Even if I didn't read the rest of the series I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It made me think of Miss Read stories and I want to read the others.
The author delivers an interesting story that made me think.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is the final book in the trilogy of the Top of the Dale school series from Gervase Phinn, which is set in the village school of Risingdale, as the trilogy suggests at the top of the dale – the Yorkshire dales of course.

Here we find that as the Eighties are coming to an end, so is the end for the career of Gerald Gaunt, headmaster of the school for a number of years. The other teachers, Miss Golightly, Ms Tranter, Mr Cadwallader and the young dynamic Mr Dwyer who is the main protagonist of these novels are all at cross roads in their lives.

Miss Golightly, might have some outdated teaching methods and materials for teaching the infants but none of her children leave her class without being able to read.

Ms Tranter, ex actress with a lot of drama in her personal life as well as her school life, encourages the youngsters to speak, to project and certainly not to lose their wonderful accents and dialects.

Mr Cadwallader, late to teaching and with a taste for garibaldi biscuits, still wants the children to able to understand everything around them

Mr Dwyer, a former professional footballer who has certainly now found his niche in life as he listens to what the children have to teach him as much as he makes them listen to him teach. His knowledge of sheep, cows and bulls is far more advanced than when he first arrived.

Amongst a village school is of course a village with all its locals and eccentrics, the lord of the manor, the vicar with a liking to his own voice, the landlady, the farmer and of course the wonderful children of the school.

This book is really tying up some loose ends, there are many. At times it seems that we skip rapidly through many life events to bring everything to a conclusion, but when you do you are treated to some real Yorkshire warmth and blunt humour and you really have to know the accent to be able to read some of the passages. It brings great joy to me as I can hear the accent of many of my relatives and can well imagine them saying some of it.

A book which is simple in it’s aim – to bring joy and warmth, through the story of the children and the innocence of what they say (though I warn you to look out for the shopkeepers malapropisms) as well as their thirst for knowledge and sometimes wise advice.

Certainly a class book to read for all those who love; children; education; teachers; village tales and Yorkshire!

Change is in the offing at Risingdale school, long-standing Headteacher Mr Gaunt is due to retire and the teachers are concerned about who his successor will be. Meanwhile Sir Hedley Maladroit has decided that as soon as his divorce is final he will marry the mother of his son whilst Tom Dwyer is being pursued by a local historian but realises who his true love actually is. Around this the children of Risingdale continue to be their funny, blunt selves.
The regular reader knows exactly what they will get from a Gervase Phinn book. There's no massive drama (although a surprisingly high body count), there's always a happy ending and the love of Yorkshire and its people comes through. Phinn's books are so gentle they make James Herriott seem like gothic literature but that is part of the appeal.

Gervase Phinn has such a talent. He always makes me miss teaching! I have read many Phinn books over the years, and his hilarious anecdotes of the children in schools are fantastic, you can see his passion for teaching so clearly.
This book, had far less of the quirky situations that I loved, and definitely focused more on the teachers' home lives and relationships, which to be honest, I wasn't bothered about reading! There were many references to the pressures on teachers these days, and that is one of the reasons I left. Disillusioned teachers are sadly leaving the profession, and this is a crying shame and should be talked about.
This was an important book and light hearted enough for me to enjoy, but I enjoyed the earlier books much more.

