Malory Towers, a Wise Children production (2019)Starring: Izuka Hoyle (Darrell Rivers), Rose Shalloo (Mary Lou Askinson), Renee Lamb (Alicia Johns), Rebecca Collingwood (Gwendoline Lacey), Francesca Mills (Sally Hope), Vinnie Heaven (Bill Robinson) and, in this performance, Stephanie Hockley (Irene Dupont ( Read more... )

Here are a couple of links:

From Silver Petticoat Review Why you should read Mary Stewart.This feature delves into the appeal of Stewart’s romantic suspense books from the perspective of someone who'd just found them. I started reading them as a teenager and return to them as comfort reads, so I have no objectivity, but the points made here ( Read more... )

The BFG (2016) (PG)Directed by: Steven Spielberg ( Read more... )

Both from The Guardian:

Where are all the heroines in YA fiction?: firebird

This feature wanders away, somewhat, from the original question, to discuss covers and marketing, but ends with some recommendations.

Here is an obituary for Mary Stewart, who has passed away at the age of 97, by Rachel Hore. I found it sympathetic and enlightening about ( Read more... )

The Farm on the Downs: Gwendoline Courtney Collins 1961

( Read more... )

Some biographical information on Katherine L. Oldmeadow and a review of Princess Prunella here, which I first read when I was young enough that going to France did seem like a remarkable event to me.

Lyzzybee has written an enthusiastic review of Eva Ibbotson's Journey to the River Sea that doesn’t give too much of the plot away but gives a good ( Read more... )

I was saddened to hear of Diana Wynne Jones's death. Reading her obituary, it was interesting to learn of the links to other children’s fiction writers ( Read more... )

I know it's been a while, perhaps this post will explain why. Having just finished her Touch Not the Cat, I was looking forward to reading Mary Stewart’s A Walk in Wolf Wood, but it took me about a week and a half to do so - this is odd for me, as I was reminded when I devoured the nest book that I read in two sittings, interrupted only by a night’ ( Read more... )

There was a time when I read Enid Blyton books. More than that, I had Opinions - the Famous Five were better than the Secret Seven and I'd have much rather been to Malory Towers (St Clare's might have got two head girls, but we never read about their being two head girls, thus making it not as good). And then, despite what some would say given the ( Read more... )

I thought I'd mentioned beginning this, but I had it mixed up with the last annual I read, The Big Book of School Stories for Girls. The British Girl's Annual was 'compiled by the editor of Little Folks' and published by Cassell and Company Ltd in 1918 ( Read more... )