The entire plot is based on what I perceive as a very abusive and boring friendship in which Harriet fawns over Lalla and her star quality while Lalla, being the rich girl, makes an arrangement through her uncle and nanny to have Harriet join her in her skating lessons, which puts Lalla in a position of power which she abuses and threatens her friend with several times in the book. So… my verdict on skating shoes? I wouldn’t recommend it. Sonia Henie was the figure skating Queen in the era of the book. The story is set perhaps in the 1950s when the book was published so being good at figures was a lot more important than free skating. When Harriet goes skating at the local rink, she meets Lalla, the well-to-do daughter of a former world champion who died and her aunt is determined to raise Lalla into a figure skating world champion as well. Once she got better, the Harriet’s doctor tells her family that she should pick up skating to strengthen her legs and he could hook her up with the local rink owner who would let her rent skates. The story begins with Harriet, a girl from a poor but not destitute family who had an illness that left her all skinny and weak. It’s a children’s book about two girls who contrast each other in many different ways but enjoy skating. So from a few posts ago, a few of you might’ve remembered that I read Noel Streatfeild’s Skating Shoes (also published under the name of White Boots).
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