The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams

Katie Law @jkatielaw5 April 2012

David Walliams loves dressing up, both in and out of his Little Britain characters. To publicise this book, he's already done a fashion shoot in drag and, tellingly, his author photo on the dustjacket shows him, aged about six, wearing a flowing purple kaftan and a white wig.

It's a first novel aimed at children of nine and upwards, about a 12-year-old boy called Dennis who lives with his obese, junk food-guzzling dad and 14-year-old brother. Their mother walked out two years earlier and Dennis consoles himself by watching a TV chat show called Trisha (think Oprah) and reading Vogue. Mind you, he's also the best football player in the school and has a crush on Lisa James, "the most beautiful girl in the school".

So he's straight.

One day Lisa persuades Dennis to wear drag and make-up into school, with devastating consequences, although it all works out in the end. It's a great and comic tale — Walliams is a natural wit and good with words.

Quentin Blake's distinctively scratchy illustrations inevitably remind readers of that other great wit, Roald Dahl. It's all very camp, too, of course. Most characters' names originate from the Carry On actors, so Mr Hawtrey is "the headmaster with the heart of darkness", Miss Bresslaw a teacher whose breath is "a sort of mixture of cigarettes, coffee and poo". Miss Windsor, the French teacher, likes to "exude a little French sophistication, throwing colourful silk scarves over her shoulder". It also turns out that Dennis, much to his irritation, is by no means the only crossdresser in the village..

Synopsis by Foyles.co.uk

The sparkling debut children's novel from David Walliams, co-creator and co-star of the multi-award-winning Little Britain. Dennis was different. Why was he different, you ask? Well, a small clue might be in the title of this book! Charming, surprising and hilarious -- The Boy in the Dress is everything you would expect from the co-creator of Little Britain. David Walliams's beautiful first novel will touch the hearts (and funny bones) of children and adults alike.

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