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Bell Family #2
New Shoes
Reverend Bell and his family leave their beloved London parish for Crestel New Town, and the Bell children--Paul, Jane, Ginnie and Angus--set out to transform this unfriendly village into a close, loving community.
270 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1960
677 people want to read
About the author
Noel Streatfeild
164 books612 followersMary Noel Streatfeild, known as Noel Streatfeild, was an author best known and loved for her children's books, including Ballet Shoes and Circus Shoes. She also wrote romances under the pseudonym
Susan Scarlett
.
She was born on Christmas Eve, 1895, the daughter of William Champion Streatfeild and Janet Venn and the second of six children to be born to the couple. Sister Ruth was the oldest, after Noel came Barbara, William ('Bill'), Joyce (who died of TB prior to her second birthday) and Richenda. Ruth and Noel attended Hastings and St. Leonard's Ladies' College in 1910. As an adult, she began theater work, and spent approximately 10 years in the theater.
During the Great War, in 1915 Noel worked first as a volunteer in a soldier's hospital kitchen near Eastbourne Vicarage and later produced two plays with her sister Ruth. When things took a turn for the worse on the Front in 1916 she moved to London and obtained a job making munitions in Woolwich Arsenal. At the end of the war in January 1919, Noel enrolled at the Academy of Dramatic Art (later Royal Academy) in London.
In 1930, she began writing her first adult novel, The Whicharts, published in 1931. In June 1932, she was elected to membership of PEN. Early in 1936, Mabel Carey, children's editor of J. M. Dent and Sons, asks Noel to write a children's story about the theatre, which led to Noel completing Ballet Shoes in mid-1936. In 28 September 1936, when Ballet Shoes was published, it became an immediate best seller.
According to Angela Bull, Ballet Shoes was a reworked version of The Whicharts. Elder sister Ruth Gervis illustrated the book, which was published on the 28th September, 1936. At the time, the plot and general 'attitude' of the book was highly original, and destined to provide an outline for countless other ballet books down the years until this day. The first known book to be set at a stage school, the first ballet story to be set in London, the first to feature upper middle class society, the first to show the limits of amateurism and possibly the first to show children as self-reliant, able to survive without running to grownups when things went wrong.
In 1937, Noel traveled with Bertram Mills Circus to research The Circus is Coming (also known as Circus Shoes). She won the Carnegie gold medal in February 1939 for this book. In 1940, World War II began, and Noel began war-related work from 1940-1945. During this time, she wrote four adult novels, five children's books, nine romances, and innumerable articles and short stories. On May 10th, 1941, her flat was destroyed by a bomb. Shortly after WWII is over, in 1947, Noel traveled to America to research film studios for her book The Painted Garden. In 1949, she began delivering lectures on children's books. Between 1949 and 1953, her plays, The Bell Family radio serials played on the Children's Hour and were frequently voted top play of the year.
Early in 1960s, she decided to stop writing adult novels, but did write some autobiographical novels, such as A Vicarage Family in 1963. She also had written 12 romance novels under the pen name "Susan Scarlett." Her children's books number at least 58 titles. From July to December 1979, she suffered a series of small strokes and moved into a nursing home. In 1983, she received the honor Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). On 11 September 1986, she passed away in a nursing home.
She was born on Christmas Eve, 1895, the daughter of William Champion Streatfeild and Janet Venn and the second of six children to be born to the couple. Sister Ruth was the oldest, after Noel came Barbara, William ('Bill'), Joyce (who died of TB prior to her second birthday) and Richenda. Ruth and Noel attended Hastings and St. Leonard's Ladies' College in 1910. As an adult, she began theater work, and spent approximately 10 years in the theater.
During the Great War, in 1915 Noel worked first as a volunteer in a soldier's hospital kitchen near Eastbourne Vicarage and later produced two plays with her sister Ruth. When things took a turn for the worse on the Front in 1916 she moved to London and obtained a job making munitions in Woolwich Arsenal. At the end of the war in January 1919, Noel enrolled at the Academy of Dramatic Art (later Royal Academy) in London.
In 1930, she began writing her first adult novel, The Whicharts, published in 1931. In June 1932, she was elected to membership of PEN. Early in 1936, Mabel Carey, children's editor of J. M. Dent and Sons, asks Noel to write a children's story about the theatre, which led to Noel completing Ballet Shoes in mid-1936. In 28 September 1936, when Ballet Shoes was published, it became an immediate best seller.
