The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams. Illustrated by Quentin Blake.

If you’re looking for a book about celebrating differences, The Boy in the Dress may well be the one you need to read. David Walliam’s debut novel, released in 2008, is the gentle tale of Denis and his family. Dennis is 12 years old, is a first-rate striker in football who lives with his Dad and big brother, John. Their suburban existence moves sluggishly through a drabness bought on, in part by the disappearance of their mum and wife. Dennis’ father pines for her and is depressed. John carries on hoping things will get better. Dennis finds solace in a Vogue magazine. His love of fashion and colour help him cope with the hole his mum has left in their lives.

 His father is horrified when he discovers the Vogue beneath Dennis’ bed but a chance meeting (in detention) with Lisa, the best dressed, most gorgeous girl in the school, gives Dennis new hope. Together they explore fashion, design and experiment with clothing. Dennis looks surprisingly good in dresses and when made up and sporting a pair of heels, feels the best he has in ages. He is persuaded by Lisa to come to school dressed as a girl on a foreign exchange programme and that’s when things go wrong. The surrounding characters are beautifully constructed and their eccentricities help Dennis overcome what could have proved a disaster.

 The Boy in the Dress talks about family relationships and acceptance, solidarity and colour – both in the sense of fashion and bringing light into dull lives.

The illustrations by Quentin Blake show his genius, as always, of capturing emotion in simple line drawings.

I thoroughly enjoyed this middle grade novel and love the sense of gentle humour David Walliams has bought to the page.

 For Ages: 9+ years old

Number of Pages: 288 in paperback form.

Published: December 2009

Themes: Accepting differences

Rating: 3/5