Jack Lambert is the new girl in this book; niece of Gay Lambert, of ‘Gay from China…’, and a tomboy. She’s likeable and honest, but also full of curiosity and mischief. Len Maynard takes Jack under her wing. We’re told rather too often that Len is taking on the mantle of both her mother and Mary-Lou, but I thought her character emerges quite nicely.

The book follows the usual classroom anecdotes and entertainments, enlivened by Jack’s determination to play tricks, and by one of her classmates taking a dislike to her. It’s a quick read, more so because of being the paperback; my edition is the Armada one, but apparently the abridgements are fairly minor.

It must be at least twenty years since I last read it, and I had entirely forgotten the storylines. Overall I liked it rather more than some of the recent ones I’ve read. In a couple of places I almost laughed aloud at some of the things that happened, or the way somebody spoke.

Definitely worth reading in sequence by fans of the series, and I would think not bad as an introduction for someone who isn't familiar with the Chalet School. ( )