Noel Streatfeild was herself one of three sisters, and within her family cast herself in the role of plain, unremarkable middle child (Petrova, I suppose, although she was kinder to Petrova than she had been to herself). There are books I repeatedly re-read if I’m feeling mildly perturbed or sorry for myself, and Ballet Shoes was the first of these an enrapturing and emotionally satisfying little work of genius. It feels like one of those childhood totems that pre-dates conscious memory, like the pattern of a bedroom wallpaper. I can’t remember reading Ballet Shoes for the first time. * To purchase any of the books mentioned in this episode please visit our bookshop at uk./shop/backlisted where all profits help to sustain this podcast and UK independent bookshops.Surrounded by a cast of benignly eccentric adults, three adopted sisters grow up in genteel poverty in 1930s London and find their respective vocations in acting, motor mechanics and ballet dancing. Timings: (may differ due to variable advert length)Ģ2:04 The Death of Grass by John Christopher John discusses A Giant in the Snow by John Gordon, an eerie Puffin classic from 1968, while Andy revels in the darkness of John Christopher’s The Death of Grass, first published in 1956, a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel, definitely written for adults and perfect for cutting through your post-lunch torpor. We also feature two other classic books by writers best known through their writing for children. And it being a Christmas episode, there is a fiendish festive quiz. We discuss why this might be the case and much more besides and even hear from Miss Streatfeild herself. It has been adapted many times both as an audiobook and for film and television and in 2019 BBC News included Ballet Shoes on its list of the 100 most influential novels of all time. It has never been out of print and was the first in a series of ‘Shoes’ books by Streatfeild.

Ballet Shoes was an immediate bestseller upon publication and the runner-up for the inaugural Carnegie Medal. We are joined by the writer Una McCormack and Tanya Kirk, the Lead Curator of Printed Heritage Collections (1601-1900) at the British Library, who are both lifetime Streatfeild fans. Merry Christmas Everyone! This year’s Backlisted Christmas special celebrates Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild, a classic of children’s literature and the childhood favourite of our producer, Nicky Birch.

Streatfeild ballet shoes