The Blue Shoe: A Tale of Thievery, Villainy, Sorcery, and Shoes

The Blue Shoe: A Tale of Thievery, Villainy, Sorcery, and Shoes by Rod Townley
Youth Fiction-Lower Level – TOWNLEY

In the front window of the shoemaker’s shop in the village of Aplanap sat the most wonderful looking shoe. Not a pair of shoes, just one shoe. The shoe was glorious, made up of different blue gems. Everyone longed to have that shoe since it was so beautiful but Grel the shoemaker refused to sell the shoe. Grel made the shoe when a gentleman came into the shop with a bag full of blue gems and special ordered the single shoe. The man said that he would come back for the shoe. Grel reluctantly made the shoe, he was nervous because the dimensions that he was given to work with was nothing like he has ever made before. The man specifically requested that every blue gem that Grel was given would be used. Grel did what he was told and once the shoe was done he set it aside for when the man came to pick it up.

Hap Barlo was a young boy that Grel took in to be his apprentice. Hap used to steal and beg and in the village of Aplanap if you were caught your punishment was banishment to the far side of the mountain Xexnax. Hap discovered the shoe and convinced Grel to put it on display in the front of his shop. By doing that the village thrived. Visitors came from all over to get a look at the magnificent blue shoe. Through a series of events Hap gets banished to the far side of Xexnax and the blue shoe was ruined. Hap told himself that being banished was a good thing because now he can rescue his father who was banished a long time ago. As a result of the blue shoe being destroyed the village of Aplanap fell on hard times and everyone blamed the poor shoemaker and his apprentice. Hap finds an unexpected visitor on the way to the far side of the mountain and together they have an adventure of lifetime. They uncover something dark and sinister while on the far side of the mountain and it is up to them to stop it.

Will Hap be successful in finding and freeing his father as well as saving the once thriving village of Aplanap? This book has everything and more right down to the blue ink on the page!