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The Princess of the Chalet School

(The Chalet School #3)

Elinor M. Brent-Dyer

4.10 · Rating details · 543 ratings · 39 reviews

This is the third in a series of stories which feature the inhabitants of a school in the Austrian Tyrol, Chalet School. In this particular story, Joey and the school's resident princess are involved in an adventure. ...more

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Paperback, 159 pages

Published January 1st 2000 by HarperCollins (first published 1927)

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· 543 ratings · 39 reviews

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Apr 30, 2018 Rosemary Atwell rated it really liked it

Impossibly old-fashioned, irrelevant and great bedtime reading. Enjoy.

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Nov 08, 2012 Daisy May Johnson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: school-stories, classics, series, adventure, girlsown

The Tyrolean part of the Chalet School series remains a constant and beguiling delight to me. There's something so obvious about Brent-Dyer's love for the surroundings and her brand new school that I can't help but adore these early books.

Elisaveta is our new girl for this term and she's a Princess. She's a Princess of Belsornia and she's being sent to the Chalet School to improve her health. (And this always reminds me of "I came for the Waters ... I was misinformed") Naturally hijinks ensue - ...more

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Jan 16, 2019 Abigail rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Readers Who Enjoyed the First Two Chalet School Stories

Shelves: childrens-fiction, vintage-girls, ruritanian-romance, school-stories

School story meets Ruritanian fantasy in this third entry in Elinor M. Brent-Dyer's popular Chalet School series, which (originally) ran to fifty-eight titles, and which chronicles the many adventures of the girls who attended the international girls' school founded by Madge Bettany in the Austrian Tyrol. Opening in Belsornia, a make-believe Balkan nation somewhere to the east of Italy, The Princess of the Chalet School follows the coming of Elisaveta of Belsornia to Miss Bettany's school on the School story meets Ruritanian fantasy in this third entry in Elinor M. Brent-Dyer's popular Chalet School series, which (originally) ran to fifty-eight titles, and which chronicles the many adventures of the girls who attended the international girls' school founded by Madge Bettany in the Austrian Tyrol. Opening in Belsornia, a make-believe Balkan nation somewhere to the east of Italy, The Princess of the Chalet School follows the coming of Elisaveta of Belsornia to Miss Bettany's school on the Tiern See, after her recovery from a long illness. Joey Bettany, one of the few people at the school who is at first aware of Elisaveta's true identity, befriends the new girl, who, after some initial difficulties, settles down into the life of a Chalet pupil. After successfully (and surreptitiously) prompting the dismissal of the school's horrid new matron, Miss Webb, with their subtle pranks and 'talking' campaign, the girls seem set for a trouble-free year. But the princess's scheming cousin Count Cosimo and his henchman are soon on the scene, and a kidnapping plot puts both Elisaveta and Joey in danger...

This was an entertaining entry in the series! I particularly enjoyed the thorough routing of the insufferable Miss Webb, and the imaginative methods used by the girls to accomplish their purpose! That said, I did find it interesting that their pranks in this regard - the snail incident (haha!), the efforts to discredit Miss Webb by speaking 'roughly' - were endorsed by the narrative, when similar campaigns, such as the Shakespearean slang episode in the second entry in the series, Jo of the Chalet School , were quickly discovered and shot down. Perhaps surreptitious rebellion is only acceptable when the target is universally disliked? Leaving that inconsistency aside, the story was still quite engaging, and I enjoyed the swash-buckling Ruritanian elements, even if they had me rolling my eyes a bit. As with its predecessors, I managed to track down an edition containing the original, unexpurgated version of the story - apparently the series was rewritten and condensed sometime in the 1960s, although this 80s reprint from Chambers contains the full text, as well as the original cover art by Nina K. Brisley - and finished it with a desire to continue reading! On to The Head Girl of the Chalet School ! ...more

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Aug 12, 2009 Carolynne rated it it was ok

An early Chalet School book, it is one of the most beloved in the series, but one of the least interesting, in my opinion. Elizaveta escapes her wicked uncle, who is trying to usurp the throne of fictional kingdom Belsornia. Too much emphasis on Elizaveta's rescue by the intrepid Jo, and not enough on character development. In my opinion, the best books in the series deal with the adjustment to school life of a misfit girl, perhaps one who is lonely, arrogant, peculiar, etc. One good example is ...more

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May 11, 2017 Beth rated it liked it

Shelves: reviewed

The school parts are great, but they're weighed down by the "our school is special enough to have a PRINCESS attending" stuff. It's too precious and it comes too soon into the series, like Brent-Dyer needed a gimmick to prove how great the place is.

