Wintle's Little Wonders When Cora Wintle goes to pick up her orphaned niece, Rachel, she discovers that Rachel's adopted sister, Hilary, would be perfect for her dancing troupe! The only problem is that Hilary might be as good as her own precious daughter, Dulcie. Still, she's determined to take sulky Rachel and sprightly Hilary and make them into Little Wonders! But Rachel doesn't want to be a Little Wonder! She can't dance, and she'd rather die than wear the ruffly costume. Not only that, she doesn't want Hilary to be a ...
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Wintle's Little Wonders When Cora Wintle goes to pick up her orphaned niece, Rachel, she discovers that Rachel's adopted sister, Hilary, would be perfect for her dancing troupe! The only problem is that Hilary might be as good as her own precious daughter, Dulcie. Still, she's determined to take sulky Rachel and sprightly Hilary and make them into Little Wonders! But Rachel doesn't want to be a Little Wonder! She can't dance, and she'd rather die than wear the ruffly costume. Not only that, she doesn't want Hilary to be a Little Wonder either. She had promised her mother that she would make sure Hilary danced with the Royal Ballet. Nothing seems to be going as planned, until Rachel discovers her talent for acting. . . .
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Noel Streatfeild's favorite approach to writing is to tell a story of orphans who must struggle to overcome the problems they face and go on to improve their lives. In this book, Rachel and Hillary are two little girls who, after the death of their Mother, must go and live with their Aunt Cora and her family. Aunt Cora runs a school for children who aspire to dancing on stage and Rachel has no interest in being a dancer. Hillary, her younger sister, is indeed a dancer, but her forte is classical ballet and it was the wish of her mother that she become a prima ballerina.
The girls have their ups and downs, but the "meat" of the story is in their dealings with their often insufferable Aunt and her snooty little daughter Dulcie. What reader hasn't had the desire to give Auntie and Dulcie a good smacking?
As always, the heroines of the story triumph over adversity, with the help and advice of sympathetic adults and their own gumption. This book is a good read, and an interesting look at the lives of children who perform on the stage.
