I had mixed feelings about starting this book. On the one hand, it had been sitting on my shelf, tantalising me since 1999. On the other hand, having finally read "Prefects" and realised how much of an ending it was, I was very dubious about artificially resurrecting it. My reading was well rewarded, however. As a story it is lovely to read, although Charlie's dramatic collapse seems rather unlikely and a bit like a "wish-fulfillment" story - character suffers great emotional distress and consequently physically ollapses in dramatic fashion, with the whole school running around after her. It is interesting to read about Len's first term as a teacher, but frustrating that so little space is devoted to how she copes - very different from "New Mistress." Much more space is given over to Margot, which is pleasing, but it seems strange that Len slides into teaching with such apparent ease that she might have been a teacher for years already. On the other hand, Joey's accident is incredibly well handled and it is worth reading the book simply to experience this development in the lives of the Maynards. It feels very "real" and not at all like an artificial add-on. So, despite my reservations, a wonderful "new beginning" for the series! ( )

A sequel to the Chalet School series, here we find out what happened to the thriplets. ( )