Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
367th out of 1,712 books
—
653 voters
The Blue Shoe: A Tale of Thievery, Villainy, Sorcery, and Shoes
It was only one shoe. It fit no one. But everyone wanted it.
Hap Barlo sits in a cell, wondering how it had all gone so wrong. The blue shoe was ruined, the girl he’d been trying to help was missing, and he’d been branded a thief—again! He would be banished to the far side of Mount Xexnax in the morning.
On the bright side, now he might be able to rescue his father, who had...more
Hap Barlo sits in a cell, wondering how it had all gone so wrong. The blue shoe was ruined, the girl he’d been trying to help was missing, and he’d been branded a thief—again! He would be banished to the far side of Mount Xexnax in the morning.
On the bright side, now he might be able to rescue his father, who had...more
Hardcover, 272 pages
Published
October 13th 2009
by Knopf Books for Young Readers
(first published October 5th 2009)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
507)
Cute and clever, with a tongue-in-cheek narration and set in an imaginative world. The plot seemed to become a little disjointed at the end (this one was headed for 4 stars up until the climax), but still an entertaining read.
I will never be able to see Mary Granpre's illustrations without thinking of Harry Potter, so it threw me a couple times to turn the page and think "wait, when did Hermione and Hagrid show up?" for a second. But they were lovely, as always.
I was reading a first edition, whi...more
I will never be able to see Mary Granpre's illustrations without thinking of Harry Potter, so it threw me a couple times to turn the page and think "wait, when did Hermione and Hagrid show up?" for a second. But they were lovely, as always.
I was reading a first edition, whi...more
4 likes · like · see review
view all 3 comments
Hap Barlow was a thief. And that meant that he would be banished to Mt. Xexnax, and would never be seen again. He was only a boy, and he had only been trying to help a poor beggar girl, but those things didn't matter. Hap, however, was not the type of boy to go moaning to his doom. He was a thinker and a doer, and he never gave up.
His master, the shoemaker, had a shoe covered with glowing blue stones which was displayed in his shop window. Everyone wondered where the stones had come from. Wit...more
His master, the shoemaker, had a shoe covered with glowing blue stones which was displayed in his shop window. Everyone wondered where the stones had come from. Wit...more
I loved this book. It had me at the first page by starting off almost as if it were a fairy tale. It takes place in a mountain town run by an uncredulous mayor and his very spoiled and selfish wife. They feel the whole town should be at their beck and call and anything they want or fancy,well mostly the mayor's wife she should have. Even if it means hiring criminals to dig and run a prison at a mountain of mining to get what they want.
This book is sort of a dark tale but one that also has a les...more
This book is sort of a dark tale but one that also has a les...more
A boy, a girl, little blue men, a kindly, old cobbler, and the most magnificient, sparkly blue shoe you've ever seen...those are the elements that make up the story of The Blue Shoe. In the sleepy little town of Aplanap, every one works hard, but no one, not one single soul, will put up with a thief, especially the mayor.
After Hap is left a virtual orphan, since his father, Silas, was sent off to Mount Xexnax, he is penniless and hungry. He steals food to eat, is caught, yet Grel, the soft-hear...more
After Hap is left a virtual orphan, since his father, Silas, was sent off to Mount Xexnax, he is penniless and hungry. He steals food to eat, is caught, yet Grel, the soft-hear...more
The cover of this book caught my eye as I was running through the library. The binding is entirely blue with an illustration of swirling blue fabric behind a lavishly bejeweled blue shoe. I literally grabbed it from the shelving cart, flipped to the back and read:
"Not long ago, in the sunny mountain village of Aplanap, there stood a small shoemaker’s shop. And in the window of that shop was a shoe that fit nobody. Of course, since it was only one shoe, it was doubly useless. Yet everyone who lea...more
"Not long ago, in the sunny mountain village of Aplanap, there stood a small shoemaker’s shop. And in the window of that shop was a shoe that fit nobody. Of course, since it was only one shoe, it was doubly useless. Yet everyone who lea...more
A rousing tale with a blue shoe, a blue diamond, blue Aukis (read the book & find out!), a very blue book cover and blue type throughout the book. (Thank heavens, blue is my favorite color!) Puts me in mind of the movie "Avatar," not only because of the blue characters but because of this statement in the book, "...'Tell your people to stop taking what does not belong to them.' He shook his shaggy head. 'The mountain supports us all. We take from it what we need. That is allowed, But enough....more
Reviewed by Sarah Bean the Green Bean Teen Queen for TeensReadToo.com
One evening in a small town called Aplanap, a mysterious stranger approaches the shoemaker, Grel, to make a blue shoe entirely out of strange blue gems. The shoe must never be sold or damaged.
