I read this one with my daughter because of the reference in You’ve Got Mail. I wanted to love it more than I did. It’s about three orphans, Pauline, Petrova, and Posy, adopted by a world explorer. As they grow up, they develop an interest in ballet, acting, and flying. None of the girls were particularly endearing, coming across as spoiled or petulant most of the time. I am curious if anyone else has continued the series, does it get better? ( )

A very comforting book that describes the coming of age and growing up of three orphaned but adopted girls who each have unique talents. ( )

Charming. ( )

I read this because of a scene from You've Got Mail. I'd never heard of it otherwise. Since then, I've looked into it and seen lots of praise for the "Shoe Series", but I found this book merely okay. There's glimmers of charm here and there, but it doesn't stick.

The girls' overall attitudes seemed more negative than positive. A couple incidents were good lesson-teaching examples, but I struggled to find them likable. They struck me as somewhat surly children (with exceptions -of course they have sweet moments).

And then there were a slew of random things that bothered me.
-The intro of the book is a summary that explains what parts the girls get, so there's no tension in any of the future auditions. The chapter titles ruin major events in chapters as well.
-Why is there such reverence their great uncle when he leaves for so long and never even writes?
-Their friend Winifred gets a lot of blows, and I was waiting for her to get some sort of reprieve -but naw, she's just the punching bag.
-They don't call the cops when Posy goes missing, and their reasoning is that because by the time the police get there, she may have returned. That's some seriously flawed logic.
-The girls are constantly under such stress about money woes, and often have to provide the solutions. I was very unimpressed with their guardians.
-Lasty, the caretakers constantly mention in one way or another that it's such a shame how Pauline is so pretty, and Petrova's not -from infancy to young teenage years. Reeeally?

Ultimately, even with my "eh" feelings there was still enough to bump my rating to three stars. There are some warm interactions between the three that are written decently. I do not have any compulsion to continue with the series, however. The author hasn't won me over. ( )

So loved this book in elementary school. Forced my daughter to read it as well when she was 12. ( )