This novel is the third and last in the charming ‘Top of the Dale’ series, set in the farming rich Risingdale, and with the best views in Yorkshire. The Headteacher of the school for well over thirty years, Gerald Gaunt, has made a difficult decision which he imparts to his wonderful, hardworking and talented staff. With small country primary schools being closed down and the redeployment of staff, including heads of schools, their deputies and indeed the whole staff from the teachers, cleaners and cooks, something has to give. Luckily, due to fantastic results Gerald’s school achieves, Risingdale has dodged the bullet. But Gerald is very near retirement and he has received a letter from County Hall to offer him an unmissable package of retirement beauties: an enhanced pension deal and a redundancy sum of money that would charm monkeys from their trees. Gerald knows the latest wave of new ideas within education are rolling in and he feels that he does not want to change or compromise what he believes in; the tried and tested methods of teaching. He feels he has neither the stamina nor the belief in these initiatives that were definitely being forced on school heads, like it or not. This will definitely be his swansong year.
The staff members are devastated to hear his news, as is the chair and chief governor Sir Hedley. Will this mean they will be dragged into following the new ways forced on them by the new Headteacher Mr Smart? Will he be sensitive or dictatorial? There are many nervous questions going through their heads. They each have a home life to live and they worry about their private lives being compromised. The idea of change fills them with fear and apprehension. Gerald Gaunt has been fair, approachable, well-loved and encouraging to the staff, friendly and well-trusted by his pupils, popular and tactful with the parents and dignified, hardworking and calm – altogether just what the school wanted and needed.
Meanwhile everyone must keep the school on an even keel. There are competitions to be practised, trips to be made, lessons to be planned for and delivered and more. The year ahead will be the last of an era and standards must be maintained. Little do they know about how this year will be shaped and what will happen, both very happy and also very sad. Someone will lose a wife, someone else a husband; someone will marry the love of their life. Someone will be struck down in a terrible accident. There will be celebrations, laughter, joy, love, plenty of sterling work and some hilarious moments will leave you gasping with laughter.
Gervase Phinn is an exceedingly talented and masterful storyteller and orator. I have seen him twice in his charismatic shows in Staffordshire theatres – the last time he shared the news that he had become a Grandfather, his wife already on a flight, whilst he honoured his commitments. I cannot praise his writing enough. The novels he writes are authoritative, immensely enjoyable, and humorous and bang on the mark. He was once a Dales teacher, Headteacher and Advisory teacher for Literature, travelling the county to help teachers be the very best they could be. His characters are richly created and it was totally engaging to ‘meet’ them again and follow their daily routines. A retired teacher myself, these were the years I was at work, happy memories were stirred, so authentic the stories revealed in each glorious chapter.
I really enjoyed the eclectic mix of stories and the way they were carefully fitted together. Some stories were heart-warming and some really humorous. I shed a tear or two in one or two moving chapters and in the next chapter I laughed out loud, imagining the setting and action vividly in my mind. I would like to thank NetGalley and publisher Hodder & Stoughton for my copy of this book, sent to me in return for an honest review. I urge you to read it because I loved it and want to share my sparkling experience by introducing you to the incredible rich stories told by Gervase Phinn. This is an unmissable 5* read.

This book is comfort reading at its very best. The third in the Top of The Dales series, the book is filled with wonderful characters. Gervaise is the James Herriot of the education system.

I have loved every single book by Gervase Phinn that I have ever read and this was no exception! I struggled a bit with the formatting due to downloading it from my shelf onto the kindle and parts of the text were repeated, however, I think this was simply due to the fact I was reading it on my kindle. I had already pre-ordered this book before I was given the opportunity to read an advanced copy and will be looking forward to adding this to my collection when it is released. What a lovely end to the series. I am a primary school teacher, albeit not at the top of a village in the Yorkshire Dales, so the series really resonates with me. I also loved the Little Village School series, so hopefully there will be more to come from Gervase Phinn.

This is the third in Gervase Phinn's "Top of the Dale" series. Although I am sure you would enjoy it to a point as a stand alone book, I do advise that you read the series. The characters remain and are developed throughout the series and not everything would make sense if you haven't read the first 2 books.
Set in the small village of Risingdale we follow the day to day life of the residents, in particular the goings on at the village school. We have the small everyday events and amusing things the children say as well as the larger events which will have more impact on the village as a whole.
There is a fantastic array of characters - Mr Gaunt the slightly scruffy headmaster, Tom the modern teacher who isn't sure where his affections lie, Joyce who thinks perhaps her recent marriage was a bit hasty and a host of other people in the school and around the village. The children, as always, play a major part.
Gervase Phinn draws on his extensive knowledge of school and village life having been a Yorkshire school inspector for many years. If you read his non-fiction books reflecting on these years you will understand how many of his fictional characters are based in reality.
I really loved this book. In fact I very much enjoy all of the works of Gervase Phinn. This is quite a slow moving book with much emphasis on the characters and their way of life. It is amusing and slightly gossipy. A relaxing read, the story just sort of ambles along. Ideal for those who enjoy village books such as those by Miss Read or Rebecca Shaw.
Another very enjoyable look at the village of Risingdale - when is the next coming out please?
I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.

