School by the Sea Series: Book 1
Publication Date: March 29, 2022
The first book of Jenny Colgan’s delightful new four-part series, set at a charming English boarding school on the sea.
Maggie went to the window and opened it wide, inhaling the lovely salt air off the sea. Why had she never lived by the sea before? Why had she always looked out on housing estates and not the little white hulls of trawlers bobbing off in the distance?
It’s gloriously sunny in Cornwall as the school year starts at the little boarding school by the sea. Maggie, the newest teacher at Downey House, is determined to make her mark. She’s delighted by her new teaching job, but will it come at the expense of her relationship with her safe, dependable boyfriend Stan?
Simone is excited and nervous: she’s won a scholarship to the prestigious boarding school and wants to make her parents proud. Forced to share a room with the glossy, posh girls of Downey House, she needs to find a friend, fast.
Fliss is furious. She’s never wanted to go to boarding school and hates being sent away from her home. As Simone tries desperately to fit in, Fliss tries desperately to get out.
Over the course of one year, friendships will bloom and lives will be changed forever. Life at the Little School by the Sea is never dull…
The English tradition of boarding school comes to life in an engaging series highlighting the antics of memorable characters.
Author Jenny Colgan sets the stage in Welcome to the School by the Sea. This charming installment marks the first of six books showcasing the prestigious Downey House in Cornwall.
Using three main characters to drive the storyline provides an excellent opportunity to see events through different lenses. Maggie’s experiences as a new teacher who is excited about her posh role contrasts sharply with Felicity’s disgust at being sent away to school. Simone’s viewpoint as a scholarship student demonstrates the isolation common for someone deemed an outcast.
The drama mounts when the school is selected for an assessment in which examiners will observe classes for a three-week period, much like an accreditation visit.
Add in plenty of pranks and adventures throughout the school year. As an American English speaker, there was a bit of a learning curve required to grasp all of the jargon and slang used by the British, but it was well worth the effort.
Welcome to the School by the Sea offers a boarding school reading experience for adults, introducing a compelling story with engaging characters.
Jenny Colgan is the New York Times bestselling author of numerous novels, including The Christmas Bookshop, The Bookshop on the Corner, Little Beach Street Bakery, and Christmas at the Cupcake Café. Jenny, her husband, and three children live in a genuine castle in Scotland.
