Books about Schools Again

Grange Hill Stories by Phil Redmond

I know, I said I was going to read a book about a girls' school next. I actually started it (Sally at School by Ethel Talbot), but I was so irritated with the main character, Sally, that I had a hard time wanting to keep reading. And, when all of these other books arrived - voila', the perfect chance to sample a few of them instead.

But, alas, some of them are equally irritating. Up front admission: I have never liked short stories. I can count on one finger the number of short stories I really like (Harrison Bergeron). The problem with short stories is that, as soon as you get to know the characters or the situation, they are over. I suppose that is the point, but it is very unsatisfying to me.

Grange Hill Stories are evidently taken from or form the basis of a TV program by the same name and the stories suffer from TVitis. They have to have an easily understood problem, fairly straightforward characters, and a 30 minute solution. It isn't that these stories are bad, its just that they aren't unique. There isn't enough development, enough complexity, enough real life. I will leave short stories to others.

Hating Alison Ashley by Robin Klein

Another annoying main character - and WHY do even the adults call her "Yuk"? This book is too typical for my tastes - poor kid from big weird family is jealous of new girl with "perfect" life. Poor girl finds her talent; rich kid isn't as snobby as poor girl thought and her family life actually isn't all that great. It isn't bad, but I have a hard time with kids who lie all of the time. The one saving grace was the way the rich kid resolved the wild tendency of the poor girl to tell lies/fantasies - by asking for even more creative ones.

Sally at School by Ethel Talbot

I did finally manage to finish this one. These were my predictions:
"there will be less emphasis on sports, the pranks girls play will be less physical and more psychological, there will be one girl who is an outsider who somehow gains acceptance of the group. Academically, I am not sure. I don't know if girls are as motivated by competitions, nor as nonchalant about them if they aren't the caliber that has a chance to be a winner. But this is a different era and a different country."

There WAS less emphasis on sport, but there was still more than I expected. There were no long descriptions of cricket matches (and just as I was beginning to understand something about them-sigh), but there were descriptions of riding, tennis, cricket practice, and hikes. The pranks - there weren't as many out and out pranks. There was a lot of worry about rule breaking.

As for the "girl who is an outsider who somehow gains acceptance", that prediction was "bang on", as the British say. The annoying main character actually does become more tolerable - but also much less interesting. In The Impossible Prefect, the behaviorally unacceptable boy does become acceptable, but he remains interesting and strong as a character. Sally seems to become more and more bland. The last episode redeems her from blandness a little, but even though it is heroic, she has lost her sparkle.

And finally, academics. Academics seemed to take a back seat here. Following the rules, being a credit to the school, and doing your work were more emphasized. All in all, not as appealing as the boys' school books. But I have others to try, so maybe other girls' school books will appeal to me.

One thing I noticed: none of the school books show teachers doing much "differentiation". Darrell, in The Impossible Prefect, was skipped up a grade, but everyone in a class seems to get the same material. There seems to be some choice as far as courses of study: languages, type of sport, and perhaps others as well, but once a subject is chosen, all students at the same level seem to be offered the same learning experiences.