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    Ballet Shoes
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    Ballet Shoes
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    Ballet Shoes
    Audiobook6 hours

    Ballet Shoes

    Written by Noel Streatfeild

    Narrated by Elizabeth Sastre

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    In the tradition of Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Little Princess come Noel Streatfeild's classic Shoes books. In this story, three orphan girls vow to make a name for themselves and find their own special talents. With hard work, fame just may be in the stars!

    Pauline, Petrova, and Posy are love their quiet life together. The girls are orphans who have been raised as sisters and when their new family needs money, the girls want to help. They decide to join the Children's Academy of Dancing and Stage Training to earn their keep. Each girl works hard following her dream. Pauline is destined for the movies. Posy is a born dancer. And Petrova? She finds she'd rather be a pilot than perform a pirouette.

    This beautiful children's classic is perfect for girls who love to dream about ballet, friendship, and finding their own special talents. Adult readers may remember them as the "Shoes" books from You've Got Mail!

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateNov 23, 2004
    ISBN9781400091416
    Unavailable
    Ballet Shoes
    Author

    Noel Streatfeild

    Noel Streatfeild, the plain middle child between two talented and pretty sisters, trained at RADA and acted for nine years before writing Ballet Shoes, an instant bestseller, in 1936. As vicarage daughter, factory girl, actress, model, social worker, writer, and crusader for good books, Noel touched many aspects of life. Her experiences enriched her stories, which were so popular that, by her eightieth birthday, she had earned herself the title of ‘a national monument’. She died in 1986.

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    Reviews for Ballet Shoes

    4/5

    583 ratings35 reviews

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    • 5/5
      This is a delightful children's classic that stands the test of time, although it is set in London between the wars, when the queen was still Princess Elizabeth.Sylvia's Great Uncle Matthew (Gum, for short) has disappeared off on his infamous travels, leaving behind three babies that he picked up while on his fossil-hunting expeditions. They are Pauline, Petrova and Posy, who call themselves Fossils, and make a solemn vow to make their name worthwhile by performing a service to their country, as (being adopted) their name belongs to no-one else, and is truly their own. Unfortunately, Gum - having no sense of time - has only provided enough money to last for 5 years, and Sylvia is eventually forced to take the children out of school and to take in boarders to make ends meet.Even though they have to 'save the penny and walk', the girls have adventures. Their boarders help with their education, including helping them go to stage school, where they all have different attitudes and aptitudes.Noel Streatfeild has captured the interaction between the adults and children beautifully, balancing stern Nana's proprieties against the children's youthful zeal. I found myself smiling almost the whole time I read this book. Although I could see it from a slightly different perspective as an adult, it captivated me as much as it had when I read it as a child myself. Part of its charm, I think, is that it captures the innocence of childhood in a bygone era.An excerpt (the children, aged about 6, 8 and 10, are taken to meet Madame Fidolia of the stage school) :Madame kissed her.'You are the first compatriot of mine to come to my school. I will make a good dancer of you. Yes?'Petrova scratched at the floor with her toe and said nothing; she daren't look up, for she was sure Pauline would make her laugh.'And this is Posy,' said Sylvia.Posy came forward and dropped the most beautiful curtsy.'Madame,' she said politely.'Blessed lamb!' Nana murmured proudly.'Little show-off!' Pauline whispered to Petrova.Very well worth reading, and very well worth going back to re-read.
    • 5/5
      A surprising and wonderful book. It starts off slowly, appearing a whimsical but typical tale. There is an unusual realism in the story of three girls living on the edge of poverty with the adults responsible for them. The details of their lives learning theatrical arts raises this above the general run. Each girl longs for different things, and the adults must try to balance teaching them how to survive with encouraging their joy in life. There is the unexpected thread of a girl wanting nothing more than to learn about cars and planes, and there is a seriousness around financial responsibility that I haven't often seen in children's books of this vintage. But none of that says what a lovely and fascinating story it is. Very glad I stumbled across it.
    • 4/5
      Originally published in 1936, this first "Shoes" book by acclaimed British children's author Noel Streafeild - the "Shoes" books are less of a series than a collection of wonderful children's novels, some related, some not, many of which were not "shoes" books at all, in their original British forms (Theater Shoes was originally Curtain Up, Dancing Shoes was Wintle's Wonders, Skating Shoes was White Boots, and so on) - is one that I have long been wanting to read. Thankfully, a book-cub to which I belong chose it for their June book-club selection, giving me that long-needed impetus!The story of three young orphans - Pauline, Petrova and Posy Fossil - who are ostensibly adopted by Gum (Great Uncle Matthew), but are really raised by Garnie (Great Uncle Matthew's niece, Sylvia) and their nurse, Nana, Ballet Shoes has been described as one of the earliest "career novels" for children, as it follows its young heroines as they seek to make a living in the arts. Pauline, the eldest, begins working as an actress at age twelve (special license required), and Petrova soon follows. Posy, a dancing prodigy and the youngest, studies with Madame Fidolia, the headmistress of The Children's Academy of Dancing and Stage Training, where all three are pupils. As each of the three struggles to find her calling - Pauline is a talented actress, Petrova quietly longs to escape from the arts, and become a mechanic and aviatrix, and Posy is a born dancer - they also seek to help Garnie with the household finances, and to live up to the secret vow that they regularly renew, to get the Fossil name into history.I really enjoyed Ballet Shoes, which impressed me with its ability to depict the lure of a career on the stage and in the arts, without succumbing to that lure itself. Most of the acting and ballet stories that I have read for young people are so in love with the world of the stage, and of ballet, that they lack (how to put it...?) perspective. Ballet (or acting) is the best and only thing - it is everything. Here, we see that other callings - such as engineering - are just as fulfilling and important. More! We see an acknowledgment that acting and ballet, in the larger scheme of things, are perhaps not that important. Or, put another way, that they are not the most important thing, historically speaking. I found that very refreshing, and was particularly struck by the fact that Petrova's calling is so mechanical, as this was an era in which girls were not encouraged in that direction.All in all, a most entertaining tale, one that won me over with its engaging true-to-life characters (Posy was such a brat, but without being a monster), its satisfying blend of "making it big" and "keeping one's feet on the ground" (the girls are successful, but still have to worry about money) and its progressive view of the opportunities open (or that should be open) to girls. Somehow, despite my interest in it, Ballet Shoes had always seemed like one of those intensely "girly" books to me: you know, the pastel ones. But although it is very much a book with girl appeal, it is really an orphan tale, a career novel and a family story, all wrapped in one. I'm glad that I have finally read it!
    • 2/5
      I'm sorry, Susann, but this will be my only Shoes book.

