My Friend Percy's Magic Sneakers

Ulf, a cautious and clumsy teenager, gets a new friend — and life turns upside down. Percy, at first glance, is the complete opposite of Ulf: he loves to fight, tramples on other people’s caps, and at recess everyone keeps their distance from him. Ulf desperately wants to be like Percy; he dreams of getting Percy’s magical sneakers, which, according to Percy, give their owner power and courage. And he manages it! But, alas, it isn’t that simple. It turns out being a “bad guy” isn’t so easy — and Percy isn’t such an out-and-out hooligan.

Ulf Stark (1944–2017) is a classic of children’s literature, loved and known all over the world, a Swedish writer. His stories are wise and lyrical. Ulf Stark is especially sensitive to a child’s inner world: he understands the rules by which a child grows and becomes an adult. It’s as if he sees what’s happening from different points of view — that’s why everyone reads Stark’s books, both adults and children. Everyone finds and discovers thoughts and feelings close to them.