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The Scarlet Stockings: the enchanted riddle

The Scarlett Stockings: the enchanted riddle
By Charlotte Kandel
Dutton Children's Books, 2008. 367 pp. Chapter book.

This is a story about a young orphan girl named Daphne who receives two anonymous gifts on her birthday. One is a book about ballet and the other is a pair of scarlet stockings with a magical secret. These stockings might give Daphne the power to accomplish her greatest dream—or they could eventually destroy her. This book is written in the same gentle style as classics such as Ballet Shoes, Girl of Limberlost and the Betsy Tacy series. Like in those books, the imperfect but charming Daphne grows and develops over an extended period of time. This book will appeal to any girl who loves tales of mysterious magic or dreams of one day becoming a prima ballerina just like Daphne does.

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