      I found it sweet but unsatisfying. I just couldn't care about anyone but Petrova, and even she was a little marshmallow-y. There was never any real doubt about how it would end, or if the latest character would be interested in helping the girls or even if one or another would get any given part. All the self-sacrificing was... again, the only word I keep coming up with for this book is sweet. Sweet like white sugar, sweet like cotton candy, sweet like I need to read something wicked to get the stickiness washed out.


    • 5/5
      I read it as a child, I read it to my children, probably more than once. I was pleased to see it on the Guardian's list in the Family and Self section. Three girls from different backgrounds have been adopted by an explorer, who then leaves them in the care of his niece and her old nanny. As funds grow short, they begin taking in boarders and find out about a school they can afford. (The local free school was obviously not even considered!) The school is Madame Fidolia's, an academy for dance and theater. The story has many dimensions -- family and self, for sure, but also the aspect of self that is about finding what one is meant to do and making one's best effort to do it. Of course my favorite character is Petrova.
    • 3/5
      I'm glad I finally read one of the infamous Shoe Books, mentioned in You've Got Mail. The book was an ok read. I particularly liked the British humor. One of the most appealing things about the book was how Streatfeild gave each of the girls (Pauline, Petrova, and Posy) distinctive personalities. They each have their own goals--Pauline to be an actress, Petrova to be an aviator, and Posy to be a ballerina.
    • 4/5
      This is a story about three young sisters who are orphaned. The three sisters enter three different paths based on their interests in order to make a name for themselves. This is a great family story for older children.
    • 4/5
      A favorite from childhood. Strong sibling relationships explored in an unusual time in history
    • 5/5
      Somewhat dated but a brilliant read. Strong female characters (and in fact the cast is predominately female), easily relatable girls, an engaging plot, and a strongly coded lesbian couple. One of my favorite children's books.
    • 4/5
      I've had this book since elementary school as I was a ballet dancer and loved everything about it. However, as a child I found this book a little difficult to read on my own. I didn't understand a lot of the underlying societal issues and I was constantly worried for the orphans. As an adult I can better appreciate the entire story and can separate the tension in the book from my emotions.
    • 5/5
      This is a WONDERFUL book for anyone aged 9-14
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this book immensely, though it just fell short of perfection. I particularly enjoyed the setting in the big rambling house, the unparalleled kindness of the adults towards the waif-like abandoned sisters, and the edge of glitz and glamour from their involvement in ballet and theatre.
    • 4/5
      This was one of my favorite books as a child. And I'm not the only one! Apparently, when it first came out, the author couldn't get spare copies because the store she went to had a. put the books in their own special section and b. was restricting purchases to one per customer.That's just remarkable.The characters are - although a little overly nice (it isn't until later books (Dancing Shoes, Theater Shoes) that we start seeing a few spoiled rotten children) - mostly realistic. They do argue, they do occasionally misbehave, that sort of thing. As a child, I found the details of their education and stage training to be absolutely fascinating, and I read this book until I had to go buy another copy. And as an adult, I appreciate that even the kid that doesn't fit in, Petrova, who is interested in cars and planes and utterly bored by all her theater lessons, is not left out or ignored. She's less talented than the others (artistically, anyway), but she's still valued.However, it can be difficult for a younger child to get into this book today. The book spans several years, and it's full of old-fashioned dialog and old British money. We also spend a lot of time paying attention to what the grown-ups are saying. I would suggest that if your kid is not yet in her double digits that you hold off before buying a copy.
    • 4/5
      I didn't know about the "Shoe Books" when I was a kid; the first I ever heard of them was when Kathleen Kelley overheard a customer asking a dim-witted children's section employee of Fox Books for one in You've Got Mail and then gave a thirty-second blurb on them that proves the movie's point about independently-owned shops beautifully ("I'd start with Ballet Shoes--it's my favorite. Though skating shoes is also completely wonderful. But it's out of print.") When I stumbled across a BBC production of Ballet Shoes recently, I decided I was clearly meant to read the book. It's delightful, and the details of 1930s London life and stage work are fascinating. Recommended.
    • 5/5
      Probably Noel Streatfeild's best-known book, this is the story of the three Fossil children and their lives at a stage school. Pauline wants to act, Posy wants to dance, and Petrova - well, she just wants to be left alone to read her car manuals. A real page-turner.
    • 5/5
      Needs no introduction and, if it does, go and get it out of the library. No childhood is complete that doesn't include an annual re-reading of 'Ballet Shoes'.
    • 5/5
      Ballet Shoes was probably my favorite book as a child. I used to read it whenever I was bored or needed comforting. Now, I probably can't review it entirely objectively, but it is a wonderfully sweet story of the love among three adopted sisters and their guardian. The girls perform in ballets and plays to earn money for their struggling family, and I have always found the portrayal of the children's lives in the theatre to be fascinating.
    • 2/5
