Apple Bough (by Noel Streatfeild)

(Amazon UK link)

After reading quite a tense - and lengthy - novel, it was a relief to settle down to one of my favourite children’s books by Noel Streatfeild. I have loved her writing since I was about nine or ten, and reread my collection of her books regularly. She’s best known for ‘Ballet shoes’, now considered a classic, but there are two or three of her other books which I like even more. 

I last read ‘Apple Bough’ in the summer of 2016, but had forgotten the bulk of the story. I knew it was about a family who travelled, who missed their home (Apple Bough) in Essex. I recalled a talented musician, too. But I did not remember any of the details, or even the people. 

The Forum family are travelling when we first meet them, and it’s clear that three of the children are getting rather jaded. But their parents are convinced that they all love being world travellers, and none of the children feel able to contradict them. It’s not that the parents are controlling or harsh - quite the opposite. They’re a close, loving family, and their parents believe they should all be together, wherever they are. 

The reason for their travelling around the globe is Sebastian, the second child. Then there’s a longish flashback, when we see the family living happily in their large, rambling home with an overgrown garden. Their father is a pianist who travels around the country accompanying soloists, but he’s rarely away for more than a day at a time. Their mother is a somewhat disorganised, bohemian artist. 

All the children are somewhat musical, and learn to play the piano at quite a young age. Sebastian seems to be the most musical, and when he’s four it’s clear that he longs to play the violin. He starts to learn, and progresses rapidly until he’s having to do several hours of practice every day. 

Myra, the oldest child - who is only six at this stage - is very responsible, and has been trying to look after her younger siblings. So it’s a great relief when Miss Popple is engaged as a governess. Miss Popple is not just a teacher; she’s a good cook, and a great organiser. And she gradually takes over the management of the family. And everything is going well until one day Sebastian, now eight years old, is heard playing at a local concert, and then invited to do a tour in the United States. Since the parents refuse to break up the family, they close the house and they all set off for what should have been six months, but ends up as four years abroad. 

So the story really begins when Myra is thirteen and Sebastian twelve. The next brother, Wolfie, is ten, and the youngest, Ettie, is nine. They have been travelling around for so long that they have become bored, and more determinedly English than anything else. Sebastian is a likeable boy - he’s not an arrogant prodigy but a small, rather quiet child who almost turns into a different personality when he’s on stage. He’s quite famous, and his siblings expect to keep travelling with him, but would love to stop.

Then they go on a month’s holiday to stay with their grandparents in Devon, and their grandfather, who is a minister, talks to them about the parable of the talents. He points out that they all have gifts, and they should all use them, even if Sebastian is the one with far more talent than any of the rest of them. Myra longs to have a home, and most of all to see her dog, who had to go and stay with Miss Popple’s brother. 

Inevitably there are some unlikely coincidences, and - typically for Streatfeild - Ettie is becoming a promising ballet dancer. But the story is beautifully told, and all the children are believable and three-dimensional. Perhaps Wolfie is a bit too confident and arrogant, but then that’s a good thing from the point of view of an opportunity he is offered. And Ettie, while also sure of her ability, doesn’t think there’s any chance that she could settle down with just one ballet teacher, because all she really remembers is travelling.

There were two or three places where I had tears in my eyes as I read; not many authors can do that for me, but I find Streatfeild’s writing often very moving. She gets right into the minds and hearts of children, and I could empathise strongly with Myra. There is also some low-key humour, and a great deal of warmth. 

As with many of this author’s books, the ending is a tad more abrupt than I wanted - but it does tie up lots of threads very nicely. It also makes the point that change happens, that people grow up, and that sometimes even the closest of families may have to spend time apart.

Very highly recommended. Intended for children aged around eight to twelve, but it could make a nice read-aloud for a younger child. And of course Noel Streatfeild’s books are also read regularly by adults like me who recall them fondly from our own childhood and teenage years. 

Very highly recommended if you like gentle character-based children’s fiction. 

Review copyright 2025 Sue's Book Reviews

The painted garden (by Noel Streatfeild)

(Amazon UK link)

I’m so enjoying re-reading my books by Noel Streatfeild. She wrote originally for children, primarily girls. I loved her books when I was around eight or nine, and again as a teenager, and have continued to read them regularly as an adult. Her characterisation is excellent, and the writing well-paced with a little humour and some poignancy.

I last read ‘The painted garden’ in 2016. I had recalled the overall storyline: a family with three children goes to the United States, where the middle one is selected to play the part of ‘Mary’ in a film production of ‘The Secret Garden’. This despite the fact that the girl has never done any acting in her life. 

But I had forgotten all the detail that goes along with Streatfeild’s stories. This one has the added bonus of some line drawings by Shirley Hughes. Not a huge number, but I very much liked them, and felt that they illustrated perfectly the situations or people concerned. 

The book opens with the Winter family sitting around a table, in early September, doing homework.  Rachel is twelve, and the dancer of the family. Unlike some of Streatfeild’s pushy, self-centered ballet prodigies, Rachel is quiet and responsible. She is hoping to get some work on stage or in a film, now she’s twelve and can have a licence. This will help the family finances, since their father is deep in depression, and unable to work. 

Jane is the middle child of the family, and is ten years old. She’s not pretty like her sister, and has no interest in dancing. She’s quite intelligent, and finds academic work easy. The main love of her life is the family dog, whose name is Chewing Gum. And Jane is prone to fits of bad temper and unpleasantness. Tim is the youngest, eight years old and mostly very placid. He’s an excellent piano player, and also likes jokes and tricks. 

A doctor visits their father, and he is told that he should not spend the next six months in the UK. The children’s mother is longing for him to be better, and persuades him to write to his sister Cora who married an American many years earlier, and who lives in California. She has a large house and has often suggested the family make a visit. Not that they can afford to do so, but he writes anyway. And receives a letter inviting the whole family to stay. And, in one of Streatfeild’s gentle coincidences, their housekeeper/friend/factotum known as ‘Peaseblossom’ inherits some unexpected money that means they are able to go after all.

The book progresses at just the right pace for my tastes, skipping over the frantic packing, while pausing to allow Jane to be persuaded to leave the dog with a trusted friend. We then see them on the train, and for six days on a liner, taking them to New York. There they are met by a friend of Aunt Cora’s, and eventually put on more trains to cross the country to California. 

Of course there’s so much more than this basic outline. There are squabbles amongst the children, observations about what they’re seeing, and the start of some culture shock. The parents explain to the children - to their surprise - that they are foreigners, and must not be rude about their experiences. The book was published as long ago as 1949, which surprised me. Of course there are no computers or mobile phones, and it’s assumed the family will travel across the Atlantic by boat rather than by plane. But everything else seems surprisingly up-to-date. 

