Angela Brazil

Angela Brazil was a British children’s author best known for her lively boarding-school stories. Born in Preston and later based in Coventry, she studied at the Heatherley School of Fine Art and began writing for children in the early 20th century.

Her first published children’s novel was A Terrible Tomboy, followed by The Fortunes of Philippa and The Nicest Girl in the School. She went on to publish nearly 50 novels and around 70 short stories, presenting schoolgirls as energetic, independent characters whose friendships, rivalries, pranks, and adventures took center stage.

Brazil’s books were hugely popular and helped establish the modern girls’ school story. Though some adults considered them too mischievous or unconventional, generations of readers embraced their warmth, humor, and sense of freedom.