The School at the Top of the Dale (Top of the Dale #1) by Gervase Phinn

The School at the Top of the Dale (Top of the Dale #1) Reviews

• 
  Hannah

  After enjoying the little village school series I was pleased to discover this new series of A top of the dale novel.
  
  This time the story follows Tom Dwyer who was in the last of the series with Elisabeth Stirling (I love that character). I like how Elisabeth is still mentioned even in this different school.
  
  Tom is given his own drama in the sleepy little village where all the locals know each others business. He's a great lead to follow and I like how it's from a males perspective in this series.
  
  A fast read and an easy five star.
• 
  Shiloah

  Read with my friend Elizabeth! Another wonderful book by Gervase Phinn! I’m loving this new series. We get to know Tom better. We met him in the first series. Heartwarming. Yorkshire. Beautiful.
• 
  Maxine Purdy

  Being in the teaching profession, I've read many books by Gervase Phinn and heard him speak several times. He is rightly labelled the James Herriott of Education. But, after downloading the book,I was a little concerned that some reviews on Amazon were poor.
  
  Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised. There is naturally a Yorkshire school theme throughout all his books but you would expect that. I thought the newly qualified teaching embarking on his first permanent job in a village school a delightful theme. The characters are well written. There's humour written in through the down to earth Yorkshire expressions and a little sadness with regards to the problems and difficulties some children experience.
  
  I'm looking forward to volume 2 of the series.
• 
  Emma Rose

  Absolutely fantastic! I’ve loved every book I’ve read by Gervase Phinn and this was just cosy and comfy and perfect with plenty of humour. Loved all the characters so much and a lot of the scenes are so vividly depicted that they will stay with me forever.
• 
  Alan

  Having recently read a Tom Clancy thriller followed by a Stephen King book, it was time to turn to this book for some light relief.
  Refreshingly similar in format to all his other book, it was in most parts a predictable and a gentle read, with just a few amusing moments dotted here and there; but that was part of its charm and I loved it. Like the Yorkshire dales in which was set, it was like a breath of fresh air, and I look forward to the next book in this series.
• 
  Trace

  A spin off from the Barton in the Dale series. Every bit as delightful!!
• 
  ©hrissie ❁ [1st week on campus-somewhat run-down]

  4.5 ⭐
  
  I am so pleased we have crossed paths, Gervase Phinn!
  
  This was the very definition of heart-warming and comforting: the close-knit community of Risingdale, the homely and idyllic Yorkshire landscape, as well as the quirky yet good-natured characters, all contribute to that sweet sense of familiarity, encouraging the reader to seamlessly slip into the lifestyle of the different characters residing in this small rural village situated in the middle of nowhere. 
  
  Love and care for the beauty of the land and teaching as a vocation oozes from the pages. As a teacher himself, Phinn brilliantly captures the absolute wonders and idiosyncrasies of being a child and the daily ins and outs of school life.
  
  The narrative is jam-packed with small details that beautifully populate it and bring it to life; it smoothly shifts between characters and stories, and deliberately hints at some developments only to actually disclose them later on in the narration, when other elements come into play and render the story even more articulate. Between the gossiping, misunderstandings and the protagonist's (unfortunate) tendency for getting into scrapes or being dragged into them, there is no place for quiet and boredom with the Risingdale folk; it is much like making a whole bunch of new friends.
  
  The characters are truly and clearly a distinctive feature with Phinn, all so well defined as to possess the paradoxical semblance of caricatures at times, all with their own interesting stories, and all incredibly memorable and funny (or appalling)!
  
  Until we meet again, people of Risingdale!
• 
  Bee

  I got this from my nanna after I went to visit her and my grandad and had nothing to do (the joys of living in the countryside haha) and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's such a pleasant read and very easy to get into and the characters are all charming, minus the odd few. I'd definitely read another of Gervase's books.
• 
  Adele

  Although a new series, the characters and themes are comfortably familiar and the book delivers exactly what as a reader I have come to expect from Gervase Phinn. A very enjoyable read, littered with funny and poignant anecdotes from Dales-folk young and old.
• 
  Laura Boudreau

  I love all of Gervase Phinn's books, and this was no exception.
• 
  Elizabeth

  Heartwarming story I read with my friend Shiloah.
• 
  Susan

  A gentle, humorous novel from an author best known for his enterainimg anecdotes of children’s thoughts and words, based on his role as an HM school inspector in the Yorkshire Dales. At the heart of the novel is Tom Dwyer, a newly qualified young teacher who takes up a post in the backwater, sleepy village of Risingdale in the Yorkshire Dales. His first impressions of the school were not good - run down building, a lack of resources and an headmaster, Mr, Gaunt who adopted a “a laissez-faire”, laid back, attitude. But Tom comes to appreciate the support of his motley teaching colleagues, with a growing respect for the perceptive and kindly Mr Gaunt, whilst his lively group of pupils, who know far more about farming than he does, present different challenges.
  