When Hap, the shoemaker's apprentice, steals a gem from the blue shoe to save a poor beggar girl, he is sentenced to the mountain Xexnax. There he finds a race of people called Auki's working in the mines. Aplanap's mayor and his wife are...more
One evening in a small town called Aplanap, a mysterious stranger approaches the shoemaker, Grel, to make a blue shoe entirely out of strange blue gems. The shoe must never be sold or damaged.
When Hap, the shoemaker's apprentice, steals a gem from the blue shoe to save a poor beggar girl, he is sentenced to the mountain Xexnax. There he finds a race of people called Auki's working in the mines. Aplanap's mayor and his wife are...more
"The Tale of Thievery, Villainy, Sorcery, and Shoes."
This is a story about thirteen-year-old Hap Barlo, the shoemaker's apprentice that is loyal to his master, Grel. But when a mysterious stranger comes to visit the shoemaker with a strange request, the pair's life turns upside-down. People far and wide come to see this remarkable shoe, which gives the two extraordinary business. But when a strange beggar girl comes, everything goes horribly wrong...
Beautifully written, Townley will have you...more
This is a story about thirteen-year-old Hap Barlo, the shoemaker's apprentice that is loyal to his master, Grel. But when a mysterious stranger comes to visit the shoemaker with a strange request, the pair's life turns upside-down. People far and wide come to see this remarkable shoe, which gives the two extraordinary business. But when a strange beggar girl comes, everything goes horribly wrong...
Beautifully written, Townley will have you...more
This is an adventure story with evil overseers, buried treasure, little blue creatures, magic (um, sort of), and other exciting things, including the shoe! Well, shoes aren't very exciting, usually, but this is one special shoe (yup, just one). Hap Barlo is just trying to get along and not starve, but unlucky things just keep happening to him. Until, finally, he is sent to Mount Xexnax to work off the rest of his days in hard labor on the frozen mountain. But that is just where this story begins...more
I needed something light as a break after reading The Hiding Place. My son gave me this book for Christmas but he read it before I got to it. :) A nice little fantasy with a somewhat allegorical feel at times. I thought the names for the town and the goddess were horrendous, but that's a minor complaint. The author seemed to use Old English/Germanic words for the language of the Auki--not very original, but kind of fun for me to read. Perhaps he did it so the readers could understand without too...more
Mar 29, 2011
Francine
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
People with real imaginations
Magical. Charming, and again, magical.
The book was easy to read, meaning the writing was smooth and fluid. Not only was it written nicely but it also was brilliant enough to transport me into another world. A world that I didn't mind actually living in.
This book had the right amount of quirky magic, suspenseful scenes, action-filled chapters and adorable characters. I thought this book was going to be some Cinderella story but I was surprised - in a good way. And I'm sure future readers will be...more
The book was easy to read, meaning the writing was smooth and fluid. Not only was it written nicely but it also was brilliant enough to transport me into another world. A world that I didn't mind actually living in.
This book had the right amount of quirky magic, suspenseful scenes, action-filled chapters and adorable characters. I thought this book was going to be some Cinderella story but I was surprised - in a good way. And I'm sure future readers will be...more
“Not long ago, in the sunny mountain village of Aplanap, famous for its tilted streets, cuckoo clocks, and Finster cheese, there stood a small shoemaker’s shop. And in the window of that shop was a shoe that fit nobody.”
In this book Mr. Townley invites the reader to follow the adventures of Hap, the goodhearted assistant cobbler to the shoemaker who made the beautiful blue shoe. When the blue shoe looses its magical glow (due to Hap’s theft of one of the precious blue stones), he is sent to work...more
In this book Mr. Townley invites the reader to follow the adventures of Hap, the goodhearted assistant cobbler to the shoemaker who made the beautiful blue shoe. When the blue shoe looses its magical glow (due to Hap’s theft of one of the precious blue stones), he is sent to work...more
Jul 15, 2011
Valerie L
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Jane Lawyer
Recommended to Valerie by:
Gaylene Davis
Shelves:
junior
3.5 stars! I really enjoyed this cute tale! I would defenitely suggest it as a 4 star for kids 8 - 14 year olds! Very quick fun read! This blue shoe sits in the window display of a shoe cobbler. Hap is his apprentice. Hap may be a thief, he may be poor, he may be a bit optomistic, and he may be just what the town needs to save them from the oppresive mines on Mt. Xexnax - where Hap may soon end up if he's not careful!
