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Shoes #9
Dancing Shoes
Wintle's Little Wonders
When Cora Wintle goes to pick up her orphaned niece, Rachel, she discovers that Rachel's adopted sister, Hilary, would be perfect for her dancing troupe. The only problem is that Hilary might be as good as her own precious daughter, Dulcie. Still, she's determined to take sulky Rachel and sprightly Hilary and make them into Little Wonders.
But Rachel doesn't want to be a Little Wonder. She can't dance, and she'd rather die than wear the ruffly costume. Not only that, she doesn't want Hilary to be a Little Wonder either. She had promised her mother that she would make sure Hilary danced with the Royal Ballet.
Nothing seems to be going as planned, until Rachel discovers her talent for acting. . . .
When Cora Wintle goes to pick up her orphaned niece, Rachel, she discovers that Rachel's adopted sister, Hilary, would be perfect for her dancing troupe. The only problem is that Hilary might be as good as her own precious daughter, Dulcie. Still, she's determined to take sulky Rachel and sprightly Hilary and make them into Little Wonders.
But Rachel doesn't want to be a Little Wonder. She can't dance, and she'd rather die than wear the ruffly costume. Not only that, she doesn't want Hilary to be a Little Wonder either. She had promised her mother that she would make sure Hilary danced with the Royal Ballet.
Nothing seems to be going as planned, until Rachel discovers her talent for acting. . . .
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1956
81 people are currently reading
2481 people want to read
About the author
Noel Streatfeild
161 books612 followersMary Noel Streatfeild, known as Noel Streatfeild, was an author best known and loved for her children's books, including Ballet Shoes and Circus Shoes. She also wrote romances under the pseudonym
Susan Scarlett
.
She was born on Christmas Eve, 1895, the daughter of William Champion Streatfeild and Janet Venn and the second of six children to be born to the couple. Sister Ruth was the oldest, after Noel came Barbara, William ('Bill'), Joyce (who died of TB prior to her second birthday) and Richenda. Ruth and Noel attended Hastings and St. Leonard's Ladies' College in 1910. As an adult, she began theater work, and spent approximately 10 years in the theater.
During the Great War, in 1915 Noel worked first as a volunteer in a soldier's hospital kitchen near Eastbourne Vicarage and later produced two plays with her sister Ruth. When things took a turn for the worse on the Front in 1916 she moved to London and obtained a job making munitions in Woolwich Arsenal. At the end of the war in January 1919, Noel enrolled at the Academy of Dramatic Art (later Royal Academy) in London.
In 1930, she began writing her first adult novel, The Whicharts, published in 1931. In June 1932, she was elected to membership of PEN. Early in 1936, Mabel Carey, children's editor of J. M. Dent and Sons, asks Noel to write a children's story about the theatre, which led to Noel completing Ballet Shoes in mid-1936. In 28 September 1936, when Ballet Shoes was published, it became an immediate best seller.
According to Angela Bull, Ballet Shoes was a reworked version of The Whicharts. Elder sister Ruth Gervis illustrated the book, which was published on the 28th September, 1936. At the time, the plot and general 'attitude' of the book was highly original, and destined to provide an outline for countless other ballet books down the years until this day. The first known book to be set at a stage school, the first ballet story to be set in London, the first to feature upper middle class society, the first to show the limits of amateurism and possibly the first to show children as self-reliant, able to survive without running to grownups when things went wrong.
In 1937, Noel traveled with Bertram Mills Circus to research The Circus is Coming (also known as Circus Shoes). She won the Carnegie gold medal in February 1939 for this book. In 1940, World War II began, and Noel began war-related work from 1940-1945. During this time, she wrote four adult novels, five children's books, nine romances, and innumerable articles and short stories. On May 10th, 1941, her flat was destroyed by a bomb. Shortly after WWII is over, in 1947, Noel traveled to America to research film studios for her book The Painted Garden. In 1949, she began delivering lectures on children's books. Between 1949 and 1953, her plays, The Bell Family radio serials played on the Children's Hour and were frequently voted top play of the year.
Early in 1960s, she decided to stop writing adult novels, but did write some autobiographical novels, such as A Vicarage Family in 1963. She also had written 12 romance novels under the pen name "Susan Scarlett." Her children's books number at least 58 titles. From July to December 1979, she suffered a series of small strokes and moved into a nursing home. In 1983, she received the honor Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). On 11 September 1986, she passed away in a nursing home.
