St Grizzle's School for Girls, Ghosts and Runaway Grannies

Karen MCombie and Becka Moor have teamed up to write and illustrate a new series of books featuring St Grizzle's School for Girls (see also the first book, St Grizzle's School for Girls, Goats and Random Boys). In the first book (Goats and Random Boys), we meet Dani Dexter, daughter of a zoologist with a special interest in penguins. Dani is a happy child who enjoys school and being with her friend Archie, with whom she makes short animated films starring ex-toys. Those penguins, however, are about to cause a major change in Dani's life when her mother has an opportunity to study them in the Antarctic for three months. With no one around to look after Dani (Granny Vic is excluded as unsuitable), a boarding school is found. This is no ordinary boarding school, however, as Dani and her mother discover when they arrive. It seems the information on St Grizelda's School website is out of date and it is now under new management. Despite her own reservations and Dani's protestations, Dani's mother leaves her there, with Lulu, the new headmistress, wearing a crown of teaspoons, and a goat called Twinkle. Dani hates the place, including the small number of girls left at the school now that most parents have withdrawn their daughters. She's not impressed with the chaotic lessons and she misses her old school and Archie. Gradually, however, she comes to appreciate the charms of the place and how everyone, however oddball, fits in. In the second book (Ghosts and Runaway Grannies), Dani is put in charge of making a short film for a local schools' competition. This does not go well to start with, as Dani doubts the abilities of the rest of the girls and, following a disastrous meeting, ends up doing all the jobs herself. It takes the arrival of Granny Viv to make Dani realise that teamwork means involving everyone and their talents, whatever they may be (even if it is cartwheeling). Young readers will enjoy becoming acquainted with Dani, her old friend Archie, and her new friends, including Swan and Zed (the random boy from the first book), Blossom, the slightly unnerving triplets and, of course, Twinkle the goat. The (slightly) bonkers ethos of St Grizzle's will also appeal - who wouldn't like lessons in circus skills? 224 pages / Ages 7-9 years / Reviewed by June Hughes, school librarian.

Suggested Reading Age 7+