Kidzworld reviews The Blue Shoe: A Tale of Thievery, Villainry, Soercery, and Shoes by Roderick Townley.
The Blue Shoe Rating:
Author: Roderick Townley
In the little village of Aplanap, there lives a humble little shoemaker who was given an extraordinary task—to make a shoe encrusted with the most miraculous blue stones: sapphires, blue opals, lapis lazuli and more. With the shoe complete, Grel waited and waited, but the stranger who asked for the shoe never returned. Grel’s assistant, Hap, encouraged him to display the shoe in the shop window, which made villagers stop and stare.
A Thief with Good Intentions
Hap was a thief, but not because he was a malicious boy. When his mother died, his father, who was once a cheerful prankster with a voice like an angel, fell into despair. He stopped working, forcing him and Hap to steal and beg. But when Hap was caught stealing a coin from the Mayor’s wife, the Mayor banished his father to the icy, dreaded mountain. Hap would have been banished too if Grel had not requested his assistance at his shop.
Lost Its Luster
Despite his thievery, Hap had a good heart. The next time he stole was to protect a strange girl. He swiped a stone from the famous Blue Shoe to pay for the girl’s release. But that one act had catastrophic effects. The shoe lost its luster, and Hap was banished to the mountain. But Hap couldn’t wait to get to the mountain…maybe, just maybe, he could rescue his father.
The Bottom Line
The Blue Shoe by Roderick Townley is a fable-like story with a timeless quality. The main character, Hap Barlow, has a good heart, despite the way the villagers perceive him. If you like fairy tales, troll-like creatures, evil villains and shoes, then you will love The Blue Shoe.
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