She was born on Christmas Eve, 1895, the daughter of William Champion Streatfeild and Janet Venn and the second of six children to be born to the couple. Sister Ruth was the oldest, after Noel came Barbara, William ('Bill'), Joyce (who died of TB prior to her second birthday) and Richenda. Ruth and Noel attended Hastings and St. Leonard's Ladies' College in 1910. As an adult, she began theater work, and spent approximately 10 years in the theater.
During the Great War, in 1915 Noel worked first as a volunteer in a soldier's hospital kitchen near Eastbourne Vicarage and later produced two plays with her sister Ruth. When things took a turn for the worse on the Front in 1916 she moved to London and obtained a job making munitions in Woolwich Arsenal. At the end of the war in January 1919, Noel enrolled at the Academy of Dramatic Art (later Royal Academy) in London.
In 1930, she began writing her first adult novel, The Whicharts, published in 1931. In June 1932, she was elected to membership of PEN. Early in 1936, Mabel Carey, children's editor of J. M. Dent and Sons, asks Noel to write a children's story about the theatre, which led to Noel completing Ballet Shoes in mid-1936. In 28 September 1936, when Ballet Shoes was published, it became an immediate best seller.
According to Angela Bull, Ballet Shoes was a reworked version of The Whicharts. Elder sister Ruth Gervis illustrated the book, which was published on the 28th September, 1936. At the time, the plot and general 'attitude' of the book was highly original, and destined to provide an outline for countless other ballet books down the years until this day. The first known book to be set at a stage school, the first ballet story to be set in London, the first to feature upper middle class society, the first to show the limits of amateurism and possibly the first to show children as self-reliant, able to survive without running to grownups when things went wrong.
In 1937, Noel traveled with Bertram Mills Circus to research The Circus is Coming (also known as Circus Shoes). She won the Carnegie gold medal in February 1939 for this book. In 1940, World War II began, and Noel began war-related work from 1940-1945. During this time, she wrote four adult novels, five children's books, nine romances, and innumerable articles and short stories. On May 10th, 1941, her flat was destroyed by a bomb. Shortly after WWII is over, in 1947, Noel traveled to America to research film studios for her book The Painted Garden. In 1949, she began delivering lectures on children's books. Between 1949 and 1953, her plays, The Bell Family radio serials played on the Children's Hour and were frequently voted top play of the year.
Early in 1960s, she decided to stop writing adult novels, but did write some autobiographical novels, such as A Vicarage Family in 1963. She also had written 12 romance novels under the pen name "Susan Scarlett." Her children's books number at least 58 titles. From July to December 1979, she suffered a series of small strokes and moved into a nursing home. In 1983, she received the honor Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). On 11 September 1986, she passed away in a nursing home.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 276 reviews
December 6, 2021
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!
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!
May 7, 2012
Formative for me. Streatfeild's unconventional families undoubtedly influenced my ideas of what can and should be "family", and her portrayal of the business of art gave me a more realistic idea of artistry from the outset. Dancing Shoes is my favorite of the Shoes series. I'm still not sure how it captivated me for so many reads as a kid, but it held up to my rediscovery. As an adult, I identified even more with Rachel in her desire to make things conform to what she believes as right, and her sense of responsibility, to the point of trying to run Hilary's life, and the need growing up to sort out my pursuits and identity from those for whom I felt responsible. I liked her development, as her snobbery was chipped away at, and she and Hilary reversed roles. Uncle Tom (so much like Mr Bennett in P&P!), as well as Pursey, rescued the book from being another Frances Hodgson Burnett story where everyone dumps on the orphans - the balance kept things in the real world for me. I liked that a backstory was given for Mrs. W. - you can't quite ever hate her as a result. I think the portrayal of "working women" (and girls, in this case) still has surprising pertinence, and Hilary's final "I'm gonna get married and have lots of babies" is so great. I think a lot of Hilary's "laziness" will drop away as she's not being hassled into doing things just because she has a knack for them, and she'll bring a lot of energy and ingenuity to being a mom. Dear characters.
January 31, 2019
I like this book even better than Ballet Shoes....
February 7, 2024
One of the"Shoes" books that I have somehow never read before. It's got all the hallmarks of a Streatfeild book-- talented orphans, a stage school, a cozy nanny figure with a cute nickname. Hillary is the antithesis of Posy Fossil--a talented but lazy dancer who doesn't care about ballet and just wants to be in the chorus, and Rachel is very much a Petrova Fossil character. Of course it all ends happily, but that's what you'd expect here, and you close the book with a contended smile.
