Harriet, a young girl recovering from illness, is sent to an ice skating rink to regain her strength. There she meets Lalla Moore, a confident orphaned child in the care of her snooty Aunt, destined to be a champion skater. The girls soon become firm friends, but find their friendship threatened as Harriet’s skating improves and Lalla’s jealousy rises…

I found the story at parts lacking plot, and slightly rambling, but overall it was a homely, cosy, classic story and a perfect introduction to Streatfield’s work.

I was talking to a friend about books we loved as children and she mentioned the " shoe" series by Noel Streatfeild. She was so enthusiastic about them that I thought I would read one. I picked " Skating Shoes" because I loved to skate as a child. The main character in the book, Harriet, was told by the doctor that she needed to skate to strengthen her legs. Coincidentally, I was told I needed to skate to strengthen my ankles! So of course I identified with Harriet right away! That is where any similarities ended , however, and the rest of the story is packed with interesting characters, sub-plots and plot twists! A good story!

The 4 stars are for the pleasure of sharing one of my favourite books with my daughter. As an adult retracing I see the flaws in her writing and the common themes in her books but they are simple pleasures of negotiating life and friendships and difficulties.

This was one of my beloved Auntie Gill's favourite books, and when she heard I had enjoyed Ballet Shoes she offered me her copy. It was an old, jacketless hardback, and I politely refused. What a mistake. This is a brilliant book, as I found out when the Puffin paperback edition crossed my path a couple of years later.

It is one of NS's best, with a good plot, strong characters, and a nice sense of place. And who wouldn't want to be Harriet, with her happy, warm family, a glamorous semi-celebrity for her best friend, discovering an unexpected talent?

This is an immensely satisfying book. I love to return to it, and read again about my favourite characters, and wonder what happened to them all next.

It was enjoyable reading this to Regina, and she picked it herseld since she liked Ballet Shoes. There’s a lot of British culture referenced (poetry, landmarks, idioms, etc) so it’s a little more slow as a read-aloud. Neat to revisit it since it was a favorite as a kid!

This was a re-read, the first for a very long time, and I was pleased to discover how very good it was. This was always one of my favourite Noel Streatfeilds as a child, and it's hard to know how well something will translate 30 or 40 years later.

What I hate most is that the first line of the blurb pretty much spoils it as that bit is very near the end. It’s super old fashioned obviously and as such there is a fair bit of diet talk and weird toxic behaviour in the friendship that isn’t really addressed but I guess they provide talking points. My kid enjoyed it though.

Having never read this as a child, I was pleased to pick up a nice second hand copy recently. It's a nice companion to Ballet Shoes, though probably not quite as much fun. It's a story of a friendship between two little girls, one wealthy and one poor, both skaters, a pushy 'stage' auntie, a poor family with lots of brothers, a few tutors, and a Nanny. There are a lot of characters. But I was so pleased that there is an actual living mother in this book. So often mothers are dispensed with at the beginning of a story, and indeed one character, Lalla, does not have a mother (as she had had a skating accident along with Lalla's father). But Harriet, the other little girl at the centre of this story, does have a mother, Olivia, and she is a kind, sweet mother. The story doesn't really feel like it ends at the correct time. It actually left me wanting more, which is quite unusual.

Harriet Johnson, a nine year old girl who “resembles a spider”, has been advised by her doctor to build up strength in her legs through ice skating following a recent illness. Her family are close-knit and happy even though they have little in material terms. She can’t afford ice skates, so her brother decides to take on some work so he can pay for the lessons and hire some boots for her. Once at the rink, Harriet becomes friendly with Lalla, a girl of her own age who seems destined for fabulous things on the ice. She is pushed by her Aunt Claudia, whose brother, Lalla’s father, was killed in a skating accident along with his wife. She lives vicariously through Lalla, pushing her to achieve greater skating success, determined she will be the most famous skating star in the world. Harriet and Lalla become closer, in spite of their different backgrounds, and Harriet takes classes with Lalla’s governess, as she’s not well enough to attend school. This involves fencing, dancing, English and, of course, ice skating. In turn, Lalla spends time with Harriet’s family and both girls get a taste of a very different world.
Though I am 30 years older than the target audience for this book, I found it a delightful read.

It was written in another age, not too long after the end of the Second World War, and I liked the anachronisms and curiosities. The contrast between the lifestyles of Harriet and Lalla were startling, and not always what they seem. Lalla had every privilege that Harriet didn't, but Harriet was the one with the stable and loving home life which, at the end of the day, means so much more. Who was the better off?

Once the skating examinations come around, Harriet proves herself to be a talented skater, as much to her surprise as everyone else’s and on realising that she can outshine Lalla, she tries to downplay her skills to avoid losing Lalla as a friend and arousing her jealousy. Lalla shows herself as quite a spiteful, entitled little madam, having been told since she was three that she is the best in the world, and having no parents to guide her.

There was a great deal of skating technicality included in the story that went over my head – I did a little skating as a child but was never any good and have forgotten it all now – but the story is timeless. Both girls learn a great deal about themselves, about families, embracing your talents and personality, and the real meaning of friendship.

A lovely family story by Noel Streatfeild. The Johnsons are one of Streatfeild's nicest families. Every member of the family has their own personality, from George the father trying to do his best for his family while remaining loyal to his selfish and feckless brother, William "Guzzler" Johnson, Olivia the mother keeping the family fed with the dregs from William's estate while keeping her calm good-humour; oldest brother Alec working hard to help his sister do the ice-skating that will build up her strength; Toby the mathematical whizz who works out the best way of keeping the family solvent; Harriet herself, recovering from a long illness and in awe of her skating friend Lalla, and Edward the self-absorbed, handsome, charming and irrepressible youngest, who is sat on regularly by his older siblings in an effort to keep him from becoming a 'cad'. I developed an affection for each of them, and read the story with interest to see how it turned out.

This is a sweet book. A bit like Ballet Shoes, it shows the perils of talented children whose egos get a little inflated by ambition, but I like how they're just kids. No one is really the villain (except perhaps the Aunt!) And they still pursue their dreams at the end of the day.

So delighted to have a copy of this book after loving "Ballet Shoes" and "Dancing Shoes" so much. Did not disappoint.