A bonus in this book for those who were fans of the book ‘Ballet shoes’ is that Posy Fossil and her sister Pauline appear; Pauline just in passing, but Posy as an important character in Rachel’s adjustment to American life. Posy’s character is still much like it was in ‘Ballet Shoes’ although she’s now an adult, and I appreciated seeing her - and reading about her sisters - now in a ballet company as an up-and-coming star.

I also liked the insights into the making of films, which probably hasn’t changed all that much in sixty-five years, although of course the technology is vastly different. Jane is pleased to be chosen for something, at last; she gets quite fed up with people seeing her as the ‘difficult’ one. Not that she makes much effort to be polite or pleasant, at least not until someone points out that she’s similar to another of the actors whom she heartily dislikes.

One of the things I like best about Streatfeild’s novels is the way her families interact, in ways that seem to me entirely believable. None of them is perfect; even Rachel, while clearly highly talented, is not in Posy’s league. And Rachel can feel upset or jealous, even if she isn’t as unpleasant about it as Jane can be. The parents are mostly aware of the children’s needs, and are good listeners; but they also have their own concerns. 

There are a few caricatures - Aunt Cora is whiny and very self-centered, even though she has invited them all to stay, and her main interest is in hosting parties (for which her cook Bella provides all the food). And there’s a very stereotyped delightful Italian-American couple whom Tim befriends. But having minor characters rather exaggerated isn’t a problem, and makes them all the more memorable. 

Streatfeild’s books sometimes end quite abruptly, but this one closes more gradually, as the children’s time in California comes to a close. They have made a lot of friends and had plenty of new experiences, and we see them saying goodbye, exchanging presents, and finally getting on the train to go back to the UK. Their father has become his old cheerful self again, and started writing; all the children have things to look forward to when they’re back home. 

I’m glad this book was republished, even though it was given the title ‘Movie shoes’ in the United States (and, apparently, seriously abridged in this version). It’s not currently in print, but can sometimes be found inexpensively second-hand.

Review copyright 2025 Sue's Book Reviews

A vicarage family (by Noel Streatfeild)

(Amazon UK link)

My favourite books by Noel Streatfeild are her novels for children. I’m slowly re-reading my way through them, as I do from time to time. But this month I decided to read the first of her fictionalised biographies, ‘A Vicarage Family’. I last read this in 2014, so it felt like more than time to peruse it again.

I’m not entirely sure why the author decided to tell her story in the third person, featuring a family with different names. Perhaps she was worried about the legal implications of using real names, although I would have thought that most of the people would recognise themselves. Whatever the reason, it works quite well, beginning almost like one of her novels.

Streatfeild’s family have the surname Strangeway in this book. Father is a hard-working vicar, whose ecclesiastic practice is decidedly on the high church scale, although he practises a life of ascetism, viewing anything comfortable or attractive with suspicion. He is caring, generous and generally likeable, although he can be quite strict with his family. His wife is loyal and also works hard, although she would sometimes like a few more pretty things, and to be warm and comfortable.

Isabel is the oldest of the children; she’s thirteen at the start of the book. She’s quite frail, as she suffers from asthmatic attacks. She’s mostly good-tempered and something of a peacemaker. She’s also quite a talented artist. Victoria is the second; she is the one whom Noel Streatfeild identifies with, and thus reflects the author’s own childhood. Victoria is twelve at the start of the book. When we first meet her she’s grumpy and bored, which is typical. She’s the rebel of the family, and not blessed with diplomacy. 

Louise is the youngest of the daughters; she’s ten but treated as if she were younger. Louise is charming and pretty and knows how to get her own way. She’s quite close to Dick, the youngest, who is eight. And, as was apparently the expectation of the time, even in the poorest of the middle class families boys were sent to boarding school at that age. So Dick, who is very much a home-lover, is sent away to school which he loathes. 

There’s also John, a cousin who is a year or so older than Isabel, and whose parents work in India. He also goes to boarding school but he’s very academic and mostly likes it. He spends his holidays with the Strangeways, and is good friends in particular with Victoria. Each year the family takes a two-week break, sometimes in out-of-the-way places that bore them, but sometimes they have a wonderful time. We hear about two or three of these, as well as visits to grandparents, and Christmas entertainment that the children put together. 

The book takes place over the course of about four years, ending in 1914 shortly after the declaration of war. It charts Victoria’s gradual acceptance of the importance of working rather than slacking off. It also shows her talent in organising - particularly village children - and the beginnings of her ability to write. She often clashes with her mother, who seems to resent her for being mostly healthy. But as she grows up, she becomes the recipient of some confidences and begins to relate better to her mother.

There are a lot of anecdotes in the book, some of them more interesting than others. Victoria sometimes struggles with the strong church foundation of her life, but she has a childlike faith in God at the same time. She asks questions that people don’t necessarily want to answer, and she takes instant likes or dislikes to people, often somewhat irrationally, or based on a single incident. 

I liked this book very much the last time I read it. This time, while still appreciating the story, I felt that there are perhaps too many author asides - extra commentary about how something wasn’t understood until years later, perhaps; or saying what happened to various people long after the incidents described. From a biographical point of view these things are relevant, but as a book to read as a story, complete in itself, they felt unnecessary. 

Still, it’s excellent from the social history point of view, and gives some background into the way that Noel Streatfeild often had rather grumpy or apparently untalented middle children in her books. I would recommend it to anyone - teen or adult - interested in this period of history, with one warning: there’s a shock in the final chapter which leads to Victoria’s rapid maturity, but which is not the kind of thing that would usually happen at all in a children’s book, and certainly not right at the end. 

There are two sequels to this book. I have the final part, but don’t plan to reread that any time soon as I didn’t find it all that interesting. The middle part is very hard to find, although if I ever come across it inexpensively in a charity shop, I would certainly buy it. 'A vicarage family', however, has been reprinted and is available new in paperback, or in Kindle form. 

Review copyright 2025 Sue's Book Reviews

Far to go (by Noel Streatfeild)

(Amazon UK link)

I do like re-reading my collection of books by Noel Streatfeild. Although intended for older children and younger teens, they are the kind of book that can be read and appreciated from many different perspectives. I can see adult points of view much better than I can when I first read these books fifty or more years ago, but I can still empathise with the children too. Streatfeild had a gift of characterisation and story-telling, and many of her books are re-printed regularly.

However, my edition of 'Far to go' was bought a long time ago (February 1997, according to my note at the front) in a charity shop. I last read it in 2014 and had mostly forgotten the story. Since I re-read ‘Thursday’s child’ about a month ago, it was clearly time to re-read this book, which is a direct sequel.

It begins just after ‘Thursday’s child’ left off; Margaret Thursday is appearing in a tent theatre as Little Lord Fauntleroy, where it’s clear that she’s ideal for the role, and very talented. She has a champion in Sarah Beamish, wardrobe mistress for the company. Sarah is concerned about Margaret’s education. She is also quite ambitious for her, and persuades Margaret to travel to an audition for a theatre in London.