August 15, 2021
I started this book, one of my all time favorite Streatfeilds, standing in a public library in Bermuda in November 1971, and it was years before I found a copy in the US but it was just as good as I had remembered it.
http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/202...
http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/202...
January 29, 2025
Rachel and her sister Hilary are left as orphans, and they have to live with their Aunt Cora who runs a dancing school. Hilary likes dancing, but Rachel is terrible at it. Rachel is determined that Hilary ought to learn proper ballet and be admitted to the Royal Ballet School someday, but Hilary just wants to goof around with her friends in tap class. The star of the dancing school is their cousin Dulcie who is spoiled rotten and makes their lives miserable. Rachel wishes that she could convince Hilary to outshine everyone with her ballet skills, maybe then Dulcie would realize that she's not the only star of the show.
I love this sweet story! There are so many layers to the characters, and Rachel is especially complex. She is always misunderstood and pushed into the background because she is quiet and reserved. It's really interesting to see how she interacts with people who take the time to get to know her better, and they discover that she is intelligent and kind and very talented in her own way!
I love this sweet story! There are so many layers to the characters, and Rachel is especially complex. She is always misunderstood and pushed into the background because she is quiet and reserved. It's really interesting to see how she interacts with people who take the time to get to know her better, and they discover that she is intelligent and kind and very talented in her own way!
September 30, 2019
This is my favorite so far of the "Shoes" series. Elizabeth Sastre is a delight as the narrator and I never grew tired of hearing "Wintle's Little Wonders." Three girls are highlighted in this installment: Dulcie, Hilary and Rachel. Dulcie is incorrigible. Will nothing take her down off her high horse (a favorite phrase of my mother's)? Hilary is destined for the Royal Ballet School. Or is she? She is happy to dance as part of a troupe. Finally, Rachel is devastated by the loss of both her parents in such a short time. Will she ever find her niche? This one takes a satisfying plot twist before its satisfying ending. Simply lovely.
July 3, 2014
I have long heard about the book Ballet Shoes. Apparently they're a childhood classic, and Dancing Shoes is in the same series as them. What I didn't know was that one of my childhood favourites - The Painted Garden, was also by this author! Thankfully, I liked Dancing Shoes, so I wasn't disappointed :D
Dancing Shoes follows Rachel and Hilary. Hilary is Rachel's adopted sister, and because of something that Rachel's mother said, Rachel is convinced that Hilary is cut out to be a dancer. However, when their mother dies, Rachel's aunt, who owns a dancing troupe takes them in. Not only is Mrs Winters a mean person who cares only for her selfish daugher Dulcie, they're doing the wrong sort of dancing! Although Hilary enjoys the dances, Rachel does her best to keep Hilary from making what she thinks is a mistake.
This book was a really fun read! Rachel and Hilary have a very adorable relationship - Rachel is goal-minded while Hilary is carefree, so their personalities were adorable together (made for some clashes though). Mrs Winters was a good villain, and had an interesting backstory. Dulcie was the type of girl that you'd hope to see fail, and when [SPOILER] both her cousins upstage her, you can't help but cheer a little. There's also a good supporting cast of characters, each with their own distinctive trait.
Most of the conflict in this book comes from the fact that everyone doesn't understand why Rachel is so opposed to Hilary dancing. As a result, most of the adults around her think that Rachel's a selfish and jealous sister. But since I, as the reader, know what's going on, it just made me like her more. I really admire how much she cares for Hilary, so much that she's willing to be misunderstood.
Hilary, on the other hand, I didn't like so much. She's a bit lazy, and I found her to be rather selfish, But I think that out of the two, Rachel is the real protagonist, and so I enjoyed the book for most part.
I'm way older than the target audience, but I would love to read the rest of the books in this series! And I really want to re-read The Painted Garden now. It seems like it's time for my second childhood!
This review was first posted at Inside the mind of a Bibliophile
Dancing Shoes follows Rachel and Hilary. Hilary is Rachel's adopted sister, and because of something that Rachel's mother said, Rachel is convinced that Hilary is cut out to be a dancer. However, when their mother dies, Rachel's aunt, who owns a dancing troupe takes them in. Not only is Mrs Winters a mean person who cares only for her selfish daugher Dulcie, they're doing the wrong sort of dancing! Although Hilary enjoys the dances, Rachel does her best to keep Hilary from making what she thinks is a mistake.
