Book Review: Ballet Shoes

Book: Ballet Shoes (Shoes book #1) by Noel Streatfeild with illustration by Diane Goode

Rating: 4 stars

Review:

Ballet Shoes was a really cute book that follows the Fossil sisters, Pauline, Petrova and Posy as they focus on their dreams and ambitions as well as cope with financial difficulties. The sisters were each adopted orphans who were brought separately to the care of Sylvia by Sylvia's Great Uncle Matthew (or Gum as the girls like to call him) who was an explorer and loved to travel. He had been traveling when Posy was delivered to Sylvia and would be away for some years but left the family money.

Although, Sylvia got help with taking care of the girls from her former nanny (who was practically family after she raised Sylvia after Sylvia's mother had died), there was still plenty of bills to worry about and the money just wasn't enough..

Sylvia had to figure out a way to bring in more money and she had a good solution, to bring in boarders. Which turned out to be a good thing because, Sylvia could no longer afford to send the girls to school but from her boarders the girls were able to get sent to The Children's Academy of Dancing as well as take lessons from home from two of the boarders.

As the girls grew up they each developed an interest: for Pauline it was acting, Petrova cars and planes and Posy ballet dancing. And through the academy the girls were able to prepare for a life in the arts and potentially get paid performances once they turn 12. That sounds fantastic to both Pauline and Posy but Petrova had no real desire for either acting or dancing except for the much needed money that would truly help the family.

I found this book to be interesting because it's not often you see children being informed about their family's financial problem and are eager to help.

 This was a story that showed that if you work hard enough maybe you can achieve your dreams.