My daughter's 3rd pair - she has had her chestnut and black pairs for several years (she's 17 but wears a girl's size 3!) and they never leaked and held up well by being treated yearly with water repellent. Now she wants purple and pink. My oldest daughter owns the Minnetonka tall lace-up boots (college student). You can't go wrong with this brand - they last forever and I've even thrown them in the wash before and air-dried them. I have a pair myself (the tall fringe boots) and they are my most comfortable boots. Highly recommend for kids AND adults! Minnetonka  has all of the quality of Uggs bhiut not the high price. Plus - cuter styles!  They dobrun about 1/2 size large though.