Claudine at St.Clare's facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | Enid Blyton |
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| Illustrator | W. Lindsay Cable |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | Indonesia |
| Series | St. Clare's |
| Publisher | Methuen |
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Publication date
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1944 |
| Preceded by | Kitty at St. Clare's |
| Followed by | Fifth Formers at St. Clare's |
Claudine at St. Clare's is the fifth book in the popular St. Clare's series by Enid Blyton. This story follows the adventures of twin sisters Patricia and Isabel O'Sullivan at their exciting boarding school, St. Clare's. In this book, you'll meet some new and interesting characters: Claudine, who is the French teacher's niece; Eileen, whose mother becomes the new matron; Pauline, a girl who pretends to be rich; and Angela, a very wealthy but spoiled student.
Contents
What Happens in the Story?
New Faces at St. Clare's
When Pat and Isabel return to school, they are surprised to find a new matron and her daughter, Eileen. Soon after, Mam'zelle, the French teacher, introduces her niece, Claudine. Claudine will be joining the school for the term. Meanwhile, Alison O'Sullivan, the twins' cousin, quickly becomes friends with Angela. Angela is rich, pretty, and always well-dressed. Alison soon finds herself influenced by Angela's snobby attitude.
Eileen, the new matron's daughter, is a quiet girl. She sometimes acts in ways that make others suspicious. Pauline is another new student who loves to brag about her family's supposed wealth.
Midnight Feast Trouble
As often happens at St. Clare's, the girls decide to have a secret midnight feast. But things go wrong when Claudine locks the Matron in a broom cupboard! The Matron is very angry when she is finally let out by her daughter, Eileen. The Matron mistakenly thinks Eileen was part of the feast. However, Eileen was actually talking to her brother, Eddie, who had lost his job and was afraid to tell their mother.
Pauline's Secret Revealed
Pauline faces an even bigger problem. Her mother visits the school unexpectedly. Alison and Angela see her and mistake her for one of the school cooks. This reveals that Pauline's boasts about her family's wealth were not true. She was actually quite embarrassed about her family's financial situation. Angela is scornful when she learns the truth.
However, Alison feels sorry for Pauline's mother. She bravely stands up to Angela's snobby behavior. Alison decides she won't let Angela influence her anymore. This decision is also partly because of how rude Angela's mother was during a school break. Alison was even secretly pleased when the mischievous Claudine accidentally fell into the water, splashing Angela's mother!
The Mystery of the Missing Items
Towards the end of the book, the Matron discovers that someone has been taking food, money, and even stamps from her. It turns out that Eileen was taking these things to help her brother, Eddie, who needed money to find a new job.
When Eddie finally gets a job, Eileen and Eddie decide to confess to Miss Theobald, the headmistress. They had heard that Pauline was being blamed for the thefts, even though Pauline had only been taking money from her own mother's bank account. (For a short time, Claudine was also suspected because she suddenly had a lot of money for expensive birthday gifts. But it was discovered she had sold a beautiful cushion cover that Mam'zelle had shown everyone.)
Miss Theobald sends Eileen and Eddie to wait in another room. She then calls for the Matron. Miss Theobald tells the Matron that she knows who took her things and asks if the person should be expelled. The Matron, still unkind, insists that the girl should be expelled. Then, Miss Theobald leads her to Eileen and Eddie. The Matron is shocked and realizes her mistake. She leaves St. Clare's at the end of the school year with her children. But Eileen sends a final letter to Alison, thanking her for her kindness.
