A Chalet Girl from Kenya

The Swiss years can be a bit humdrum but these earlier stories are still enjoyable. Jo Scott - the Chalet Girl from Kenya - is an interesting character who doesn't really need to be re-moulded into a 'real Chalet girl' and she fits in well.

One of the more interesting of the series. Jo Scott is a good character, well-drawn and not too "Mary Sue"-ish, despite the award she gets.

Of course, as is bound to be the case with any CS book with a white girl who has spent most of her life living in a country that doesn't have a white majority (in this case Kenya, as per the title), there is a good deal of cultural appropriation that takes place - though markedly less racism than in most books of its kind. If you can grit your teeth through that and some of the religious content, you may enjoy the book - there're just a couple of places I actively cringed, both of which are relatively near the end of the book.

Jo Scott, unofficial goddaughter to Jo Maynard, arrives at the Chalet School while her parents are abroad. Better than average, this is a moving book in a few places, with some surprises.

A lot of day-to-day school descriptions makes this book feel a bit samey if you read too many in a row, but I prefer to space them out. This is part of the sequence set in the Swiss Oberland, in the mid 1950s. Jo Scott manages to be a very likeable girl despite having no remarkable abilities. She's kind, sensible and courageous.

Nothing special about the book, and probably not a good one to start with. But I would recommend it in a low-key way to anyone who enjoys the series in general, if you can find it at a reasonable price.

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EBD never disappoints. Every successive book I read brings home the author`s talent for making each girl`s voice unique and memorable.