Out in May, this is Tom Percival's first middle grade book, following his enormously successful picture books that tackle emotions, such as 'Ravi's Roar'. 'The Wrong Shoes' is an absolute must-read: a powerful and poignant tale of one boy living in poetry but finding hope in friendship and art. Accompanied by Tom Percival's excellent, graphic illustrations, this is an engrossing and emotional read, reflecting the difficulties families and children face financially today, while subtly nodding to similar past generational struggles. I cannot recommend this highly enough. Recently I was really lucky to hear Tom Percival speak about 'The Wrong Shoes' at the Simon and Schuster children's showcase. His personal reflections on poverty and his passionate reasons for writing this book were really inspiring and important. At the moment, 4.2 million children in the UK live in poverty - that's one in every three children. The book has been written to support The National Literacy Trust too, with some proceeds of sales going to the charity. For these reasons alone, 'The Wrong Shoes' is a must-read for everyone: parents, teachers, politicians and also, of course, children who experience the same levels of bullying and daily struggles as the main character Will.  ​Will is such a wonderful creation and his voice is raw, wise and vulnerable. Like Tom Percival's picture books, 'The Wrong Shoes' is an empathy powerhouse. There were so many moments I found myself welling up, feeling anger and despair as Will does, and then becoming walloped by a fragile hope with wings. Will's solace in art was something that really struck a chord with me. While I didn't experience the extent of financial difficulties as Will as a teenager, I did experience challenging family problems and, like Will, I found art was my escape. The scene when Will paints his owl while his teacher stands behind him is something that echoes my own experiences. And this is the thing with this magnificent book: it is cross-generational. There are references to the 80s and 90s (including Will borrowing an old tape cassette player - what are those?). Older readers will undoubtedly draw comparisons. And, of course, in a General Election year, the message of 'The Wrong Shoes' couldn't be starker. Read this book!

Generally speaking, I am never lost for words. Mr S frequently comments on my inability to give simple yes or no answers to questions, instead going to great lengths to explain what has led to my answer. Sitting down to review this title has been one of those rare occasions where actually there are a million-and-one things I want to say but I am finding it very difficult to articulate my thoughts. And yet, articulate them I must because that is – after all – my job as the reviewer so let me state right now, before I start to waffle on, that this is a powerful and heartfelt read – one that will make you question your own lifestyle and bring to mind those – sadly – many children that you have known in your life who, through no fault of their own, have been one of life’s have nots – children who not only do not have the latest gear, but quite possibly didn’t have breakfast this morning and are wearing the wrong shoes. Will is one such child. Walking to school in the shoes that he has to make last, despite the gaping hole in one of them letting in water, he bumps into bully Chris who delights in abusing him – something he has long been used to. Reaching school, he heads to assembly, resigned to the prospect of hearing about the achievements of the pupils whose parents and guardians can afford for them to take part in extracurricular activities before heading off to lessons. After school, he heads to the home of his only friend, Cameron – a boy who has the best of everything – and reflects on the differences between their lives and how little they matter when the two of them share common interests and a strong friendship. What should be a fun afternoon together sours though when a well-meaning Cameron tries to offer Will something he no longer has use for, and Will takes offence at the thought of his mate seeing him as a charity case before storming off. Returning home to the grotty flat he shares with his father, and knowing how little food there is in the cupboards, Will lies and says he has eaten at Cameron’s and both of them go to bed hungry. With his father unable to find work, no prospect of their lives improving anytime soon and his best friend now not talking to him, Will wonders how life could get any worse but he soon finds out. Will he and his father manage to claw their way out of the situations in which they both find themselves and manage to hold their heads above the water, or are they destined to sink down even further? Reading this reminded me of a conversation I had with one of my cousins a few years back, when I hadn’t been teaching for long. His mother had started her teaching career in the 1950s in a poor area of London’s East End and many of her pupils came to school barefoot as they didn’t own any shoes. At the time I spoke with him, this seemed incredible to me and yet – in the current climate – for many of our children, that level of poverty is their lived reality. We have all known children who have come to school in old or inappropriate footwear or clothing because that is all they have, or who have come to school hungry because there was simply no food at home to feed them, and those individuals will see themselves in Will and will hopefully recognise that the situation in which they find themselves is not of their making. Equally, there are those children whose adults do not have financial worries and it is really important that they see that not everyone shares the good fortune that they do but – and it is a big but – those who do not are not less than they are – they are not to be looked down on or snubbed because of their circumstances. Like the author’s picture books, this story will go such an enormous way towards both enlightening children and supporting them in developing empathy towards others, making it a vital title for all primary and secondary school libraries as well as the perfect class read in Year 4 upwards.

This book was full of sadness, but also perseverance. The story is about a boy called Will who is always left out and made fun of because of his shoes. He lives with his dad, and they are poor but maybe Will can find the courage to stand up for himself against the bullies? This book showed me that anyone can stand up to people who are extremely mean. Will was incredibly brave. It also taught me that you don’t need to feel embarrassed about what’s going on outside of school. Even though Will was bullied, his dad didn’t have a job, and they lived in a cold, damp flat, he still stayed kind. That really stuck with me, it shows that there is no excuse to bully someone or to be mean. Everyone has things they’re dealing with, and it’s always better to be kind. Layla, age 10