Almost certainly my favourite childhood novel. I read it and re-read it over and over again. My dream as a child was to be either a ballet dancer or an actress, so Ballet Shoes was perfect for me (as were other books by Noel Streatfeild, especially the Gemma series) and Lorna Hill's Sadlers Wells series. Well, I became neither a dancer nor an actress, but my love for the performing arts has endured, as has my love for this book.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve read this, it was my childhood comfort read and still lovely to return to. A classic for a reason!

This was an adorable tale. I have watched the film countless times and decided it was time to read the book. It was just the sort of light, magical story to curl up with on a November evening. Pauline,Petrova, and Posy are three orphan girls who were picked up GUM,or rather Great-uncle-Matthew,on his many travels around the world collecting Fossils. Looked after by Gum's Great Niece, whilst he returns to his travels,the girls live in relative comfort but the money begins to run out. It is only when lodgers are taken in that the three young girls lives begin to change and they become acquainted with Shakespeare, the theater and dancing.
This is a wonderful story about passion, desire and ambition, which seems rather strange as the story revolves around three little girls.However,it is their talent and desires that allow the family to regain a little financial stability.
I am sure there are many little girls who read this and can identify with either Pauline,Petrova or Posy,as they are all very different but equably lovable.

Aww this is a pretty cozy story! I have read Noel Streatfeild's Skating Shoes a long time ago but I only got around reading her most iconic book - Ballet Shoes, recently. I finally understood why Ballet Shoes is a timeless children's classic!

Set in 20th century London, Ballet Shoes is a story of three orphans following their career aspirations in dancing and acting. The main characters are the Fossil sisters: Pauline, Petrova, and posy - each has their own ambitions and I found their characterisation quite distinctive! With the story spanned over several years, Ballet Shoes illustrated the character development of each Fossil sister beautifully. In particular, I found Pauline's character very likeable and organic as she becomes more mature and independent as she goes through her career ups and downs in the novel. So I found myself rooting her while reading the book!

In terms of the plot, Ballet Shoes is considerably slow paced but luckily the slower pacing is offset by a solid characterisation and memorable stories. I found that narrated stories are quite cozy and heartwarming. While the main focus of Ballet Shoes is revolved around dancing, each Fossil sister's talent, and them following their dreams, this is also a story about family. And adding to that I found the Christmas scenes really cozy (so that's a perfect palette cleanser after reading a row of pretty heavy books)!

I also found the messaging of Ballet Shoes quite impactful. The settings and the description of the life at the Dancing Academy highlights the importance of hardwork and diligence - important attributes in the learning processes, and also the qualities we tend to overlook these days. Additionally, from the Fossil sisters' growth through the novel Noel Streatfeild also reiterates the danger of losing one's self & character from ambition & power.

To sum it up, Ballet Shoes is a heartwarming and character-driven tale about dancing, family, and also following your dreams.

N.B. Some of the vocabulary usage in Ballet Shoes are outdated (as this book is written in the 1930s) so this is something to be aware of.

I couldn't even tell you how many times I've read this. I don't remember the first time. My copy has lost its cover, is in the process of losing its back and at some point a mysterious brown liquid invaded pages 1-75. As a person who takes very good care of her books, having one in this condition is a testament of how often it was read.

One of my very favorites.

So funny that I just turned on the TV to see 'You've Got Mail' playing. Meg Ryan's character has a touching moment about Noel Streatfeild and 'The Shoe Books' in the film -- and I get her in that moment. :)

'The Shoe Books' were huge favourites of mine as a child (and, yes - I took ballet, so Ballet Shoes was my favourite). I haven't read this book in years and years (and years). At the moment, I am in a bit of a... I don't even know what - reading slump, I guess. So I thought I would revisit this novel. While me memory isn't terrific, I think I can see why the novel charmed me so much and captured my fascination. The 3 adopted girls are parent-less, there's a struggle for money, they're being raised and educated by a lovely team of women, in a bit of a patchwork of a home. As well, the girls were able to earn money through dancing and acting when they turned 12 and could be issued licenses by the city. Petrova was my favourite sister when I was a kid, and she still is today -- while technically capable with her dance and acting classes, her interests were really in cars and planes. She had a terrific mentor, could work in his garage, and she enjoyed encouragement and support from her 'family'. Definitely a little gender role busting for 1936!