According to Angela Bull, Ballet Shoes was a reworked version of The Whicharts. Elder sister Ruth Gervis illustrated the book, which was published on the 28th September, 1936. At the time, the plot and general 'attitude' of the book was highly original, and destined to provide an outline for countless other ballet books down the years until this day. The first known book to be set at a stage school, the first ballet story to be set in London, the first to feature upper middle class society, the first to show the limits of amateurism and possibly the first to show children as self-reliant, able to survive without running to grownups when things went wrong.
In 1937, Noel traveled with Bertram Mills Circus to research The Circus is Coming (also known as Circus Shoes). She won the Carnegie gold medal in February 1939 for this book. In 1940, World War II began, and Noel began war-related work from 1940-1945. During this time, she wrote four adult novels, five children's books, nine romances, and innumerable articles and short stories. On May 10th, 1941, her flat was destroyed by a bomb. Shortly after WWII is over, in 1947, Noel traveled to America to research film studios for her book The Painted Garden. In 1949, she began delivering lectures on children's books. Between 1949 and 1953, her plays, The Bell Family radio serials played on the Children's Hour and were frequently voted top play of the year.
Early in 1960s, she decided to stop writing adult novels, but did write some autobiographical novels, such as A Vicarage Family in 1963. She also had written 12 romance novels under the pen name "Susan Scarlett." Her children's books number at least 58 titles. From July to December 1979, she suffered a series of small strokes and moved into a nursing home. In 1983, she received the honor Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). On 11 September 1986, she passed away in a nursing home.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 18, 2017
The only Shoes book I've read for the first time as an adult! I laughed a lot. This is hilarious. Ginnie is spectacular, as always, and the neighbors are amazing. Almost too good to be true, balanced out by idiosyncrasy.
There are some very mature moments here, centering on people who really don't want to be neighborly, and what happens when they meet the Bells, who crash into town with the force of a tornado and a loudspeaker mounted on their car. You get to see Alex being good at his job - for all of three paragraphs, but it's still great.
And I almost fell over laughing when they led in a camel (!) and a baby elephant (!!).
There are some very mature moments here, centering on people who really don't want to be neighborly, and what happens when they meet the Bells, who crash into town with the force of a tornado and a loudspeaker mounted on their car. You get to see Alex being good at his job - for all of three paragraphs, but it's still great.
And I almost fell over laughing when they led in a camel (!) and a baby elephant (!!).
December 29, 2016
I have always loved Noel Streatfeild's books and as a child I got my library to ILL them for me or hunted through second hand book stores to find all of them. She tells the perfect "girls stories". I was always able to find one character in each book that was my favorite. They definitely stand up to re-reads.
July 25, 2020
The way Ginnie referred to her self was annoying "Miss Virginia Bell"
February 9, 2025
I really enjoyed reading this book. It started off a bit slow then by the end I couldn't put it down.
The Bell family live in st Marks vicarage in London then the children realise that the adults are keeping a secret from them. They find out that they are moving out to Crestal New Town which they are upset by. And when they move the people aren't so friendly and they have to find a way to turn Crestal New Town in to a better community.
This book is charmingly written and I loved the way the children were trying to work out what the adult's secret was and were coming up with more dramatic life changes than moving house! The characters are well drawn and Ginnie is brilliantly amusing and gets herself in to many scrapes by making promises she can't keep. However, she comes up with a way to bring the community together and to boost her spoilt cousin Veronica. This shows her strength of character!
One of Streatfeild's best works in my opinion.
The Bell family live in st Marks vicarage in London then the children realise that the adults are keeping a secret from them. They find out that they are moving out to Crestal New Town which they are upset by. And when they move the people aren't so friendly and they have to find a way to turn Crestal New Town in to a better community.
This book is charmingly written and I loved the way the children were trying to work out what the adult's secret was and were coming up with more dramatic life changes than moving house! The characters are well drawn and Ginnie is brilliantly amusing and gets herself in to many scrapes by making promises she can't keep. However, she comes up with a way to bring the community together and to boost her spoilt cousin Veronica. This shows her strength of character!
One of Streatfeild's best works in my opinion.
March 14, 2022
A fine and fantastic sequel to The Bell Family. It was such a joy to revisit this family that I adore so much. This book has a little more tension and anticipation than the first in the series, but still contains the lovable characters and steady sense of dedication. Though I found the story lagged a bit in the middle, it quickly picked up and the ending was perfect.
It's sometimes hard for me to fully understand a family who makes so many sacrifices (both financial and otherwise) for their town or religion (while also being very proud), I can really appreciate their hard work, passion and sense of duty. The Bell Family does inspire many positive and wonderful qualities.
