Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #38093 in Books
• Published on: 2009-04-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Customer Reviews

A must read - and not only for theater lovers!
Sorrel, Mark and Holly, three children who, believing they are orphans are sent to live with Margaret Shaw, a renowned actress who happens to be their grandmother, and Alice, her queer but enjoyable maid. Immediately, the children are enrolled in an academy for acting. At first, none of the three like this idea. But before long each one of them finds their hidden talents and acting flair. And, they meet their two cousins, the spunky and sweet Miriam, and the snobby and selfish Miranda. This lovely and well written story will capture many young readers' hearts with its theater adventure and family charm.

Alternative title!
This is, as other reviewers have said, an excellent book, which I highly recommend. However, be aware that it's a retitled version; it was originally published as 'Curtain Up' or 'Other People's Shoes'. Make sure you're not buying a duplicate!

Charming, simple fare
I admit that I have never quite outgrown children's books, of which this is definitely one. It is set in England in 1942-43 and is about three children named Sorrel, Mark and Holly. Their mother is dead and their father missing when the grandfather that they were living with dies. They are sent to live with their maternal grandmother, about whom they know nothing because their mother eloped and was never forgiven. It turns out that their mother was a member of a very famous stage family; so they are sent to the Children's Academy of Dancing and Stage Training so that they can carry on the tradition. This book serves as a sequel to Ballet Shoes but it manages to be more successful than most sequels in that it doesn't follow the original characters' lives after they have resolved their primary drama, but it keeps them as peripheral to the main plot. This way, the reader knows what happened to them but is not disappointed by the fact that they have become so much less interesting. There really isn't too much commentary that can be given on this book. It's very nice if you like this sort of thing but probably be very annoying if you don't