I had totally forgotten how enjoyable Gervase Phinn’s books are.
He is the James Herriot of the education world.
Exploring the life of children and teachers in the Yorkshire Dales small schools.
The book are a delight to read and will make you smile at some of the things that children say and do.
It reminds you of an easier time when children had more freedom to be children without the worries they have to cope with today.

The term “cosy” could have been coined specifically for Gervase Phinn’s stories of school life and village goings-on in the Yorkshire Dales. I read a few of his books several years ago, but this is the first one I’ve read in a while.

Longstanding headmaster of Risingdale school, Gerald Gaunt, is retiring and change is afoot. (As this announcement happens at the beginning, I’d expected the rest of the story to revolve around his replacement, but in fact that doesn’t happen till near the end.) Instead, it feels like there’s a bit of everything, both in and out of school, from grumpy local farmers to the unhappily married village squire, Sir Hedley, to young teacher Tom Dwyer’s love life. There are births and deaths, weddings and christenings, humour and drama, and of course Gervase Phinn’s stock in trade - the amusing or surprising things children come out with.

It all has a pleasantly old-fashioned feel to it, and that’s no bad thing. A warm-hearted comfort read, perfect for escaping reality for a few hours.

Ex-school Inspector, Gervase Phinn writes a lovely, heart warming and immersive novel of the small farming community village of Risingdale in God's own county of Yorkshire, and the primary school that has so far managed to escape closure. For 30 years, it has been run by the much loved headmaster, 63 year old Gerald Gaunt, who has stood by his teaching staff of four, trusting them to teach their classes without interference. He has protected them from the increasing number of directives, regulations and policies from the Department of Education, most deemed to add nothing more than bureaucracy whilst increasing the workload of staff to the detriment of the children's education and well being. However, Gaunt is tired and exhausted with the never ending agenda of change that he feels he can no longer cope with, and upon being offered a particularly lucrative retirement package, he decides to retire, a decision that is to have far reaching consequences.

Phinn drops the reader into the heart of the community and village life, the numerous dramas, the gossip with shopkeeper, Mrs Sloughthwaite at the centre of the grapevine, farming life, and the usual circle of life, births, marriages and deaths as they impact people. We glimpse school life from the perspective of children, their families, and the four teachers, the old school Joyce Tranter, Bertha Golightly, and Owen Cadwallader, and the more recent recruit, Tom Dwyer, all effective in teaching their charges in their different styles, successfully fostering a learning environment and looking after the well being of each child amidst the developments in their personal lives. Sir Hedley Maladroit is the biggest landowner and Chair of the School Governors, having lost his son James, he is getting divorced, an event that will allow him to move on from his unhappy marriage. When Cuthbert Smart is redeployed, appointed as the new headteacher, the school faces despair at the unravelling of all the good cultivated by Gaunt.

There is plenty of humour and warmth in Phinn's storytelling that will charm readers and the characters are easy to like and take to your heart. There are a wide range of characters, from the children, such as the bright Charlie, to the German boy Hans, who joins Tom's class for two days, to the locals, such as the idle and mean Toby Croft. There are the ups and downs in Joyce's recent marriage to Auctioneer Julian, the love life of Tom, a decent man, Maladroit's intention to marry the woman he has loved for many years and the son he is finally able to acknowledge publically. This is wonderful, feel good, escapist reading fare, in the tradition of the likes of Call the Midwife, that will appeal to many readers, it is entertaining, fun, engaging and perfect for the times we are living in. Many thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC.