Juliet Shand Harding leaves her home in New Zealand to attend the English boarding school where her mother and aunt were pupils in this immensely engaging girls' school story. Determined to play her part in making Shand House, named for her own grandfather, a success, Juliet is dismayed to discover that of the four houses at Queen Elinor's, her own is lowest in standing, and is known for a lack of discipline, a lack of ambition, and a poor work ethic. This sorry state of affairs is owing to a dearth of seniors in Shand, and to the general laxity of what seniors there are. The new house captain, Cara (Caroline) St. Aubrey, nicknamed 'the Duchess' because of her aristocratic background and her cool, superior way, seems at first glance a poor choice to improve matters. Juliet herself, who becomes Cara's study mate, is both impressed and intimidated by this calm, collected peer, and frustrated by her seeming indifference to house standing. Slowly however, Juliet gets to know Cara better, helping her to turn Shand around, and restore it to its former glory...

Kiwi author Clare Mallory (real name: Winifred Constance McQuilkan Hall) wrote a number of girls' school stories, and seems to be an author who is particularly interested in the fortunes of the house, and the student's participation in the house, to judge by the books I have read thus far. Certainly, her Merry trilogy - Merry Begins, Merry Again and Merry Marches On - focused on this theme, and so too does Juliet Overseas. Published in 1949, the book is dedicated to fellow girls' school story author Josephine Elder, and mentions Evelyn Finds Herself as one of the finest examples of the genre. When I finish my current Mallory binge, I will have to return to Elder! In any case, I enjoyed this story quite a bit, finding both Juliet and Cara engaging characters. I thought that Mallory did an excellent job capturing Juliet's blend of forthright self-confidence when it came to school and house matters and insecurity when addressing personal relationships. I enjoyed every single one of the subplots, from the schoolgirl shenanigans (and how Juliet handled them) to the program Juliet started to aid the beleaguered kitchen staff of Shand House. In fact, I enjoyed this so much that I ended up reading it in one sitting, staying up until 3am to do so! If that isn't a recommendation, I don't know what is. Recommended to fans of the girls' school story, or to readers interested in vintage New Zealand children's fiction. For my part, I am eager to read more from Mallory! ( )