Most of the story then takes place in London, after (unsurprisingly) Margaret is offered a role which is ideally suited to her personality and talents. We never earn what the owners of the tent company do when they realise that Sarah and Margaret have disappeared. There’s a moment, later in the book, when Margaret is worried that they have found her: it seems very surprising that they would not, since Margaret is, once again, a big success and her name is in the national newspapers.

But it’s really a character-based story. There’s a bit of excitement towards the end of the book when Margaret is kidnapped, but that’s really quite a small section. Most of the book revolves around her learning her part, and getting to know folk at the London theatre. She makes friends with a girl called Katie whose father owns the company, and they share a governess. She gets to know Liza, who understudies her, and befriends an orphan called Simon who often seems to be half-starved. 

Margaret is a feisty, determined and basically kind-hearted girl, and I liked her very much. She can be a bit tedious sometimes, telling everyone about the ‘three of everything, all of the best’ that was in her cradle on the vicarage steps when she was abandoned as a baby. I was a bit surprised, the first time I read this (and, indeed, on subsequent reads) that we never do learn who Margaret’s parents are. I wondered if Noel Streatfeild had been thinking of another sequel. 

And yet, reading it this time, I can see that it may have been left open deliberately. Margaret wants her name to be well-known, and for people to respect her as a person. Acting comes naturally to her, and she doesn’t care about being a famous actress. She wants to be independent. She turns down an offer of adoption to a life of luxury at the end of ‘Thursday’s child’, and in this book she once again makes it clear that she needs to follow her heart, and work at the details she doesn’t know about acting and performing. 

These books are set around the turn of the 20th century, in the Victorian era. Noel Streatfeild published ‘Far to go’ in 1976, so it was written as a historical novel, albeit without referring to any specific events in history. This means that London cabs are not black taxis, but horses pulling carriages. There are ‘pea-souper’ smogs, making it impossible to see even a few inches in front of one’s nose. And it’s still possible for orphan children to live on the streets, or to be taken in and treated as slaves. Books like this provide excellent social history backdrops for children that (to me, anyway) are much more memorable than a formal history lesson. 

This isn’t a long book. It’s only 128 pages in my paperback edition. But I found it enthralling, as I had entirely forgotten most of the detail. Streatfeild’s descriptions and conversations ring true, and - other than a small number of villains - her characters are delightful, kind and generous. The pace is good, my only slight gripe being the rapidity of the conclusion. But that’s a Streatfeild quirk; she doesn’t do long drawn out endings. 

Recommended if you’ve read ‘Thursday’s child’ and wonder what happened to Margaret. It’s not required to have read that first, but it helps.

Review copyright 2024 Sue's Book Reviews

Thursday's child (by Noel Streatfeild)

(Amazon UK link)

I’m re-reading my collection of books by Noel Streatfeild. I discovered some of her books when I was about eight or nine, read more as a teenager, and have gradually acquired almost everything that she wrote for children. It was over ten years since I last read ‘Thursday’s child’, so that’s the one I have re-read over the past few days.

The story is about a feisty, intelligent child called Margaret who was abandoned on the steps of a vicarage when she was a baby. She was supplied with three of everything, all the best quality (as she tells everyone she knows), and each year a sum of money was left somewhere in the church for her keep. She has been living with two elderly sisters, looked after by their housekeeper Hannah - who is also not young. Margaret loves them and does what she can to help in the house, but they’re concerned that they may not be sufficient guardians for her.

Then the money stops coming. The only thing that can be done is to send Margaret to an orphanage, one that is recommended by someone known to the vicar. She’s devastated to be leaving her house and friends, but there doesn’t seem to be any other option.

Inevitably the orphanage turns out to be a dreadful place - hopefully exaggeratedly so, but this is set at the turn of the 20th century when there were fewer checks in place. The matron is greedy and cruel, and the children often go hungry. This isn’t an uncommon trope in children’s fiction, of course, but this one seems particularly unpleasant. However, Margaret makes some friends on her way there: fourteen-year-old Lavinia who is to go in service at a stately home nearby, and her younger brothers Peter and Horatio, who are also sent to the orphanage.

It’s a very well-written story with three-dimensional main characters whom I felt quite fond of by the end. I had quite forgotten the plot, although it was inevitable that Margaret was going to run away at some point. I did not recall what the trigger was, or where they went, although I did have a vague memory of another subplot running alongside, where someone thinks they may know someone else’s relatives. 

I liked Margaret very much. She’s a bit pushy, perhaps, and reminds everyone rather too often of her rather romantic origins. She’s inclined to embroider the truth, but she tells a good story so nobody really minds her exaggerations. She’s full of courage and loyalty too, and very hard-working. I liked Peter, too. He’s a bit of a dreamer; not as strong as Margaret, but very intelligent. Peter loves reading more than anything, so I could relate to him there. He finds it physically painful to be without a book to read.

Some of the minor characters are stereotypes - not just the nasty ones, but some of the nice ones, too, including the various people who look after Margaret and her friends when they manage to escape. But that doesn’t matter; it makes them easy to distinguish, and they don’t have huge roles to play.

There is lots of adventure in this book, which doesn’t feature anyone who starts out highly talented in the arts, although there’s a hint of that towards the end. And the end is really the only part that slightly disappointed me. Noel Streatfeild’s books often end rather abruptly after the climax to the story, with a few things resolved and others left open. So I shouldn’t have been surprised when reunions happen and there’s a potential happy-ever-after, with Margaret making a decision that should affect her future. And that’s the end.

I know there’s a sequel to this, ‘Far to go’, which I’ll re-read in a few weeks. But as far as I remember, the mystery of Margaret’s origin is never solved.

Recommended anyway - I thoroughly enjoyed re-reading this book. Suitable for anyone from the age of about six or seven and upwards, although some of the brutality of the orphanage might disturb a sensitive child. There are no gratuitous details, but it's clear that there are beatings, and a lot of other unpleasant punishments. I think it would make a great read-aloud too.

I'm pleased to see that this book, which used to be hard to find, has been reprinted in paperback more than one and is now readily available online. 

Review copyright 2024 Sue's Book Reviews

The Bell Family (by Noel Streatfeild)

(Amazon UK link)

I have been reading and re-reading books by Noel Streatfeild for over fifty years. But it wasn’t until about ten years ago that I managed to acquire a copy of ‘The Bell Family’, which had been reprinted in paperback form. I couldn’t recall ever having read it before. Now, a decade later, I couldn’t remember anything about it, so it was definitely time for a re-read.

The book is about a family who live in London. It was first published as a contemporary novel in the 1950s, and my edition is delightfully illustrated by Shirley Hughes. Alex, the father, is a clergyman. He’s peace-loving, hard-working and often tired. His wife, Cathy, would much prefer to live in the country but she and Alex are a close couple, and she does what she can to support him. Their vicarage is rather a depressing place, in a busy high street, and they have very little money.

