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www.teachwire.net | 63 about it at a conference in 2024 – I was lucky enough to introduce his keynote. He was absolutely fascinating, talking about his life as a child, how he’d grown up in relative poverty and how child poverty is still incredibly common across the UK (recent figures show that over four million children and young people are currently in this situation). He made some hugely pertinent points about the fact that it’s basically impossible for a child to focus on their learning in school when T om Percival is responsible for creating some of my favourite picturebooks from the past few years, including The Invisible, The Sea Saw and The River , as well as the bestselling Big Bright Feelings series. He’s also the illustrator of the amazing Skulduggery Pleasant books by Derek Landy. His talents seem to have no end, as he’s now written and illustrated his debut full-length novel, The Wrong Shoes . I first learned of the book when he spoke they’re tired, hungry and worried about money. It’s a situation that we see in schools every day, and one that causes enormous concern. I hope this book, alongside the activities I’ve suggested, may provide opportunities for conversations to take place in classrooms and help reduce the levels of shame and embarrassment around poverty that many children feel. As Tom says in his notes at the end of the book, one thing is absolutely certain – it is never the child’s fault . Witness the devastating impact of poverty through the eyes of 12-year-old Will, and what it means to make an impossible choice, with Tom Percival’s powerful novel BOOK TOP I C JON B I DDLE COVER © Tom Percival T E ACH RE AD I NG & WR I T I NG Book topic KS2 Published by Simon & Schuster, 2024 The Wrong Shoes