Shoe Wars

Product Information

Bear and Ruby (the kids), have to suffer through Walter's pranks and nonsense every day. But when they discover their dad's flying shoes and get revenge on Walter, that's when they set off a chain of events that lay out through the rest of the book.

Pacily-written, wildly-imaginative and brilliantly-plotted, Shoe Wars has more than its fair share of real edge-of-the-seat moments and it's laugh-out-loud funny to boot (especially the *Foot notes which form a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the action.) There's an extra depth here too with important underlying messages about family, bereavement, grief, friendship, not judging by appearances and the importance of working together in the face of adversity. The need to support independent businesses against the huge corporations is also firmly at the forefront of the story - which seems more timely than ever in our current economic climate. Our 9+ Book of the Month for October and November has to be Shoe Wars. We have chosen Liz Pichon’s new novel because it is perfect not only for core middle-grade readers but also for younger fans who love the fantastic and crazy illustrations and for older kids and grown-ups who are drawn into the weird and wonderful world of Shoe Town. The fully illustrated text also keeps any reluctant readers engaged, and the adventure keeps you rooting for the kids. 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.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. On the not-so-good side, we have Wendy Wedge and her spoiled rotten son, Walter. Wendy owns the biggest factory in town. She has recently taken over Ivor’s factory and if she has her way she will take over every shoe factory in town. But for now, she will settle with locating the Flying shoes that she knows Sally created. With those shoes, she’s sure to win the Golden Shoe Award. All in all, I could probably talk more about the amazing flying shoes, the annoying Walter, the epilogue which seems to promise more story, that people lived in actual shoeboxes (just a bigger more liveable size), someone who just seems neighbourly becomes epic, treat your minions with kindness or things will bite you in your butt, but let me just cut the review here and tell you all to read this fun, hilarious, shoe-tastic book.

My daughters have come to that wonderful age where they can enjoy a chapter book being read to them at bedtime. I have looked forward to this for years. We have read and loved the majority of the Tom Gates series, and are all huge fans, so I figured Shoe Wars was going to be a hit.

Publisher

There’s an old saying that goes something like this: You can tell a lot about a person from the shoes they’re wearing. This new novel from the bestselling, award-winning author Liz Pichon is a standalone title in a whole new world separate from Tom Gates. Set in Shoe Town, big-bad-boss Wendy Wedge is obsessed with winning the Golden Shoe Award with the invention of flying shoes. But our star siblings Ruby and Bear are in a race against time to rescue the inventor – their dad! – and save the day. All the hilarity and crazy antics you would expect from Tom Gates, along with some super-cool gadgets, the baddest baddies and tons of shoes. Product Details Format

So far she has closed down the independent shoe shops, coerced every shoe designer in town to come and work at her massive shoe factory and forced almost everyone to wear her nasty, clumpy, uncomfortable wedges. Oh, and she has made slippers illegal. 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 >:) Author Anna Kemp introduces The Hollow Hills, the sequel to her dark magical tale, Into Goblyn Wood. There are a lot of fun and entertaining illustrations throughout, as well, and that amde the book even more fun and enjoyable while reading. 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).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!). 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. Especially since, if Wendy Wedge finds them, she will steal them for herself, win The Golden Shoe Award, and take over all the shoe stores, making all the shoemakers work for her in every town. Wendy Wedge getting her hands on those flying shoes would be the worst thing ever. 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. The new laugh-out-loud, spectacular adventure from multi-million-copy bestselling creator of TOM GATES, Liz Pichon. Welcome to Shoe Town – and meet Ruby and Bear Foot.