This book was a really fun read! Rachel and Hilary have a very adorable relationship - Rachel is goal-minded while Hilary is carefree, so their personalities were adorable together (made for some clashes though). Mrs Winters was a good villain, and had an interesting backstory. Dulcie was the type of girl that you'd hope to see fail, and when [SPOILER] both her cousins upstage her, you can't help but cheer a little. There's also a good supporting cast of characters, each with their own distinctive trait.
Most of the conflict in this book comes from the fact that everyone doesn't understand why Rachel is so opposed to Hilary dancing. As a result, most of the adults around her think that Rachel's a selfish and jealous sister. But since I, as the reader, know what's going on, it just made me like her more. I really admire how much she cares for Hilary, so much that she's willing to be misunderstood.
Hilary, on the other hand, I didn't like so much. She's a bit lazy, and I found her to be rather selfish, But I think that out of the two, Rachel is the real protagonist, and so I enjoyed the book for most part.
I'm way older than the target audience, but I would love to read the rest of the books in this series! And I really want to re-read The Painted Garden now. It seems like it's time for my second childhood!
This review was first posted at Inside the mind of a Bibliophile
January 30, 2025
Not one I will read often I think, but I won’t turn away from a copy to own myself. It took quite a turn at the end for Hilary but thinking it over it makes more sense than her dancing in a chorus the rest of her active days. I loved Rachel’s ending but would have enjoyed seeing her more through the story as she is the heroine.
August 17, 2009
i loved these books as a little girl and this one stood the test of time yesterday. nuanced complex characters - talent doesn't equal ambition, beauty doesn't equal kindness, loyalty is earned, characters are flawed but lovable. plus they are realistically 10 and they realistically age. they have complex thoughts and feelings and are eager to express themselves but frequently do so poorly.
without plot details, these are great reads for girls who are looking for role models that love performance but aren't cookie cutter and pre-date popstars.
if you can't tell, i love this book - and the shoe books in general.
without plot details, these are great reads for girls who are looking for role models that love performance but aren't cookie cutter and pre-date popstars.
if you can't tell, i love this book - and the shoe books in general.
September 5, 2024
This is a good book about the different kinds of girls there are.
Aunt Cora thinks there's only one way to be a girl, but it turns out that while cute, mean Dulcies and cute, frivolous Hilaries in little-girl frocks may get most of the attention, sometimes a mature, serious, and beautiful Rachel is just what's needed.
Aunt Cora thinks there's only one way to be a girl, but it turns out that while cute, mean Dulcies and cute, frivolous Hilaries in little-girl frocks may get most of the attention, sometimes a mature, serious, and beautiful Rachel is just what's needed.
November 6, 2020
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.
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.
April 20, 2020
Though not as good as Ballet Shoes (could any similar book hope to measure up?), Dancing Shoes is an enjoyable read and has its own merits.
For the first half of the book or so, most of the characters seemed rather too caricatured to me. Yet, as the story progressed, I was impressed with the way in which Noel Streatfeild created subtle transformations that rounded out the three main girls. My adult perspective especially noted how the kind grown-ups in the book spoke truth to the girls, and how the maturing girls were able to see the wisdom of things they had earlier rejected out-of-hand. It was a refreshing change from the standard kiddie lit of today in which adults are always obtuse and children always perceptive. The evolution of the characters also gives an interesting (today, it would be unpopular) perspective that not everyone is cut out to be a star, even if they have the talent and potential, and that is okay. A normal life can be a noble choice, too.
For the first half of the book or so, most of the characters seemed rather too caricatured to me. Yet, as the story progressed, I was impressed with the way in which Noel Streatfeild created subtle transformations that rounded out the three main girls. My adult perspective especially noted how the kind grown-ups in the book spoke truth to the girls, and how the maturing girls were able to see the wisdom of things they had earlier rejected out-of-hand. It was a refreshing change from the standard kiddie lit of today in which adults are always obtuse and children always perceptive. The evolution of the characters also gives an interesting (today, it would be unpopular) perspective that not everyone is cut out to be a star, even if they have the talent and potential, and that is okay. A normal life can be a noble choice, too.
