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Book Review : White Boots by Noel Streatfeild

My favorite book as a child was White Boots by Noel Streatfeild.  Nine year old Harriet Johnson is advised to take up skating to aid her recovery from an illness that has left her thin and weak.  At the ice rink she is befriended by Lalla Moore, a young girl with figure skating in her blood.  Despite being from completely different classes, they form an unusual but undeniably strong friendship.  With Lallas' help, Harriet discovers that she actually posses the talent to become an exceptional skater herself, possibly even better than Lalla.  Revelations like that however, can put a strain on any friendship...

A few years ago I managed to track down a copy of this book and re-read it.  I discovered that despite the passing of time since I first read it, it had lost none of it's charm.  It's a heart warming tale that I love as much today, as I did all those years ago.

When I was a child, I was desperate to be like Harriet and take to the ice like she did.  The notion of gliding gracefully in beautiful skating dresses was enchanting.  The reality was, well somewhat different.  As a child I only skated once, when one of my friends had a birthday party at an ice rink.  I quickly discovered that being elegant and graceful was a whole lot harder than it looked, and clung to the side for most of the party.

Years later, as an adult I decided to give it another try.  I have never quite reached the level of talent that Harriet and Lalla possessed, but I did let go of the barrier... eventually.  But then, that's a whole other story...

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