Books About Being on Stage

One of the greatest books of all time. I reread the story of Pauline, Petrova and Posy Fossil taking to the stage regularly. I love escaping into the warm, gentle world of these characters, the way you get to really enjoy backstage life, and how it celebrates young women with talent and ambition.

This theatrical classic, published nearly 90 years ago, tells the story of the three Fossil sisters, Paulina, Petrova and Posy. Each sister has their own talent – Pauline dreams of acting, Posy of dancing, and Petrova, anything to do with cars, planes and engines. When the sisters win places at Madame Fidelia’s Academy of Dancing and Stage Training, you’d think everything would be plain sailing. But no. All sorts of pitfalls await them. This is a wonderful book that is still inspiring authors and budding performers everywhere.

An absolutely gorgeous, old-fashioned book that has inspired many of our greatest actors! I loved reading this as a child and I love reading it now and it gives children such agency, and takes their dreams seriously. I love the creativity of the Blue Door Theatre Company, and all the different roles they play on and off stage.

Amazingly, Pamela Brown started writing this book when she was only fourteen years old, and it was published by the time she was sixteen! She used her earnings to train at drama school, and eventually became an actress.

In the story, a group of children decide to turn a dilapidated old building into a theatre and put on a show. They write all their own scripts, compose their own songs, arrange the choreography and design the costumes. Dame Maggie Smith said ‘I wanted to act before I read this book, and afterwards there was no stopping me.’

Laura’s own book The Animals of Madame Malone’s Music Hall is a charming tale of believing in one’s self and the importance of community, with a cast of creative creatures taking centre stage and a super-readable and dyslexia-friendly format.

Summer by the seaside with Gran isn’t exactly what Callie expected. Instead of sunshine and ice cream, she’s stuck helping Gran’s drama group save their local theatre. Worst of all, they’ve asked her to star in their play. But when she goes exploring backstage, Callie stumbles into an altogether different world – another theatre, run by a wise fox and her troupe of talking animals. And the strangest part of all? Callie’s set to play the lead in their show too. Forced to face her fears will Callie be up to the challenge of saving Madame Malone’s Music Hall?

Wildly imaginative with an unusual array of animal characters and a sensitive message of self-belief, this uplifting story will appeal to animal lovers and fans of the theatre alike. (Ages 8+ / ‘super-readable ‘ format).

This rollicking story is set in Georgian London, and follows the daring adventures of orphan and actress Cat Royal.

Cat has lived in the Sparrows Nest above the costume department on the top floor of The Theatre Royal since she was a baby. But when she is entrusted with a secret treasure, her life suddenly takes a very dangerous and thrilling turn.  Can she survive the rogues and the villains?

A truly exciting, unputdownable read!

This gloriously detailed historical novel about theatre, set at the beginning of the 20th Century, draws an image of a buzzy, busy London theatre district, pulling together historical details with a fast-paced and exciting plot.

The main character, Charley, is exuberant and vivacious, shining as brightly as the London theatre lights. The theatre setting is a backdrop for a tale about Charley’s character growth, as she overcomes a nightmarish stint at a girls’ boarding school, a long trek from the south coast back to London and the scheming of a nefarious Fagin-esque London criminal, in the process making a friend, uncovering family secrets, and discovering how to overcome stage fright.

There are shades of Dickens, with its reference to orphans and foundlings, the clear London divide between rich and poor, and a richly descriptive text that showcases the rabbit-warren streets of London theatreland. Through the dawning of a new age with electric light and the onset of famous acts such as Duke Ellington, combined with the author’s homage to the theatre magic of Noel Streatfield books, this is a tale of a delightfully flawed main character and a twisty plot that emits a warmth and magnetism that is hard to put down.

It’s 1973, and Jenny has been chosen from hundreds of hopefuls to jet off to the South of France and star in a major Hollywood movie.

 Here she meets cast and crew, including fellow child actors Belinda and John. But life on set turns out to be far from straightforward. The cast are harbouring more than a few secrets. And as the cameras roll, tangled lives and mysterious pasts begin to unspool.

A deliciously heart-warming story that is happy and sad and very rewarding.

Thursday’s Child is one of my all-time favourite books because it contains some of my favourite story ingredients: a cracking plot, an immensely brave and plucky orphan, a dreadful orphanage and an even more dreadful villain, in the form of Matron.

There is a brilliant scene when the heroine, Margaret Thursday stumbles across the Fortescue travelling theatre company. She is quickly given a starring role in their latest production – as Little Lord Fauntleroy – and discovers, almost by accident, that she is a natural actress. Or as Mr Fortescue says, ‘born to the theatre. Talent in her little finger.’

I love reading books that connect to other books: prequels, sequels, spin offs etc; In this book, the Pebble children, Mabel, Morris and Marigold have lived their whole lives in the Pebble Theatre. But times are hard, and the theatre is threatened with closure, and so the three decide they will do whatever it takes to save it. When they discover a secret from the past that is connected to the Fossil sisters (the very same sisters that featured in Ballet Shoes) they are inspired to rescue their theatre in a very special way.

You, the reader, are in good hands:  the author, Carrie Hope Fletcher is an actress who has starred in several West End shows!

I love family stories, and this is a real cracker.

Hannah lives on a rundown farm with her dad and three siblings. When the farm is threatened with closure, Hannah, who loves drama and writing, decides it is time to act. With the help of her best friend Lottie, and her brother and sisters, The Secret Hen House Theatre is born. Can Hannah’s dreams bring the farm back from the brink of disaster?

A really lovely read which brings both the countryside and the thrill of performing alive.

A superb read. This is a gripping and thought-provoking story exploring the experience of an eleven-year-old girl fleeing conflict in Syria. Aya’s tale is told with such compassion that takes the reader on a real empathy journey. No Ballet Shoes in Syria is an important story that is beautifully told with warmth and compassion.