Movie Shoes

By Noel Streatfeild

For the first time ever in the United States, the "Shoes" books are available as ebooks! Go behind the scenes of a movie in this beloved classic!

Life is tough for the Winter family in London, with little money and Dad out of work. Luckily, Aunt Cora comes to the rescue with an invitation to live in California. From that moment on, talented Rachel and Tim dream of stardom in America. The family couldn't be more surprised when a movie producer picks plain, peevish Jane for the lead role of Mary in The Secret Garden. No one's ever noticed Jane before. Could this be the chance of a lifetime?

Noel Streatfeild's "Shoes" books are some of the most popular of the thirty-eight books she wrote for children.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Nov 6, 2018
• ISBN: 9780525581499

Noel Streatfeild

Noel Streatfeild, the plain middle child between two talented and pretty sisters, trained at RADA and acted for nine years before writing Ballet Shoes, an instant bestseller, in 1936. As vicarage daughter, factory girl, actress, model, social worker, writer, and crusader for good books, Noel touched many aspects of life. Her experiences enriched her stories, which were so popular that, by her eightieth birthday, she had earned herself the title of ‘a national monument’. She died in 1986.

Reviews for Movie Shoes

[sueincyprus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A typical Streatfeild family feature in this book: a gifted ballet dancer, a talented musician, and an irritable un-artistic middle child. The family have the chance to spend the winter with a relative in California, and the middle child gets a chance to shine. Family dynamics push this book forward; a lovely gentle read with humour and moving moments.

[cfbookgroup · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A really happy book. We talked about whether it is realistic for all these talented children to have such fantastic opportunities! We really liked the sunshine and the warmth... California here we come! We talked about London and how it really was smoggy then... We liked the book, but commented on how it was so of its time - 1940s Britain. Famous children and nannies... This was a childhood favourite of one of our group. We read this book in conjunction with The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

[eustaciatan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is one of the most "well-loved" (to put it euphemistically) books in my library, second only to The Princess at Chalet. The story seems simple, being a spin on the well-loved classic "The Secret Garden".The story revolves around Jane Winter, literally the plain Jane of her family. She feels hemmed in by her brilliant pianist younger brother, and her talented ballet older sister, with only her dog that understands her. As a result, when her family has to move to California, she's understandably upset and doesn't plan to enjoy herself, until she's unexpectedly cast in the role of the lead for the movie The Secret Garden. What I loved about the book were it's depictions of America. Being weaned on British stories, such as books by Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl, I loved how the America was depicted using a British "lens". The life on the boat, the ice-cream sodas in New York and how all the children struggle to adapt to a different lifestyle was brilliantly portrayed. If you're a fan of British writing, you should give this book a try.

[quondame · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

60 years ago I liked this book. It hasn't aged as well as I have and that isn't good. Middle child plain Jane, literally, staying in Santa Monica with her family for her father to recover from PTSD, is recruited to play Mary Lennox. Difficulties happen and are met and I wanted to strangle Peaseblossom every time she opened her mouth. What sort of family has an unrelated grownup living with them doing their work for no wages post WWII.