Shoe Wars

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I have to say, Wendy and Walter were awful I hated both of them immediately. It's like if Cruella de Vil was obsessed with shoes instead of Dalmatians, and he had a son, that would be Wendy Wedge. Shoe Wars is a strange but quirky book about two kids and their dad. They live in Shoe Town, which has been taken over by a woman named Wendy Wedge. Wendy is a nasty piece of work. She's an egomaniac who thinks she's entitled to the Golden Shoe Award, something she's never won even though she enters every year. She's also got a son named Walter, who is a giant bully. Wendy, though, makes sure Walter gets whatever he wants, whenever he wants, because he's a "genius" and is her "perfect boy." Can we say ugh? Liz Pichon’s imagination and creativeness bring us a story about right and wrong, good and evil. On the good side, we have Ruby and Bear Foot, children of Ivor, whose wife Sally died in a mysterious accident. The Foot family is trying to keep a particular shoe that Sally created before her death hidden. I loved reading about all the shoes, and the big show at the end was fantastic. Where do I sign up to get those shoes? Hello? Next to the fun show there was of course the big finale as Ivor, Bert, Betty, and the kids try to stop Wendy from doing any more. That part was also very exciting and I loved how it all came together. Teenagers can also be able to consume this book without it being too easy. I think that's what I liked most about this book; it wasn't too easy nor hard.

I loved seeing the kids try to help out their dad, try to make sure he is safe, later on there is even a big rescue in which the kids try to find there dad, but in the meantime find something that may be the rescue of everyone in this little town (which is, as expected from the big villain Wendy, even named after her). Meet Ruby and Bear and Ivor, the first two are kids and brother/sister and the last one is their dad who is an amazing inventor and shoemaker. Really, this guy can make anything! But he is under contract with one of the worst people in the world and the one who controls the town, Wendy Wedge. There is a big competition coming and things are getting quite hairy with each day. And more fun and more exciting and more wow. I found this to be a very interesting read. It's a bit wild at times, but in a fun, crazy adventure sort of way. I really liked it. David Almond introduces his new picture book, A Way to the Stars, a story about perseverance and finding a way to make dreams come true. I loved Shoe Wars. It is an adorable story told with wit, creativity, energy, and fun. It’s reading at its best for kids and for kids at heart. I definitely recommend you buy this one for your kids (and read it yourself before handing it over. It reminds you of what being a kid is all about!).

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The one thing children may find confusing is Pichon’s switching between referring to Ruby and Bear’s father as ‘Dad’ and ‘Ivor’ in the same dialogue, giving the effect of two separate characters in a conversation. Pichon perhaps did this to remind her readers what ‘Dad’s’ name is for when she would have to refer to him by name, though this might have been otherwise achieved less confusingly.

Shoe Wars, Liz Pichon's latest stand-alone book, tells the story of Ruby and Bear. Their dad, who works under the notorious Wendy Wedge, invented flying shoes, a guarantee to winning the annual Golden Shoe Award. Sadly, Wendy Wedge will do anything to get her hands on the shoes. Ruby and Bear must work together to protect their dad and retain the shoes before it's too late! Time for SHOE WARS >:) As much as I enjoyed this story and the way it was presented, it felt too long. In time I began to lose interest in the story, footnotes, and the fun play on names. Breaking out of the phenomenally successful Tom Gates series was never going to be easy but Liz Pichon's latest standalone adventure story, Shoe Wars, is arguably (I'd say definitely) her greatest achievement yet and forms a fabulous showcase for her very many talents. I was most impressed by the number of serious issues Pichon managed to introduce to her audience without ever flattening the momentum with didactics. She teaches her readers that keeping endangered animals in captivity is bad, that keeping small businesses afloat is better than seeing them taken over by large companies and she even touches lightly on tax evasion! All this and at no time does the story feel clunky or overfilled. It is fast-paced from tip to toe and hilarious every step of the way.Ruby and Bear must outwit a bully, infiltrate a shady company, and rescue their dad all while keeping the shoes hidden. This can only mean one thing. It's . . . shoe wars! The book is also illustrated and I loved the illustrations. Oh, btw, was that Tom Gates near the end with the award show starting?