However they do have four children. Paul is fourteen as the story gets going. His passion is medicine, and he hopes, one day, to be a doctor. He works hard and managed to win a scholarship to a grammar school. He hopes to continue winning scholarships as he embarks on the lengthy training that will be needed. His sister Jane is twelve; she’s dark-haired, slim and pretty and loves ballet. She doesn’t have the precocious talent of some of Streatfeild’s other dancing children, but she is single-minded and practises daily. She knows she has no hope of going to a ballet school, due to the cost, and the dancing teacher at her school isn’t the greatest. Mostly she has accepted this.

Ginny is the next sister, aged ten. She loves food and is not as slim or attractive as Jane, but she is quite outspoken. She knows her mind and has strong opinions. She also sometimes acts without thinking of the consequences. She is quite close to Angust, the youngest in the family, who is about to turn eight. He has an excellent singing voice and won a scholarship to a choir school. But unfortunately he doesn’t much like singing.

Despite the family’s extreme poverty, they have a ‘daily’ called Mrs Gage who does the cleaning and cooking, and generally looks after them. And they have a dog, Esau, who is a very attractive dog. One of the early chapters has the family posing him for a photo, so they can enter him in a dog competition.

This book apparently started life as a series of radio broadcasts, with each episode more-or-less complete in itself. I don’t think it makes much difference; it flows well, and while the book is a series of incidents rather than having an overall plot or aim, there’s plenty of character progression. In the course of this book - which covers more than a year - there are many events. One of the earlier ones is a birthday party for Angus, arranged by his wealthy uncle and aunt who look down on them. Alex’s parents are there too; they love the children, but refused to accept Alex’s calling to the ministry, so they won’t give him any financial support. 

During the course of the book, Angus discovers something he really wants to do, and Ginny gets in trouble more than once, though she is not deliberately naughty. Jane dances in a special show and is given a surprise… something done so well that I found myself tearing up a little. And Paul has to make a very difficult decision about his future. I very much liked the way that was handled, including the conversation that leads to his eventual final decision. 

Ten years ago I thought this book well written but didn’t count it as one of my favourites. Possibly this is because I read it shortly after reading some of the author's autobiographical works. I could tell that much of the story came from her personal experience.  But re-reading in the past few days, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and am already looking forward to reading it again in another decade or so. 

The first time I read this book, I learned that it has a sequel, originally called ‘New Town’, and reprinted at some point as ‘New Shoes’.  I looked for it after reading ‘The Bell Family’, but to no avail. I really hoped it would be reprinted at some point, but ten years later that hasn’t happened. Unfortunately it’s quite rare and very expensive. So I won’t be getting that any time soon. 

‘The Bell Family’, however, is much more widely available, from Amazon and elsewhere. It’s even been published for the Kindle. 

Recommended to older children or teens who like this kind of book, or to adults like me who grew up with Noel Streatfeild and re-read her books regularly.

Review copyright 2024 Sue's Book Reviews

The Growing Summer (by Noel Streatfeild)

(Amazon UK link)

I discovered Noel Streatfeild’s writing when I was about nine or ten, and have collected most of her books over the years. I’m re-reading them currently, interspersed with other books, and have just finished ‘The Growing Summer’. I last read it in 2015. 

I remembered that the plot involved four children going to stay with their Great-Aunt Dymphna in a ramshackle old house in Ireland. I also remembered that they were expected to look after themselves, including cooking and cleaning, and that it took them some time to accept this. But that’s all I remembered.

I had entirely forgotten the start of the story, when we meet the children in their family home in London. Alex is thirteen, his sister Penny is twelve. Their brother Robin is ten, and the youngest is Naomi, who is nine. They’re ordinary children - unusual in Noel Streatfeild’s books! - who work hard on their homework, with a mother who keeps house, aided by women who come in to clean. Sheets are sent to the laundry. 

The children’s father is a research chemist, on the track of an elusive virus or bacteria, and often late home. He’s a bit vague, too. So it’s a bit of a shock when he arrives home early from work one day. And even more of a shock when the children learn - eventually - that he’s going away for a year on a funded research grant, travelling the world. Apparently he’s always longed to do this, but has never had the opportunity.

They gradually get used to him being away… then there’s a sudden emergency, and their mother has to leave them the next day. And the children are sent away to Ireland, to the great-aunt they have heard about, but have never met.

And it’s a rude awakening. Aunt Dymphna is a terrible driver, she cares nothing for dust and broken down furniture, she takes no notice of time at all (except on Sundays, if the Vicar preaches for more than fifteen minutes), and she expects them to be a lot more competent than they are in practical things. 

I had entirely forgotten an extra subplot involving a strange boy who turns up and has to be hidden. And I hadn’t remembered any of the details of what the children had to do, or how they gradually overcame their ignorance and reluctance to do housework. Penny learns some basic cooking - thanks, in part, to a friendly lady who lives in a cottage nearby - and Alex learns to fish. 

Noel Streatfeild had a great gift of characterisation, and I thoroughly enjoyed re-reading this book, even though it’s not one of my favourites. The storyline is rather bizarre; it’s hard to imagine anyone as free-range and uninhibited as Aunt Dymphna, but perhaps people like her do exist. She certainly felt real while I was reading the book. The four children are all three-dimensional, each with their own quirks and ways of thinking. 

This book was first published in 1966 so it doesn’t feel as dated in style as some of Streatfeild’s earlier books. Of course there’s a lack of technology; Aunt Dymphna doesn’t even have a phone or radio, and televisions were less common in the mid-sixties in the UK anyway. The children don’t seem to miss the radio, although they’re worried about how they’re going to send cables to their mother. 

As with many of Streatfeild’s books, the ending is quite abrupt. The visit comes to an end in the last chapter, and the children are left at the airport. But perhaps there’s no more to be said. The book is about the summer when the children all grew, emotionally or practically, and it’s hoped that their new insights and determination will carry over to their everyday lives back in London.

Recommended if you like this era of children’s fiction. It was probably aimed at the 9-12 age group originally, as that’s the ages of the children, and I expect avid and fluent readers from about eight or nine upwards might like this, as something a bit different. It also makes a good read-aloud.  I'm delighted that books like this have been reprinted recently; this is not only available in paperback form, it can also be found for the Kindle. 

Review copyright 2024 Sue's Book Reviews

Gemma in Love [Goodbye, Gemma] (by Noel Streatfeild)

(Amazon UK link)

As a teenager I read and reread the books by Noel Streatfeild that I borrowed or acquired. I liked them all, but my favourites were the ‘Gemma’ series. These four books feature the talented Robinson family who live in a small town in the UK. Their cousin Gemma comes to live with them and is the catalyst for the singing/dancing group that they set up for charity performances.

