Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school - Albert Einstein

First Term at Malory Towers - Enid Blyton

At the moment I am studying children's literature and I was so excited when I discovered this book was on the reading list because I absolutely loved the book when I was younger (I even had it on an audio book). However, when I started reading the tale of Darrel Rivers and her friends at Malory Towers, I was astounded by the harsh realities of boarding school life. I remember thinking Gwendoline was a rotten child who deserved the taunts from the other girls, but when reading the book now, I can see that they never really gave her a chance, deciding early on that they did not like her. All I saw in Gwendoline now was a lonely child, lost and away from home. Furthermore, some of the rituals at Malory Towers that I had passed off as normal now seemed arbitrary and ridiculous. 

Have you got a Child's book that shines in a new light in the treatment of youngsters?

Lots of love 

Elouise

xxx