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Dundonay House #3
At School in Skye
Looking forward eagerly to the winter term at Dundonay House in Skye, Vania Chaundy and her friends were horrified to hear that Miss Rorison, their beloved headmistress, had been injured in a motoring accident and that her stepsister, Miss Gowan, headmistress of a more conventional school in Hampshire, would be taking charge for a while.
Miss Gowan was old fashioned and a disciplinarian, and she neither understood nor appreciated the sensible, free ways of Dundonay and imposed many restrictions. Vania was soon in revolt as a result. Rona Stewart of Alltshellagh, a spoilt new girl, was another complication - making for a term of incident and excitement.
Miss Gowan was old fashioned and a disciplinarian, and she neither understood nor appreciated the sensible, free ways of Dundonay and imposed many restrictions. Vania was soon in revolt as a result. Rona Stewart of Alltshellagh, a spoilt new girl, was another complication - making for a term of incident and excitement.
- GenresSchool Stories
Paperback
First published January 1, 1957
About the author
Mabel Esther Allan
231 books33 followersA prolific British children's author, who also wrote under the pen-names Jean Estoril, Priscilla Hagon, Anne Pilgrim, and Kathleen M. Pearcey, Mabel Esther Allan is particularly known for her school and ballet stories.
Born in 1915 at Wallasey on the Wirral Peninsula, Allan knew from an early age that she wanted to be an author, and published her first short stories in the 1930s. Her writing career was interrupted by World War II, during which time she served in the Women's Land Army and taught school in Liverpool, but the 1948 publication of The Glen Castle Mystery saw it begin to take off in earnest. Influenced by Scottish educator A.S. Neill, Allan held progressive views about education, views that often found their way into her books, particularly her school stories. She was interested in folk dance and ballet - another common subject in her work - and was a frequent traveler. She died in 1998.
Born in 1915 at Wallasey on the Wirral Peninsula, Allan knew from an early age that she wanted to be an author, and published her first short stories in the 1930s. Her writing career was interrupted by World War II, during which time she served in the Women's Land Army and taught school in Liverpool, but the 1948 publication of The Glen Castle Mystery saw it begin to take off in earnest. Influenced by Scottish educator A.S. Neill, Allan held progressive views about education, views that often found their way into her books, particularly her school stories. She was interested in folk dance and ballet - another common subject in her work - and was a frequent traveler. She died in 1998.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 23, 2026
I wish MEA had written 20 Dundonay stories. I would have read them all. I love the school and all the characters and want to know so much more about them all. Also a spinoff series about Miss Rorison and Ewen please? 😂 This was a perfect poolside read on vacation.
November 3, 2025
Vania MacKenzie Chaundy had travelled from Peru to join her cousins Catriona and Beathag at their school, Dundonay House, in the Isle of Skye.
Returning from the Christmas holidays the girls discovered some disturbing news in that their headmistress, Miss Rorison, had met with a motoring accident while away and was resting in a nursing home in Fort William and would, therefore, be unable to return for the following term.
This put the girls, and their friends, in a spin and they began to speculate as to who would take over. Little did they know that Miss Rorison had arranged for her step-sister, who ran a school down in Hampshire to leave her school temporarily and take charge at Dundonay House. All the pupils were apprehensive as to how this would work out for they all loved Miss Rorison, who ran the school superbly well and very much to the girls' liking.
The temporary headmistress was Miss Gowan, who had a completely different outlook to Miss Rorison and all the girls took an immediate dislike to her. She stopped all the perks that the girls enjoyed in their life at Dondonay. Whatever the girls said caused antagonism and definitely no change in Miss Gowan's attitude and when she upset the sleeping arrangements in Vania and her four friends dormitory by installing a new girl from the south instead of one of the regulars matters got worse.
The new girl, Rona Stuart, was full of herself and this upset not only the four girls in her new dormitory but also all the other girls in the school. She criticised everything that went on and everything that the girls did so she was intensely disliked by all. Not only that, she appeared to be a favourite of Miss Gowan, which did not go down well with Vania and her friends.
The local lord of the manor tried to ameliorate with the warring factions by putting on some functions for them all to attend and it worked to a degree until Miss Gowan went back to her fixed ways. All the while Rona Stuart, was causing upset by her stringent views. But when Vania and Rona get caught in a snowstorm, the pair realised that each other was not too bad after all. And once they managed to make it back home even Miss Gowan began to think that perhaps she had been too harsh on the girls.
So gradually thing got better and then when it was announced that Miss Rorison was returning for the following term, the girls, even began to think that they might miss Miss Gowan and with Roan integrating herself into the favour of the other pupils, everything at Dondonay becme a whole lot better.
With great ambience of Skye, it is an excellent story that keeps interest up throughout and I must keep my eye out for two other books that are in the series.
Returning from the Christmas holidays the girls discovered some disturbing news in that their headmistress, Miss Rorison, had met with a motoring accident while away and was resting in a nursing home in Fort William and would, therefore, be unable to return for the following term.
This put the girls, and their friends, in a spin and they began to speculate as to who would take over. Little did they know that Miss Rorison had arranged for her step-sister, who ran a school down in Hampshire to leave her school temporarily and take charge at Dundonay House. All the pupils were apprehensive as to how this would work out for they all loved Miss Rorison, who ran the school superbly well and very much to the girls' liking.
The temporary headmistress was Miss Gowan, who had a completely different outlook to Miss Rorison and all the girls took an immediate dislike to her. She stopped all the perks that the girls enjoyed in their life at Dondonay. Whatever the girls said caused antagonism and definitely no change in Miss Gowan's attitude and when she upset the sleeping arrangements in Vania and her four friends dormitory by installing a new girl from the south instead of one of the regulars matters got worse.
The new girl, Rona Stuart, was full of herself and this upset not only the four girls in her new dormitory but also all the other girls in the school. She criticised everything that went on and everything that the girls did so she was intensely disliked by all. Not only that, she appeared to be a favourite of Miss Gowan, which did not go down well with Vania and her friends.
The local lord of the manor tried to ameliorate with the warring factions by putting on some functions for them all to attend and it worked to a degree until Miss Gowan went back to her fixed ways. All the while Rona Stuart, was causing upset by her stringent views. But when Vania and Rona get caught in a snowstorm, the pair realised that each other was not too bad after all. And once they managed to make it back home even Miss Gowan began to think that perhaps she had been too harsh on the girls.
So gradually thing got better and then when it was announced that Miss Rorison was returning for the following term, the girls, even began to think that they might miss Miss Gowan and with Roan integrating herself into the favour of the other pupils, everything at Dondonay becme a whole lot better.
With great ambience of Skye, it is an excellent story that keeps interest up throughout and I must keep my eye out for two other books that are in the series.
June 6, 2026
The students at Dundonay are shocked to learn that their beloved headmistress has been badly injured and won't return this term. Replacing her will be her stepsister Miss Gowen, head of a school in England, with very different rules, some of which she tries to implement, much to the displeasure of the girls. In addition, she places a new girl in Stuart dormitory, removing one favorites. But it is not only the girls who learn this term.
June 8, 2026
The girls at progressive Dundonay House are horrified when their beloved headmistress has to take a term off to recover from a car accident and her replacement attempts to install some Chalet School-style rules for all occasions. Minor ructions ensue.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews