A review by kaypat23
New Term at Malory Towers, by Pamela Cox, Enid Blyton
4.0
Pamela isn't exactly Enid Blyton. I could tell from the first few pages that her writing style is a little more straightforward and she sometimes struggles to "show" instead of "tell". Whenever something exciting is happening or if the girls are having some sort of conflict, they often start talking like very long infomercials, explaining the pros and cons of each situation. The dialogue is a little unrealistic in some chapters. Felicity's conversations with her parents sound a bit too goody goody two shoes for me. The parts Pamela excels in are probably the catfight scenes where the girls confront someone else for being mean or awful.
Readers who like Felicity Rivers will be happy to know that her character develops more self confidence to step out of her big sister's shadow. There is also a rather amusing bit where her annoying neighbour Bonnie comes to school but the new girl turns out to be a sly character who insinuates herself into the group. I honestly feel like Bonnie and June are the ultimate gray cards of the story. They're both extremely sneaky but Bonnie is perhaps more evil in a way because she hides behind a delicate and cute facade while subtly manipulating people to like her. June is more of an obvious character to hate because she is brash, selfish and mean to your face but she doesn't care if people like her.
I find this book an interesting study of characters in secondary school. I like how Pamela and Enid Blyton didn't take the fire away from certain characters. There are both unpleasant and pleasant characters who learn a thing or two. This mix creates a readable and interesting story with lots of potential for conflict, lessons and comeuppance. I felt really satisfied seeing June and Bonnie put down for once and even more when they are pitted against each other.
Readers who like Felicity Rivers will be happy to know that her character develops more self confidence to step out of her big sister's shadow. There is also a rather amusing bit where her annoying neighbour Bonnie comes to school but the new girl turns out to be a sly character who insinuates herself into the group. I honestly feel like Bonnie and June are the ultimate gray cards of the story. They're both extremely sneaky but Bonnie is perhaps more evil in a way because she hides behind a delicate and cute facade while subtly manipulating people to like her. June is more of an obvious character to hate because she is brash, selfish and mean to your face but she doesn't care if people like her.
I find this book an interesting study of characters in secondary school. I like how Pamela and Enid Blyton didn't take the fire away from certain characters. There are both unpleasant and pleasant characters who learn a thing or two. This mix creates a readable and interesting story with lots of potential for conflict, lessons and comeuppance. I felt really satisfied seeing June and Bonnie put down for once and even more when they are pitted against each other.