The last book in the series was originally published as ‘Goodbye, Gemma’. But my copy had been read so many times that it was falling to pieces. I ordered a replacement second-hand, and received a modern edition; the text is unchanged, as far as I know, but the line drawings are gone and the cover is (in my view) quite unappealing. I last read it in 2015. 

But it’s the story that matters, and once again I was quickly drawn into the delightful Robinson household. Ann has an incredible voice which is just being discovered by the pop industry. But Ann is quite a shy and academic person who hates attention. She loves to sing, but dislikes any kind of stage presence. 

Lydie is a talented dancer who’s also quite self-centred. She loves her family, but her ballet comes first. When she learns that her teacher is going away for a few months, she behaves quite badly. And then she does something which causes enormous stress to her family. She realises she should have let someone know what she was going to do, but still feels that her actions were justified, given her passion and talent. 

Robin is the youngest, a pianist with an excellent voice, but what he loves most is ‘swirling’ folk songs - we never learn exactly what swirling is, but perhaps ‘jazzing up’ would be a rough equivalent. His best friend Nigs is a drummer. Robin is excited about accompanying Ann when she makes her first record. 

Gemma, meanwhile, is asked to play the part of Juliet in the local university production. Some of the university students are unhappy that she is given the role, and there are protests before she’s accepted.  And she develops rather a crush on the young man who’s playing Romeo…

So there are lots of different strands in this book although it’s only a little over 150 pages long. The characterisation is excellent; I often find myself caught up in the emotions of the moment. I could appreciate Lydie’s parents’ anxiety when she vanishes. I could empathise with her frustration when she has to experience some logical consequences of her actions (they call it ‘punishment’ although it’s clearly not revenge; they’re not a family who believe in punishments in general). 

I also found the final chapters very moving and poignant, when Ann has her eyes opened to something she had not thought of. I knew it was coming - I’m very familiar with these books, so there are no surprises as I reread. But that doesn’t matter. I’m already looking forward to re-reading this series yet again in another decade or so.

'Gemma in Love' stands alone, but is best read after the first three books in the series:

• Gemma
• Gemma and Sisters
• Gemma Alone [Gemma the Star]

Definitely recommended for older children and younger teenagers, or of course for adults like me who loved Noel Streatfeild's books when we were younger. 

Review copyright 2024 Sue's Book Reviews

Gemma Alone/Gemma the Star (by Noel Streatfeild)

(Amazon UK link)

I have loved Noel Streatfeild’s books for children since I first discovered some of them on my grandmother’s shelves when I was, I suppose, about eight or nine. I have acquired most of them over the years, and reread them sporadically. I picked up ‘Gemma’ to reread in January, and the sequel ‘Gemma and Sisters’ in mid-March. 

So it was time for the third in the series, originally titled ‘Gemma Alone’. I last read it in 2015 after buying a replacement to my forty-year-old paperback which had fallen to pieces, only to discover that the book is now called ‘Gemma the Star’. I didn't dislike that nearly as much as the garish orange cover to the book; but that's my only gripe. 

The book continues the story of the Robinson family, and is best read after the first two. However there are plenty of flashbacks or explanations for readers who pick this one up without having read the others. Gemma, who must be fourteen by now, is about to join the local small drama school, moving out of the huge comprehensive where she struggled to keep up academically.

Moreover, Gemma is now using her real name, no longer worried about people knowing that she’s a former child film star with no current work. She finds the school inspiring; she loves the acting and other relevant classes, and she even begins to understand some maths when she’s given some extra coaching. However she has a lot of questions to ask herself when opportunities arise for professional work. 

Gemma’s cousin Lydia is also starting at the theatre school as a ballet student. Lydia is very driven and quite self-centred, and determined to do things that her excellent teacher Miss Arrowhead won’t allow. Inevitably this gets her into trouble - although we never really learn what Miss Arrowhead thinks about her doing some tap dancing in the family shows known as ‘Gemma and Sisters’. 

Lydie’s older sister Ann is destined for music college, or so her father thinks, but Ann is an academic who wants to study. And she loathes the entrances, exits and general artificial nature of appearances, when all she wants to do is sing. But she can’t quite pluck up the courage to tell her parents she’d like to go to Oxford.

As for Robin, youngest in the family, he and his friend Nigs are entering a talent competition with Robin’s ‘swirled’ songs. Unfortunately they can’t hear each other, so the girls are drawn in to help. 

As a standalone story this wouldn’t be all that interesting, I think; nothing too dramatic happens, it’s more a book about starting to grow up, at least as far as Ann and Gemma are concerned. The Robinson parents are excellent, in my opinion: open-minded, fair, and willing to listen, even if they sometimes draw strict boundaries. Gemma’s mother, the flighty Rowena, is less so - and Gemma realises, when she meets her mother for the first time in a few years, that she’s not a typical mother. 

I liked reading this very much; the characters are all well-drawn and I feel as if I know them. While the setting is undoubtedly somewhat dated (this was first published in 1969) the people are vibrant, albeit a tad caricatured in some respects, and their interactions and emotions are still relevant today. 

Definitely recommended for fluent readers of about eight and upwards, or as a read-aloud; but probably most likely to be read by nostalgic adults who loved Noel Streatfeild’s books when they were younger.

Not currently in print, but fairly widely available second-hand. 

  Review copyright 2024 Sue's Book Reviews

Gemma and Sisters (by Noel Streatfeild)

(Amazon UK link)

Rereading my Noel Streatfeild books is always a joy, and my favourites of all are those in the ‘Gemma’ series. They feature the Robinson family and their cousin Gemma, who was a child film star but is now ‘resting’ while her mother works in the United States. I re-read the first book in the series, ‘Gemma’, at the end of January and have just finished the second book, ‘Gemma and Sisters’, which I last read in 2015.

The title refers to the talented group who have performed at a concert: the oldest Robinson, Ann, is an excellent singer, although she’s rather shy. The middle child, Lydia, is a very promising ballet dancer, who is far from shy, and not averse to a bit of deception. The youngest, a boy known as Robin, is a pianist and chorister who loves nothing more than to ‘swirl’ well-known tunes in a new arrangement.

Along with Gemma, who produces them as well as playing her banjo and singing, and Robin’s friend Nigs, who is a drummer, they delight their audiences with their diverse talents. This book sees the group becoming popular locally, attracting interest and more invitations. Alongside that are several subplots. 

Lydia’s ballet teacher doesn’t like her students performing in public, but when she makes concessions to her other students, Lydia is so angry that she does something stupid with potentially tragic consequences. Ann is quite academic and very conscientious, and isn’t too sure how much she wants to continue singing with Gemma and Sisters.  And Gemma herself is asked to take on a significant role in a historical play being produced at her school. 

