Monica Turns Up Trumps by Elinor Brent-Dyer – First Edition, Second Impression, 1952

Description The Details:Good condition. Clipped. Mild foxing to endpages. Award plate on front page. Dustcover has normal shelf wear. The Story: This story features a character who is mentioned, at least, in the Chalet School series when she is older, if she doesn’t become a Chalet girl herself. At the start of the book, Monica is that typical figure (see Peggy’s Last Term for another example): the spoiled girl who has brains and personality who has got into a great deal of mischief at school. Like several such girls, she loves being a Guide for kicks, while missing the point of Guiding’s chief tenets – although Guides are only raised in passing in this book, where the focus is on school and family life. After another shocking school report, Monica’s father puts his foot down and insists that she will not be returning to her boarding school, The Gables, but will stay at home instead and attend a local school in their town of Medbury. Miss Cundell’s school is small and select. In the main, the girls are put into sets according to their ability rather than age, and they are expected to work, not rag. Monica goes there both angry and upset. She believes that her father is ruining her life – and as the new school is small, it does not offer the sports and gym in which she wants to make her career. She decides to continue the cheeky behaviour that she indulged in at The Gables with an added contempt for the different way that things are done at her new school, although she never showed such respect for her old school’s way of doing things when she was there. This makes the deeply unpopular with both girls and staff. ‘Monny’s’ older brother, Barney, is still at his boarding school, carving out a sparkling career in the sixth form, although he gets several visits during term time. At home, their aunt runs the home, because their mother is dead, while their doctor father is very busy, but now insisting on bringing more discipline in Monica’s life. In addition to the upheaval of a new school and staying at home, her life is to be further disrupted by the arrival of two girl cousins from Kenya who are to stay with them. Vicky is a little older than Monica and very much used to being the ‘older sister’, while Alixe is younger and much less bossy. Indeed, her comparative weakness brings out Monica’s softer side. Meanwhile, Vicky sees that Monica has been the spoiled darling of the home, and both girls rub each other the wrong way. Neither acts creditably, and they fight. But Monica is starting to learn under the home influences, particularly the surprisingly stern under her gentle exterior Aunt Peggy. However, Vicky has to do something wrong that goes very wrong before both girls can be reconciled, (no snowstorms or near drowning!) and Monica earns what the title says about her. (https://feather-ghyll.livejournal.com/48581.html) The Author:During her lifetime Elinor M. Brent-Dyer published 101 books but she is remembered mainly for her Chalet School series. The series numbers 58 books and is the longest-surviving series of girls’ school-stories ever known, having been continuously in print for more than 70 years. One hundred thousand paperback copies are still being sold each year. (goodreads) Related