Chalet School
The Chalet School is a series of approximately sixty school story novels by Elinor Brent-Dyer, initially published between 1925 and 1970. The school was initially located in Austria, moved to Guernsey in 1939, following the rise to power of the Nazi Party, then to "Plas Howell", a house on the border of England and Wales, then to St Briavels, close to the English - Welsh border and finally to Switzerland.[1]
Contents
Background and main characters
The Chalet School is founded in 1925 by Madge Bettany when her brother Dick has to return to his job in the Forestry Commission in India. She comes to the conclusion that starting a school would be a convenient way to generate some much-needed income, while also looking after her infirm younger sister Joey. Finding that suitable locations in England would be too expensive for her plans, she decides to look abroad, and finally settles on a large chalet in the Austrian Alps, conveniently providing a helpful climate for Joey's recuperation. Within a few years a sanatorium is built not far from the school, where tuberculosis patients convalesce. The founder, Dr Jem Russell, along with Dr Jack Maynard, provides assistance to members of the school and they eventually marry Madge and Joey respectively. Robin Humphries (in the later books Soeur Cécile) is also a main character, until she leaves the Chalet school to go to Oxford and later becomes a nun. The books then follow a variety of characters, including Daisy Venables, Bride Bettany and Gay Lambert, until Mary-Lou Trelawney comes to the school, and becomes the main character for several books. After she leaves school, in the later books, Joey's triplets, Len, Con & Margot, become main characters. The three main leads throughout the series are generally accepted to be Joey Bettany, Mary-Lou Trelawney and Len Maynard.
Throughout the series, various girls arrive at the school with personal problems, bad attitudes or behavioural issues. As a result of the ministrations of better-behaved classmates and the school mistresses, including Miss Annersley and Miss Wilson, they all tend to discover the error of their ways and become model pupils, or 'real Chalet School girls'. This formula of a troublesome new girl who reforms and conforms is most common in the later books.
Book details
Hardback
Chalet School books were originally published in hardback between 1925 and 1970 by W. & R. Chambers.[2]
| Title | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The School at the Chalet | 1925 |
| 2 | Jo of the Chalet School | 1926 |
| 3 | The Princess of the Chalet School | 1927 |
| 4 | The Head Girl of the Chalet School | 1928 |
| 5 | The Rivals of the Chalet School | 1929 |
| 6 | Eustacia Goes to the Chalet School | 1930 |
| 7 | The Chalet School and Jo | 1931 |
| 8 | The Chalet Girls in Camp | 1932 |
| 9 | The Exploits of the Chalet Girls | 1933 |
| 10 | The Chalet School and the Lintons [a] | 1934 |
| 11 | The New House at the Chalet School | 1935 |
| 12 | Jo Returns to the Chalet School | 1936 |
| 13 | The New Chalet School [b] | 1938 |
| 14 | The Chalet School in Exile | 1940 |
| 15 | The Chalet School Goes to It [c] | 1941 |
| 16 | The Highland Twins at the Chalet School | 1942 |
| 17 | Lavender Laughs in the Chalet School [d] | 1943 |
| 18 | Gay From China at the Chalet School [e] | 1944 |
| 19 | Jo to the Rescue | 1945 |
| 20 | Three Go to the Chalet School | 1949 |
| 21 | The Chalet School and the Island | 1950 |
| 22 | Peggy of the Chalet School | 1950 |
| 23 | Carola Storms the Chalet School | 1951 |
| 24 | The Wrong Chalet School | 1952 |
| 25 | Shocks for the Chalet School | 1952 |
| 26 | The Chalet School in the Oberland | 1952 |
| 27 | Bride Leads the Chalet School | 1953 |
| 28 | Changes for the Chalet School | 1953 |
| 29 | Joey Goes to the Oberland | 1954 |
| Title | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | The Chalet School and Barbara | 1954 |
| 31 | Tom Tackles the Chalet School [f] | 1955 |
| 32 | The Chalet School Does It Again | 1955 |
| 33 | A Chalet Girl from Kenya | 1955 |
| 34 | Mary-Lou of the Chalet School | 1956 |
| 35 | A Genius at the Chalet School [g] | 1956 |
| 36 | A Problem for the Chalet School | 1956 |
| 37 | The New Mistress at the Chalet School | 1957 |
| 38 | Excitements at the Chalet School | 1957 |
| 39 | The Coming of Age of the Chalet School | 1958 |
| 40 | The Chalet School and Richenda | 1958 |
| 41 | Trials for the Chalet School | 1958 |
| 42 | Theodora and the Chalet School | 1959 |
| 43 | Joey and Co in Tirol | 1960 |
| 44 | Ruey Richardson: Chaletian [h] | 1960 |
| 45 | A Leader in the Chalet School | 1961 |
| 46 | The Chalet School Wins the Trick | 1961 |
| 47 | A Future Chalet School Girl | 1962 |
| 48 | The Feud in the Chalet School | 1962 |
| 49 | The Chalet School Triplets | 1963 |
| 50 | The Chalet School Reunion | 1963 |
| 51 | Jane and the Chalet School | 1964 |
| 52 | Redheads at the Chalet School | 1964 |
| 53 | Adrienne and the Chalet School | 1965 |
| 54 | Summer Term at the Chalet School | 1965 |
| 55 | Challenge for the Chalet School | 1966 |
| 56 | Two Sams at the Chalet School | 1967 |
| 57 | Althea Joins the Chalet School | 1969 |
| 58 | Prefects of the Chalet School | 1970 |
Paperback
The novels were reissued in paperback format between 1967 and 1995. Usually with updated language. Some were more or less uncut, but many others were abridged to various extents, including chapters deleted from some titles. A few were split into two paperback volumes, and several were retitled.[3]
| Hardback | Paperback | |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | The Chalet School and the Lintons | The Chalet School and the Lintons |
