Just re-read Ballet Shoes as an adult

[heron98]

Someone answer me this - if they are so poor they can't even afford new clothes, why don't they get rid of the flipping cook and the maid? Why doesn't Garnie get a job instead of staying up all night stressing about money?

I love "The Fearless Treasure" too. I have a lovely first edition of it, and the children are allowed to read it only if they're careful.

Irene - thank you! I will get hold of a copy. I have serious thoughts about calling a holiday cottage Joyous Venture after that novel...

Linnets and Valerians is nice, for twee I have a slight soft spot for Smokey House, which is quite a nice comfort read.
Dm met Elizabeth Goudge.

Witchend, do your kids find the Fearless T distressing ? The little chimney sweep bit has never left me. I need a copy of that book now.

stonebees the Christmas one you mention is the Thirteen Days of Christmas by Jenny Overton as discussed up thread. Fantastic book, now back in print with Shirley Hughes illustrations :)

I think a Parcel of Patterns is Jill Paton Walsh.

Bogburglar - thank you! I did wonder if it could be the same, but I had quite a different title in my head.

Well unless there are two books with the same idea The sister is Annaple (or Anne, or Nan, or Annick...) and it's slightly vaguely set in the seventeenth century-ish. Shirley Hughes draws them with beautiful big collars and Cavalier hairstyles, but it must be either pre or post Civil War since they're having Christmas!

what was goudge like?

Thanks for the rain / ceiling ones. Once again the uselessness of parents comes in.

Of course, a parcel of patterns!

I love Linnets and Valerians.. now retitled The Runaways.. nan such a nice child. Betsy so awful.

I love bits of the little white horse, the final tea party, the discovery of marmaduke silver's domain, the description of Miss Heliotrope's and Maria's rooms, but there are other bits that just grate now. The scary bits are fine.. though actually the reconciliation of Old Parson and Miss Heliotrope was very tender.

I loved the Young detectives too. I read a sequel, not so good, can't recall what it was called, didn't know there was another.

Goldengrove, anyone?

And I loathed William Mayne. Somehow wasn't surprised at all about the revelations.

Have we mentioned The owl Service? I loved that but found the others too scary. Again, not far from us.

Bog, it makes me laugh every time I read it. The milkmaids' concern that the milk should be delivered, the mayor trying to extract every groat he can, The choir master being irritated when his carefully practised descant is drowned out, feeding the hissing swans with stale cake...the arguments amongst the fiery Spanish ladies, the squishy cheese from France, and finally the bagpipes possibly curdling the milk...the uncles all having to concelebrate the marriage and Annaple's fingers stiff with rings...

And the illustrations are charming. Annaple dressing for her wedding.

Must go to bed but finally, The good Master, but Kate Seredy? Sequel The singing Tree, two of my absolute favourites.

I rather love Elizabeth Goudge's books for adults - The Deans Watch, and others.

I think that the hall mark of a good children's book is one that you can reread, and enjoy, as an adult.

Can't believe I missed a NS thread!

I read 'Saplings' this summer on the strength of the last one

Pauline was definitely not rescued from the Titanic: her license says she was born in 1920, and although they obviously don't have a birth certificate for her so have to estimate, I doubt they mistook an eight-year-old for a baby

I also tried to read "Ballet Shoes for Anna" and found it ghastly and depressing, and tried to read "Apple Bough" but just couldn't get into it

Should I try "The Growing Summer"?

I love The Growing Summer, QuimReaper, it's one of my favourite Streatfeilds. Even though it too has the oldest girl taking on the role of substitute mother/cook/housekeeper (see my comment upthread) - in fact in TGS this is challenged explicitly by the gloriously undomesticated Aunt Dymphna.

Pauline Fossil has the same birthday as me, 60 years older 😊

When the Siren Wailed was my favourite book in year 3. I read it a million times.

I love Noel Streatfeild and Ballet Shoes will always be one of my favourite books. I now work in ballet, ironically. Not as a dancer I hasten to add!

I like the growing summer too. The children really do grow up. Their assumptions are shattered.

Yup on the adult Goudges. I think The Dean's Watch is excellent. The depictions of a breakdown and social anxiety in The Scent of Water are v good too. Not so keen on the Damerosehay ones.

Back to children's... anyone else a fan of Ferdinand the Bull?

I never realised The Singing Tree by Kate Seredy was a sequel! That was one of my constant re-reads as a adolescent.

Well, off to abebooks I go!

I love Cynthia Harnett, though the ones illustrated by her are far better. Just love the pictures she did of actual museum objects she uses in the books.

I remember writing to the BBC begging them to make a tv adaptation of The Thirteen Days of Christmas. Not sure how practical it would be within a reasonable budget.... though perhaps now they could do it because they could multiply up all the swans, cows etc through computer special effects.

Countess, I agree. I used to go to school quite near North Leach ( pronounced Nor Lie by old locals ) and loved spotting the church, but I never got to the Abingdon museum,

Orlanda I've not read the owl service but I absolutely loved the weirdstone of brisingamen, it was probably the book which first got me into the fantasy genre.

I've still got Ballet Shoes in my bookshelf. The pages are so yellow they're nearly orange!

My other childhood favourite was Fly by Night. It's a horsy book but the family are very non horsy and live on a house in a new estate.

The Night/Day the Roof Fell In is Jennifer Wayne, I think.

Parcel of Patterns (with an s) is Jill Paton Walsh. I love that book, it's excellent.

I love Cynthia Harnett, too. Something that really amazes me is how exceptionally good her history was. She really knew her stuff. I am a medievalist who works on manuscript rather than print, and I still keep finding that I can blag my way through a conversation with colleagues who work on print by referring learnedly to thinks I picked up from A Load of Unicorn.

I'm just so sad she didn't write more.

Jill Paton Walsh is a genius. Her adult crime books with Imogen Quy are amazing, especially the one on quilting and mathematics

I'll now have to read the Wool Pack again!

I love The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, though I invariably get claustrophobic to the point of actually getting wheezy when I read the bit about the children and the dwarves escaping from Fundindelve, which I find far more frightening than the Morrigan or the mara!