Although there certainly is like with many (if not probably with the majority of) British school stories a lot of commonplace and even stereotypical content being featured in The Twins at St. Clare's (tricking the form mistresses, midnight feasts, bad girls reforming, the importance of games and sports etc.) I do have to admit that I have still totally and utterly enjoyed Enid Blyton's The Twins at St. Clare's, and yes, mostly because of how naturally and with an almost palpable sense of reality Pat and Isabel O'Sullivan's first and rather fraught and problematic first term at a new (and not as elite as their former) boarding school is depicted. For while the above mentioned stereotyping does of course rather obviously and often present itself, I for one have found The Twins at St. Clare's for the most part delightfully realistic and also never really overly exaggerated or featuring unbelievable and extreme scenarios (I mean, you have Pat and Isabel needing to get used to their new school and to lose their arrogance and snobbishness, you have Kathleen and Sheila needing to reform themselves a bit, you have midnight parties and tricks being played, but not wild goose chases, no hauntings, no nefarious plots and dangers, just a simple and fun school story, with two relatable protagonists whom at first you love to hate and later you begin to really appreciate and cherish).
Delightfully British with its themes, vocabulary and attitudes, indeed, for me and my reading pleasure, The Twins at St. Clare's has been a solid and much appreciated four star reading experience. But while I am of course looking forward to reading the rest of Enid Blyton's St Clare's series (including Pamela Cox's continuations), after having briefly skimmed over some of them, I do fear that the sequels will indeed and a bit frustratingly have and present more and more one sidedness, more typecast characters and yes, also out of the ordinary and exaggerated scenarios (and really, the only minor issue I do have with this here specific edition of The Twins at St. Clare's is that the book cover image definitely does look a bit strange to and for my eyes, with Pat and Isabel O'Sullivan appearing rather like creepy and to be feared entities and not just two schoolgirls who are a bit stubborn and obstinate upon arriving at St. Clare's, with in particular their partially hooded eyes appearing menacing and staring).