Book Review: Ballet Shoes
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What Parents Should Know
The nontraditional plot may bore kids who aren't into
ballet. Diane Goode's lighthearted drawings don't match the
more serious tone of the text.
Common Sense Media Review
This will become a favorite book for children who dream of a
life on the stage. To kids who love dancing or acting, the
Children's Academy of Dancing and Stage Training will seem a
magical place, and every detail--from barre practice to
auditions to backstage antics--will be fascinating.
Children who don't fantasize about performing, however, will probably be mystified by the excruciating level of detail about every aspect of the girls' training. The inclusion of almost ten pages of a play script, for example, won't make sense to many readers; those who would love to be Pauline, however, will probably be acting out the scenes.
Following the girls from birth into their teens, the story often glides through a whole year in a single page. Some readers might need help adjusting to a novel in which career development, rather than specific school or family issues, is the focus.
Noel Streatfeild also wrote Theater Shoes, in which the Fossil sisters make a cameo appearance.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
