Malory Towers by Enid Blyton

Somtimes on this site I go back in time and delve into the past and get quite nostalgic.  Do you remember reading the Malory Towers series by Enid Blyton when you were young?

There were six books in the series and they were about Darrell Rivers and her friends.  At the age of 12, Darrell starts at a new school called Malory Towers, situated in Cornwall right by the sea.  The series follows Darrell and her friends right from the First Form under the sharp eye of Miss Potts, through to the sixth form and Miss Oakes. 

It's the First Term at Malory Towers!
Head off to Hive.co.uk to see their range of Malory Towers books
You can buy them individually and there are collections as well!

If you read them, you probably remember Darrell and her friends:  sporty Sally, downright Alicia, musical Irene, arty Belinda, Jean who was very good at handling money, shy Mary-Lou, musical Mavis, horse mad Bill and so on.  And we mustn’t forget Gwendoline Mary Lacey.   In the fourth form, Darrell's sister Felicity joins here, so does Alicia's cousin June.  

And then of course there were the Malory Towers staff who saw the girls through their years at the school:  first form teacher Miss Potts, nosey Miss Parker, horse-mad Miss Peters, scholarly Miss Williams, Miss James, Miss Oakes and of course Matron and Miss Grayling.  Plus the French teachers, Madame Dupont and Madame Rougier. 

Malory Towers: Series One 
All 13 episodes from the first series of the children's TV show based on Enid Blyton's book series.
£8.75 from Hive.co.uk

The series were very popular and they first appeared after the Second World War;  I often wondered how much escapism from the reality of rationing and life in post-war Britain they gave readers at the time. This is especially when you bear in mind the descriptions of food that Blyton weaves into the series, given that the country was still enduring rationing at the time.  There's more information on the Enid Blyton Society's website, including illustrations from past books which really go back in time!  

Writer Pamela Gale wrote more Malory Towers books, with Darrell's sister Felicity and her friends making their way through the school, and you can also buy these from Hive, too.

What about the TV Series?

Yes, there are now the five series of Malory Towers and a programme website with the CBBC for the show!  They cover the first form, the second form and the third form, the fourth form and they are part way through the fifth form.  They are rather different to the books, I think, with new characters appearing, but I found them to be enjoyable viewing, all the same.  They are also available on BBCIplayer.  Find out more here about the series. 

Malory Towers: Series Two - 13 episodes
£8.75 from Hive.co.uk

Lots of adults loved Malory Towers - and many still do enjoy reading them.  Did you know that there's a number of books which have been written for adults, described as "Just like Malory Towers for grown-ups"?  

Read about the characters - teachers and pupils - at Downey House School, the Little School by the Sea.
There's fiery Maggie Adair, the English teacher, and girls Fliss and Alice and Simone...
Find out more from Hive.co.uk