It’s not a long book, and once I had got into it, it was hard to put down. The characters, if a tad caricatured at times, are still three-dimensional and believable. Noel Streatfeild wrote very well about highly talented children, particularly ballet dancers, but this story focuses more on the Robinsons’ life as a family. They are quite close, and I found several of the scenes very moving.  

This series was first published in 1968, so inevitably it feels a bit dated in places. The Robinsons’ delight at being given a car might surprise today’s children, who take cars for granted. There obviously a complete lack of any modern technology, but it doesn’t much matter.  The book gives a broad picture of life as it was in the 1960s, and while nuclear families are less common today, the people and their motivations and actions are recognisable as normal, likeable but flawed humans.

I enjoyed rereading this very much, having forgotten much of the detail; I wasn’t even worried by the odd chronology error, in that Christmas is celebrated - almost in passing - and then the action moves backward, to a month or two before Christmas. I didn’t even notice it as a child. 

The book might be too slow for some of today’s children, but for those who like a good, family-based story, I would recommend this highly. It was intended for children aged about eight to twelve (which is roughly the ages of the Robinson family in the first book) and would make a good read-aloud for children of almost any age, so long as they like books with only a few line drawings rather than full illustrations.

I’m glad that these books are regularly reprinted, and also widely available second-hand in a variety of editions.

Review copyright 2024 Sue's Book Reviews

Gemma (by Noel Streatfeild)

(Amazon UK link)

Although the first author whose work I loved (and reread regularly) was Enid Blyton, my second and more enduring love was for the books by Noel Streatfeild. I don’t remember which of her books I read first, or exactly when; but I know I discovered a handful of them on my grandparents’ shelves as a child, and over the years, have acquired them all. They’re intended for children, but thoroughly enjoyable to read as an adult too.

It’s over ten years since I last read ‘Gemma’, which is one of my favourites by this author, and has the bonus of being the first book in a series of four. The books revolve around the Robinson family, and were written as contemporary stories: set in the mid to late 1960s, when the books were written. 

We meet the parents first. Philip was first violinist for a highly respected local orchestra before the story opened. But he developed arthritis in his hands, and can no longer play either violin or piano. He’s working in a music library at a much reduced salary, so the family are having to economise. Alice, his wife, has been at home with her three children, but she manages to find a part-time job. 

Ann is eleven, a responsible, organised girl who has an excellent singing voice. She’s quite academic too, and generally quiet and thoughtful. This is in contrast to Lydie, who is nine, and whose passion is ballet. Noel Streatfeild often includes a talented dancer in her novels, and this is no exception. Lydie is single-minded and while she’s fond of her family, her ballet comes first. She’s not averse to deception and rule-breaking if she thinks it serves the better good.

Then there’s Robin, who’s seven, and a musical prodigy. He already plays the piano extremely well and likes composing, his speciality being what he calls ‘swirling’ well-known tunes: jazzing them up to make them more interesting. He is about to audition for a scholarship at the local choir school when the book begins.

Into the mix comes Gemma, Alice’s niece, whose mother Rowena is a somewhat flighty and temperamental actress. Gemma has been educated by a governess and has appeared in several films and a TV series herself. But she’s the wrong age for parts now - she’s around Ann’s age - and her mother has the offer of starring in a new series in the United States. So Gemma, after a life of luxury, is horrified to be sent to stay with cousins she has never met, in a provincial town and a small house. She misses her mother, and she dreads being sent to a large, impersonal school. 

While it’s admittedly unlikely to have four such talented children in one household, the characters are all believable, with personalities that extend far beyond their talents. That’s what makes the book so very readable and, in places, moving. This first book runs the course of a year, covering Gemma’s introduction to the family and the school, a wonderful summer holiday, Christmas like she has never known before, and opportunities to shine in new ways. 

It’s character-based rather than having a whole lot of plot, but that’s the kind of book I like. And it’s quite short: not much more than 150 pages. I read it in less than two days. This kind of book is comfort reading for me. It’s encouraging, it’s warm, and it’s a reminder of life nearly sixty years ago. Yet despite the lack of technology, and the 1960s atmosphere with traditional nuclear families, the people feel vibrant and the values in the book are still relevant today. I doubt if many of today’s high-tech teens would be interested, but a fluent reader of about six or seven and upwards could enjoy this book. It could also make an excellent read-aloud. 

Highly recommended. 

Review copyright 2024 Sue's Book Reviews

Party Shoes (by Noel Streatfeild)

(Amazon UK link)

I decided it was time to re-read my collection of Noel Streatfeild books, many of them stories I have loved since childhood. Although I acquired some in my teens, I’ve managed to find others as an adult, mostly second-hand. One of these is ‘Party Shoes’, which I originally knew as ‘Party Frock’. I discovered that on my grandmother’s shelves when I was about eight or nine, and read it regularly. It then took me many years to find it again, so I was glad that it was eventually republished, despite the new name. I last read it in 2010. 

The story is about the Andrews family, and is set in 1945, towards the end of World War II.  Dr Andrews is a hard-working GP, comfortably off (his oldest son goes to a boarding school) but not wealthy. This is in part because he has six children and is also bringing up his niece Selina, whose parents are prisoners in Hong Kong. His wife is a traditional housewife and mother who sometimes helps in his surgery.

The story opens when a parcel arrives for Selina, from her godmother in America. Dr Andrews has to pay an astonishingly high amount for customs duty: nearly four pounds, which Google tells me would be worth about two hundred pounds in today’s money. I wondered whether the amount was changed in the 2002 edition which I was reading, but apparently not.

Selina’s dress is gorgeous, with matching shoes and ribbons but she can’t think of anywhere that she might be able to wear it. So the family have a brainstorming session, and decide on an ambitious project: they will write and perform a pageant, hopefully in the grounds of a nearby converted abbey which is due to be sold in the next six months or so. 

Each of the four older children (John, Sally, Christopher and Phoebe) plan to write a scene, with parts for their much younger brothers Augustus and Benjamin. Selina will be the prologue and epilogue, introducing the pageant from the point of view of the spirit of England. And while it all sounds rather unlikely, things come together, the adults they speak to are supportive, and scenes are written

I like the fact that none of the children is overly brilliant, although they’re all interesting characters. Noel Streatfeild had quite a talent for making realistic children, if a tad caricatured here and there.  Sally is the dancer of the family, but although she’s good, she’s not considered outstanding. And she’s a nice, thoughtful child. Phoebe is the most arrogant, and also the cleverest and the best actress, but she’s also quite stubborn. 

Philip, the son of the owners of the abbey has been invalided from the war, and is talented at theatrical production. So he gets involved, and the small family-run affair gets larger and larger. I thought Philip was very well-written; he has excellent ideas, if a bit overpowering at times, but also has to learn to defer to the children as it was their idea. 