I don't like gimmicks.

Also, on page 7:

The doctor thought again. "There can never be any question of Princess Elisaveta succeeding to the throne?" [Note: that doesn't read like proper English to me.]

"None. The Salic law holds good here. I believe the

...more

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Feb 05, 2011 Gerry rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The third in the Chalet School series has Princess Elsaveta joining the school from Belsornia. She integrates well but there is underhand work afoot in her home country.

Dastardly Cosimo traces her to the school and then tries to abduct her but Joey Bettany is not to be trifled with and she goes to the rescue.

In addition the headmistress, Joey's sister, gets married and when Cosimo is finally discovered at the bottom of a ravine, everybody lives happily ever after.

Jolly good fun! ...more

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Dec 09, 2013 Donna Boultwood rated it it was amazing

Another great story. Great new characters of the princess and the matron. Loved the section on talking louder and the snails! Brilliance once again. Can believe Madge is going! What will happen next??

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Feb 03, 2021 Samantha rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ultimate-list, 2021

Another lovely nostalgic trip with the teachers and pupils of the Chalet School; there were two strands to the story the arrival of Elisaveta and a new Matron.

I was hoping that Matron would stick around a bit longer as she was such a great foe - she was the one you would boo and hiss at in the pantomime - I too wanted to be a member of the Society for the Suppression of Matron (S.S.M.)! Ms. Brent Dyer includes some exciting escapades which the setting of the Tyrol lends itself so well to and Jo ...more

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Feb 10, 2019 Vicki rated it really liked it

Re-read in an afternoon. Despite the deeply bizarre plot it's another of my favourites from the series. I always liked Elisaveta, her friendship with Joey and Madge's low key but rather lovely wedding and revisiting it didn't disappoint. ...more

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Feb 28, 2021 Tracey rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: chalet-school

This one has plenty packed in it. The Society for the Suppression of Matron, lighting strikes, kidnapping and a Royal procession. Gentle reading to escape to another time.

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Jan 12, 2017 Geraldine rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: series, 20s-30s, read-years-ago, children, re-read, 2017

Another very enjoyable read in this epic series, combining the far-fetched with the warm and familiar.

'The Princess' is Elisaveta from the Imaginary state of Ruritania. Her father, the Crown Prince, very enlightened for the time, send her off to boarding school (note that her near namesake, born just before this book was published) never went to school!

The book has a plot. It's not a spoiler to say that Elisaveta is kidnapped by her father's evil cousin (and, under Salic Law, heir presumptive), Another very enjoyable read in this epic series, combining the far-fetched with the warm and familiar.

'The Princess' is Elisaveta from the Imaginary state of Ruritania. Her father, the Crown Prince, very enlightened for the time, send her off to boarding school (note that her near namesake, born just before this book was published) never went to school!

The book has a plot. It's not a spoiler to say that Elisaveta is kidnapped by her father's evil cousin (and, under Salic Law, heir presumptive), and Joey goes and rescues her, walking 25 miles in one day on challenging Alpine paths with only bread rolls and a fruit tart for sustenance. Miraculously, Joey doesn't end up at death's door as a result.

It's fun to read and there are so many likeable characters along with the loveable main ones. It's also easy to take the mick on these books. This was published 90 years ago, and for children. Therefore, we should we read it with this point-of-view in mind. I can't expect complex characters or convoluted plots. It may well be that when I first read this I was still at Primary School. We can't expect the sort of candour we would now expect in books for about teenagers.

I won't labour this point but I am so looking forward to Dr Jem Russell in particular and the Chalet school adults discovering the germ theory of disease. Colds are not caught by being out in the cold!

As mentioned above, Prince Carol is very enlightened in giving his daughter an education, and the King moving to change the Salic Law so that Elisaveta can be heir is also modernist - although monarchy is outdated and I can't remember from childhood readings whether Belsornia survived World War 2 and became a Soviet or Yugoslav colony.

I also admire that Juliet is set to go to University College London to read Mathematics. Skip over the unlikelihood of her being taught to a sufficiently high level to get entry (in Maths or in supporting Science subjects). Don't mock that her ambition stretches no further than returning to the Chalet School to teach - this wasn't unusual for the time. Celebrate that in the 1920s, EBD was telling young girls that there are academic possibilities. This is good stuff!