November 27, 2020
Kid!me was right, this is hands down the best Noel Streatfield book. As a child, I related to Rachel SO HARD, and as an adult, I felt VERY CALLED OUT by her because OUCH THAT WAS ME AT AGE TEN, NOT ALWAYS IN A FLATTERING WAY.
June 14, 2020
This book is like the watered down version of the TV show "dance mom's" just slightly less dramatic. I liked it more than the book "skating shoes" from this same series. This would be a fun series to read out loud with kids.
September 3, 2022
What an unexpected delight! The sophistication and sensitivity of different types of performing talent is so spot-on, even in comparison with adult books. And I teared up when funny-looking, middle-aged-at-ten Rachel had her day in the sun as an actress.
April 26, 2023
I was given this for Christmas by Hailey Husdon, and it was such a sweet little book. Definitely not my normal read, but I enjoyed seeing the girl's story unfold. Their characters were vivid, and I loved seeing them grow. I really appreciated how Rachel and Hilary's relationship grew and changed.
February 7, 2025
I have been poorly this week so had to re-read this book last night in one sitting. I love it as much as I did when I first read it aged 13.
Rachel and her adopted sister Hilary Lennox go and live with their uncle Tom and Aunt Cora in London when their mother dies. But Hilary was meant to audition for the Royal Ballet School and Rachel is determined that she will make sure Hilary achieves greatness as a ballerina. Meanwhile, Aunt Cora runs a dance/stage school called Wintle's Little Wonders and is determined to train her two nieces so they can earn their keep once they are 12. Hilary is delighted as she loves dancing and actually enjoyed tap and gymnastics more than ballet but Rachel is horrified. She has never danced before and how will Hilary ever achieve being a proper ballerina if she is doing the wrong dance style?
I love this book. Rachel and Hilary are like chalk and cheese in lots of ways but they still love eachother even though they change and develop from moving in with the aunt and uncle. Aunt Cora is pretty self-centred and I still grimace at how awful she is towards Rachel. Her daughter Dulcie is a spoiled brat who is also very talented. Streatfeild does a great job of showing how success doesn't always last and that pride comes before a fall. I loved all the characters but especially loved Rachel, Hilary, Mrs Storm and Pursey. The only vague criticism is that I wanted more about Rachel at the end.
One of Streatfeild's finest with a great cast of characters. she explores many morals but the one that stood out for me is to never underestimate anyone and that we all have different talents.
Rachel and her adopted sister Hilary Lennox go and live with their uncle Tom and Aunt Cora in London when their mother dies. But Hilary was meant to audition for the Royal Ballet School and Rachel is determined that she will make sure Hilary achieves greatness as a ballerina. Meanwhile, Aunt Cora runs a dance/stage school called Wintle's Little Wonders and is determined to train her two nieces so they can earn their keep once they are 12. Hilary is delighted as she loves dancing and actually enjoyed tap and gymnastics more than ballet but Rachel is horrified. She has never danced before and how will Hilary ever achieve being a proper ballerina if she is doing the wrong dance style?
I love this book. Rachel and Hilary are like chalk and cheese in lots of ways but they still love eachother even though they change and develop from moving in with the aunt and uncle. Aunt Cora is pretty self-centred and I still grimace at how awful she is towards Rachel. Her daughter Dulcie is a spoiled brat who is also very talented. Streatfeild does a great job of showing how success doesn't always last and that pride comes before a fall. I loved all the characters but especially loved Rachel, Hilary, Mrs Storm and Pursey. The only vague criticism is that I wanted more about Rachel at the end.
One of Streatfeild's finest with a great cast of characters. she explores many morals but the one that stood out for me is to never underestimate anyone and that we all have different talents.
August 13, 2016
Rachel Lennox is happy living in the English countryside with her mother and adopted sister Hilary. The family is poor but Hilary is a superb dancer and expected to attend the Royal Ballet School and become a star. Rachel's mother dies after a terrible accident, leaving Rachel and Hilary to the care of Rachel's uncle and his wife, Aunt Cora, who runs a dancing school for Mrs. Wintle's Little Wonders. Mrs. Wintle is eager to add Hilary to her troupe but does not expect the girl to upstage her own darling daughter. Rachel is dismayed to learn that the Little Wonders focus more on tap and acrobatics than ballet and pushes Hilary to train ballet so she can fulfill Rachel's mother's dream of Hilary becoming a ballerina with the Royal Ballet. Hilary is lazy and prefers acrobatics to ballet and dreams of becoming a Little Wonder. Rachel hates to dance and feels life as a Little Wonder would be unbearable. Rachel bonds with her teacher, Mrs. Storm, who gives Rachel elocution lessons and sees in the girl promise of something special that Mrs. Wintle can not see. Rachel and Hilary also have to deal with their spoiled cousin Dulcie, who is on her way to stardom. As they grow older, Rachel becomes more despondent and Hilary happier. Finally, they each discover their true places in the theater world and learn to accept each other's decisions.