I had remembered the overall storyline, and one significant misunderstanding that’s sorted out towards the end of the book. But I had entirely forgotten the details, and how everything started to come together despite interruptions, unexpected problems, and even a potential (and unexpected) disaster.  Noel Streatfield wrote the book in 1946, so it’s full of historical background, as the war comes to a close and the village celebrates. But we see many of the problems that were common then such as ongoing food rationing, and the lack of possible material to buy for costumes. 

The production of the pageant feels realistic, probably because Noel Streatfeild herself worked for ten years in a theatre. And although Selina is really the main character, there is plenty that could appeal to boys as well as girls in this novel which was probably intended for children of around nine to twelve. Selina, Sally and Christopher are all twelve, and Phoebe is nine-and-a-half. The children all have a lot of independence, as was normal in the second half of the 1940s and are quite resourceful. 

Naturally a book like this, nearly eighty years old, has a somewhat dated feel to it as it was written as contemporary rather than historical fiction. But I love the way that books of this era can be nostalgic as well as giving a broad understanding of the social norms of the times. And I found that I thoroughly enjoyed re-reading ‘Party Shoes’. One chapter was very poignant, some were light-hearted, and the whole was an encouraging testament to determination and family loyalty. I even liked the ending; sometimes Noel Streatfeild’s books finish rather abruptly, but this one tied up its loose ends, and felt entirely satisfactory.

Recommended to older children who like this kind of story, or of course to adults who recall this kind of fiction from their youth. 

Review copyright 2023 Sue's Book Reviews

Ballet Shoes (by Noel Streatfeild)

(Amazon UK link)

I have always loved Noel Streatfeild’s books and have collected most of her children’s novels over the years. Her best-known story is probably ‘Ballet Shoes’, now considered a classic, and one which I re-read regularly. I thought I might start reading it aloud to my five-year-old granddaughter but she found it a bit long-winded so, having abandoned reading aloud after a couple of chapters, I decided to read the rest of it to myself. I last read it only four-and-a-half years ago, but, as ever, had forgotten a lot of the details.

The main story, of course, is well-known. Great-Uncle Matthew, affectionately known as GUM, is a somewhat absent-minded collector of fossils. His orphaned niece Sylvia looks after him, with her former nurse known as Nana and a cook and housemaid - rather an extensive household, it seems to me from this 21st perspective, but quite a small staff for the era (1930s) in which it was written.

Gum finds three babies in rather different circumstances over about five years, and brings them to Sylvia, convinced she will be thrilled. Adoption was evidently a simpler process then than it is today, and the three girls, Pauline, Petrova and Posy, are brought up by the loving but old-fashioned Nana, and for the first ten years or so of their lives, they are comfortably off. Gum has gone on a long voyage of exploration, but put plenty of money in the bank. Sylvia is a bit dubious about when he might return so she puts some of the money aside… but eventually it runs out.

The two older girls have been going to a private school, but Sylvia can no longer afford to send them there, and decides to take in some paying guests. This works out well, and at the suggestion of one of the boarders, they are offered free places at a Stage and Dancing Academy. Pauline discovers a talent for acting, and Posy is an exceptionally good dancer, as well as a clever mimic. But Petrova wants to be some kind of engineer, and likes cars and aeroplanes much better than she likes dancing or acting.

The story is about their day-to-day lives, painting a wonderful picture of a loving - if unusual - family in the era. While the circumstances and finances mentioned are clearly well out-of-date, the personalities and conversations seem entirely relevant to today, albeit tinged with an innocence that seems to be gone from modern life. The children’s squabbles are minimal, but realistic, and Sylvia’s concerns about money all too relevant to families today.

I’d entirely forgotten some of the scenes, and many of the details, but loved re-visiting some of my favourite fictional characters, entering their world again for a few hours. I loved the book just as much as I did when I first read it over fifty years ago, and would recommend it highly to children - particularly girls - over the age of about eight or nine, and to adults who read these books in their own childhood.

Review copyright 2022 Sue's Book Reviews

I ordered a table for six (by Noel Streatfeild)

(Amazon UK link)

I’ve been a fan of Noel Streatfeild’s books for children since I was about eight or nine, when I came across ‘Ballet Shoes’, and ‘Party Frock’ and others on my grandmother’s shelves. I borrowed more Streatfeild books from the library in my teens, and gradually acquired copies of as many as possible.

But I hadn’t realised until relatively recently that she also wrote some books for adults, which were out of print until Bello - an imprint of Pan Macmillan - republished them. I read a few reviews and decided that some of them were probably not to my taste, but a couple of others intrigued me. So I put ‘I ordered a table for six’ on my wishlist, and was given it a little over a year ago. It’s taken me this long to read it…

I have to say, it doesn’t encourage me to buy any more of Streatfeild’s grown-up books. It’s a character-based novel, which is fine, and one or two of the people are quite likeable. There’s Letty, an excellent secretary/PA, who works hard and is quite observant. There’s Meggie, too, whom we don’t meet until later in the book. She’s nearly 17; she’s unspoilt, honest and finds it hard to behave like an adult. She’s the daughter of Adela - who’s a very strange, insecure person.

This book is set in the war years, and Adela has turned her London house over to a charity, making clothes for people who have been bombed. This sounds positive, but she’s a remarkably self-centred character who likes the esteem and admiration she gets from running this company - although many of the garments produced are uncomfortable and ugly. She’s funded by an American man who’s married to an old school friend of hers, and shortly after the book opens, we learn that he is coming on a visit.

So Adela decides to have a little dinner party at a local restaurant. Just six people: in addition to herself and her patron, she’s inviting her daughter (who normally lives in the country with her aunt and uncle), a young man who’s visiting the patron, Adela’s niece - who works all hours at canteens for air raid shelters - and a young man who one of her son Paul’s friends. Paul, we learn, was Adela’s pride and joy but did something so dreadful that she never wants to see him again. She was a terrible mother, who gave her son everything he could possibly demand, and yet neglected her daughter whom she didn’t much want.

Just typing all this makes me realise that the characters are well-drawn, even if mostly not very likeable, as I recall not just their names, but quite a bit about them. That’s partly because the viewpoint switches regularly, so that we see not just the actions but the thoughts of many of the different people, and gradually the past unfolds. It’s quite a readable book, and at times I found it difficult to put down, although there’s really not a whole lot of story.

However, unlike with the author’s books for children, I didn’t feel much empathy for anyone, and kept wondering when the story was going to start. It takes awhile to organise the dinner party - mostly done by Letty - and it’s only the last few chapters that feature it. There are some thought-provoking ideas gently raised, and there are also hints through the book that something terrible is going to happen. Letty’s young man is very against the idea that she might have to go to the party. Meggie keeps wishing she could be in an air raid, and the young man at the dinner party is looking forward to being a fighter pilot, hoping he might eventually make his parents proud.