While I don't know that this book holds up particularly well for me as an adult reader... I think fondly of how often I read these books, and how happy I am they existed for me to escape into as a child. So my rating is very much swayed by sentimentality. Sometimes, there's nothing wrong with that. :)

Such a sweet, cozy book! If you didn't have a chance to love this book in your childhood, be sure to check it out now. Especially if you ever dreamed of becoming a ballerina!

I had two career goals as a little girl--I would be a ballerina...or a librarian, heh.
Well I started ballet at three and continued through college, but alas never made it to the big stage. I am a librarian though so go figure.
I loved these books so much as a child. All of her series that I read I should say, but especially ballet shoes. This is a fascinating vanished world.

I first came across this author when Noel Streatfeild was mentioned in one of my all-time favourite movies, You've Got Mail. It prompted me to get at least two books (this one and the one I read last year). Then, I discovered that I had actually already known this story as I had seen a movie adaptation with a young Emma Watson some years ago. Now, I'm correcting the error of not having read the source material yet.

The story is that of three young girls, a few years apart, who have been taken in by Mr. Matthew Brown (Uncle GUM). Pauline is the oldest and was lost at sea after her and Uncle Gum's ship sank. Nobody knows what's happened to her parents. Petrova, the second-oldest, is the daughter of Russian high-borns that fell on hard times after the Revolution and died. Posy, the youngest, is the daughter of a dancer who couldn't take care of her.
While Uncle Matthew is on a years-long voyage, the girls and Sylvia (Uncle Matthew's niece) and Nana fall on hard times financially until even turning their home into a boarding house hardly is enough to keep the little family going. But even children can help in such situations. In this case, they enter the Children's Academy of Dancing and Stage Training.
Pauline is a talented actress, Posy a magnificent dancer - only Petrova is too practical and would rather fly a plane than perform in any sort of way.
This is the story of how they found their place in the world.

The book was written in or around 1936 and the age shows in some opinions (especially with Nana). But it's still a charming little book full of very likeable characters (unlike some in the other I've read) and the days and months and years fly by while we follow the girls as they practice and try to make a name for themselves.
From fossils-filled houses, to magnificent stages in theatres and even Hollywood, this reading journey was fantastic and made me feel all warm and cozy inside!

An intriguing mix of conservative and sneakily subversive, when it first appeared in 1936 Ballet Shoes was a huge success, department stores like Selfridge’s devoted entire sections to displaying and selling copies. Its publication was perfectly timed to tap into a depression-era craze for ballet and modern dance, fuelled by popular films starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, or featuring Busby Berkeley’s glorious dance sequences. Since then, it’s never been out of print. The title, and numerous fairy-tale qualities, may make this sound potentially fluffy and sentimental. But it’s actually a marvellous recreation of England in the 1930s focusing on the everyday lives of the impoverished middle classes. There are numerous references to Britain’s troubled empire, as well as the aftermath of WW1 and the Russian Revolution glimpsed through encounters with figures linked to the city’s large numbers of Russian refugees. One central character Sylvia’s a prime example of the so-called “surplus women” linked to the losses of the war, while her staff are a Downton-like group of faithful retainers headed up by the resourceful Nana, formerly Sylvia’s childhood nurse. Streatfeild also manages to smuggle in a thinly-veiled storyline that’s attracted a growing queer following. At the centre of the piece is a shabby house in London’s Cromwell Road not far from the Victoria and Albert Museum. It’s overseen by Sylvia supported by Nana, they’re unexpectedly joined by three orphan children collected by Sylvia’s eccentric Great Uncle Matthew on his numerous travels overseas. The girls, Pauline, Posy and Petrova, become the Fossils, named after Matthew’s extensive collection. When Matthew fails to return from an expedition Sylvia, desperate for money, advertises for lodgers and slowly the house becomes a community along the lines of Armistead Maupin’s famous “logical family”.