  Outside school, Tom has encounters with the local farmers and villagers and quickly makes his mark on the community. Tom is a lovely, likeable man who is almost too perfect as the hero of the novel. The ending is not too pat and leaves the way open for a sequel. The many other characters are well drawn, and one cannot help but be charmed by this “so nice” book.
• 
  Karen wadey

  What a delightful book. We follow Tom Dwyer as he becomes the new teacher at Risingdale school. He encounters alot of colouful local characters along the way. This story is not romantic in the least although maybe there are adventures to come in that direction. I look forward to reading the next saga in this series of books.
• 
  Judy

  First in a new series, a familiar, light and gentle read from the school inspector writer.
• 
  Nicola Michelle

  This was such a heartwarming and wholesome story! It took me a chapter or two to get into it, but once I got the lay of the land, I always looked forward to returning to it and to our main character, Tom Dwyer as he ingratiated himself into a new school.
  
  It certainly presents as somewhat of a challenge to Tom, who not only has to introduce himself fo a new school and a whole new sea of young faces but also to the quiet and quaint Yorkshire town. He’ll certainly have his work cut out to win the occupants of the Dale here.
  
  You quickly warm to this eclectic and lovable cast of characters, from the teachers to the children of the school. It was well written and in a way that always kept you entertained and coming back for more. It was just such a satisfying book and I never got bored.
  
  I alternated between the physical copy and then switched fo the audiobook because I have to admit, listening to the Yorkshire accents was a lot more fun than reading them! So in this instance, that format won out for me. The narrator was really fab and had such a comforting and settling voice, it made it even easier to read.
  
  I’m glad there’s others in this series and it’s one I’ll definitely return back to!
• 
  Susan

  This is nice easy read - very much in the style of Mr Phinn's earlier books. Tom Dwyer who appeared in the Little Village School series is now a teacher in the school at the top of the dale. Some of the other Characters from the previous series make cameos as well as a cast of new characters. No real surprises and most of the scenarios were easily predictable. But told with humour this gentle novel provided welcome relief from a stressful world, As someone who works in education as a Teaching Assistant I thought the School at the top of the Dale sounded idyllic.
• 
  Elizabeth Dewfall

  I’ve really enjoyed losing myself in the Dales a nice change from romance although there was a little towards the end
• 
  Julia

  The School At The Top Of The Dale by Gervase Phinn is a wonderful contemporary tale that will enthral and enchant from the start. It is the first book in the Top Of The Dale series.
  Once more Gervase Phinn has created a warm cast of characters who make up Dales life. The classroom is both within a building and outside in the wider community showing that it really is life-long learning.
  The children are preoccupied with animals – being particularly knowledgeable about sheep!
  Village life is made up of an eclectic mix who take up residence in the reader’s heart. There is a misunderstood lad who just broke my heart as he did not know how to process his loss. The leading young man is new to teaching and his enthusiasm is infectious.
  The school is at the heart of village life. It is the place of employment for a few and the place of learning for all.
  Gervase Phinn writes with a depth of understanding and a great deal of wit. Having worked in schools over the years, the situations and conversations resonated with me. I was literally laughing out loud at the nativity scene.
  I adore all Gervase Phinn’s novels. They are good, wholesome stories that are easy to relate too.
  Incidentally several years ago I was fortunate to watch Gervase Phinn on stage. What a brilliant night that was. Gervase Phinn is every bit as charming, knowledgeable and funny as his books. I can highly recommend going to see him live.
  
• 
  Jeanniehay64

  This delightful book was an easy read for me over the holidays! Newly qualified teacher Tom Dwyer has just got his first teaching post in a small village in the Yorkshire Dales.
  
  Tom at first doesn’t know if he will be able to settle in the village, the school is very run down and old fashioned. Life in a village is unique, having grown up in a village myself I know the advantages and the drawbacks .
  
  Working in a school I could really relate to lots of the story. The nativity play and the inspectors visit was so well written.
  
  This easy read will gave me lots of laughs, memorial characters and a lovely trip down memory lane to my country childhood.
• 
  Emma Rose

  Reread in 2021 - I had no memory of this whatsoever so I reread it. It's so charming. Tom is a great main character and a great teacher, it's lovely to follow him on his adventures settling in Yorkshire. I grew very fond of all the characters and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series for sure!
  
  Original review in 2019 - Absolutely fantastic! I’ve loved every book I’ve read by Gervase Phinn and this was just cosy and comfy and perfect with plenty of humour. Loved all the characters so much and a lot of the scenes are so vividly depicted that they will stay with me forever.
• 
  Christopher Trend

  It’s a very readable book with some entertaining scenes. There’s a feel good factor to it. I’m not sure when the book is set; I presume preOfsted, preSATS, pretargets.
  My early childhood was in a small Yorkshire school in the Pennines and some of the book triggered memories.
  The only let down for me was the main character. He is too much like a Mr/Miss Perfect. I find him bland. He is almost like a teacher out of an Inspector’s handbook. His colleagues are much more human.
• 
  Alice Brown

  4.5 stars
  Thoroughly enjoyed this book, possibly because I am going to be an NQT in September myself, making it a whole lot more relatable. I felt the character descriptions were brilliant and really let me connect with the story. The only reason this is 4.5 stars is because at times it was a little overly descriptive, however this only happened a couple of times.
• 
  David Johnston

  Another superb novel
  
  Nice offshoot from the “Barton” series. Same quality writing featuring a teacher looking to find his first permanent teaching position and heads right up the dale in search of it.
  
  Good background on the other characters in the book too.
  
  Loved it and immediately bought the second in the series.