I'm very much looking forward to The Head Girl of the Chalet School ...more

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Jul 01, 2014 Shawne rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, re-read, chalet-school

Easily one of the most dramatic books in a very dramatic series (that includes mountain rescues, avalanches and escaping the Nazis), The Princess Of The Chalet School is an enjoyable if rather over-the-top read. We meet a honest-to-goodness princess in the Chalet School universe - Elisaveta of a fictional Belsornia - and watch as she becomes a proper little schoolgirl in the Tiern See, even as her mad uncle Cosimo plots to improve his prospects in court.

It's all quite outlandish, to be fair, alb Easily one of the most dramatic books in a very dramatic series (that includes mountain rescues, avalanches and escaping the Nazis), The Princess Of The Chalet School is an enjoyable if rather over-the-top read. We meet a honest-to-goodness princess in the Chalet School universe - Elisaveta of a fictional Belsornia - and watch as she becomes a proper little schoolgirl in the Tiern See, even as her mad uncle Cosimo plots to improve his prospects in court.

It's all quite outlandish, to be fair, albeit fairly well-executed. As always, Elinor M. Brent-Dyer's deft characterisation works a treat. She creates a surprisingly deep dynamic within the Belsornian royal family: the widowed Crown Prince Carol adores his daughter; the King begrudges the fact that she was not born a boy. Brent-Dyer somehow manages to embed this story, rife with courtly intrigue and politics, into the daily concerns of the Chalet School.

There's also something to be said for how surprisingly feminist Princess is, for a book published in 1927. The series often comes under fire - often deservedly - for perpetuating gender stereotypes and rewarding its female protagonists with marriage to doctors and many years of child-bearing. That's definitely true, but there's no doubting either that Princess, as with many of the earlier books in the series, clearly demonstrates that its female protagonists are independent-minded and well capable of taking care of themselves - and others. Brent-Dyer's heroine, Joey Bettany, comes wonderfully to the fore: her mad rescue of Elisaveta from one of Cosimo's plots (for mad it is) nevertheless establishes her as a strong, effective character. The problems of the Belsornian royal family are wrapped up in a very forward-thinking way too.

Most enjoyable of all, as always, is the family atmosphere Brent-Dyer has constructed around this School of hers. The relationship between Joey and her elder sister Madge - poised as it is on the cusp of a big change, with the latter finally getting married to Dr. Jem - is as tender, sweet and real as ever. The love the sisters have for each other is perhaps one of the most enduring and endearing hallmarks of this series, and it shines through beautifully here. ...more

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Jun 20, 2016 Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) rated it it was ok

Shelves: children, 1920s-1930s, for-the-easily-entertained, not-up-to-standard

I know I'm in a bit of a reading slump, which in my case means being difficult to please, but this really isn't good enough. I like school stories that are about school, not impossible things.

This term sees Madge planning her wedding, and no one's happy about that. The school has grown to thirty-something students, among them a princess! Yes, I know that royalty sends their kids to boarding schools. That's not the point. This just...I dunno. It doesn't work in any way for me. Joey is again the ...more

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Jan 18, 2013 Emma Rose Ribbons rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: school-stories

This is my favourite so far (I'm reading them in order), perhaps because I'm getting used to its being more an adventure series than a school series. I also really enjoyed the plot, however predictable, and the use the girls make of their new survival/wilderness skills learned while trying to get more badges (I don't want to spoil here, but the last adventure Joey has is a good example of that). I feel that the whole Guiding aspect of the book was handled very badly, though, seeing as it was jus ...more

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Jun 22, 2012 ^ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Upper and upper-middle class ten year old girls

Recommended to ^ by: My mother

Shelves: fiction, pre-isbn, childrens, novel, review-liked, school, books-with-101-to-1000-ratings, author-female, y-1921-1930

First read this as a ten year old, loved it, and still love re-reading it today. I suspect that my parents saw in this, and the other Chalet School books, a fun way to learn good manners, to enjoying adventures in life, but not to do anything really stupid. On the whole that worked.

It was only in later years, as I grew into haunting second-hand bookshops, that I discovered just how dire the writing was of so much 1920’s schoolgirl fiction, & thus appreciated Elinor M. Brent-Dyer’s talent for nar ...more

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Dec 03, 2012 Katherine Bruce rated it really liked it

This one attempt by EBD to introduce a princess to one of her schools provides for a very interesting if rather stereotypical Ruritanian storyline. She augments it with the interesting concept of a bad staff member, in this case Matron, which, while it is an idea she repeats in the Chalet series later, is not one she tends to use in her other school series. Matron, who is openly racist and encourages (typical for the period) strong-arm tactics such as dragging girls along by brute force and lock ...more

