Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7787 in Books
• Published on: 2004-03-31
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Audio Book Information
Rosemary Leach stars in a BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation of Noel Streatfeild's much-loved children's classic.

When Sylvia and her old nurse Nana agree to keep house for Great Uncle Matthew (or Gum, as Sylvia calls him), they know they will be looking after his fossil collection while he's away on his travels. But imagine their surprise when one day Gum brings them something completely different to look after--a baby. And then another. And another.

The three live happily with Sylvia and Nana until one day Sylvia realises that the money Gum left to take care of them has all gone. What are they to live on? Taking in boarders is the first step, but how can she afford to send the children to school? And that's when lodger Theo comes up with her great idea--Pauline, Petrova and Posy are to become pupils at the Children's Academy of Dancing and Stage Training. Now the adventures really begin.

Ballet Shoes is a classic of 20th-century children's literature. The innocent humour and sense of adventure that have made the novel such a perennial favourite live on in this enchanting BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation.

Synopsis
Pauline, was rescued from a shipwreck as a baby. She longs to be an actress. Petrova, is a Russian orphan. She is happiest when playing with cars and engines. Polly was handed over with just a pair of ballet shoes to her name. If she could, she would dance all day! But one thing they DO have in common is, that with money running out at home and Great Uncle Matthew missing, the sisters want to stay together. Whatever it takes. As they prepare for a dazzling life on stage, the dreams and fears of the fossil girls are about to come true...

Customer Reviews

Loved it.
It really is a classic that I think will survive a long time. It's not challanging and very sweet and on the whole very enjoyable.
I read it in one evening when I when I had the flu in bed and it kept me entertained so much that I finished it! Every girl should read it and even teenage girls like me!

A fantastic read
This is not usually the sort of book I would go for, as it is about Ballet, the cover is pink, it's quite old and is not fantasy, but with the release of the TV movie I thought I would give it a go. I managed to finish it before seeing the film and so had no preconceptions.
Not only did I LOVE it, but wanted to read it again right away and desperate even more to see it come to life.
I felt that it was really well written and I could get into the story and feel the characters come to life off the page.
The three girls made sisters by chance have such a strong bond and faithfulness to each other and their carers. Doing all they can to get money to help pay for bills etc, they go to a Stage training academy and learn different dances, acting and singing, and then getting parts in productions that pay.
I would definately recommend this to ballet fans, but also anyone who likes a nice heartwarming story. Really good read, that will keep you turning the pages.

Comfort Read from 9-99
While this book will have instant appeal to girls who love ballet don't be put off if you don't. And don't be put off by the garish pink cover the newer editions have. It is a timeless classic about three orphans growing up in London in the late 1930's looked after by an eclectic mix of adults. Although it's set in a ballet school and has a theatrical background, it's really a story about family ties, enduring hardship, making do and mending and evokes another era beautifully. Pauline, Petrova and Posy are all quite diffferent and the story sometimes has a strong moralistic slant but is never patronising. My all time favourite book, comfort reading at its best, better than a bar of chocolate any day.