Angela Brazil wrote school stories for girls throughout the first half of the 20th century. She was the first author to relate this experience from the girls' perspective, offering a more sympathetic and intimate view of school life. Funny, touching, and wonderfully "jollyhockey sticks", The Nicest Girl in the School remains one of the most popular of her stories. It features Patty Hirst and her cousin Muriel Pearson, and tells of their turbulent times together at Morton Priory, even including a near-death experience! It is superbly read by Harriet Walter, one of Britain's finest actresses.