Book Nook - Yolonde and the Magic Silver Slippers

 Quirky children’s author Michael Skyner returns with a courageous and moving new book, 'Yolonde and the Magic Silver Slippers', anenthralling adventure with real-life grit. Set between the dusty paths of rural Kenya and the echoing stages of Broadway, the story follows an unforgettable heroine who dares to yearn for a brighter future. Laced with Skyner’s trademark humour and compassion, the novel is a celebration of spirit, memory, and the belief that sometimes the biggest magic lies within.

Inspired by Skyner’s lifelong mission to make reading joyful and inclusive, 'Yolonde and the Magic Silver Slippers' offers young readers more than just fantasy. It tackles loss, violence, and poverty with gentle honesty, wrapped in a story that is as luminous as it is grounded. Yolonde’s journey — from stumbling through dance lessons in her Kenyan village to lighting up the stages of New York — reminds readers that strength isn’t always loud, and belief doesn’t always come easily. Told through the eyes of Yolonde’s granddaughter decades later, the book becomes a generational tale of hope, healing, and the power of storytelling.

 

Synopsis:
"Something catches my eye. Well, first it’s the smell, then the something, and the something is a lion. A big, huge beast of a beast with a giant mane and a head so big it’s hard to tell where its body is Then it moves. OK, the body is equally big."
Yolonde Wei, Wei is a young girl with a dream, and her dream is to be the best dancer in the world. But there is a problem: Yolonde cannot dance. Until, that is, she discovers some magic silver dancing slippers, and her life changes forever.
A fantasy story of magic and discovery, Yolonde also deals with the gritty themes of everyday life in a Kenyan village just outside Nairobi, including loss, terrorism, drunkenness, and survival in an unforgiving world.
Yolonde is a magical tale which will delight children the world over.

“I wrote ‘Yolonde and the Magic Silver Slippers’ for every child who’s ever been laughed at, overlooked, or told they couldn’t do something they wanted to do,” says Skyner.

Continuing, “As someone with dyslexia, I know how powerful it is to see yourself in a story, especially one where the hero gets to win. Yolonde’s story may have lions and moonlight and sparkling shoes, but at its heart, it’s about something far more real: self-belief. I want readers to belly laugh, have loads of fun, and most importantly… realise that magic doesn’t come from slippers. It comes from sticking with your vision when no one else does. That’s where the true power is and that’s the message I hope stays with every reader long after they put the book down.”

 

Bursting with imagination but grounded in emotional truth, 'Yolonde and the Magic Silver Slippers' is a unique addition to children’s fiction — one that will appeal to readers young and old alike.

‘Yolonde and the Magic Silver Slippers’ is available now on Amazon.

 

About the Author:
Michael Skyner has dyslexia amongst other things. He is a big kid in a bigger body. He got it from his father - he never grew up either. When not growing weeds in his allotment he writes poetry and fantasy stories for children, while trying to help others overcome their problems with dyslexia.

Author of the Daft Tales Series and the infamous Monkey’s Fart. Mike is on a mission to engage kids to the joys of reading and to have fun. Humour is the bedrock of his stories as the Space Nutz trilogy for young adult and new adult readers aptly demonstrates. Although he is not adverse at tackling more serious topics as shown by his dystopian novel Spirit Wolf. Even here, humour is used to alleviate the more gruesome aspects of the tale.

While humour is his bedrock, Mike does not shy away from tackling grittier issues which underpin many of his stories. Topics such as the Environment, violence in the home, exploitation and poverty are to be found lurking not too far away from the surface. Mike handles these issues with sensitivity, guiding the reader gently back to the tale with his unique blend of humour and sense of fun. As Mike says: “I love being quirky and different and if I can create a smile, a giggle or a belly laugh, then I have truly succeeded.”

When not staring at a blank screen in his dusty ivory tower, Mike’s brain is usually located on the planet Zog, seeking inspiration. When he does finally come back to Earth, he spends time with his family and pet bed bugs in the county of Nottinghamshire, England.