Simone at the Chalet School

by Amy Fletcher

To go with our Centenary Edition of The School at the Châlet, Amy Fletcher has written a special fill-in about the Chalet School’s first term, written from the point of view of Simone. Of the three girls who are the first pupils of the school, Simone is very much the outsider: she doesn’t know the other two, she is not English and her shyness holds her back. How she learns to get over her difficulties and begins to grow into a real Chalet School girl forms the story in this alternative version of the Chalet School’s first term. While EBD often writes from the perspective of Joey, and sometimes from that of Grizel, she rarely gives us Simone’s point of view—Amy Fletcher has taken the opportunity to show a different angle on the legendary first term, and in doing so fills in many details left unexplored in the original story.

282 pages, Paperback

Published August 6, 2025

Reviews

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first term at the Chalet School, previously covered in The School at the Chalet, is told from the viewpoint of Simone Lecoutier, one of the first three pupils. Simone is very shy, and worried about making friends, especially since Joey and Grizel are both English and went to school together in England. This book is quite faithful to the original, even using the same dialog when necessary. In some ways it could be considered a coming-of-age novel, as Simone begins to find her feet in the school, and learns lessons about selfishness. I particularly liked the meetings with the Maynards and Zita, foreshadowing events to come in later books.

[Emma Sadeghi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful companion to the first Chalet School book, filling in a few gaps (how Miss Maynard came to teach at the school; how the splasheries got their names) and giving a fresh perspective. The author captures the style perfectly and seamlessly blends in dialogue from the original where needed.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fills in some gaps in the Chalet School series, such as how the Splasheries got their name. But not surprisingly it feels like all the exciting stuff happens off screen.

[Readsandeats · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great telling of the first term of The Chalet School. Loved seeing it from Simones perspective.