The plot is very similar to Theatre Shoes but not as well done. I felt sorry for Rachel but didn't find her very interesting. Hilary wasn't very likeable either because she was silly and lazy. Dulcie is the typical spoiled girl with a stage mother and the story was pretty predictable. This is not my favorite installment of the series.
The plot is very similar to Theatre Shoes but not as well done. I felt sorry for Rachel but didn't find her very interesting. Hilary wasn't very likeable either because she was silly and lazy. Dulcie is the typical spoiled girl with a stage mother and the story was pretty predictable. This is not my favorite installment of the series.
December 1, 2022
Dancing Shoes doesn't dance to the same tune as Ballet Shoes and Theater Shoes, though there are plenty of similarities. The difference in this one is the adults. Only a few are truly sympathetic to the children, and none of them have a comprehensive grasp of the girls. Dancing Shoes has its moments of humor and fun, its satisfying comeuppances and opportunities, but overall it has a more frustrating tone than Streatfeild's other books. This is largely due to Cora Wintle, who would have become the biggest meme on Dance Moms. Dulcie is an extremely realistic character, though she is also a pure work of fiction; I'm continually surprised that her father never seems to parent her, though he does so much for Rachel. Cora is a steamroller, but she is entertaining.
While reading Dancing Shoes I was struck that Streatfeild's children's books take place in the world Julie Andrews grew up in. Her memoirs of growing up onstage and in vaudeville remind me of Streatfeild's world of children in theater. It added another level of interest in re-reading the series.
Wintle's Wonders would have been a much better title for this book, but I think Ballet Shoes, Theater Shoes, and Dancing Shoes make an excellent trio. The other Shoe book I've read was not really in the same world and should have retained their original names. If there's not a scene where children go to the London County Council to get a license, it's not a Shoe book, in my humble opinion.
While reading Dancing Shoes I was struck that Streatfeild's children's books take place in the world Julie Andrews grew up in. Her memoirs of growing up onstage and in vaudeville remind me of Streatfeild's world of children in theater. It added another level of interest in re-reading the series.
Wintle's Wonders would have been a much better title for this book, but I think Ballet Shoes, Theater Shoes, and Dancing Shoes make an excellent trio. The other Shoe book I've read was not really in the same world and should have retained their original names. If there's not a scene where children go to the London County Council to get a license, it's not a Shoe book, in my humble opinion.
June 27, 2008
Even though I did like this book, I didn't like it quite as much as I did Ballet Shoes. This probably is because it was about as enjoyable to read the parts containing Mrs. W and her daughter Dulcie as it was to read the parts with Umbridge in the Harry Potter books. Then again, the fact that the relationship between Rachel and Hilary is more complex than the one among the sisters in Ballet Shoes is a positive thing.
The ending was unexpected, although I feel like it shouldn't have been. Had I been reading more closely, I would have seen how Rachel found her happiness in the end before it happened. I knew there would be a typical happy ending (as there was with Ballet Shoes), but I didn't expect Hilary to have desired motherhood over a career (eventually--the book ends when the girls are only fourteen) since there wasn't much of an indication of that desire (except for her obvious solicitousness over Rachel). I did enjoy reading about the relationships forged between Rachel and the older people in the book as well as between Hilary and the girls her age; it seemed fitting of the characteristics the girls portrayed throughout the book.
Good, quick read, with the regular, expected rewards at the end.
The ending was unexpected, although I feel like it shouldn't have been. Had I been reading more closely, I would have seen how Rachel found her happiness in the end before it happened. I knew there would be a typical happy ending (as there was with Ballet Shoes), but I didn't expect Hilary to have desired motherhood over a career (eventually--the book ends when the girls are only fourteen) since there wasn't much of an indication of that desire (except for her obvious solicitousness over Rachel). I did enjoy reading about the relationships forged between Rachel and the older people in the book as well as between Hilary and the girls her age; it seemed fitting of the characteristics the girls portrayed throughout the book.
