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A review by mrswythe89
White Boots by Noel Streatfeild
4.0
This is one of the very few books that I reread a million times as a child, but have not really read since, so I only remembered the broad outline of the plot, and didn't necessarily know what was going to happen next at every turn. I enjoyed that so much -- it was like reading it for the first time, but even better because I was already primed for the satisfying emotional moments, even if I couldn't remember what they consisted of.
There's a lot I missed as a kid -- that Lalla is the main character, for example, because Harriet is easier to identify with as a bookish kid who was quiet around strangers. The rationing, because it's just after WW2. The way the male adults are constantly smoking in the presence of kids!
I wish Harriet were better fleshed out -- you are told she becomes more interesting all of a sudden towards the end of the book, but Streatfeild doesn't really tell you *how* she becomes more interesting. But Lalla is such a great character. And all the skating jargon is amazing. I loved Streatfeild's books so much as a kid because the kids all had real work that was important. And I like how White Boots has lots of different examples of the work you could do, and enjoy or value in different ways -- Lalla and Harriet's different kinds of skating, Alec's paper round (which he does and takes pride in because it's getting him to his dreams) and market garden (which is his vocation), Toby's being a pain about numbers.
Also what I didn't have as a kid reading this book was YouTube, and I've finally figured out the difference between Harriet's kind of skating and Lalla's kind. For my own future reference, a video of people doing compulsory figures: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iSDbt2WcBE Which I find really charming, and it explains why Harriet can be stiff and withdrawn and serious and still be a better skater than Lalla.
There's a lot I missed as a kid -- that Lalla is the main character, for example, because Harriet is easier to identify with as a bookish kid who was quiet around strangers. The rationing, because it's just after WW2. The way the male adults are constantly smoking in the presence of kids!
I wish Harriet were better fleshed out -- you are told she becomes more interesting all of a sudden towards the end of the book, but Streatfeild doesn't really tell you *how* she becomes more interesting. But Lalla is such a great character. And all the skating jargon is amazing. I loved Streatfeild's books so much as a kid because the kids all had real work that was important. And I like how White Boots has lots of different examples of the work you could do, and enjoy or value in different ways -- Lalla and Harriet's different kinds of skating, Alec's paper round (which he does and takes pride in because it's getting him to his dreams) and market garden (which is his vocation), Toby's being a pain about numbers.
Also what I didn't have as a kid reading this book was YouTube, and I've finally figured out the difference between Harriet's kind of skating and Lalla's kind. For my own future reference, a video of people doing compulsory figures: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iSDbt2WcBE Which I find really charming, and it explains why Harriet can be stiff and withdrawn and serious and still be a better skater than Lalla.