Living and Learning

Iris Mae Braithwaite is a very wealthy, altruistic and brave woman. Having inherited a fortune along with a Georgian-style mansion, she opens a boutique boarding school in the historic city of Ballarat, in Australia, for ten teenage girls. Anyone who has raised teenagers, survived teenagers or simply been a teenager themselves will appreciate the roller coaster ride that guiding and teaching fifteen- and sixteen-year-old girls inevitably becomes. Pranks and personality clashes, achievements and heart-wrenching experiences abound as the students live and learn in new circumstances. Has Iris made a grave mistake hiring her killjoy cousin Estelle to teach Maths and Science? Along with her erstwhile brother, Jeremy, Estelle plots to undermine the school in hopes of getting her hands on the inheritance. Perhaps Miss Braithwaite has bitten off more than she can chew. Do all the girls even make it to the end of Year Nine? Will Iris' vision for Makepeace College survive even the first year of the two-year scholarships she awarded? Can heartache and headaches be counteracted by a good dose of tongue-in-cheek humour?