Since girls in general are so severely conditioned and repressed and so turned in upon themselves, they fall victims to fantasies in consequence. In Noel Streatfeild's Ballet Shoes, the aptly named Fossils (all orphans) are brought up in a family of the three-servant-poor category (the book was first published in 1936) and go to the Children's Academy of Dancing and Stage Training. It's run by 'Madame' Fidolia who's presented as gracious, talented and immediately inspiring respect. Obviously, however, she's a person sickeningly obsessed with her own self-importance. Petrova Fossil is the tomboy. She's interested in cars and other 'masculine' pursuits. In the book, there's a never-ending concentration on dress and a preoccupation, as in other Streatfeild books, with knickers. It's very important that all clothes should be respectable and just right for the occasion…. Ballet Shoes also gives a good example of a feature very important in girls' fiction...