The Wrong Shoes by Tom Percival

May 2024

There is no question The Wrong Shoes will be one of the most highly regarded and widely discussed books of the year – perhaps even of the decade. It is an incredibly powerful story of childhood poverty in the UK. It explores the pressures of finanacial hardship and family struggles through the eyes of Will, a boy who just wants to fit in. From the first sobering chapter, readers realise that Will believes there’s never a guarantee of a happy ending. Instead of hope, he lives day to day feeling like everything goes wrong.

Unfortunately for Will, he stands out for all the wrong reasons. He’s bullied because he has the wrong shoes (inexpensive and falling apart), the wrong hair (unruley and long) and the wrong family (Dad is struggling with being unable to work after an injury while Mum lives with her new partner in another town). Will doesn’t dare tell anyone things are anything other than “fine”.

The Wrong Shoes challenges readers to consider the “value of money”, our attitudes towards spending and expectations of what others should or shouldn’t have. Will’s best friend, Cameron, comes from a wealthy family and has the best of everything. He’s a good friend but by no fault of his own, just doesn’t understand Will’s world. He has no concept of struggling to buy shoes or not having enough money for a decent evening meal. Equally, Will doesn’t know how to share his life with Cameron or accept help when it’s genuinely offered.

The one thing Will does have is his talent for drawing. The Art department is like home to him – a safe space where he can be his true self and descend into peace. His teacher, Mr Prince, sees the best in Will and encourages him to do more. It’s there that Will is allowed to have a dream. Maybe, one day, he’ll set up a gaming company with Cameron and really make a life for himself.

One night, Will sees a majestic owl. It’s so beautiful, so free… When he paints it in art class, this owl becomes a stunning symbol of hope. Overtime, he learns how important it is to make right choices and stand up for himself. He tries to make things a little better each day and gathers the strength to keep going. This resilience is inspiring and something everyone can learn from. But at the same time, readers see that Will shouldn’t have to have this much resilience – if he’s able to accept help and open up about his family situation, things could get better. There could be a happy ending.

Tom Percival’s illustrations mirror those of Will’s adding so much strength to the story. The striking black and white images leap off the page so integral to the emotion and truth being shared. Will’s joy when painting, his relationships with his friends and the impact of the adults in his life becomes even clearer.

As Will navigates life, readers are given precious insight into what day to day life looks like for young people living in poverty. Will has worries beyond his years as he watches his dad takes risks with a loan shark and his mum scrimp to pay for a haircut, let alone the demands of school homework and paying attention in lessons. Throughout the story, there is a clear message that this life is never the child’s fault. It is up to the adults around them to find the truth – to dig deeper into each child’s story and advocate for them however they can.

The Wrong Shoes is also an opportunity for children with lives similar to Will to feel seen. Hopefully, they will see their life has value and there is hope. Being able to identify with the hero of a story is an empowering experience and something these children may not often find. Will is a wonderful example of a talented child who wants to be “normal” and find life just a bit easier, like his friends. He wants to be understood without having to explain and just be himself without feeling embarrassed. By building empathy in children AND ADULTS, The Wrong Shoes has the power to support so many children.

The Wrong Shoes is a must-read for any adult who works with children. Teachers and leaders will be challenged to look again at the lives their children are living and find ways to help.

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To mark the publication of The Wrong Shoes, Simon & Schuster Children’s Books and Tom Percival will be working in partnership with the National Literacy Trust to support reading in areas of socio-economic deprivation. This partnership will raise funds to support the National Literacy Trust’s vital work with over 500,000 children and families from disadvantaged backgrounds, across 17 areas in the UK.

Thank you to Jess Dean and Simon & Schuster Children’s Books for an early copy of this wonderful book!

For more powerful insights from Tom Percival, read the picture book The Invisible.