Ballet Shoes

I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings but, sadly, I did not become a fan of Ballet Shoes. I am disappointed to say that it took me three weeks to finally get to the end of this little book, and I just don't feel the love. It's the story of three girls who are adopted by an eccentric fossil collector. The girls all are given unusual (for the time) opportunities to develop their talents, and they struggle to help their guardian provide for them financially. Maybe it is so beloved because all three girls do seize-the-day, and that was a rare thing during the thirties when this book was written.

I loved this book and read it several times as a child. It's just one of those “nice” books. Like Little Women or Anne of Green Gables, it's not exciting, and maybe it's not a “grown up” classic, but the characters and journey of the story are worth reading. I've read Ballet Shoes once or twice as an adult and it definitely holds up. I ended up very involved in theatre through high school and college, so perhaps this book is why, and reading Ballet Shoes over again now makes me feel like I'm in those shows again.