Elinor Brent-Dyer

Elinor M. Brent-Dyer (6 April 1894 – 20 September 1969) was an English writer of children's literature who wrote more than one hundred books during her lifetime, the most famous being the Chalet School series.

Early life and education
Brent-Dyer was born Gladys Eleanor May Dyer on 6 April 1894 in South Shields. She was the only daughter of Charles Morris Brent Dyer, a surveyor, and Eleanor Watson Rutherford. Her father left the family when she was three years old and her mother remarried in 1913. In 1912, her younger brother Henzell died of meningitis.

Brent-Dyer was educated privately at a small school in South Shields until 1912 and shortly afterward trained to teach at City of Leeds Training College. She taught a variety of subjects at both state and private schools and ran a Girl Guide group. In the 1920s, she briefly studied music under Edgar Bainton at the Newcastle Conservatoire.

Career
Brent-Dyer's first book, Gerry Goes to School, was published in 1922 and became the first of the La Rochelle series.

She was inspired to start the Chalet School series after holidaying in the Austrian Tyrol at Pertisau-am-Achensee. The first book in the series, The School at the Chalet, was published in 1925.

Although she was raised as an Anglican, she converted to Roman Catholicism in 1930.

In 1933, Brent-Dyer and her mother moved to Hereford, where Brent-Dyer was employed as a governess in Peterchurch. In 1938, she opened her own school, the Margaret Roper School, which closed in 1948. She then dedicated all of her time to writing.

Brent-Dyer's mother died in 1957. In 1964, her long-time friend Phyllis Matthewman persuaded her to leave the unmanageably large Victorian villa at which she had previously run her school to live with Phyllis and her literary agent husband, Sydney. After first living together as tenants in half of a house called Albury Edge, at Redhill, Surrey, they bought a house together, Gryphons, also at Redhill, in 1965. Phyllis's aunt, who knew the Dyer family, had introduced them to one another in childhood. Sydney Matthewman served as Brent-Dyer's agent. Brent-Dyer died at Redhill in 1969 and her final book was published posthumously the following year.

Chalet School series
(in reading order)


 * 1) The School at the Chalet
 * 2) Jo of the Chalet School
 * 3) The Princess of the Chalet School
 * 4) The Head-Girl of the Chalet School
 * 5) The Rivals of the Chalet School
 * 6) Eustacia Goes to the Chalet School
 * 7) The Chalet School and Jo
 * 8) The Chalet Girls in Camp
 * 9) The Exploits of the Chalet Girls
 * 10) The Chalet School and the Lintons
 * 11) The New House at the Chalet School
 * 12) Jo Returns to the Chalet School
 * 13) The New Chalet School
 * 14) The Chalet School in Exile
 * 15) The Chalet School Goes to It
 * 16) Highland Twins at the Chalet School
 * 17) Lavender Laughs in the Chalet School
 * 18) Gay From China at the Chalet School
 * 19) Jo to the Rescue
 * a Mystery at the Chalet School
 * b Tom Tackles the Chalet School
 * c The Chalet School and Rosalie
 * 1) Three Go to the Chalet School
 * 2) The Chalet School and the Island
 * 3) Peggy of the Chalet School
 * 4) Carola Storms the Chalet School
 * 5) The Wrong Chalet School
 * 6) Shocks for the Chalet School
 * 7) The Chalet School in the Oberland
 * 8) Bride Leads the Chalet School
 * 9) Changes for the Chalet School
 * 10) Joey Goes to the Oberland
 * 11) The Chalet School and Barbara
 * 12) The Chalet School Does it Again
 * 13) A Chalet Girl from Kenya
 * 14) Mary-Lou of the Chalet School
 * 15) A Genius at the Chalet School
 * 16) A Problem for the Chalet School
 * 17) The New Mistress at the Chalet School
 * 18) Excitements at the Chalet School
 * 19) The Coming of Age of the Chalet School
 * 20) The Chalet School and Richenda
 * 21) Trials for the Chalet School
 * 22) Theodora and the Chalet School
 * 23) Joey and Co. in Tirol
 * 24) Ruey Richardson – Chaletian
 * 25) A Leader in the Chalet School
 * 26) The Chalet School Wins the Trick
 * 27) A Future Chalet School Girl
 * 28) The Feud in the Chalet School
 * 29) The Chalet School Triplets
 * 30) The Chalet School Reunion
 * 31) Jane and the Chalet School
 * 32) Redheads at the Chalet School
 * 33) Adrienne and the Chalet School
 * 34) Summer Term at the Chalet School
 * 35) Challenge for the Chalet School
 * 36) Two Sams at the Chalet School
 * 37) Althea Joins the Chalet School
 * 38) Prefects of the Chalet School

La Rochelle series

 * Gerry Goes to School (1922)
 * A Head Girl's Difficulties (1923)
 * The Maids of La Rochelle
 * Seven Scamps
 * Heather Leaves School
 * Janie of La Rochelle
 * Janie Steps In

Chudleigh Hold series
A loosely connected series of adventure books


 * Chudleigh Hold
 * The Condor Crags Adventure
 * Top Secret
 * Fardingales
 * The Susannah Adventure

Other works

 * A Thrilling Term at Janeways
 * Caroline the Second
 * The School by the River (1930)
 * The New House-Mistress
 * Judy, the Guide
 * The Feud in the Fifth Remove
 * Carnation of the Upper Fourth
 * They Both Liked Dogs
 * The School by the River
 * The Little Marie-Jose
 * Elizabeth the Gallant
 * The Little Missus
 * Lorna at Wynyards
 * Stepsisters for Lorna
 * Kennelmaid Nan
 * Nesta Steps Out
 * Beechy of the Harbour School
 * A Leader in Spite of Herself
 * The School at Skelton Hall
 * Trouble at Skelton Hall
 * Bess on Her Own in Canada
 * A Quintette in Queensland
 * Sharlie's Kenya Diary
 * Verena Visits New Zealand
 * Jean of Storms (novel for adults, originally published in the Shields Gazette in 1930)
 * The Lost Staircase
 * Monica Turns Up Trumps