Good, quick read, with the regular, expected rewards at the end.
May 4, 2012
I do enjoy Streatfeild's Shoe books quite a bit - the formula is appealing in that there is usually a snooty character who learns a lesson and another who discovers an unknown talent and surprises everyone. In Dancing Shoes two sisters, having lost both of their parents, must go live with a previously unknown uncle. This uncle is married to a dancing teacher - who is quite difficult to live with -- and they have a spoiled & conceited dancing daughter. The girls must learn to dance. Hilary has talent but no drive and Rachel has no talent at all, or at least not for dancing. Rachel is devoted to her sister's dancing, and the fact that their mother had high hopes for Hilary. From there the story begins. It's the usual lovely Shoe story, but the only fly in the ointment is major for me. The old-fashioned and wrongheaded attitudes about adoption slam into the reader's face almost immediately. I had to keep reminding myself when it was written before I could continue. One could expect it from Mrs Wintle, the hardhearted dancing teacher, but to hear it from members of the very family in which the child was adopted is tough. And this book was written in the 50s.
April 29, 2014
I read this book as an adult, but I have to say I find strong similarties among all of Noel Streatfeild's "dancing" stories. Always the parents disappear due to death or whatever, leaving the children in someone else's care. There's always a responsible sibling who hates dancing herself, but passionately wants her sister to be a ballerina. Always the remarks about "only till I'm fifteen, then I can do something different." And there's always someone who gets attention on stage and lets it go to their head (which happens in real life, too, though not onstage necessarily.) As far as wish-fulfillment fantasy for little girls goes, they're OK; both this one and "Ballet Shoes" were better than "Ballet Shoes for Anna". Believable? Not terribly. But little girls who dream of dancing or acting or singing don't care about that. They want the dream. Reality? Stinks. Reality is homework and little brothers breaking your stuff and being bullied at school. The "Shoe" books are about dreaming.
April 2, 2014
If you like dance, kids, people drama, the vintage historical period, British atmosphere, or anything to do with what ordinary people are really like, read this book.
It's awesome. :)
Personally, I like it a tiny bit better than Ballet Shoes. Dulcie is a remarkably realistic mean girl--most authors wimp out on letting us see what a mean girl is really like, for fear of offending the mean girls who might happen to be reading ;) -- and the Cinderella element of Rachel's plot is so well handled it doesn't feel cheesy.
The only thing that worries me is why the heck Uncle Tom married Cora Wintle. But then, sometimes nice guys surprise everyone and marry evil women. :P
It's awesome. :)
Personally, I like it a tiny bit better than Ballet Shoes. Dulcie is a remarkably realistic mean girl--most authors wimp out on letting us see what a mean girl is really like, for fear of offending the mean girls who might happen to be reading ;) -- and the Cinderella element of Rachel's plot is so well handled it doesn't feel cheesy.
The only thing that worries me is why the heck Uncle Tom married Cora Wintle. But then, sometimes nice guys surprise everyone and marry evil women. :P
February 29, 2016
This is the third "shoes" book I've read. They are all delightful and charming. The families in these books come from various circumstances and are hodge podged delightfully together. It's not all roses as they learn to get along. But, through the mentors in their lives, dancing, and their good characters, they learn to be close friends- sisters, siblings. I love at the end of this book, that Julie wanted more than anything in the world to get married young and have "lots and lots of children". Such lovely role models.
December 8, 2008
I heard of these books from...you guessed it, "You've got mail." I was browsing in the library several weeks ago and happened to see these books. I really liked the story and enjoyed reading them. They are a nice easy read.
July 6, 2015
Beth re-read it so I had to. (Also, wow, has it really been five years since I last read this? That seems wrong.)
Looooove this one. Maybe my favorite Streatfeild. RACHEL. Much more like I was than most child characters.
And SUCH a satisfying ending.
Looooove this one. Maybe my favorite Streatfeild. RACHEL. Much more like I was than most child characters.
And SUCH a satisfying ending.
November 23, 2011
The best of the 3 "Shoes" books that I've read. Ballet Shoes and Theater Shoes both divided the reader's attention among three protagonists. By focusing on just one main character (Rachel), Dancing Shoes allowed me to really get to know her and become attached.
June 14, 2024
I love these Shoe books. I know the characters will all end up happy and satisfied with their life, and sometimes I just need a happy story.
July 8, 2009
I think this is my favorite of the "Shoes" books.
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