READING: Almost beach reads

[feather_ghyll]

Some of these books were read within sniffing distance of a beach, at any rate.


I reread Sally at School by Ethel Talbot, having bought it forgotting I already owned a copy. I didn’t remember much of the content either, even though it featured gypsies, old smugglers’ paths and counter feit notes! I preferred the story of how bumptious Sally, fresh from India, arrives at school where, out of pride, she makes a bad start that dogs her for most of her first term, despite the good advice of kind Josy, sensible prefect Sybil, ‘the best laid plans of a matron and headmistress’ and the influence of school life. So, the book featured good bits, clichéd bits and Talbot’s bizarre take on punctuation.

Book two in the Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy heralds the return of Cammie Morgan aka the Chameleon, who has promised to turn over a new leaf, but when she overhears her mother and headmistress at the Gallagher School say “Cammie doesn’t know anything”, she gets curious, and a girl who is training to be a spy is going to have her own means of finding things out. Life is extra hard when you’re a spy girl – imagine the trust issues! There wasn’t really a weak aspect to this book, which is breezy and amusing, good on friendship and family and realistic on romance but absolutely not stinting on what a fantasy spy school story should be.

Going Gangster by M.E. Atkinson is about two of the three Lockett siblings (I don’t think I’ve read any of their adventures before). Because Bill is convalescing from influenza, he and his older sister Jane have an extra week of holiday at the seaside. They’re a family that adventures happen to and with friends like force-of-nature Fenella, one can see why. She forces Jane to keep a promise made under extreme circumstances and help her in a top secret scheme that leads to a nightmarish journey. The story features realistic details and an interesting outsiders’ view of a school.

It threw me that, towards the end, the fourth wall was broken, because the Lockett children know about the production of books of their adventures, although the practicalities of it weren’t referred to. I don’t know if in the other books they meet the writer or if they’re meant to be responsible for writing it themselves.

Yesterday, I finished the wonderful Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, which merits a fuller review, although I don't feel I can write anything that's remotely adequate.