| A Rebel at the Chalet School | ||
| 13 | The New Chalet School | The New Chalet School |
| A United Chalet School | ||
| 15 | The Chalet School Goes to It | The Chalet School at War |
| 17 | Lavender Laughs in the Chalet School | Lavender Leigh at the Chalet School |
| 18 | Gay From China at the Chalet School | Gay Lambert at the Chalet School |
| 35 | A Genius at the Chalet School | A Genius at the Chalet School |
| Chalet School Fête | ||
| 44 | Ruey Richardson: Chaletian | Ruey Richardson at the Chalet School |
Additional books
| Title | Year |
|---|---|
| The Chalet Book for Girls (including The Mystery at the Chalet School) |
1947 |
| The Second Chalet Book for Girls (including Tom Tackles the Chalet School, part 1) |
1948 |
| The Third Chalet Book for Girls (including Tom Tackles the Chalet School, part 2) |
1949 |
| The Chalet School and Rosalie | 1951 |
| The Chalet Girls’ Cookbook | 1953 |
| The Chalet Club News Letter Book | 2004 |
| Elinor M Brent Dyer's Short Stories | 2005 |
Books by other authors
Several authors have written books about the Chalet School. Some of them follow on from the last book of the series, and others attempt to fill in some of the "gaps" in the earlier years of the school. All books are published by Girls Gone By Publishers (formerly Friends of the Chalet School) unless otherwise stated.
Prequel
This title describes the events which led to the founding of the Chalet School.
- The Bettanys of Taverton High - Helen Barber (2008)
Fill in novels
This list contains all fill ins that have been published so far. The second title listed is the book that immediately precedes the respective fill in.
- Joey and Patricia: A Reunion in Guernsey - Helen McClelland (2000) Published by The New Chalet Club - The Chalet School in Exile
- Gillian of the Chalet School - Carol Allan (2001) - The New Chalet School (and A United Chalet School)
- The Chalet School and Robin - Caroline German (2003) - The Chalet School Goes to It
- A Chalet School Headmistress - Helen Barber (2004) - Gay From China at the Chalet School
- Visitors to the Chalet School - Helen McClelland (2004) First published by Bettany Press and later by Collins - The Princess of the Chalet School
- Hilda Annersley: Headmistress - Lesley Green (2005) Published by Matador - Gay From China at the Chalet School
- Peace Comes to the Chalet School - Katherine Bruce (2005) - The Chalet School and Rosalie
- Juliet of the Chalet School - Caroline German (2006) - The Guides of the Chalet School
- Two Chalet School Girls in India - Priyadarshini Narendra (2006) Published by Bettany Press- The New Chalet School (and A United Chalet School)
- Cornelia of the Chalet School - Jackie Roberts (2009) Published by Yersinia Press - Three go to the Chalet School
- The Guides of the Chalet School - Jane Berry (2009) - Jo of the Chalet School
- Deira Joins the Chalet School - Caroline German (2010) - The Guides of the Chalet School
- A Difficult Term for the Chalet School - Lisa Townsend (2011) - Three Go to the Chalet School
- The Müller Twins at the Chalet School - Katherine Bruce (2012) - Jo Returns to the Chalet School
- Chalet School World - Helen Barber (2013) - Various
- Champion of the Chalet School - Adrianne Fitzpatrick (2014) - Peace Comes to the Chalet School
- Surprises for the Chalet School - Jackie Roberts (2014) Published by Yersinia Press - The Chalet School and the island (and Cornelia of the Chalet School)
Sequels
The first book follows some of the Chalet School characters, though it is not set in the School itself. It is not recommended for younger readers.
- Chalet Girls Grow Up - Merryn Williams (1998) Published by Plas Gwyn Books
These books follow on after Prefects of the Chalet School
- New Beginnings at the Chalet School - Heather Paisley (1999 Published by Friends of the Chalet School and 2002 Published by GGB)
- Nicola Goes To The Oberland - Josephine M. Hardman (2010) Published by Blurb (takes place over the year immediately following New Beginnings)
- The Chalet School Librarian - Pat Willimott (2005) Published by Matador
Others
Beginning in 2013, Girls Gone By published the first of four volumes of The Chalet School Encyclopedia by Alison McCallum. This categorises all of the mentions of every character in the entire series, along with articles focusing on specific aspects of the school written by various authors associated with other fill-ins. The first volume covers characters with names from A to D, the second from E to L. The books are also full of illustrations. Future volumes will be published in 2015 and 2016.
The Chalet School on the Internet
- Friends Of The Chalet School issue a quarterly magazine to members, and also run Girls Gone By Publishers re-publishing the books with the original text and illustrations, as Hardbacks can often reach hundreds of pounds on auction sites and elsewhere. Girls Gone By also publishes new novels set in the Chalet School universe.
- In May 1995 the New Chalet Club was formed at the request of the late Helen McClelland, who became its first President until her death in November 2008. The Club produces regular Journals for members and has issued various supplements on EBD-related topics.
- The Chaletian Bullet Board (CBB) is a forum where members discuss topics about Elinor Brent-Dyer and all of her published works, along with other Girls Own fiction. The site is however mainly dedicated to the Chalet School series.
- The Sally Denny Library (SDL) is the fanfiction arm of the CBB, an affiliated but otherwise separate site.
