Book Review: High Jinx

As you might have read on my blog before, I love Enid Blyton books. I especially love the Malory Towers books, and was particularly gutted I was never allowed to go to boarding school to partake in midnight feasts, tomfoolery and high jinx.

So, when I discovered High Jinx by Sara Lawrence (courtesy of Tatler's Summer Reads), a modern-take on Malory Towers, I suspected I would like the book. For the record, I *love* it.

High Jinx follows the story of Jinx Slater and her classmates at Stagmount, England's most exclusive boarding school (based on Roedean, which was founded by Lawrence's great-great aunts, and which she also attended).

From sneaking out into Brighton, A-Levels, battles with the evil Gunn, and the arrival of bitchy Stella Fox, there's never a dull moment at Stagmount! Peppered with colourful (explicit) language, this is an accurate and enjoyable (controversial to some) portrayal of life at an exclusive boarding school for girls. Sure, the girls are a little spoilt, but they are nice enough about it, and the humour detracts you from hating them outright.

If you ever wondered what a modern day Malory Towers would be like, you have to read this book. There's also a sequel out - Jinxed - that was released in September, but I've not managed to get hold of a copy yet (grrrrrr). And if you're worried this is strictly for children, it's not, as demonstrated by the opening sentences:

Jinx Slater lay in bed listening to Chastity Maxwell shagging the handyman. She wasn't so much listening, mind, as accidentally overhearing, for the paper-thin walls of the sixth-form boarding house had been built with no regard for aural abstinence.

Brilliant! Has anyone already read this? Or does anyone know any similar young adult modern boarding school books? x

5 comments

  1. i NEED to check out this book, it sounds awesome!

    as for modern boarding school young adult novels, i don't really know of any but an ADULT book which does the boarding school tales quite well from both an adult and kid side is "Class" by Jane Beaton (i think that's her name). It's pretty good.

    ReplyDelete
  2. It is! And I will be checking out Class - looks like my sort of book! :D (I think it would be easier if I just buy shares in Amazon with how much I spend on there!!!)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Alas my modern boarding school books knowledge is non-existent. You and another girl's blog I follow are my guru's for contemporary YA.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I loved Enid Blyton books too. SO politically incorrect but amazingly I didn't notice this at the time of reading.

    They're re-issued now apparently so I may go back to Mallory Towers and St Clare's at some point.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Well I will do my best to keep you updated, Liza!

    Do you know, Papercuts - I may have to dig out my copies of the Malory Towers books as well to reread. The last time I read them was probably 3-4 years ago - I spent my summer rereading all my old Blyton and other childhood books! :D

    ReplyDelete