A review by lory_enterenchanted
Skating Shoes by Noel Streatfeild

emotional hopeful informative lighthearted reflective

3.5

Reread of a childhood favorite. I love how the serious, dedicated girl gets rewarded in the end, but the one who just wants to put on a show is also acknowledged as having a right to her own way. The point is to be supported to do what you are gifted to do, and not try to be something you're not because of someone else's desires. Also, that nobody can be happy without a loving circle of other humans who accept them as they are. 

I found the ending a bit truncated and rushed. There could have been more development, especially of Harriet's progress in figure skating. She was just found to have promise and then abruptly became a future champion. Her challenge is not to let her hero-worship of Lalla hold her back, but I'd like to see her come more into her own with her own more inner struggles. A sequel in which the two girls are not just defined in relation to each other would have been lovely.