Description

A classic fictional tale of life at an English “all girls” school, Angela Brazil’s “The Youngest Girl in the Fifth” follows the travails and triumphs of Gwen, the youngest girl in her year at a traditional boarding school. Charming and entertaining, it is highly recommended for young girls and those with an interest in early schoolgirls’ stories. Angela Brazil (1868 – 1947) was an English author most famous for being one of the first writers of “modern schoolgirls’ stories”. Her stories were presented from the characters’ point of view and were written primarily as entertainment rather than moral instruction. During the first half of the 20th century, Brazil published nearly 50 such books, with the vast majority being set in English boarding schools. Brazil’s work had a significant influence on changing the nature of fiction for girls. Her charters were chiefly young females, active, independent, and aware. Brazil’s books were often considered to be immoral and deviant, leading to their being burned or banned by many Headteachers in girls schools across Britain. Other notable works by this author include: “The School in the Forest” (1944), “Three Terms at Uplands” (1945), “The School on the Loch” (1946). Contents include: “The Gascoyne Girls”, “A False Step”, “A Delicate Transaction”, “Trouble in the Fifth”, “A Casting Vote”, “Dick Chambers”, “Gwen Receives a Letter”, “Keeping Christmas”, “A Prodigal”, “A Prize Essay”, etc. Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially-commissioned new biography of the author.