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Apr 18, 2014 Jessica rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: children-s, fiction

One of my favourite Chalet School books (I love almost all of the ones I've read). Brent-Dyer connects a number of plotlines (Elisaveta, Matron, Madge) and makes them very much part of one term - there's no disjointed sense of 'this happened. Then that happened. Term ended' that sometimes characterises school stories.
The Cosimo plotline doesn't have to be massively realistic - the use of a fictional kingdom situates it firmly within the story, and so it works really effectively as an adventure. ...more

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Oct 23, 2014 Maja rated it it was amazing

I had never heard of the Chalet School books, or of the whole boarding school genre, while growing up. I've started reading this series now, as an adult, and I'm really enjoying it. The setting is so beautiful (and the author obviously knows and loves it) that I'm, unexpectedly, enjoying even the parts in which nothing is happening except for the girls getting out of bed, brushing their hair, going to breakfast and having lessons. That said, The Princess of the Chalet School is my favourite nove ...more

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Feb 16, 2008 Celia rated it liked it

Shelves: re-read, chalet-school

The third book of the Chalet School series is probably the most overly dramatic of the first few books, at least. A princess comes to the Chalet School, and with the help of Joey manages to evade the cruel intentions of her mad (mad!) uncle, who wants the crown for himself. There's a mountain climb (naturally - if these book are to be believed, you can't get anywhere in Austria without scaling a mountain), and everyone frets about Joey's health. Again. They all live happily ever after, and Joey ...more

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May 20, 2009 Sally rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: boarding-school, england, childrens, chalet-school, chalet-school-ts

The very first one I read... and I didn't like it! My friend Jo had the entire series and lent me it - not sure why this one and not the first. I wasn't a huge fan, but later on I picked up Summer Term at the Chalet School to give the series another go, loved it, and the rest is history. :) I of course read Princess again but still wasn't a huge fan. ...more

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Jan 10, 2010 Sarah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2010-read, 2010-jan-read

One of my favourite books in this series. Elisaveta, who is the Princess of Belsornia, has been sent to the Chalet School, to help her recovery from an illness. The fact that she is a princess has been kept secret from her schoolmates, except for Joey Bettany.

Her cousin, who would be heir to the throne after her father, the Crown Prince, kidnaps her from her school in order to force her father to give up his position as the Crown Prince. Joey sets off to rescue her, and once again, saves the day ...more

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Aug 14, 2013 Kirsti rated it really liked it

I really enjoy these books, except for the parts that are in another language (is it French? No idea) that just is assumed you know what the heck they're saying. I get the Koffee part, but everything else? Totally lost. The story itself isn't too dependent on that though, and moves along nicely. Found my copy at my local op shop, and was a bit dismayed at the price ($30.00!) but they knocked it down to $10 for me, yay!

I'd like to find more of these books, but they're a bit hard to find. ...more

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Mar 05, 2014 Sarah Adamson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: owned, children-s, elementary-school, chalet-series

This is book 3 in the Chalet Girl series. This one focuses on the addition of a new pupil to the school - a princess from a small nation.
This book explores some issues of class and complicated family relationships. It also introduces Girl Guides and sees the end of the school being directly under the guidance of Madge Bettany.
A fun one and a book I enjoyed more as a child than on my re-read as an adult. This time I found the bad guys a bit too annoying rather than scary!

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Apr 05, 2015 Heather rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: chalet-school-all-ebd, ggb

I REALLY enjoyed reading this lovely Girls Gone By edition of one of my favourite Chalet School books.

I could not even tell you how many times I have read 'Princess' over the years, but what a lovely treat to read this beautiful uncut, unabridged version, after reading the Armada version so many times. The front cover illustration is beautiful.

Also enjoyed the article by Adrianne Fitzpatrick on Matrons, Good & Bad. ...more

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May 29, 2011 Boneist rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-2011-since-e-o-may, 3rd-person

This is the first of a collection of Chalet School books that I found in an Oxfam shop yesterday. I was instantly transported back 20+ years to when I first read some of them.

In this one, we have a princess join the school, just as the head hires an unpleasant Matron. There's plenty of drama in this book, and I was sorry when it ended. Thank goodness I have more to read! ...more

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Aug 01, 2011 K.L. Taylor added it

Recommends it for: children, teens

Recommended to K.L. by: High School Teacher

I loved it just as much as I loved it the first time that I read it. Such a heartwarming book to read.

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Jul 17, 2012 Tria rated it really liked it

Hardback 1st library ed.

