A Fortunate Term

Two sisters. A new school. A mystery that demands action. When Mavis and Merle Ramsay leave their gray industrial hometown of Whinburn for the sunlit hills of Devonshire, their mother hopes the change will restore Mavis's fragile health. But the sisters discover that Durracombe School holds more than just academic lessons. Merle, bold and irrepressible, thrives among new friends and lively schemes, while delicate Mavis finds herself drawn into something far more dangerous than recovering from illness: a web of intrigue that requires courage neither sister knew they possessed. Angela Brazil, the pioneering voice of early twentieth-century girls' adventure fiction, transforms the school story into something taut and thrilling. This is no tame tale of friendships and fashion shows. Here, schoolgirls solve puzzles, outwit adversaries, and prove that courage comes in many forms. The sisters must rely on each other in ways they never expected, discovering that the "fortunate term" their mother wished for will require far more than good health. For readers who grew up craving adventure between the dormitory walls, who wanted Enid Blyton's protagonists to be a little braver and the stakes a little higher, this 1921 gem delivers.