The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams

For those of you who do not know David Walliams, I first came across him in comedy skits with Matt Lucas. There are some real gems in their series Little Britain. So when I heard about the books David began writing I thought I must read them as I am sure they would be fun. However it has been a long time since the first book that I got around to read it. Life just happened to interfere with my plans.

This is a book written for young people but can also be enjoyed by adults for it shows us life from the child’s perceptive, something that we forget once we grow up. This story is about Dennis, a 12 year old boy, who lives with his older brother John and his lorry driver dad. His mother had left them. Dennis remembers his parents fighting but also the love and care his mother had given him. There is only one slightly burnt at the edges photo he has of his mother with John and himself that was saved from the bonfire by a gust of wind.

Life was ordinary and so boring. He has a good friend, loves to play footie, watch daytime chat shows, and look at fashion magazines. He feels sad that his mum was not around and when he cries he gets told not to be a girl! His father catches him leafing through a Vogue magazine and throws it into the bin telling him boys should not be reading this girlie stuff. Of course he is teased about it by his brother. The book is telling us how we perpetuate the gender stereotypes.

At 12 he is just beginning to notice girls like Lisa who is in John’s year. He has the good fortune to spend some detention time with her. Seeing her doodling and sketching dresses like those in fashion magazines he gets talking to her. They find mutual interest in all kinds of fashion and its accessories. Dennis gets invited to spend a Saturday with Lisa and check out her stash of Vogue as well as he own design sketches. But there was more than just sketches as Lisa was good with her sewing and had turned some of her designs into dresses. Dennis’s eyes light up at all these beautiful clothes and as you can guess he gets persuaded to wear one of them. Lisa does a complete makeover on him and presents him in the mirror as Denise.

Will he be persuaded to wear the dress outside the house? Who all will think he is a beautiful girl? What will his father, brother, best friend, school mates, teachers and the head master think of him? It is a good tale about individuality, growing up, being non-judgemental and supportive as we are not defined by one single thing, least of all our fashion sense.

I could not put the book down as I wanted to know if there was a happy ending. You feel the emotions along with Dennis and want to jump in and tell the stuffy adults off. I would say it is a book to be read by all.