The Boy in the Dress--"It would be boring if we were all the same, wouldn't it?"

Title: The Boy in the Dress

Author: David Walliams (with illustrations by Quentin Blake)


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): Dennis's life hasn't been the same since his mother left him, his dad, and his brother John two years ago (and Dad instituted a "no hugging" rule). Dennis finds joy in playing soccer and looking at his secret Vogue magazine. When Lisa discovers Dennis's passion for fashion, she dresses Dennis up in an orange sequinned dress, and Dennis discovers that he not only likes admiring the beautiful dresses, he enjoys wearing them also.


What I think (in 250 words or fewer):  I picked this book up by judging its cover (literally--hardcover edition is yellow, and I needed yellow for the website cover photo). When I read the title, I realized that it had the same illustrator as the Roald Dahl books I'd grown up on. It was like discovering a new Dahl book!

In fact, the narrator's voice even sounds a bit Dahl-ish, with flavors of Lemony Snickett when the narrator talks directly to the reader. This is the second book I've read this week in which the main character enjoys wearing dresses but does not identify as LGBTQ-anything: he simply enjoys the fashion.

It baffles me how people are threatened by men who want to wear women's clothing--like any symbols of femininity denotes weakness and should be mocked. Surely, in 2018, society should be able to get over its fear of . . . fabric? What really is so scary about dresses?

I am glad that Dennis does not feel a need to "defend his straightness," as if being feminine is bad--he simply says he enjoys fashion. I love what the soccer team does, but the plot twist at the end, a variation of the "homophobes are secretly gay!!!" trope, does not sit well with me; I would rather the author not have included this.

However, David does not use this discovery as a way to joke with his friends or make fun of this person, which is such a positive that I almost can forgive the usage of my least-favorite trope.


This book is on the 2010 Rainbow Book List.


My final takeaway (in 75 words or fewer): The story is cute and appropriate for middle grades (ages 8-12). It does not get into any questions about sexuality or something that might scare away parents: it simply talks about friendship and how it's okay not to be the same as everyone else. It has a nice, happy ending.

And quite frankly, the Quentin Blake illustrations themselves make the book worth reading.


Random: Autocorrect changes homophobes into homophones. Ah, the famous "all homophones are gay" trope. 😉


Memorable quotes/passages from the book:
  

• "Dennis did play soccer for his school though, and was his team's number one . . . shooter?
   
  Sorry, reader, I must look it up.
  
  Ah, striker.
  
  Yes, Dennis was his team's number one striker, scoring over a million goals in a year.
  
  Excuse me again, readers, I don't know much about soccer, maybe a million is too much. A thousand? A hundred? Ten?
  
  Whatever, he scored the most goals" (hardback edition, pg. 27-28).
  
    
• "But you know, it would be boring if we were all the same, wouldn't it?" (pg. 65).
  
     
• "Sometimes children pass on cruelty unthinkingly like they would a cold, but Lisa was different" (pg. 126).
  
      
• "'You complete &**%$$%!'
  
  Oops, sorry. I know even though real children do swear, you mustn't have swearing in a children's book. Please forgive me, I really am %$$@$*& sorry" (pg. 154).

Other reviews: The Guardian and Kristine's Book Reviews


This book is available in the Greensboro Public Library.