Jo and family travel to their new home in the Swiss Oberland. They meet old friends and make new ones when they arrive.

When I last read this, in 2001, my feeling was that it was a very enjoyable book without much 'school' and with more about the delightful and irrepressible Jo. I gave it five stars, too.

Re-reading recently I was struck by rather too much rambling in places; perhaps I'm more aware of what constitutes 'good' writing, and much of the story featured conversations that didn't take the plot forward, nor did they do much for character development. And they were, at times, dull. I was particularly irritated, too, with constant references to 'the brats' by Joey and her husband, talking about their children.

Still, overall the story is good, and on the whole I do like the non-school stories in the Chalet School series, with insights into some of the other characters.

So, four stars and a low-key recommendation only if you already like this lengthy series. ( )