St Clare's

St Clare's is a boarding-school for girls. Like Malory Towers, the books follow the girls from first form upwards, although disappointingly St Clare's finishes at the end of the fifth form. The series is a little odd in that it has three first form books, one second form, one fourth and one fifth, rather than the standard one-book-per-form format.

Perhaps Blyton was very ambitiously intending to write several more St Clare's books and wanted three books for each form? (18 St Clare's books, oh the joy!) She seems to have given up on that idea after the second form if so.

The main characters are the twins Pat and Isobel O'Sullivan, who arrive at the school in the first book. Other main characters are the hot-tempered Janet, the playful Bobby, steady head-girl Hilary, wild circus girl Carlotta, 'feather-head' Alison, strict mistresses Miss Roberts and Miss Jenks, scatty French teacher Mam'zelle (surely not!) and wise, kind headmistress Miss Theobald.

An additional two books were written in 2000 by Pamela Cox to fill the gaps left by Enid Blyton, namely the Third and Sixth Forms (not shown in the summaries below).

1. The Twins at St Clare's (1941)
Pat and Isabel, the O'Sullivan twins, find life at St Clare's is not at all as easy as at their old school. They have several shocks and arguments before they realise the difficulties are of their own making, and settle down and make friends.
2. The O' Sullivan Twins (1942)
It's the start of the Easter Term and Pat and Isabel are looking forward to meeting all their friends at St Clare's once more. The new girls prove to be a source of much amusement, and there is all the fun of boarding-school life as well.
3. Summer Term at St Clare's (1943)
Twins Pat and Isabel are disappointed when they have to miss the first week of the new term. But they soon settle down again, and the summer term brings all sorts of excitement and several new girls, some of whom are less popular than others.
4. The Second Form at St Clare's (1944)
The first term of the second form turns out to be an eventful one, with new girls Gladys and Mirabel revealing unsuspected talents for acting and music, while Elsie, the form's unpopular Head Girl, learns to be less spiteful.
5. Claudine at St Clare's (1944)
Continuing the popular series, St Clare's boarding-school has some interesting newcomers. Claudine, a French girl, causes great excitement by doing and saying exactly what she likes, and Eileen's mother is the new Matron.
6. Fifth Formers of St Clare's (1945)
The St. Clare's girls are now in the fifth form, shortly to go up into the sixth, but they are not too old for tricks and escapades, jokes and excitement. Especially amusing is French girl Antoinette who, like her sister Claudine, doesn't always understand the ways of St. Clare's.