      Sweet story about three orphans who are adopted and sent to a performing arts school to help raise money for their family. The three Fossils -as they are called- Pauline, Petrova and Posy are sweet, resourceful girls with dreams and goals. This heartwarming story about family, sacrifice and love is wonderful. The new movie is also enjoyable as well even though they had to Americanize it with a love story...
    • 3/5
      I was horribly disappointed in this book. First, personally I've been on a hunt for a good dance/ballet related book (adult or children's) and yet again I fail. Second, this is a classic children's story I've heard about for years and it just didn't live up to the hype or my expectations. The story was really pretty boring. No idea how a child would get through it. Not a great deal happens, and the story spent way too much time and detail discussing money. I didn't need to know how much money the children earned and where it all went down to the pence. I didn't really connect with any character. I didn't like how Posy was a stereotypical ballerina. I really didn't like the ending. It was very deus ex machina; and all their problems were solved. Finally, my biggest complaint of the book is where is the part about ballet and ballet shoes?! The book is called "Ballet Shoes" and the talk of ballet or ballet shoes covers about a tenth of the book, and that's being generous. Why would you title a book Ballet Shoes and it not be the focus of the story. I really have no desire to read the other two books in the series, though I'm curious to read theater shoes just to see if it is about ballet since ballet shoes was all about acting.
    • 4/5
      A charming tale of three girls adopted by an eccentric explorer who mostly collected fossils, but occasionally brought home an orphan instead. When he goes missing, the girls and their guardian must think of ways to make money, and so begins the tale of three different girls finding their passion at a school of stage and dance. The characters are realistic and their adventures captivating.
    • 5/5
      This was one of my favorite books as a child; I still enjoy reading it as an adult. It's a perfect book for girls: it's about three orphaned girls growing up in an adoptive family in London without much money, who work hard, help the family, and fulfill their dreams in a loving, supportive environment. The eldest becomes a movie actress, the middle becomes a mechanic/aviator, and the youngest a ballerina--but the joy of the story is in how they get there. Highly recommended--and don't forget to check out the 2007 movie version, as well.
    • 5/5
      Pretty orphans?! That's what I loved when I was little. Why do children want to be orphans?
    • 5/5
      A long-running favourite of my youth, I was inspired to re-read this when I saw the 2007 BBC version of this I decided to hunt up my copy to re-read. This is the story of three sisters, collected by a fossil hunter (GUM or Great Uncle Matthew) and left with his niece Sylvia (aka Garnie for Guardian) and her Nanny and assorted servants. The three grow up, finding themselves very poor. They take in paying guests to make ends meet and these people help the three girls with their education. One of the things that they do to help is have the girls enrolled in a stage school where at least two of them learn skills useful for their future. They go through trials and tribulations and have to make some very adult decisions through the story.It's a kids' story so some things are skimmed rather than explored in real depth but there is a lot more depth in this than you find in many stories and it's interesting to see the empowering qualities of this even at it's age. I have to wonder did we progress much since this interwar story.
    • 5/5
      This is possibly my most loved book as a child. I read this book so many times that it fell apart and I had to buy another. I even enjoy it as an adult.
    • 5/5
      A wonderful story told with a touch of quirky humor. Young ballet dancers and stage actors will find much that feels familiar here, but the themes of love, family, caring, and sacrifice combine to create a story that will still appeal to those who have never set foot on a stage before.
    • 5/5
      Why did I love this book so much as a child? I have no interest in ballet dancing, and that is mostly what it's about. I think the genius of Streatfeild is in the details. She REALLY explains exactly what taking ballet classes consists of---down to where you change into your clothes, what the teachers and other students are like, etc. The sisters all have very distinct personalities, and I love what to me seemed like an exotic setting in England. I went on to read everything by this author I could get my hands on!
    • 5/5
      Probably my favourite ballet based story of all time. Three adopted girls in the same house use their dancing skills to raise the household out of the poverty they find themselves in when GUM (Great Uncle Matthew) does not return home.
    • 4/5
      The children in Noel Streatfeild's Ballet Shoes reminded me of the very ambitious Melendy family in the Melendy Quartet by Elizabeth Enright. Each child in both families has a special talent and  the adults are super supportive of each and every endeavor. But, Streafeild has a twist to her story. The Fossil sisters in Ballet Shoes aren't sisters at all and they pursue their talents in order to avoid going into debt. Pauline, Petrova and Posy are all orphaned children adopted by kindhearted yet often absent fossil collector Great-Uncle Matthew (GUM, as he is affectionately known). While Gum is off on another expedition Pauline finds the theater, Posy is a natural at ballet and Petrova prefers aviation and motor cars to the stage but she does what she can. The "sisters" may be very different from one another but they share one important truth, their self-decided last name of Fossil. They create a vow to honor the name and renew that vow every year on each girl's birthday. It's a very cute story.
    • 4/5
      Well this was different. Not at all what I expected. I thought there'd be more about catty girls & rivalries & stage mothers, but there was none of that.

