The Christmas chapters were by far my favourite part and I'm glad I read it in December.
Jo of the Chalet School starts in September, at the beginning of a new term. It goes through the school year until May and there are some very Christmassy chapters in between. The book’s main character is Jo, or Joey as she is mainly known, an enthusiastic, kind hearted twelve year old girl. Joey has lots of friends, including Simone, Sophie and Margia and there is a new ‘baby’ called The Robin brought to the school by her Italian father. Joey’s elder sister, Miss Bettany, is Headmistress. Every chapter is an adventure of some kind - Joey saves a dog - Joey goes to the Ice Carnival - Joey starts a school magazine… and often there is a slightly rebellious element without the reader ever fearing there is any real danger.
It was a fun read and my first in this series. It was quite formulaic and I would have been happier with a few less mishaps, but all in all I really enjoyed the descriptions of the Tyrolean school life and scenery. The Christmas chapters were by far my favourite part and I'm glad I read it in December.
April 27, 2025
Out of sheer nostalgia I bought the complete series from a collector including many vintage hardbacks with( oh the joy!!)dust jackets! I read these as a child and had not read all of the books, as some of them are quite rare. I was re reading this and was pleasantly surprised at all the girls I remembered by name and the German words. I had forgotten however what made this book so great: a wonderful sense of place and good old fashioned English values, all the old hobbies which I too had, growing up, like collecting(books, art), writing for the school magazine, editing the school mag (which I did), sewing, cooking (called 'home science' for us)and I loved the bit with the forgotten English folk songs and English folk dances( you can find the songs saved for posterity by Cecil Sharp, an English schoolmaster 1850's to 1940's? )... Brought back a whole way of life for me and that was invaluable!
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