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Dec 17, 2017 T.F. rated it really liked it

The third in the chalet school series which I am also reading in sequence. Guess that is how it has to be read as there stories are chronologically placed as against Series like Bunter and Jennings which aren't. This one had a more exciting plot with a couple of strong conflicts - one around a difficult matron and the other a political intrigue around a princess who joins the school. The regular school setting in the scenic alps makes a fascinating read as usual. There is a picnic to a nearby t ...more

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Jun 24, 2018 Readsandeats rated it really liked it

This is one of my favourite books in the whole series.
We get more character development and the introduction of a more worldly feel.
In Elsaveta we find a really nice character who has to live a very resticited life until she comes to the Chalet School. Here we see her bloom and start to enjoy her childhood. She makes friends, goes on adventures - some more hair raising than others - becomes involved in helping the pupils rid the school of someone.
Joey is to the fore as Elsaveta's friend but n ...more

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Oct 03, 2020 Katja rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: review-to-be-updated

5+ stars & 8/10 hearts. This book was *so* good. It was lovely to meet the Chalet Girls again (although Dr. Jem figured less than I would have liked!). Prince Carol was a dear and I loved Elisaveta (and her name!! <3). The kidnapping theme kept me on the edge of my seat and I simply could not put this book down—I believe I read the whole thing in two sittings. I missed some of the elder girls, but it was enjoyable to get to know the young ones better. :)

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About Elinor M. Brent-Dyer

Elinor M. Brent-Dyer

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Elinor M. Brent-Dyer was born as Gladys Eleanor May Dyer on 6th April 1894, in South Shields in the industrial northeast of England, and grew up in a terraced house which had no garden or inside toilet. She was the only daughter of Eleanor Watson Rutherford and Charles Morris Brent Dyer. Her father, who had been married before, left home when she was three years old. In 1912, her brother Henzell d Elinor M. Brent-Dyer was born as Gladys Eleanor May Dyer on 6th April 1894, in South Shields in the industrial northeast of England, and grew up in a terraced house which had no garden or inside toilet. She was the only daughter of Eleanor Watson Rutherford and Charles Morris Brent Dyer. Her father, who had been married before, left home when she was three years old. In 1912, her brother Henzell died at age 17 of cerebro-spinal fever. After her father died, her mother remarried in 1913.

Elinor was educated at a small local private school in South Shields and returned there to teach when she was eighteen after spending two years at the City of Leeds Training College. Her teaching career spanned 36 years, during which she taught in a wide variety of state and private schools in the northeast, in Middlesex, Bedfordshire, Hampshire, and finally in Hereford.

In the early 1920s she adopted the name Elinor Mary Brent-Dyer. A holiday she spent in the Austrian Tyrol at Pertisau-am-Achensee gave her the inspiration for the first location in the Chalet School series. However, her first book, 'Gerry Goes to School', was published in 1922 and was written for the child actress Hazel Bainbridge. Her first 'Chalet' story, 'The School at the Chalet', was originally published in 1925.

In 1930, the same year that 'Jean of Storms' was serialised, she converted to Roman Catholicism.

In 1933 the Brent-Dyer household (she lived with her mother and stepfather until her mother's death in 1957) moved to Hereford. She travelled daily to Peterchurch as a governess.

When her stepfather died she started her own school in Hereford, The Margaret Roper School. It was non-denominational but with a strong religious tradition. Many Chalet School customs were followed, the girls even wore a similar uniform made in the Chalet School's colours of brown and flame. Elinor was rather untidy, erratic and flamboyant and not really suited to being a headmistress. After her school closed in 1948 she devoted most of her time to writing.

Elinor's mother died in 1957 and in 1964 she moved to Redhill, where she lived in a joint establishment with fellow school story author Phyllis Matthewman and her husband, until her death on 20th September 1969.

During her lifetime Elinor M. Brent-Dyer published 101 books but she is remembered mainly for her Chalet School series. The series numbers 58 books and is the longest-surviving series of girls' school-stories ever known, having been continuously in print for more than 70 years. One hundred thousand paperback copies are still being sold each year.

Among her published books are other school stories; family, historical, adventure and animal stories; a cookery book, and four educational geography-readers. She also wrote plays and numerous unpublished poems and was a keen musician.

In 1994, the year of the centenary of her Elinor Brent-Dyer's birth, Friends of the Chalet School put up plaques in Pertisau, South Shields and Hereford, and a headstone was erected on her grave in Redstone Cemetery, since there was not one previously. They also put flowers on her grave on the anniversaries of her birth and death and on other special occasions.
...more