The main plot follows the three children as they try to find ways to earn money and help Sylvia with her dwindling finances. They’re supported in their efforts by Sylvia’s tenants including retired, female academics Dr Jakes and Dr Smith, affectionately-drawn bluestockings. Although it’s never explicitly stated, it’s glaringly obvious Dr Jakes and Dr Smith are a couple, backed up by the book’s original illustrations featuring them together, Dr Jakes sporting a hairstyle and outfit that perfectly imitates popular portraits of Radclyffe Hall. It’s not clear what’s behind Streatfeild’s inclusion of Jakes and Smith, although she was a huge fan of The Well of Loneliness. But Streatfeild’s sexuality has been a subject for speculation for some time. She’s frequently coded as “flamboyant and eccentric”, while a wealth of biographical material suggests her most intense relationships were with women. Other aspects of the story are less ambiguously autobiographical, directly building on Streatfeild’s earlier acting career. Through happenstance, Pauline, Posy and Petrova enrol at a school for drama and dance, it’s quickly clear that Posy’s destined for a career in ballet and Pauline the stage, while Petrova who’s far more interested in cars and planes, dreams of a future as a pilot. Although there’s a definite fantasy element to their stories, Streatfeild grounds the Fossils in reality, providing a blow-by-blow account of the experiences of aspiring child actors, as well as the burden placed on girls and women striving to make a name for themselves independent of traditional patriarchal structures. It’s a great story, there are some grating references but there’s also a strong feminist slant - although reading it as an adult meant I was no longer bound up in daydreams involving a future as a ballerina and far more interested in what Streatfeild reveals about English culture and society. My edition was a vintage Puffin paperback illustrated by Ruth Gervis who was also Streatfeild's sister.

Did I read this just because of the You've Got Mail film? Why, yes. Yes, I did. No regrets.

I listened to the BBC radio drama production.

It’s a complete mystery to me why I’ve read this classic children’s book, but I suppose better “late” than never.

Like Louisa May Alcott before her (in the immortal Little Women), Streatfeild brings together several different heroines for the reader to identify with. There is Pauline, blonde and blue-eyed, who wants to be an actress. Then Petrova, who has straight dark hair and narrow eyes, and is good at all sorts of mechanical things. Posy, the youngest, has a cloud of fluffy red hair; she arrives with a pair of ballet shoes, and is a gifted dancer. All three girls are orphans, and the first chapter of the book quickly establishes their “origin” story. Great-Uncle Matthew (thereafter referred to as a GUM) is an explorer and great fossil hunter. Through a series of incidents and accidents, he ends up adopting three baby girls: and Fossil becomes their last name. When GUM disappears off on his adventures, the girls end up being raised by his great-niece (Sylvia, nicknamed “Garnie”) and her formidable Nanny.

The fascinating bit for me was the setting of this book: London during the 1930s. Despite living in a huge house off the Gloucester Road, with a Cook and Maids and Nanny, the constant, nagging need of money is a backdrop to the storyline and provides the impetus for the girls’ need to start earning. Set during the worst years of the worldwide economic depression, the book combines aspiration and harder reality to very good effect. The girls attend a stage school, where they study acting, singing and dance, and as soon as they turn 12 they are able to get a special license and become “professionals”. The world of London theatre, pantomimes and even cinema becomes accessible through the plot line, and I’ve no doubt that most of the details were very true-to-life as Streatfeild herself went through RADA training. Clothes play a huge role in the story, and the characters are forever contriving and “making do” in order to keep up appearances.

Ambition, ingenuity, gumption and discipline are all major key notes in the storyline. All of the girls want to earn their keep, but they also want to excel - and to make their “Fossil” name special. It’s easy to understand why the book was a huge hit in 1936, the year it was published, and why it has continued to inspire and charm subsequent generations.

Note: I was finally inspired to read this book after reading Patrick Gale’s Take Nothing With You. He mentions Ballet Shoes in that book, and describes it as a “fairy godmother” to his own story.