"Autumn Term" is the classic children's school story written by Antonia Forest and originally published in 1948. The story follows 12-year-old identical twins Nicola (Nicky) and Lawrie Marlow as they head off for their first year at the fictional Kingscote boarding school. They have major shoes to fill: their four older sisters (including Karen, the imposing Head Girl) have all distinguished themselves at the school.
However, things do not go as smoothly as the twins expect. Before they even arrive, Nicola accidentally pulls the train's emergency communication cord. Upon arrival, instead of being placed in the prestigious top academic stream, they are assigned to the "Third Remove"-a class where very little is expected of them. The book chronicles their academic mishaps, psychological playground dynamics, and a dramatic school play production, culminating in a few hard-won victories.
This is classic juvenile boarding school fiction at its very best. Family expectations, sibling rivalry, identity, and the complex social structures of a closed girls' society abound.
Forest's writing is highly regarded by critics for its sophisticated, sharp psychological insight and lack of sentimentality. Literary experts have frequently compared her sharp character observations to a "Jane Austen for the young."
