Clare Mallory facts for kids
Clare Mallory was the writing name of Winifred Constance McQuilkan Hall. She was born on September 25, 1913, and passed away on April 20, 1991. Under the name Clare Mallory, she wrote ten children's books. These books were published between 1947 and 1951.
Clare Mallory is best known for her exciting school stories for girls. Before she got married, she was the headmistress of a school in Dunedin, New Zealand. She once shared that her first books came from stories she told her students. She would tell these stories to entertain them while they packed food parcels for Britain.
Many people think Clare Mallory was one of the best writers of classic school stories. She didn't try to create new types of stories. Instead, she stuck to the traditional style. Her books often featured strong Head Girls and energetic Games Captains. They also had respected Headmistresses and many friendly younger students. A common idea in her stories is how important it is to feel like you belong. This might have been important to Mallory herself. She lost both her parents when she was a teenager. She finished school while living in rented rooms. Her characters often love the strong bonds they form. For Clare Mallory, the school, or sometimes a specific "House" within the school, was a place where characters could truly belong.
Her Life Story
Clare Mallory was born in Invercargill, New Zealand, in 1913. She went to Southland Girls' High School. There, she was the top student. She then studied English and Latin at the University of Otago in Dunedin. She earned a Master of Arts degree. Later, she went to Somerville College, Oxford, in England. She achieved a top grade in English language there.
After her studies, she returned to New Zealand to teach. In 1942, she became the Headmistress of Columba College, Dunedin. She left this job when she married Frank Hall in 1949. After her marriage, she lived in London for a few years. But she came back to New Zealand. She lived there until she passed away in 1991.
Who Inspired Her Books
Clare Mallory was inspired by other writers. She dedicated her book Juliet Overseas to Josephine Elder. Mallory said Elder's book Evelyn Finds Herself was "the best school story I know." Later, Mallory used a similar idea in her own book, Leith and Friends. Both books explored themes of friendship and finding yourself. Leith and Friends was even called "the best school story for many years" in England. Elder's influence can also be seen in The League of the Smallest. This book shares similar ideas with Elder's 1927 story, Thomasina Toddy.
Brenda Page was another writer who influenced Mallory. Page's 1927 school story, Schoolgirl Rivals, inspired Mallory's Juliet Overseas. In the first parts of Juliet Overseas, you can see many similarities. Some sentences are almost the same. For example, "she was a stranger in a strange land" became "She was a new girl in a strange land." However, as the story continues, Mallory's writing becomes unique. She developed her characters and plot in a way that was much better than the earlier book.
Her Books
- Merry Begins (1947)
- Merry Again (1947)
- Merry Marches On (1947)
- The Pen and Pencil Girls (1948?)
- Juliet Overseas (1949)
- The New House at Winwood (1949)
- Tony Against the Prefects (1949)
- Leith and Friends (1950)
- The Two Linties (1950)
- The League of the Smallest (1951)
At the end of Merry Marches On, it was mentioned that a fourth book, Tremaynes Trans Tasman, was being prepared. Clare Mallory later said she renamed this book Merry In Australia and was working on it. However, neither of these books was ever published. Even fifty years later, people who worked at the publisher's office in Melbourne remembered getting many questions about it.
