THEATER SHOES

The author of Ballet Shoes and Circus Shoes writes an absorbing story of the three Forbes children, whose mother was a Warren, which in the theater world, means everything. Sorrel, 13, Mark, 9, and Holly, 8, are sent to live with their Grandmother Warren (Margaret Shaw on the stage) when their father is reported missing in action, as a member of the Royal Navy in 1942. Their mother had been disowned by the great Warrens when she married Bill Forbes -- when the three children arrived in London they knew nothing of their great heritage, and Mark particularly, cared less. Immediately shot into ""Children's Academy of Dancing and Stage Training"", they soon become interested in this strange, new world, though Mark is determined to be in the Navy, and Sorrel determines to see that her brother has his way. It's a heart-warming story, filled with family jealousies, radio auditions, performances for the wounded soldiers, Sorrel's appearance as Ariel in a real production of The Tempest, -- all told against the background of England at war, with its rationing coupons, shortages, etc., and ends on a happy note with Bill Forbes arriving home on Christmas Day, 1943. One wishes the book did not rush so at the end, almost as though the author's deadline came too sone.