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    Donna Gephart’s In Your Shoes is a delightful look at friendship

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    By Jessica on October 5, 2018 ages 9 & up, Middle Grade
    In Your Shoes GephartIN YOUR SHOES, by Donna Gephart, Delacorte Books for Young Readers, Oct. 9, 2018, Hardcover, $16.99 (ages 9-12)

    Being a tween is hard enough, but when you add in all the outside pressures, it can be downright suffocating. Donna Gephart explores how friendship adds balance in her latest novel for middle-graders, In Your Shoes.

    Miles is an anxious boy who loves his family’s bowling center even if though he could be killed by a bolt of lightning or a wild animal that escaped from the Philadelphia Zoo on the way there.

    Amy is the new girl at school who wishes she didn’t have to live above her uncle’s funeral home and tries to write her way to her own happily-ever-after.

    Then Miles and Amy meet in the most unexpected way . . . and that’s when it all begins. . . . —Synopsis provided by Delactorte Books for Young Readers.

    The “shoes” element in In Your Shoes is both physical and metaphorical. While Miles thinks his bowling shoes give him a quirky edge, Amy feels her heel lift brings unwanted attention. It’s a shoe hurtling through the air that brings the two together, and as the book progresses, they gain an overall better understanding of life itself by putting themselves in each other’s shoes.

    In Your Shoes is told in alternating chapters with occasional overlap, and this sort of narrative works well. It allows readers to get to know both Miles and Amy better. The book’s setting (a mix of a bowling alley, a funeral home and school) is delightfully eccentric.

    Donna Gephart’s writing is beautifully smooth and inviting. She captures the essence of tweendom without playing to stereotypes. Donna’s characters are likeable — the type of people you’d want your own kids to be friends with.

    In Your Shoes would be a lovely addition to anyone’s bookshelf.

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    Jessica Harrison is the reviewer behind Cracking the Cover. She loves books and worked as the in-house book critic at a daily newspaper, writing reviews and interviewing authors for two years. When the company cut back, she lost her position covering books, but that doesn't mean she stopped reading. If anything, the whole experience made her more passionate about reading and giving people the tools to make informed decisions in their own book choices. She has been featured on NetGalley's Blogger Spotlight and is on Kindleprenuer's Ultimate List of the Best Book Review Blogs. Contact her at jessica(at)crackingthecover(dot)com and follow Cracking the Cover on Bluesky, Instagram,  Facebook and Twitter (X) @crackingthecovr. You can also read scaled down reviews on Jessica's Goodreads review page. Jessica is also a reviewer on Amazon.

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