Wow! This book had a lot going on from divorce to suicide of an aunt, and tattoos to bright yellow dyed hair. I enjoyed the writing style and wisdom the author shared with such heavy and light topics.

For wanting to be a stand-up comic, our main character wasn't so funny. I did really enjoy the ending, it took awhile to come all together but it did nicely.

Izzy is very interested in comedy, perhaps because her own life is anything but humorous. Her parents are divorced, and she rarely sees her father, who lives a distance away and is busy with his new wife. Her mother is a bit stressed, and dating Izzy's dentist, Dr. Gustino! Her Uncle Henderson and young cousin Oliver are living with her after the death of her aunt by suicide. Her uncle, a musician, can barely get out of bed, and Oliver misses both of his parents and acts out frequently. When Dr. Gustino must travel to be with his mother, who has fallen, his son, Ben, ends up staying at Izzy's house as well. Ben can't be left alone because he is angry that his mother left the family to move to California, and has been spending a lot of time with his Uncle Steve. Steve is a "bad influence" who works in an auto body shop, may smoke marijuana, and has taken underage Ben to get three different tattoos! Fortunately, Oliver takes to Ben and Ben responds well to the attention, spending time with the younger boy. When Uncle Henderson goes missing and hasn't told anyone, Oliver is beside himself. Izzy's mother is worried but doesn't have time to go look for him, so Ben and Izzy decide to run away with Oliver and look for him themselves. They assemble some money and supplies, hitchhike, "borrow" a car from Uncle Steve, and run into a number of typical road trip problems. Will their guess about Henderson's location be correct, and even if they find him, will it improve Oliver's life?
Strengths: Frequent readers of my reviews know that I am NOT a fan of sad books, and this is certainly sad. However, there have been a lot of sad books lately that are hopeful, engaging, and fun to read. This is one of them. Izzy has her moments of anger, but doesn't keep them to herself. Ben's father doesn't quite understand him, but he has his uncle to help him, and he's not a bad kid. Oliver needs more support than he is getting, but at least he has Izzy and his aunt. The best part is the road trip, and the details of that are what really make this book shine.
Weaknesses:This is not a great cover. Dark and rather 1908s like. Might take some handselling. I wish the cover had reflected the road trip. I'm still not a huge fan of dysfunctional adults-- how is it even an option not to get out of bed and do the best you can? I just do not understand this and am always a little angered by this portrayal of grief, but this is a personal reaction and not one my readers will have.
What I really think: Not sure how interested my students are in comedy, but they do like road trips, so I will probably buy this.

This book took a little bit to get into but as soon as I did, I was hooked. Seeing how these three sort of misfit kids wind up finding each other and going on an adventure was so interesting to read about. These stories were real and touched my heart, but it wasn't too heavy which is important in a book for this age group. Overall I really enjoyed the story, the characters, and their growth throughout this novel.

This book is about three characters who find their way together due to life's struggles. I know a lot of kids at the target audience range will find comfort with this book.

An interesting story of three kids who are all dealing with loss in varying degrees and in various ways. It shows how perceptions can change if we let ourselves get to know others. Good for middle grades.

I absolutely loved this book. I will be purchasing it for my classroom. It is a great story centered around a young girl and her family, friends, and extended family. It teaches so many life lessons, especially empathy! You will want to pick this one up for your classroom library!

Outstanding book! This pulls at every heart string and discusses a lot of real life issues in a way that doesn't overwhelm the story. I highly recommend this one to anyone who loves a good story, regardless of their favorite genre. I will cross post a full review on Goodreads and Amazon closer to the release date of the book.

This is a character-driven middle grade novel that delves into the complicated emotions of a seventh grade girl struggling to come to terms with the serious changes in her life. After her aunt commits suicide, Uncle Henderson and his son (grade 5) come to live with Izzy and her mother. Izzy is also dealing with the divorce of her parents, her father's new wife and baby on the way.... and to kick it all off, her mother is now dating a dentist whose son has a reputation for being aggressive and rude. Izzy is confused about how her relationships are changing at school, and why she isn't clicking with her friends anymore. This is a lot to deal with. Some may feel there are too many issues packed into this novel, but I disagree. Kids today seem to be dealing with far more complicated issues than I ever had to as a middle grader. Kids need to connect their own feelings to imperfect characters and witness the way they cope with problems, make mistakes, and become more resilient. This is why Izzy's story is so important. Her emotions are raw, especially when it comes to her aunt's suicide. This is handled with such care, I would consider this book as a read aloud for grades 4+ because of the opportunities for class discussion/response. I loved the way Izzy "coached" her cousin to share his grief even though this is something she hasn't been able to do yet. It's surprising what Izzy learns about herself through the new friendships that take shape, leading to a middle-of-the-night runaway situation that involves a "borrowed" car. Ultimately, this book is about empathy and understanding other points of view. I will definitely be purchasing a copy for our K-8 library.

Sweet novel about loss and starting over. Great coming of age story.

This book was a whole lot to take in at once. Izzy, Oliver, and Ben are three great characters that definitely learn from each other as they undertake a massive journey, both physically and mentally. They are easy to relate to and learn from. They all learned life lessons and grew from each other’s strength, weaknesses, and knowledge.
The major drawback from this novel was the sheer number of storylines/issues discussed. From suicide to divorce, depression to feeling left out, guilt and babies, the list goes on and on. Wittlinger needed to focus on just a few of these issues to make an even more impactful novel. Izzy’s stand up routine seemed added in and seemed to take back from the story each time is was mentioned as it was more of an aside than a drive forward. The same for Oliver’s bullies and Ben’s father and uncle fighting. Although most storylines played well together, these were a few that took away rather than added to.
On the whole, I believe that most kids would enjoy this story and could learn a lot from Izzy, Oliver and Ben about grief and understanding. I really did enjoy this story and wish that I could see more of each of their lives. To me, it was the writing and focus that needed to be cleaned up a bit to make this a great and lasting novel.

