School Library Journal

Gr 4–6—This tale begins with a mysterious blue-jeweled shoe and centers on the adventures of 13-year-old Hap Barlow, who gets imprisoned and is part of a slave revolt, and ends with the mystery of the shoe solved and a lesson on how not to mistreat the Earth. Elflike creatures called Aukis once lived freely on Mount Xexnax, but now it is a prison set up by humans and holds the lawbreakers of Aplanap along with captured Aukis. Hap and some Auki warriors must unite in order for the slave revolt to succeed but cultural twists and turns complicate this mission, including the necessity of working with Ulf, an Auki who is married to a human. GrandPré's occasional, detailed blue illustrations are well placed and assist in keeping readers' attention focused. The Blue Shoe is a delightful fantasy that brings forth the topics of diversity and ecology in a way that does not have a happy ending but one with a solution in progress.—Nancy D. Tolson, Mitchell College, New London, CT