Angela's Fans (1)

Angela Brazil

Author profile

born

November 30, 1868 in Preston, Lancashire, The United Kingdom

died

March 13, 1947

gender

female

genre

Children's Books

About this author

edit data

Born in Preston, Lancashire in 1868, Angela Brazil (pronounced "brazzle") was the youngest child of cotton mill manager Clarence Brazil, and his wife, Angelica McKinnel. She was educated at the Turrets - a small private school in Wallasey - and then, when the Brazils were living in Manchester, at the preparatory department of the Manchester High School, and (as a boarder) at Ellerslie, an exclusive girls’ school near Victoria Park. She subsequently attended Heatherley's Art School, in London, with her sister Amy, and sketching remained a life-long interest.

With the death of Clarence Brazil in 1899, the family left the North-West of England for Llanbedr, Wales, where they took up residence in their former summer house. It is believed that, a...more Born in Preston, Lancashire in 1868, Angela Brazil (pronounced "brazzle") was the youngest child of cotton mill manager Clarence Brazil, and his wife, Angelica McKinnel. She was educated at the Turrets - a small private school in Wallasey - and then, when the Brazils were living in Manchester, at the preparatory department of the Manchester High School, and (as a boarder) at Ellerslie, an exclusive girls’ school near Victoria Park. She subsequently attended Heatherley's Art School, in London, with her sister Amy, and sketching remained a life-long interest.

With the death of Clarence Brazil in 1899, the family left the North-West of England for Llanbedr, Wales, where they took up residence in their former summer house. It is believed that, at some point during this period (1899-1911), Brazil worked as a governess, although she does not mention it in her autobiography, My Own Schooldays (1925). In 1911, she moved to Coventry, where she kept house for her doctor brother, living in that city until her death, in 1947.

Brazil's first children's novel, A Terrible Tomboy, was published in 1904, and is believed to have been autobiographical, featuring the adventures of a young Angela (Peggy), and her friend Leila Langdale (Lilian). It was only with the 1907 publication of her second novel, The Fortunes of Philippa, that she turned to the genre in which she would become so influential: the Girls' School Story.

Brazil is often described by readers as "the first author of modern girls' school stories," and her publisher Blackie once claimed, in a bit of promotional hyperbole, that she had originated the genre! While not actually true - the genre predates her by some time, and other authors of modern girls school stories, such as May Baldwin, were publishing before she was - Brazil was certainly immensely influential, in the genre's move away from a didactic, moralistic model, towards one aimed more at entertainment. Her books are told from the perspective of her girl characters themselves, and were immensely popular with young readers, both in her own lifetime, and afterward. All told, she published close to sixty children's novels, most of them girls' school stories.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.(less)

combine editions
Books by Angela Brazil

Average rating: 3.50 · 263 ratings · 39 reviews · 73 distinct works

	The Youngest Girl in the Fifth by Angela Brazil, Stanley Davis (Illustrator) 3.42 avg rating — 19 ratings — published 1914 — 14 editions	My rating:
	A Popular Schoolgirl by Angela Brazil, Balliol Salmon (Illustrator) 4.00 avg rating — 13 ratings — published 1920 — 22 editions	My rating:
	For the Sake of the School 3.53 avg rating — 17 ratings — published 1915 — 11 editions	My rating:
	The Luckiest Girl in the School 2.82 avg rating — 17 ratings — published 1916 — 20 editions	My rating:
	A Fourth Form Friendship by Angela Brazil, Frank E. Wiles (Illustrator) 3.80 avg rating — 10 ratings — published 1912 — 8 editions	My rating:
	The Nicest Girl in the School by Angela Brazil, Arthur A. Dixon (Illustrator) 3.50 avg rating — 12 ratings — published 1909 — 9 editions	My rating:
	Monitress Merle 3.44 avg rating — 9 ratings — published 1922 — 22 editions	My rating:
	The Manor House School 3.44 avg rating — 9 ratings — published 1911 — 4 editions	My rating:
	The Girls of St. Cyprians 3.75 avg rating — 8 ratings — published 1914 — 3 editions	My rating:
	The New Girl at St. Chad's by Angela Brazil, John Campbell (Illustrator) 3.40 avg rating — 10 ratings — published 1912 — 11 editions	My rating:

More books by Angela Brazil…

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
A Thrilling Term ...: Where to Start? / First School-Story	22	50	Apr 26, 2010 11:16am
200 book challenge: Lydia's 300ish 2010 Challenge	53	50	Dec 30, 2010 06:40pm
Goodreads Librarians: The Please Add to the Disambig Thread Thread	1299	1777	Jan 19, 2011 12:51pm
My Big Fat Booky ...: Rusty's 2012 Challenge Log	6	26	Jan 14, 2012 04:04am
A Thrilling Term ...: * Welcome!	99	132	Jan 23, 2012 06:31pm
200 book challenge: Lydia's 2011 Books	27	63	Feb 02, 2012 03:09pm
A Thrilling Term ...: Secondary Sources	71	88	Feb 13, 2012 12:31pm
My Big Fat Booky ...: Author A-Z challenge 2012	38	80	Apr 05, 2012 12:09pm
Children's Books: What We're Reading Now!	1016	960	May 29, 2012 07:33pm

More…

Angela's Fans (1)

Angela Brazil

Author profile

combine editionsBooks by Angela Brazil

Topics Mentioning This Author

combine editions
Books by Angela Brazil