Darrell Rivers begins her first year at Malory Towers, a castle-like clifftop boarding school in Cornwall.

Another new girl is Gwendoline Mary Lacey, who turns out to be vain, shallow and prone to occasional spitefulness and bullying.

Among the newcomers, Belinda delights the other girls with her sharply drawn caricature drawings, while Ellen worries about her position in the form and overworks herself.

There is also Mavis, who has a beautiful singing voice, which she foolishly risks when she attends a local talent contest and finds herself stranded at night outside the school in a rainstorm.

A sickly new girl, Clarissa, gives Gwendoline the idea of avoiding the examination by affecting a heart condition, which leads to a bitter confrontation with her appalled father.

But Gwen is destined to get a huge shock that forces her to re-evaluate her future and bitterly regret some cruel words to her father.

The final book of the new series, Goodbye Malory Towers, sees the return of the original cast, including Darrell, Sally, and Alicia, for a school reunion, and the addition of Gwendoline Mary Lacey to the teaching staff.

The school had relocated from its original site in Kent during World War II to the Hotel Bristol in Newquay, Cornwall.

[15] Commenters have also remarked on the parallels between Gillian's school life, as recorded in her diaries, and the plots of the Malory Towers books.

'The plotline in "Third Year" that introduces the character Zerelda Brass, who has aspirations to become an actress, also has a parallel in Gillian's diaries.

'In its first appearance, the school is described thus: She saw a big, square looking building of soft grey stone standing high up on a hill.

The front of the building, between the east and south towers, has the main entrance, gymnasium, assembly hall, laboratories and art room.

The school also has a rose garden, stables, tennis courts, sports pitches and an outside, natural swimming pool cut into the coastline.

From 1977 to 1997, twelve sequel books were published, telling Dolly's further life which always stays close to the school: after studying at a partner university, she works as a house mistress, marries one of the teachers, and has a child of her own.

A stage production written and directed by Emma Rice and her company Wise Children has been touring theatres in 2019.

It was developed by Rachel Flowerday, who had previously worked on the television series Father Brown, and Sasha Hails.