I realized the other day that I have been working on three non-fiction books for some time and not really making much headway with any of them. What to do? What to do? Obviously, read a fiction book that is fun and fantastic--A little Hobbit-ish, a little Harry Potter-ish. Not too difficult for my tired non-fiction-reading brain. Ahhhh.
My favorite quote:
"He's only a boy!"
"That's a temporary condition."
My favorite quote:
"He's only a boy!"
"That's a temporary condition."
A cobbler is visited by a strangely tall person who requests a single shoe, covered with gems. The stranger never returns to pick up his order, so the shoe waits in the window. Little does anyone know how special this shoe is, and how it will change the oppressed little town of Aplanap. This light fantasy is allegorical and humorous, recommended for 4th grade and up.
Imaginative story in an imaginary world. Although it starts off like a fairy tale, it takes a turn and develops into the story of a young, kind hero followed by a stubborn female friend, who set off to find his father and resuce him from a prison set in the freezing cold mountains near the city of Aplanap.
Recommended for ages 8-12.
Recommended for ages 8-12.
A story about a thievery, villainy, sorcery, and a shoe! A fairly decent story. Hap must save his dad, friend Sophia and the blue diamond. The shoe of course is more than just a shoe. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the illustrator is Mary GrandPre the illustrator of the Harry Potter books!
Lauren loved this book and wanted me to read it. It was cute but jumped around and I wish that it would have had more of a lesson or moral at the end. I feel like the shoe was not a big enough part of the ending. Anyway it was cute for a 10 year old girl but not a huge recommendation from me.
Love, love, love, LOVE, lovelovelovelovelove, LOVED it! Can't say it too many times. Super cute, super creative, and the writing was very inventive. It's a quick read, but it's one of those that's great for young and old. It's about a boy who, among his other, very amiable qualities, was a thief.
This story enthralled me up to the last two chapters. I don't really know what happened, but it seemed as though some important bits were left out and that there was a too quick resolution to the plot. I suspected the story was headed in that direction, but the wrap-up was anti-climactic.
The writing in this book was so choppy that it took away from what could have been a cute story. Hap Barlo, a shoemaker's apprentice gets into all kinds of trouble when he takes a jewel from the most famous shoe around in order to help out a poor beggar. He is then banished to the far side of Mount Xexnax, but he's kind of excited because his father and many other poor people have been sent there by the tyrannical mayor and his wife.
It had me til the end. I thought the end was a bit difficult to swallow. But loved the story until then. The characters are endearing, the plot (til the end) was good. I enjoyed the way the story was written. But just wasn't as happy with the end.
MSBA Nominee 2010-2011
I liked this book. A mysterious blue shoe is in a cobbler's shop. Everyone who sees it wants it. And just what is happening on the mysterious mountain that overlooks the village?
I liked this book. A mysterious blue shoe is in a cobbler's shop. Everyone who sees it wants it. And just what is happening on the mysterious mountain that overlooks the village?
12/19/10
I am on page 70 and my connection is that I wanted to tell a secret one time that I wasnt allowed to tell.
12/22/10
I finished the book and it was really good. I highly reccomend this book.
I am on page 70 and my connection is that I wanted to tell a secret one time that I wasnt allowed to tell.
12/22/10
I finished the book and it was really good. I highly reccomend this book.
I liked this book because it was creative and I had never read anything like it before. At some parts it was confusing and a little boring, but by the end it got you interested.
Original fantasy- a 13 year old boy's adventure- other themes greed,
diversity of races and care of the earth.
-good to share with boys who like lots of adventure and fantasy.
diversity of races and care of the earth.
-good to share with boys who like lots of adventure and fantasy.
It wasn't fabulous, but it was a fun read. A little hard to imagine some of the descriptions, but if you're looking for something VERY light to read, this will work.
For a youth fiction book, I was totally in to it!!! It had good pacing and pretty good writing. I'm going to read some more of his!
I really like the author's writing style in this fairy-tale-esque book.
This was a very quick read, and it was a real page-turner! :)
This was a very quick read, and it was a real page-turner! :)
I read it at the library today, hanging out with Zoe while Nick was off at a teen/tween event. So, yes, a kid's book. But fun!
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
