I is for...Ishbel Anderson

Ishbel Anderson is a best friend of Rebecca Mason, the protagonist from boarding school series Trebizon. If you were a fan of Malory Towers and St Clare’s, then it is highly possible you would have graduated to the Trebizon books.

My two favourites books of the series are pictured. In the First Term, Rebecca arrives in the second year to find everyone established, and longs to make her mark by writing something for the school magazine. Her love of creative writing combined with the school setting – leafy oak trees, sandy beaches – made this book a winner for me. It also introduced me to the poetic works of Emily Dickinson.

In the Tennis Term, amidst the swirl of sporting life at school, two apparently pointless hoaxes set off a chain of events that affect all the characters. But underneath the drama, this book really captures the slow march of time, in that it is Rebecca's older friend Pippa's last term, and eventually everyone has to grow up and move beyond their childhood boundaries.

I especially liked Ishbel (Tish) for her positive attitude to life and sense of fun. I also enjoyed mentions of Pippa, as she is an artist and a very reflective character, one who already feels the nostalgia of her passing school days.


Trebizon series
Published: 1978 – 1994
Author: Anne Digby

Sporty fact one: I studied gymnastics for eight years, enjoying it very much. Favourite equipment was the asymmetric bars. Least favourite was that awful beam!
Sporty fact two: After reading Trebizon books I used to pretend I was part of a tennis club, hitting a ball up a wall for hours on end. I invented different players, drew match timetables, and probably looked a little mad.
Sporty fact three: When I was eleven I ran a gymnastics class after-school for younger girls, teaching them the basics.
Sporty fact four: I was on the netball team in junior school, and usually played Wing Attack.
Sporty fact five: I loved rounders (a form of baseball, maybe?) and used to enjoy running like lightening around the bases, especially whacking the ball as far as I could get it!