Twelve-year-old Izzy has hit a rough patch in her life. Her parents recently divorced, and her father seems to only have time for his new wife. Izzy's mom has a habit of trying to fix everyone else's problems, and when her sister-in-law commits suicide, Izzy's mom decides her brother, Henderson, and his son, Oliver, need to come live with them. Izzy is tasked with helping out with her cousin, and having to put everyone else first has her feeling ignored and forgotten.

When another tragedy strikes, another person ends up staying with them. Ben, the sixteen-year-old son of Izzy's mom's new boyfriend, has to stay with them while his dad handles an emergency out of town. While Ben is a great companion for Oliver, he is yet another presence around to annoy Izzy. Even her two best friends seem to be growing up and away from her, leaving her all alone.

When Oliver's dad disappears and leaves him alone with Izzy and her mom, the kids know they must do something since no one else is. They set off on a trip to find him and bring him back, and end up finding friendship along the way.

At the end of the book, I was glad I had read it, and it was definitely moving at times and had a great message. The main problem with it, however, is that Izzy was a pretty horrible protagonist for 2/3 of the book. It's difficult to read a book when you actively dislike the main character. By the end everything was better, but the lack of a connection made the book seem less moving. Overall, it was a good read, even if it had some significant flaws.

Interesting themes of loss, grief, mental wellbeing, and changing family circumstances make this a book I can comfortably recommend both for its usefulness as a potential class reading book, as well as being a book that could deepen understanding for any young reader coping with grief themselves. ‘Someone Else’s Shoes’ covers a whole range of areas that would be useful for young readers to explore through fiction rather than being ‘taught’ about them in a more traditional sense. This is always a plus for any YA book to have. A focus on grief and comedy is also a nice, and unexpected, juxtaposition for this kind of a book. And, while the narrative wasn’t as enthralling as it could have been, this is still a quick, interesting and useful read. Worth getting hold of if the themes appeal to you or a young reader you know.

Loss affects people differently whether through death, abandonment, or divorce. The characters in Someone Else’s Shoes find that they can overcome the feelings of anger, profound sorrow, and denial by learning to understand and support each other.
Izzy and Ben try to help Oliver, Izzy’s cousin, find his father who disappeared. They take a journey that ends with their rescuing Oliver’s father and themselves. This story’s characters and plot are realistic. It is well worth reading, and I highly recommend it.

This story is about a girl named Izzy who is struggling with her parents' divorce and all the changes that are coming from that and then her aunt commits suicide and her uncle and cousin come to live with them too. It's got strong themes about family and loyalty and connections to people that go beyond family, as well as depression and taking responsibility. It would be an excellent addition to any elementary or middle school library.

Someone Else’s Shoes was about broken homes and divorces, suicide and loss of loved ones, bullying and abandonment. It was also about love and forgiveness, birth and renewal, friendships and the meaning of family. It was an amazing story.
Several times throughout the story, Maggie urged her daughter to “rise to the occasion.” Yet, Lizzie was not the only one that took that meaning to heart. When Ben offered to buy Lizzie sneakers at a Goodwill store because her expensive flats were hurting her feet - this act of essentially wearing someone else’s shoes - moved this story to a deeper and more profound level. This was a great connection to the title.
The author’s well developed characters, with complex personalities, added depth to this story, kept the story flowing and engaged the reader. I especially liked the connection the children formed and their decision making skills. They became positive role models to each other. This was a great read and highly recommended.

This middle school book tackles some serious subjects- suicide, depression, divorce, and feeling invisible to the ones you love- but it does it well.
12 year old Izzy has a full household. Her younger cousin (Oliver), her uncle Hendersen, and now her moms boyfriend’s son (Ben) is staying with them. When Oliver’s depressed father goes missing- Izzy, Oliver, and Ben take a road trip to find him-and end up learning somethings about themselves and the people they love.

I was discussing this book with a friend, today. I said that I thought the book was good, but found it odd that the three main characters had gotten together because they were broken. There had been a two divorces with two of the kids's families and a suicide in the other.

He laughed. "Sounds like middle-school," he said. "That is what happens," he explained. "The outcast kids find each other. They bound that way."

And then, the book which had been a mystery to me, made sense. Of course, like the saying goes, misery loves company. Of course the outcasts would join together.

And once I understood, it wasn't that the author was trying to bunch all these kids together, rather it was that the kids were bunching themselves together. The kids knew the pain the others were suffering.

The book started off rather slow, but picked up speed from there. It is probably a 3.5 star, because of the second part of the book.

I really loved Izzy. The name of the book both refers to walking in someone else's shoes figuratively, but also the theme of shoes runs through this because of a poor choice Izzy made in footwear in the beginning of the story.

Likable, human children. Sad situation. And human adults. Well done.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

An excellently drawn and wonderfully told tale for students and readers alike.

'Someone else's shoes' explores grief, loss and hope. It explores the ripple effect that suicide creates and the bravery needed to overcome loss. Izzy is already dealing with her parents divorce, disconnection with friends and feeling invisible when her uncle and cousin come to live with her after her aunt's suicide. Now she has a little cousin to look out for and a depressed uncle to tiptoe around. Explored from a teenager's point of view, the reader will watch as Izzy's priorities are reshuffled and her mindset changes.