I didn't realize how important this book was to me as a child until I re-read it decades later...and I chuckle to see that the reason why I have named so many things Rachel, Hilary and Dulcie was because of this wonderful gem of a story. The examples of young girls finding it quite okay to be independent and self-supporting also buoyed my own determination.

Really wonderful story, rich characters, very realistic emotions, nice mix of supportive and unsupportive adults, terrific setting--can't say enough good things about Dancing Shoes!

Second only to Understood Betsy as a comfort read.

Great book! I watched the movie of it!

I felt like I were reading a 1940s version of Dance Moms! I liked all the characters but felt like there were some holes (more of Hilary’s backstory, more of the connection between the sisters, and more involvement from adults on Rachel’s part). I liked the ending though and look forward to reading a few more “shoes” books!

I enjoyed the book, mostly because it's mentioned in the movie You've Got Mail. Ha! The plot is good, the ending was a little surprising, but I didn't love it like I thought I would. Maybe because not all the characters are in harmony at the end. :) But Uncle Tom is adorable, Hilary and Rachel are great sisters, and the coming of age is a bittersweet thing as the girls learn what it means to follow their dreams and not what the other sister thinks they should do.

Mrs. Wintle's Wonders are young girls being trained as stage performers. The most wondrous is Mrs. Wintle's daughter, Dulcie. When Dulcie's two orphaned cousins join the school, jealousy and competition rule the day.

Dated, but cute.

Kathryn and I read this at bedtime. We both enjoyed it, but K felt the ending was too sudden. Great book for any child who loves dancing and acting.

Revisiting childhood favorites in adulthood is fraught and perilous. They can disappoint and dishearten, knowing now what you didn't know then.

Dancing Shoes was one of my favorite books, period, in childhood. I still have my copy, its pages yellowed and dogeared, its cover ripped and smeared. To take my mind off the election, I read it, and it did exactly what it did when I was ten years old: the novel transported me to 1950s London where three very different girls duke it out at a performing arts school for children. Lazy but talented Hilary butts heads with spoiled yet polished Dulcie, the daughter of the school's owner, but it's plain Rachel who ends up winning the biggest prize.

The third-person omniscience affords thinly sketched characters some depth while the plot speeds along thanks to the triangulation of the protagonists. Plus, Noel Streatfeild spent years as an actress before becoming an author, so she understands that costuming (the descriptions of the characters' clothing are a treat) and the setting (contrasting between dreary London and the pantomimes in beach towns) contextualize words.

It's a wonderful book I love love love love love... You no what I mean

The "Shoes" books are nostalgic for me because I read them as a child and liked them then. Now, reading this as an adult, it is less enjoyable, but that's okay. It's interesting how the author grew up in a family of six children but often writes about orphans. Maybe that has to do with her writing and stage production career being interrupted by WW1.

I danced even before I went to school. It was the coolest experience a girl could have when little - getting pretty cloths, makeup, and hairstyling (my long hair with all the curls and everything needed at least 3 people, a handful of pins, and huge amount of gels to become what it should be - a firm bun Professor McGonagall would approve) for concerts, eating tasty pastries after every practice just from the next door bakery (those pastries with poppy seeds never tasted the same after).
We had 2-3 teachers in a very large classroom with live music.

Then I had to change the dancing school and went to another, smaller one. One teacher, no live music, small classroom, actually, just dancing on a small stage, changing in the backstage...
And this teacher's daughter was in the troupe. This duo reminded me so much of Dulcie and her mother - getting all the lead parts for herself, even though there were quite more professional dancers in the troupe.
Anyway, I left this troupe, as I didn't like the attitude of this particular teacher, and whenever someone speaks about dancing, I just remember my huge classroom with my two favorite teachers and funny musicians.

I liked this book a lot, way better than Skating Shoes. However, the best in the series still remains Ballet Shoes. In a way, some characters even reminded me of ones from Ballet Shoes, as if Streatfeild had those still in mind when writing Dancing Shoes. I only have one book left from the series, and other books are out of print I guess. I could hunt some used old editions, but my new ones are so beautiful, I hope they print the remaining series.

This book has nothing to do with the upcoming holidays, but in a way it creates a festive mood. Maybe I am influenced by "You've Got Mail", where Meg Ryan talks about those series during the holidays. In any case, reading shoe series are becoming a holiday tradition for me!