Lavender Laughs in Libya by Sylvia Leigh

Title: Lavender Laughs in Libya

Author: Sylvia Leigh

Publisher: Not known

Source book: Lavender Laughs in the Chalet School by Elinor M Brent-Dyer

Lavender Leigh arrives at the Chalet School very full of herself because she is the chief character in a series of travel books written by her Auntie Sylvia and has travelled to a great many far flung countries. But by the time Lavender joins the school she has had to travel around Scotland [seriously? not very exciting Auntie] because WWII prohibits foreign travel. And Auntie Sylvia has been called up as her niece is now 14, so Lavender has no home. On top of this Lavender is stressed and anxious after so much travel. Her doctor prescribes school, but his patient is none too keen.

In addition to Lavender Laughs in Libya, Auntie Sylvia has also written the following:

Lavender Laughs in Brazil
Lavender Laughs in Cyprus
Lavender Laughs in New Guinea
Lavender Laughs in the West Indies
Lavender Laughs in Turkey
Lavender Laughs in Kashmir 
and Lavender Laughs in Scotland.

We learn that Lavender has spent three months in Canada, in winter, so perhaps there is also a Lavender Laughs in Canada?

While she is at the Chalet School Lavender becomes a nicer person and does her best to help a girl from Kashmir who she had met on her travels. And she starts to write her own book Lavender Laughs in the Seychelles. Unfortunately in subsequent Chalet School books Lavender fades into the background and is hardly mentioned again. This is a pity because she’s an interesting character, rather different from most other Chalet girls.

When Lavender Laughs was reprinted in paperback the name was changed to Lavender Leigh at the Chalet School which I think was a pity. It’s quite clear from the text that Lavender isn’t laughing at the school. It’s just what Auntie Sylvia chose to call her travel book series.

Images borrowed from the internet