      Is it historical fiction? Was there a time when good girls could actually go on the stage and earn money and still be considered respectable? How wonderful for the interested children!

      In fact, how wonderful for all the women in the book. I mean, Sylvia never knew a man's love, but she retained her independence and still had a chance to raise children.

      Of course, the ending's a little pat. It's as if Streatfeild was telling the story of these little girls growing up, and then when they did become 'of age' he lost interest in them and just wrapped things up.

      This is actually one of the touchstone books that we all should have read when we were children - and if we didn't, we should now. I have no idea whether I'm interested in the sequels or not - I guess it depends on what my GR friends say about them....
    • 5/5
      Unexpectedly terrific, which shows I'm bad at predicting what I'll like, sometimes. Ugh, I thought, some backstager about girls trying to make it in show business ... except that I love backstagers about girls trying to make it in show business. It's like grapes. I don't think I like grapes, but then you set a bowl in front of me, and after one I suddenly remember, yum, grapes.

      Anyway, it's a weird (I like weird!) blend of absolute surrealist fantasy (at the beginning), as we meet a crazed rich explorer who travels the world and returns with three children. Then the story morphs into dead-straight realism, down to, by the shilling, how much it costs to make a new dress, and which character will sew the dress and which will sew the slip for underneath, etc. Lucky for me, both styles of story are very well written and in my wheelhouse as a reader, so I enjoyed the first chapters as much as the more prosaic sections (but how prosaic can "making it in show business" be? Not very.)

      It's actually hard to make the theater interesting (shows are interesting, and if you love a show then documentaries or nonfiction about the show is interesting, but fiction about imagined shows is usually very tricky to pull off) yet Noel nails it. I'm reminded of Better Nate Than Ever crossed with Tempest Tost, say.

      Characters are distinct and likeable, and I really couldn't put it down (or at least, since I listened on Audible, extended my neighborhood walks so I could hear more book).

      (Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve!