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mrswythe89's review against another edition
4.0
Oh, Noel Streatfeild, how I love you. I've been wanting to read this ever since I knew of its existence. Yay for reprints! It's not exactly claimed a place with [book: White Boots] and [book: Ballet Shoes] as a favourite Streatfeild book, but it's one of her better ones. I like the unsentimentality of Gus's character. While it was great watching Peter develop, I was a little disappointed with Santa's character progression; I liked her and felt more could have been done with her. I don't think she really changed at all: there was no difference between her at the beginning of the book and her at the end.
misajane79's review against another edition
3.0
Recently reading [b:Water for Elephants|43641|Water for Elephants|Sara Gruen|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170161179s/43641.jpg|3441236] made this book a little bit more fun. It wasn't amazing, and it wasn't terrible. And I never could quite get over the fact that the main female character's name was Santa. What the ???? Some fun details about circus life, and I did like the way the kids grew up over the course of the story.
Keeping it, simply because my copy is an older edition with a fabulous dust jacket.
Keeping it, simply because my copy is an older edition with a fabulous dust jacket.
bookgirlkaty's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
ellingtonfeint's review against another edition
5.0
I really like this book. I think one of the best bits about it is that Peter and Santa don't take to circus life at first, they've been brought up to think they're better than everyone else. But they're good kids underneath it all, and what they learn is very valuable. By the end, they belong.
(July 2022 - I still enjoy the circus setting, but on this reread didn't did that characters as compelling. Really there's not many meaningful relationships to enjoy. But it is a fun light read.)
(July 2022 - I still enjoy the circus setting, but on this reread didn't did that characters as compelling. Really there's not many meaningful relationships to enjoy. But it is a fun light read.)
sezziy's review
4.0
I've wanted to read this one for a long time and was thrilled when my library finally acquired it. I found the circus kids pretty annoying but the adult characters were well rounded and realistic. I wish there was more of Peter and Santa actually becoming performers but it ended in a nice place.
The name change does irritate me a lot. What have shoes got to do with the circus?
The name change does irritate me a lot. What have shoes got to do with the circus?
lottiesaahko's review
4.0
Beautiful writing as always by Noel Streatfeild. At times I thought it was a bit long and missing a plot. But it is a wonderful read for kids especially!
book_ish's review
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I love Streatfield's other books but this one dragged on for so many pages and it felt like very little happened. None of the characters were very interesting to me so whilst I didn't hate them, I didn't really care what happened to any of them and it just made the book a lot more boring.
rcsreads's review
5.0
I really enjoyed this Shoes book. It took us a while to get through because I kept getting throat infections and not being able to read aloud.
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This one follows Peter and Santa, my children found the fact a girl was called Santa hilarious at the start of the book! Their aunt, who's been raising them, dies and they're being sent to separate orphanages so they run away to join the circus where their uncle is a trapeze artiste.
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We enjoyed the story of the children, who started out a bit snobbish but they both developed well and became much more down to earth. By the end of the book they loved the circus and it became their home. The last couple of chapters were a bit depressing and super dramatic but, as with all the Shoes books, everyone got what they wanted in the end.
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I really appreciated the positive portrayal of the traveling community and the people who worked in the circus. All the foreign children were really smart and talented and went to school every day. I didn't have to edit any of it for racism or sexism as I read which is a problem I frequently have with our children's Classics.
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I'd definitely recommend this one for your bedtime story and it would be a nice one for those who can read to read themselves.
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This one follows Peter and Santa, my children found the fact a girl was called Santa hilarious at the start of the book! Their aunt, who's been raising them, dies and they're being sent to separate orphanages so they run away to join the circus where their uncle is a trapeze artiste.
.
We enjoyed the story of the children, who started out a bit snobbish but they both developed well and became much more down to earth. By the end of the book they loved the circus and it became their home. The last couple of chapters were a bit depressing and super dramatic but, as with all the Shoes books, everyone got what they wanted in the end.
.
I really appreciated the positive portrayal of the traveling community and the people who worked in the circus. All the foreign children were really smart and talented and went to school every day. I didn't have to edit any of it for racism or sexism as I read which is a problem I frequently have with our children's Classics.
.
I'd definitely recommend this one for your bedtime story and it would be a nice one for those who can read to read themselves.