Jo Returns to the Chalet School
Key Facts (possible Spoilers)
School Facts:
Mademoiselle Lepattre is Headmistress
School is located at Briesau on the Tiernsee in the Austrian Tirol
Series Characters Whereabouts:
Jo Bettany - is living at Madge's home Die Rosen but for the duration of the book spends her time at the Chalet School
Robin Humphries (aged 12) - is at the Chalet School Annexe at the Sonnalpe
Peggy Bettany (aged 4) - is living at Die Rosen while her parents are in India
Bride Bettany - is living at Die Rosen
Daisy Venables - is a new Junior in St Agnes House
Biddy O'Ryan - is a Middle in St Clare's House
Due to the Bettany children contracting measles Joey is unable to return to Die Rosen after a visit to the school.
On a visit to the Post Joey offers help to a girl struggling to communicate in German and discovers that she has run away from her elderly guardians. The girl, Polly Herriot is taken to the Chalet School and when her guardians are contacted they request that she should stay there.
Polly's education has been old fashioned, so Jo is pressed into service as her tutor. Polly gets into trouble when she damages a book belonging to Herr Laubach. She also manages to rouse the whole of Briesau when a prank backfires.
In her spare time Joey begins a novel but Matey is extremely scathing about it and Joey later burns it realising that Matey was right. She begins afresh and over the course of the term completes it and sends it to a publisher.
Over Half Term Mlle Lepattre is taken seriously ill and has to have a dangerous operation. The entire school is relieved when she manages to pull through.
Dick and Molly Bettany return to India after Dick's furlough, leaving their younger children, Jackie and Bride, with Madge, along with twins Peggy and Rix.
The term finishes with the Christmas play in aid of the poor in Innsbruck, which Joey arranges that they will perform for the parishioners of Vater Stefan at the start of the next term.
contributed by Susan Vass, Scotland __ working from a hardback edition