Read and Reviewed: True Friends at Fernside by Sheena Wilkinson

Friday, 17 October 2025

True Friends at Fernside by Sheena Wilkinson

✦ BLURB ✦

Fernside House, nestled at the end of a quiet road, is waiting for eighty girls to disturb its holiday peace ...

Cousins Robin and Linnet are back at Fernside and school life is busier than ever - with the animals at Rowanbank, a new science class, netball rivalry and fun in the dorms.

But the end-of-term exams are not the only test for the girls. As the lower fourth face the good and the bad times of growing up and the cancellation of the Christmas Show, a surprise 'new' girl challenges them to understand what it really means to be a true friend at Fernside.

✶ PRE-READING ✶

The first novel was a lot of fun - a love letter to Malory Towers and the Chalet School, with a surprising amount of historical detail. I was looking forward to more of the same, with perhaps more detail about the girls.

✶ POST-READING ✶

As I thought... The historical detail is just as good in this one, with our setting just a few years after the war. In a lovely bit of meta, one of the girls loves school stories, and hearing all the titles of the books she was reading was really fun - Sheena must have had a lot of fun researching them! The girls are all fun, but I especially liked Robin's introspection - a moment where she wonders uneasily what about her the other girls don't like really stuck with me.

It surprised me by... How deeply it dove into the girls' inner lives. Blyton's characters were all jolly hockey sticks, and if they had problems they were dealt with in the space of a few chapters. Sheena's characters feel far more real, with emotions lingering and experiences having lasting effects.

✦ RECOMMENDATIONS ✦

Book Recommendation: The Tower Ghost by Natasha Mac A'Bhaird - another boarding school story, set a few decades later in the 60s, with equally real characters.

TV or Movie Recommendation: Malory Towers (BBC) - it takes a few liberties with the source material, but it's a great show.

✦ MUSIC PAIRING ✦

Because sometimes, the heart of a story plays out like a song.

🎵 Featured Song: “You’ve Got a Friend” by Carole King – yes, it’s an oldie, but the warmth and sincerity absolutely echo the way the girls are learning what real friendship means.

🎶 Vibe Album: Let It Snow (Diana Krall & Friends) – jazzy, wintery, a little nostalgic, perfect for the wintry boarding-school setting and the Christmas show that isn’t.

🎧 Artist Recommendation: The Staves – three sisters with layered harmonies that feel both modern and timeless. Their music has that warmth-with-a-bite tone that matches Sheena Wilkinson’s balance of tradition and realism.

✧ VIBE CHECK ✧

A colour palette: Royal blue and frosty silver

A soundtrack: Christmas carols sung by a choir

A season: Winter - cold, sharp and fresh

A mood: Curious and determined

A scent: Cold mornings, wet stone and hot cocoa

★ TAROT CARD PULLED ★

Six of Cups (Kids Tarot) – Two children on a tire swing capture the warmth and innocence at the heart of Fernside, where friendship and understanding are the truest lessons.

🐾

Read and Reviewed