The Boy in the Dress written by David Walliams in 2008 concerns 12-year-old Dennis, who lives with big brother John and their lorry driver, overweight dad. Their mum has left home, and Dennis misses her terribly. When Dennis goes to buy his first copy of Vogue, he pretends that it's a present for a girl. Dennis's dad is in a state of shock when he discovers the Vogue magazine hidden under his younger son's mattress. Fortunately for Dennis, his friend Lisa understands his love of Vogue. It's one of Lisa's dresses that Dennis ends up wearing to school whilst pretending to be a French exchange student, leading to some very funny encounters. The end of the story sees Dennis being accepted for who he is whilst feeling more confident in himself after winning a football match. The key theme is gender identity and the stated target age group is for 9 years plus.
The language includes; short sentences, use of italics to emphasise words and use of alliteration to highlight themes. Alliteration is also aesthetically pleasing, which is perhaps good for the young reader as it makes the reading less of a threat. The author intrudes - ‘The story I am going to tell you’ – page 11 and ‘Now reader, you might be thinking’ – page 16. The story is also very humorous for children (and adults) and also contains use of capital letters, font changes and onomatopoeia. The illustrations are not in colour and represent sketches and scribbles. However, they do aid with the story telling and are used logically as so they are understandable to the reader. Like the author, the illustrator makes the drawings entertaining, perfect for a young audience. Emotions of the characters are clearly shown and the illustrations also help the reader to imagine the situation that the characters are in.
Many covert problematic issues arise within the story such as; Dennis’ dad would shout a lot and Dennis thought his dad had depression because the rules in the house were; ‘no talking about mum, no crying and no hugging’ – page 17, which also made Dennis full of sadness. There is also a mention of alcohol that might not be understood by young readers; ‘beer keg’ – page 25. Dennis is also shown not eating properly which could indicate neglect; ‘local chippy, or bowls of cereal, even when it wasn’t breakfast’ – page 25. Furthermore, there is indication of sensitive topics such as; affairs and swearing; ‘What the hell is this?’ – page 39 and ‘Woofters’, ‘SHUT UP’ – page 57. Dennis’s friend Darvesh wears a patka which is described as ‘a bobble-hat-type thing’ – page 63 and ‘it itches like hell!’ – page 65, which could be seen as insensitive or racist. Lastly, some characters are verging on the stereotypical (Raj, the Asian shopkeeper, Dennis' dad, the fat lorry driver).
There is reference to pocket money which children could perhaps relate to; ‘he only got £5 a week pocket money’ – page 40. Colloquial phrases used which may be recognisable to a younger audience such as; ‘Oi, bro?’ – page 49. It can be interesting for boys (and girls) because of the references to playing football. Interesting for girls (and boys) because of the references to designer names including; Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs and Stella McCartney – page 48.
Overall, the book was an enjoyable read, following an awkward yet ordinary boy called Dennis who always felt "different" and was struggling to find acceptance in the world. I feel children may relate to this story as sometimes they may feel they do not fit in, and I believe this book teaches that in the end, you are accepted no matter who you are once you stay true to yourself. I liked the range of diverse characters and it was a refreshing change to have a lone parent who was a male instead of the usual female. However, some aspects of the story were unrealistic and slightly farfetched but ultimately, I liked the overall message, which was; follow your dreams!
The language includes; short sentences, use of italics to emphasise words and use of alliteration to highlight themes. Alliteration is also aesthetically pleasing, which is perhaps good for the young reader as it makes the reading less of a threat. The author intrudes - ‘The story I am going to tell you’ – page 11 and ‘Now reader, you might be thinking’ – page 16. The story is also very humorous for children (and adults) and also contains use of capital letters, font changes and onomatopoeia. The illustrations are not in colour and represent sketches and scribbles. However, they do aid with the story telling and are used logically as so they are understandable to the reader. Like the author, the illustrator makes the drawings entertaining, perfect for a young audience. Emotions of the characters are clearly shown and the illustrations also help the reader to imagine the situation that the characters are in.
Many covert problematic issues arise within the story such as; Dennis’ dad would shout a lot and Dennis thought his dad had depression because the rules in the house were; ‘no talking about mum, no crying and no hugging’ – page 17, which also made Dennis full of sadness. There is also a mention of alcohol that might not be understood by young readers; ‘beer keg’ – page 25. Dennis is also shown not eating properly which could indicate neglect; ‘local chippy, or bowls of cereal, even when it wasn’t breakfast’ – page 25. Furthermore, there is indication of sensitive topics such as; affairs and swearing; ‘What the hell is this?’ – page 39 and ‘Woofters’, ‘SHUT UP’ – page 57. Dennis’s friend Darvesh wears a patka which is described as ‘a bobble-hat-type thing’ – page 63 and ‘it itches like hell!’ – page 65, which could be seen as insensitive or racist. Lastly, some characters are verging on the stereotypical (Raj, the Asian shopkeeper, Dennis' dad, the fat lorry driver).
There is reference to pocket money which children could perhaps relate to; ‘he only got £5 a week pocket money’ – page 40. Colloquial phrases used which may be recognisable to a younger audience such as; ‘Oi, bro?’ – page 49. It can be interesting for boys (and girls) because of the references to playing football. Interesting for girls (and boys) because of the references to designer names including; Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs and Stella McCartney – page 48.
Overall, the book was an enjoyable read, following an awkward yet ordinary boy called Dennis who always felt "different" and was struggling to find acceptance in the world. I feel children may relate to this story as sometimes they may feel they do not fit in, and I believe this book teaches that in the end, you are accepted no matter who you are once you stay true to yourself. I liked the range of diverse characters and it was a refreshing change to have a lone parent who was a male instead of the usual female. However, some aspects of the story were unrealistic and slightly farfetched but ultimately, I liked the overall message, which was; follow your dreams!