Genre: Fiction
For those who haven't read the first book, here's a brief synopsis of the general series. The Naughtiest Girl in the School followed Elizabeth Allen who, after being a mostly spoiled and naughty child for most of her life, was sent to school. After the first half-term being the naughtiest girl in the school she soon finds the error of her ways and changes, this book follows her adventures during the Winter term at Whyteleaf School where she gets into even more trouble despite her best attempts not too.Being 24 and reading this (a big difference to when I read the first book as a little girl) I thought I might find this one pretty silly. I didn't however! If I'm honest the plot doesn't differ much from book to book. Yes, different things happen and Elizabeth matures quite a bit but the general premise is the same: Elizabeth tries to do something good and it backfires.
There are some very valuable lessons about friendship, loyalty and even bullying in this novel and I think this would be an enjoyable read for a lot of young ten and under's but having said that, it's good nostalgia for adults who grew up reading Enid Blyton.
There will be some elements that a lot of people will find incredibly old fashioned (such as the idea of sweets causing spots, yes I know they didn't have all the research on hormones then, but still) And some ideas nagged at me; just because a girl isn't overly pretty does not mean she's horrid and spiteful, as some of the characters were painted to be.
My overall consensus though is that you really need to take this book with a pinch of salt. Don't take all of it too seriously and it's a light, entertaining read :-)
Good review! Yes, I totally agree with you, a good appearance my not necessarily reflect a good soul. But then again, its a light read meant for kids.
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