•
Gum Great-Uncle Matthew Brown, an elderly geologist and professor, who finds the three sisters during his travels. Gum is Sylvia's great uncle and later guardian after her parents die. •
Sylvia Brown Gum's great-niece, known to the girls as "Garnie", short for Guardian. Sylvia is a practical and caring woman. Sylvia's father died at the beginning of the book and she and her mother moved in with Gum. When Sylvia was 16 her mother died. •
Nana Alice Gutheridge, Sylvia's stern nurse. Called "Nana" by family and friends alike. •
Pauline Fossil The eldest sister by two years, rescued from a shipwreck. Pauline lives in
London, England. She begins attending school when she is six years old, but is forced to leave when Sylvia, as her guardian, can no longer pay the school fees. She is then tutored for free by Dr. Jakes and Dr. Smith, who are boarders in the house of her guardian. Another boarder, Miss Theo Dane, suggests that all three girls go to the Children's Academy of Dancing and Stage Training, in order to earn an income when they become old enough to work. Pauline is enrolled with her sisters. When she is ten, she shows some promise in
dancing. However, it is her
acting ability that set her apart, soon becoming the best actress in her class. •
Petrova Fossil The middle sister, adopted from a young couple who died in Russia. Petrova is a tomboy, hardworking and diligent, but interested only in engines and airplanes and cars. •
Posy Fossil The youngest sister by two years, whom Gum sends to the house by district messenger in a basket with a pair of ballet shoes. Her mother, a dancer, may well be alive, as it is said she 'has no time for babies' at the time of Posy's adoption. Posy is considered a child dance prodigy, though she was still too young to perform on stage at the book's conclusion. •
Dr. Jakes and Dr. Smith Boarders. A pair of retired professors of literature and maths, respectively, who offer to teach the girls. Dr. Jakes first inspires the girls to think of their adoptive state as being full of potential and individuality, without any chance of their achievements being attributed to family connections. •
Mr. and Mrs. Simpson Boarders. Mr. Simpson is particularly friendly with Petrova, on account of his
Citroën car and auto-repair garage. In the
2007 film adaptation Mrs. Simpson's character was abandoned so that Mr. Simpson could serve as a love interest for Sylvia. •
Miss Theodora "Theo" Dane The last boarder. A dance teacher at the Children's Academy of Classical Ballet. •
Madame Fidolia A retired Russian
prima ballerina of the old Russian empire. Now head of the Children's Academy of Dancing and Stage Training. Posy's teacher and mentor. •
Winifred A fellow student at the Children's Academy. Though considered the best all-round pupil at the academy, she often loses major roles on account of her plain looks and inadequate clothing, the latter a result of her large family's poverty. Winifred is both a particular friend and rival of Pauline. ==Television adaptations==