Secrets and Dreams

What would you wish for if your family won the lottery? Zoe has grown up on Gran’s copies of Enid Blyton and dreams of going to boarding school. When she gets there she finds that it is not quite how she imagined it. There are mean girls galore and very few midnight feasts. She falls into a friendship with Rachel, later to be known as ‘Daffy’.  Rachel’s idea of boarding school is as unrealistic as Zoe’s. While the latter seems to have the social skills to navigate the waters, Daffy just comes across as very strange and unworldly and is soon a victim of the mean girls’ bullying. Zoe reluctantly continues to be friends and discovers the secret of Daffy’s past and the reasons behind her strange behaviour.

The story could be hackneyed but in the sure hands of Jean Ure it is a very enjoyable read. The characters are well drawn and the plot centres around familiar teenage dilemmas for the most part.

A good read for those who like character driven stories with a hint of moral dilemma – and a bonus to everyone who ever wanted to go to Malory Towers.