What do You think about Circus Shoes (1985)?
Noel Streatfield had a handle on what made "working" children tick. Her sympathetic portrayal of characters who take to the stage, the circus, the ice-rink, is consistently smart and realistic. Circus Shoes is no exception. Peter and his rather splendidly named sister Santa face an uncertain future following certain events and as a result of this, they quite literally run away to the circus. What's more realistic for me and appealing in this story is Peter. Santa's ultimate fate is somewhat inevitable and a little too easy (which knocked a star off for me) but I've got a soft spot for the awkward, irascible, bad tempered brilliantly drawn adolescent that is Peter.
—LH Johnson
I have been curious about this author since watching "You've Got Mail". Meg Ryan's character mentions the book Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild. When I ran across this old copy of Circus Shoes I wanted to see why she would list it as a classic children's novel. As it turns out it was typical of books I read as a child. This is the second older book I have read that reads a little bit like a how to book. Without the ease of the internet readers depended on books to get information unlike a reader like me that wants to be entertained for the most part. I learned about the circus and the 2 main characters had a lot of growth in the book, but overall it was okay and mainly satisfied my curiosity.
—Vonnie
I first heard of Noel Streatfeild when I checked out the movie version of Ballet Shoes from the library. After watching it, I figured I should read the book. After reading it and its sequel Theater Shoes, I stumbled upon Circus Shoes. This isn't Streatfeild's best book, Ballet and Theater Shoes are by far much better, though does deserve credit. Peter and Santa (like most of Streatfeild's main characters) are orphans. Their parents died in a railway accident, and they live with their Aunt Rebecca. Aunt Rebecca dies and they find out they are going to be sent to separate orphanages. Peter and Santa can't bear being apart, so they decide to run away to their only other relative, Uncle Gus. Uncle Gus, as it turns out, works for a circus. The book follows their adventures there. At the circus they meet the Petoffs, famous for their horse tricks and acrobatics, the Schmidt twins and their sea lions, and Madame Moulin, the dog trainer and her daughter, Fifi, an acrobat.Some of the best parts of this are about the animals and their antics, such as Lorenzo, the stubborn waltzing-horse, Mis, the trick poodle who suspiciously gets sick, and Hitler (who isn't very Hitler-ish, mostly just cute), a funny little sea lion. The book lags a bit in the middle, but it's definitely worth the end.
—Ellie
