rosielew_'s review against another edition
my gay awakening was the girl holding the tennis racket on the cover at age 7
rayne_1906's review
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
1 hour 18 minutes - Another Malory Towers book I have little recollection of - I really liked the characters in this one, particularly Delia and Gillian. Millicent seemed a little over the top but I recognise that this is the point in middle grade and children’s fiction, and it is a consequence of my rereading the series as an adult that is to blame for my distaste in this respect. Again, I think Cox has done a great job at contuining this series in the style of the original 6 books, and the plot, while slightly repetitive from other books, was still engaging and enjoyable.
kaypat23's review against another edition
4.0
Developments
New girls
-Millicent Moon = on front cover. Coded Asian, possibly Korean (Moon being a Korean surname). This marks the first appearance of an Asian character in any Enid Blyton book. Pity that Millicent is so serious and devoted to her music that she tends to ignore other girls' feelings though. But she gets her just desserts in the end and learns her lesson.
-Gillian Weaver = on front cover. A pretty girl with auburn hair, talented in violin and tennis. She overworks herself this term by trying to fulfill obligations to June and Millicent. Generally a nice character. She's not mean or anything but she does teach the readers a valuable lesson about overworking yourself and making promises you cannot keep. Gillian has bitten off more than she can chew.
-Delia Norris - I love Delia. She's a quiet, shy girl who lacks self confidence until she makes friends with Gillian. I love how their friendship brought out Delia's talents of singing and composing. Gillian encourages her to believe in herself and Delia teaches Gillian how to relax. She was also accused of being a thief but I'm glad that she isn't the one.
The main plot and source of conflict in this book is the clash between June and Millicent. June has grown up even more this term, being elected to become Games Captain. She takes her responsibility very seriously. But being the sly character she is, she keeps stealing talented girls away from Millicent's orchestra because she wants them on her tennis team. I found their competition and petty fights a little overdramatic but realistic in terms of the school setting and age of those girls.
Overall, it was a good book but I think Pamela borrowed heavily from a previous Malory Towers book written by Enid Blyton because I could have sworn the sleepwalking plot has been reused before.
New girls
-Millicent Moon = on front cover. Coded Asian, possibly Korean (Moon being a Korean surname). This marks the first appearance of an Asian character in any Enid Blyton book. Pity that Millicent is so serious and devoted to her music that she tends to ignore other girls' feelings though. But she gets her just desserts in the end and learns her lesson.
-Gillian Weaver = on front cover. A pretty girl with auburn hair, talented in violin and tennis. She overworks herself this term by trying to fulfill obligations to June and Millicent. Generally a nice character. She's not mean or anything but she does teach the readers a valuable lesson about overworking yourself and making promises you cannot keep. Gillian has bitten off more than she can chew.
-Delia Norris - I love Delia. She's a quiet, shy girl who lacks self confidence until she makes friends with Gillian. I love how their friendship brought out Delia's talents of singing and composing. Gillian encourages her to believe in herself and Delia teaches Gillian how to relax. She was also accused of being a thief but I'm glad that she isn't the one.
The main plot and source of conflict in this book is the clash between June and Millicent. June has grown up even more this term, being elected to become Games Captain. She takes her responsibility very seriously. But being the sly character she is, she keeps stealing talented girls away from Millicent's orchestra because she wants them on her tennis team. I found their competition and petty fights a little overdramatic but realistic in terms of the school setting and age of those girls.
Overall, it was a good book but I think Pamela borrowed heavily from a previous Malory Towers book written by Enid Blyton because I could have sworn the sleepwalking plot has been reused before.
kat_hart08's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is definitely one of the weaker books in the newer collection but still very much enjoyable
michelleful's review against another edition
3.0
A bit too much reuse of plot points from the canonical books, like the sleepwalking, but at least the recombination of past elements is pretty novel, so not too bad!
annieice's review against another edition
3.0
Well, I picked this up thinking it was the 1st of the series, but found out it's the 10th! How silly... Anyways I understood pretty well anyway so I guess it can be read as a stand-alone?!
The story was fine and I liked the very oldish British conversations. The girls seemed to act too mature and also very not like teenagers today. Like they didn't even talk about stuff teenage girls do. all of them were too focused on work and never had fun. They all seemed to take the idea of being fifth formers (which I looked up means they're 11 graders??? I mean wow, they sure aren't like 11th graders at this age...) and trying to act as good role models to younger kids, which good for them I guess? The three new girls all were soo different and interesting. Like I liked Gillian but found the part she is so overworked a bit too annoying. Like doing both music and sports really isn't that hard, many people do it. Dalia was definitely my fave! Millicent seemed to self observant and so out of touch with the others, she seemed to be neurodivergent, to be honest (not that it's a bad thing). Anyways I knew who the thief was quite early, so that was no surprise, lol. A good read for fans of the originals I guess. I mean I read The famous five and Secret Seven books too!
The story was fine and I liked the very oldish British conversations. The girls seemed to act too mature and also very not like teenagers today. Like they didn't even talk about stuff teenage girls do. all of them were too focused on work and never had fun. They all seemed to take the idea of being fifth formers (which I looked up means they're 11 graders??? I mean wow, they sure aren't like 11th graders at this age...) and trying to act as good role models to younger kids, which good for them I guess? The three new girls all were soo different and interesting. Like I liked Gillian but found the part she is so overworked a bit too annoying. Like doing both music and sports really isn't that hard, many people do it. Dalia was definitely my fave! Millicent seemed to self observant and so out of touch with the others, she seemed to be neurodivergent, to be honest (not that it's a bad thing). Anyways I knew who the thief was quite early, so that was no surprise, lol. A good read for fans of the originals I guess. I mean I read The famous five and Secret Seven books too!
charlottttie33's review against another edition
4.0
I feel like Pamela Cox's Malory Towers series is unapologetically fanfic. As a child, I loved this series, but now on re-reading it as a near-adult I'm realising how the university seems to ignore any of the pre-existing lore. For example, June is made games captain, which is apparently a rare occurrence. That's funny 'cause no one really cared when Darrel was made Games captain in the fifth book. Also, I have grown attached to characters that I know will get 'thanosed' in the next book! Like Gillian and Delia are legit the only characters I could relate to and I know that they aren't in the next book. Nevertheless, I will continue to adore this series due to the sense of nostalgia and the almost idyllic and material image it paints of post-war Britain.
elviolet's review against another edition
5.0
This is actually one of my favourite Malory Towers books, but after this reread I noticed a few things that confused me.
It is the their first term in the fifth form, yet it’s a summer term? Surely they would start in the fifth in September?
Still a very enjoyable read, and remains a firm favourite!
It is the their first term in the fifth form, yet it’s a summer term? Surely they would start in the fifth in September?
Still a very enjoyable read, and remains a firm favourite!
gilmoregranger's review against another edition
1.0
This was too similar to Second Form at Malory Towers, but unlike the original, it was dreadfully boring; I just wanted it to end.