The climax comes shortly before the end of the book, clearly meant to be shocking, and yet with so much foreshadowing, I was expecting it earlier. What did shock me was the result - and the way the book then ended, with nothing encouraging for the future, other than one person beginning to wonder if there might be a God. We don’t know what happens to any of the characters, or how their particular problems were resolved (or not). I know Streatfeild did tend to end her novels abruptly but there is usually at least some hint of resolution, and a way forward.

All in all, although I’m glad I’ve read this, I found it somewhat disappointing. Maybe I was expecting something lighter; I couldn’t help contrasting it negatively with the innocence and good relationships that tend to run through the author’s children’s books.

Review copyright 2022 Sue's Book Reviews

Dancing Shoes (by Noel Streatfeild)

(Amazon UK link)

Ever since my teenage years, Noel Streatfeild’s novels have been an important part of my comfort reading. I suppose I was about nine when I first came across some of them on my grandparents’ bookshelves. I acquired a few in my teens, and borrowed many more from libraries. In the past twenty years or so I have been gradually collecting them, and am thoroughly enjoying re-reading them again, in between others of my favourite authors, and some new books.

‘Dancing Shoes’ was originally entitled ‘Wintle’s Wonders’. I managed to get hold of a second-hand edition about ten years ago, and when I read it then I had no memory of having read it previously. Re-reading it in the past couple of days, I recalled only the vaguest idea of the plot, but I liked it very much.

Rachel and Hilary are the main protagonists of this novel. Hilary is Rachel’s adopted sister, and they are both ten years old when the story opens. It starts with a tragedy in their lives, as happens quite often in the Streatfeild world. Rachel’s father had died some years earlier, and now her mother also dies after a nasty accident.

Rachel and Hilary are very different. Hilary is quite an extravert, a talented dancer, and somewhat allergic to hard work. Rachel is serious, loyal, and quiet, mostly keeping her feelings to herself. Rachel’s aunt Cora runs a dancing school and offers the girls a home, but they have to attend her school and be trained as dancers. Which Hilary is happy to do - she wants to be in a showy dance troupe, doing handstands and tap dancing as well as ballet. But Rachel has no talent for dancing and hates being on stage.

Rachel is also worried about Hilary getting into bad habits. She was about to audition for the Royal Ballet School when their mother died, and supposedly had a glittering future ahead as a ballet dancer. A lot of the story is about Hilary’s determination to be a ‘Wintle’s Wonder’ dancer, while Rachel tries to coerce her into taking ballet more seriously.

While there are some caricatures amongst the minor characters, I thought both Rachel and Hilary were very well created and quite three-dimensional. They are both likeable girls with very different personalities. They are in stark contrast to Aunt Cora’s daughter Dulcie, who is a couple of months older than Rachel. Dulcie is a talented dancer but is very arrogant about it, not helped by her mother’s over-praise and adulation.

Most of Noel Streatfeild’s books have talented children in them, usually dancers. So it’s unusual to find that the ‘promising’ ballet dancer, Hilary, has very little interest in taking her talent seriously. Will she be wasting her life if she abandons ballet for other kinds of dance…? The question is considered from various perspectives. I felt a bit sorry for Rachel at first, but she becomes almost compulsive in her determination to make Hilary do something she really doesn’t want to do.

In a way, it’s Rachel’s story as she is the one who gradually matures, listens to other people’s opinions, and starts her own career path in the final chapter. Although I had forgotten the story as such, it was fairly easy to see where the plot was going in the last couple of chapters. And, as with most of Streatfeild’s novels, once everything is settled, the book ends very quickly.

‘Dancing Shoes’ was written for girls of around eight to twelve, as were most of this author’s books. But I think I like them even more now than I did when I was that age, seeing the children’s development from the perspective of several decades on. They make excellent read-alouds, and while they’re inevitably dated (as is obvious from some of the comments related to money) the personalities and issues covered are always topical.

Highly recommended if you like children’s fiction of this kind, or if you know of children who like stories about dancers and stage schools.

Review by Sue F copyright 2019 Sue's Book Reviews

Caldicott Place (by Noel Streatfeild)

(Amazon UK link)

I do like re-reading my Noel Streatfeild books. They were my comfort reading as a teenager… and remain so even today. I acquired ‘Caldicott Place’ at the end of January 1974 and have probably read it at least once every nine or ten years since then. Possibly more. Yet despite having read it at least five or six times, I had mostly forgotten the storyline until I was about a quarter of the way through.

I read it almost in one sitting. Streatfeild’s books were intended for older children or young teens, and it only has about 160 pages. But I was caught up in the characters immediately.

The Johnstone family were comfortably off and happy, we learn, until their father has a nasty car accident. Bill, the eldest boy, is almost thirteen when this tragedy happens. Carol is eleven-and-a-half, and Tim is nearly eight. They have a dog called Jelly whom they all love, but he is primarily Tim’s dog. Bill is something of a science nerd, and Carol is a ballet dancer; not one of Streatfeild’s utterly focussed and brilliant potential ballerinas, but quite talented. She hopes to do some kind of dancing professionally when she’s an adult.

The car accident was not their father’s fault, but he is unconscious for a while, and when he starts to recover from his physical injuries, he seems to have changed personality. No longer loving and enthusiastic, he seems to see everyone through a fog of apathy. Carol and Tim aren’t even allowed to see him in hospital; Bill and his mother are very worried. Finances prove a problem too, so they have to move somewhere small and poky so that their mother can go out to work rather than looking after their large house. That means different schools, different dancing classes, and - worst of all - Jelly has to be left with the people who rent their house.

Then something astonishing happens - something so unexpected that the family doesn’t know quite what to make of it, and I hadn’t remembered it coming. There’s the chance of moving out into the countryside, so long as they are willing to take on the added responsibility of three paying guests, children of around the same ages as the three Johnstones, who for various reasons have no real home.

It’s a character-based story, with the underlying theme of their father’s slow, often tentative moves in positive directions. There are some caricatures, of course, and while the children are fairly three-dimensional, they have similarities to children in Streatfeild’s other books. Sophie, the youngest of the paying guests, for instance, reminded me a lot of Lydia in the ‘Gemma’ series.

There’s gentle humour in some of the interactions, and one or two parts that are unexpectedly moving. It’s dated, of course; published in the 1960s there are overtones of sexism and racism and a definite class-consciousness. But Streatfeild’s stories aren’t concerned with these; they are a (probably realistic and most likely unconscious) background to some of the scenes rather than anything deliberate.

Recommended to anyone from the age of about eleven and upwards who enjoys a good, character-driven story about changing circumstances. Or to adults like me who loved these books as children. 

'Caldicott Place' is often found in charity shops, but also reprinted from time to time. 

Review by Sue F copyright 2019 Sue's Book Reviews