Do children still read Noel Streatfield?

[shreddies]

I'd love to buy my niece Ballet Shoes, but I wonder if it's very dated. Ditto E Nesbit. She's eight and a half and a big reader but I don't want to buy her something that isn't quite right.

I liked Pauline the best because I wanted to Act

ahh, what a lovely thread. E Nesbit and Noel Streatfield are still my favourites, dd will have no choice but to love them in the future... that is an order!
Omg, swish of the curtain... bloody love that book. Written by a 14 year old girl I think, am beyond jealous. And I want/ed to be, oh god, was her name Lynette? Dramatic actress one?
wallowing in happy nostalgia now (and half a pint of merlot)... deep sigh

fortunately i'd forgotten enough of it not to be bothered about garnie's fella. i liked the show a lot, but it got some stinky reviews. not from me, though. all the female reviewers loved it, all the males started picking their noses and flicking it at the screen.

at least I am good enough to dance for Madame, and am not a nasty little show-off like Posy.

In my mind I always called her Pet-ROVE-er but later I met someone studying Russian and she said it should be PET-ruh-va.

LOLOL that you wanted to be pauline, frank. i feel i have just Learned Something about you. and of course i wanted to ACT too. not just act, mark you, ACT.

Franny I never knew that about your hall.

I wanted to direct.

Still do.

LET'S PUT THE SHOW ON HERE!!!

Oh yes, Petrova was definitely the best. And guess what, I actually had a Great Uncle Maurice (tho he wasn't all that nice)

What was the book about children taking over a theatre and painting it blue? Is that swish of a curtain? I thought that was Noel Streatfield too

Aitch - you see, some of us still have the books and reread them. Theres even groups of grown women who meet up and discuss them - the biggest single author groups that I know are the EJ Oxenham (Abbey School), the Elinor Brent-Dyer (Chalet School), and Antonia Forest ones.
I'm actually off to a girls school story conference in Bristol this August.

No19 - Its Guy that does it for me. So bad, but yet so attractive.

monkey- yes, its Lynette

yes and even worse I liked Pauline because she had Nice Blonde Hair

Idris I am the sad interesting children's literature claim to fame woman
any Forest fans on? I sang Once in Royal David's City in Wade Minster just like Nicola did. Uh-huh.

I am frequently re-reading books by Noel Streatfeild - most recently Ballet Shoes (after it was dramatised and so I could happily go "so that was wrong" a lot ).

I remember when I was nearly 9 and it was the beginning of the school year, we went into our new classroom and had to choose a desk to sit at. Each one had a book on, and I happily chose the one with Ballet Shoes on.

Loved Apple Bough, White Boots, Party Frock, The Growing Summer, The Painted Garden, Curtain Up and lots more . May have to do some more Streatfeild re-reading I think.

Franny, if DC2 is a girl, might she be Miranda? I do rather like that name.

Shreddies - yes thats the Swish of the Curtain by Pamela Brown.

oh I'm so slow

CMotDibbler, I have been to a FOCS conference

I am going to Swish of the Curtain hall tomorrow morning and I will bang my tambourine and sing happily. And make babies suck bark. It's a marvellous way to earn a crust

Another big girly old-fashioned book thread

no not Miranda Idris although I love it too, but one shortlist name has been mentioned on here

pointy YES
well done for finding it

Idris - I've just read Caldicott Place (a christmas present from my mum), which was a bit of a change for her

i loved the chalet school too. i really liked blyton as well, though, to be fair to the mad old racist. famous five, meh, secret seven, yes please. fatty and the find-outers... more please!

Loved the Growing Summer! Was where I first came across the Yonghy Bonghy Bo.

I read all the Marlow school ones, then later found The Player's Boy and another historical one. Still missing the other out-of-term ones like the Ready Made Family.

Was where I first saw the names Rowan and Thalia. Those books were so real, the characters so properly written, so rounded and everyone with flaws and good points and unworthy feelings.

Ooh Idris ! I haven't been to a FOCS one - in fact I only read my mums magazines as its not my major interest.
This is a FOLLY one