It's sometimes hard for me to fully understand a family who makes so many sacrifices (both financial and otherwise) for their town or religion (while also being very proud), I can really appreciate their hard work, passion and sense of duty. The Bell Family does inspire many positive and wonderful qualities.
March 3, 2011
Quite enjoyed this tale of the Bell family, uprooted and work hard to create a community in Crestal New Town. Streatfeild's writing seems aimed to a more mature child in this one, versus the disappointing Dancing Shoes.
Read
May 12, 2008The sequel to Family Shoes. As would be expected, not quite as good but well worth the read anyway.
September 15, 2010
LOVE the shoe books.
Read
August 7, 2013Good read. The sort of community-oriented story you don't see much these days.
May 4, 2024
Years and years ago I found a copy of this book under its British title, "New Town" in a second hand bookshop. I read it on the train home, and decided to give it to the Anglican vicar in my city, who had three young children. The parents were charmed by the book; I don't know what the kids thought, if indeed they ever read it. They didn't stay long after that, but returned to Australia after they discovered that actually living in Spain doesn't mean being on vacation 365 days a year.
In postwar Britain "new towns" were housing developments built to accommodate those who had been bombed out in cities (also allowing for urban renewal and slum clearance). Many of the new housing estates were poorly planned and built with substandard materials, and many of the relocated didn't like living there. They felt they were being stuck out in the middle of nowhere, cut off from their friends and relatives--often because they were--in ugly flats, often because they also were. Cue The Archers theme music as a dreamy-minded Anglican vicar and his four kids promise their bishop they will give Crestal New Town something to be proud of. The bishop, as bishops often do, leaves it all up to them and motors off feeling pleased with himself.
The daughters aren't quite so gushing as they were in the first book dedicated to this family, but there are plenty of coincidences to make sure it all comes out right. A couple of wealthy old men can be counted on to throw money at their problems at just the right moment, while the brat child turns out to have a hidden talent that, if it doesn't exactly save the day, certainly helps a lot.
In postwar Britain "new towns" were housing developments built to accommodate those who had been bombed out in cities (also allowing for urban renewal and slum clearance). Many of the new housing estates were poorly planned and built with substandard materials, and many of the relocated didn't like living there. They felt they were being stuck out in the middle of nowhere, cut off from their friends and relatives--often because they were--in ugly flats, often because they also were. Cue The Archers theme music as a dreamy-minded Anglican vicar and his four kids promise their bishop they will give Crestal New Town something to be proud of. The bishop, as bishops often do, leaves it all up to them and motors off feeling pleased with himself.
The daughters aren't quite so gushing as they were in the first book dedicated to this family, but there are plenty of coincidences to make sure it all comes out right. A couple of wealthy old men can be counted on to throw money at their problems at just the right moment, while the brat child turns out to have a hidden talent that, if it doesn't exactly save the day, certainly helps a lot.
May 7, 2025
A solid four stars. A fun second story on the Bell family. Honestly the first book is my favorite but it's good fun visiting them again and seeing their adventures. Ginnie still grates on my nerves but all well that ends well.
October 2, 2022
What a wonderfully uplifting story.
October 27, 2023
Utterly charming. I loved visiting my friends The Bell Family again .
October 21, 2024
More delightful fun from the Bells family .
November 27, 2015
When the Bishop offers Alex a new parish, in a new town on the outskirts of London, most of the family want to stay at St. Mark's, where they are comfortable and know everyone. Except Jane, who is happy her trip to ballet school will be shortened.
The first half of the book tell of the preparations as they get ready to leave, packing everything up, and fitting it into the much larger vicarage. (I found it odd that the vicarages weren't furnished, and they had to provide everything, including carpets and curtains, themselves.)
Once settled, they discover a new town, full of newcomers who don't know each other, or anything about their interests and hobbies. The Bishop is hopeful that the entire Bell family will have ideas about how to bring the people together to form a community.
I only wish I knew what happened next. After two books, it's sad to leave these characters behind.
The first half of the book tell of the preparations as they get ready to leave, packing everything up, and fitting it into the much larger vicarage. (I found it odd that the vicarages weren't furnished, and they had to provide everything, including carpets and curtains, themselves.)
Once settled, they discover a new town, full of newcomers who don't know each other, or anything about their interests and hobbies. The Bishop is hopeful that the entire Bell family will have ideas about how to bring the people together to form a community.
I only wish I knew what happened next. After two books, it's sad to leave these characters behind.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews