British boarding school stories (was Coming of age in the WW)

[junediamanti]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Catlady (Rita Prince 
Winston)" <catlady at w...> wrote:
> --- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "davewitley"
> <dfrankiswork at n...> wrote:
> 
> > I'd be interested to know which examples of this genre people 
have 
> > read, and any comparisons to Hogwarts (perhaps we should take 
this 
> > back to the main list?).
> 
> I haven't read any except bits of Stalky long ago, but I have heard
> that  Geoffrey Willans and Ronald Searle wrote and drew a couple of
> school-story books named Molesworth in which "Hogwarts" appears as 
the
> name of a school. Apparently, they are now out-of-print and highly
> expensive collectibles, so I cannot check on this rumor myself.

June:
Expensive collectibles - how delightful because I have the entire 
canon of these masterworks at home.  

the order of these books is:


Down with Skool
How to be Topp
Whizz for Atoms 
Back in the Jug Agane


The leading character is Nigel Molesworth who narrates the story of 
his life at the minor public school, St Custards using his own 
irresistable spelling.  

I bought How to be Topp when I was twelve and never ever stopped 
loving these books.

As I recall, Hogwarts is the name of an Elizabethan school depicted 
in a flashback of old times.  

Memorable characters include his younger brother Molesworth 2, the 
Headmaster Grimes, Sigismond the Mad Maths Master, Basil Fotherington-
Thomas (the school weedy boy), Molesworth's best friend Peason and 
the Headboy Grabber who is also the richest boy in the school and 
always wins everything.

Incidentally I picked up my second hand edition of the Omnibus 
Edition at a stall for exactly one pound...

And I actually learned more latin from these books than I ever did in 
class.

June