I was absolutely thrilled to see the "Swish of the Curtain" books back in print, and I loved reading about the further adventures of Maddy in this one. I missed the rest of the Blue Doors (who have all gone to theatre school, leaving Maddy alone in Fenchester, and understandably bored and frustrated), but Maddy is such a quirky and funny character that she almost makes up for the loss of the rest of the group. The reappearance of the Bishop and Mrs Potter-Smith added to the fun, and on the whole this is a lovely sequel to one of my favourite books.

This is a delightful #2 in the Blue Door series - focusing on the youngest, Maddy. The others have all gone off to full-time drama school but she's too young yet. However, there's a film being shot locally and though she had no intention of heading for anything other than the stage, when Maddy was taken to observe the goings-on one thing led to another ....

My thanks to Steerforth Press/Pushkin Press and NetGalley for a review copy of this book.

Maddy Alone is the second book in Pamela Brown’s Blue Door series. Something that makes 'Maddy Alone' stand out from a lot of old children's books is the lack of message; the book is not at all preachy, no one improves themself, and Maddy is not an angel. She feels real, naughty and occasionally she's not sorry for it.

I remember reading The Swish of the Curtain (Blue Door #1) by Pamela Brown when I was younger and the British Council library was a place I frequented. I never knew then, that there was still more to the tale of those kids. Their future is part of more books and I jumped at the chance of reading them.
Initially, I planned to work my way through them all and then review them together. This novella, however, is Maddy's story and hers alone so it does not hurt to reserve a separate post for her. If you check out my review of the previous book, you will know that we were introduced to a whole gaggle of kids who conveniently had different skills and could contribute to a theatre troupe. In this installment, we learn what happens to Maddy when all the elder kids are off studying in the Dramatics school in London.  This length was perfect to enjoy the laidback story set in a different time and age, where different social norms ruled the lives of many. Maddy is chafing at being left behind and while she wallows in self-pity she ends up making a new friend who inadvertently leads her into having a very big adventure! There are fewer mentions of her being 'fat' in this one (she is a child!) but I am guessing the author must have been treated to or seen a version of this behaviour since she herself was a teenager at the time of writing these.

I liked it better than the first book in some ways because a lot happens, but it is easier to follow and easier to invest your emotions.

I received this as an ARC copy thanks to the publishers and Edelwiess+ but the review is completely my own opinion.