Something Terrible: Tim Tie-Your-Shoelaces

Host Mia and young reader Wilbur discuss Something Terrible: Tim Tie-Your-Shoelaces with author Sally Barton.

Something Terrible: Tim Tie-Your-Shoelaces is Shortlisted for the 2026 CBCA Book of the Year Awards for Younger Readers.

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Tim Mulligan lives at 25 Rufus Street. You might be surprised to know that is his name, because most people think his name is Tim Tie-your-shoelaces. But no matter how many people tell him, or how often, Tim never ties his shoelaces.

One morning, just as Tim was leaving for school, his mum called, ‘Tim! Tie your shoelaces. Something terrible could happen!’

This is the story of the something terrible that did.

Sally Barton weaves a tale of mayhem, mess and beasties, in this flip-flappin’ street-slappin’ first installment of the terrible things that happen in Rufus Street.

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:14

Welcome to our very own Shadow Judging podcast, where we will celebrate young voices who are responding to one of the 2026 shortlisted books in the Young Reader category. Today we are chatting to Sally Barton, the author of Tie Your Shoelaces. This is the first book in the Something Terrible series. It mixes humour and adventure. What terrible things might happen when you don't tie your shoelaces? Our reader today is Wilbur, school in the Northern Territory. Welcome, Wilbur and Sally. Hi, thanks, Mia. Hi, Wilbur. Wilbur, would you like to give us your thoughts on Sally's book?

Speaker 0:48

Uh yeah. One of the things that I like the most about the book is the repetition of patterns. They were nice short catch patterns that kept the story fresh. I would have enjoyed more patterns because they kept me engaged with the book.

Speaker 2 1:04

I love that you liked the repetition and that that engaged you because that was why makes me write books is for children to like reading them.

Speaker 1 1:13

Yeah. Sally, the language was very descriptive. I could really imagine how disgusting it was. What were you thinking as you were writing?

Speaker 2 1:20

I I think when I write books, I see them in pictures. So I imagined what it would be like if you slid down into a disgusting sewer. So yeah, I think it's just a matter of imagining what it would be like and getting a little bit crazy with what it would really be like compared to what's in my imagination.

Speaker 1 1:41

Yeah, absolutely. Wilbur, have you got any other questions? How did you come up with those tattoo patterns?

Speaker 1:48

Yeah, what do you mean by that? Um, well, in the book the patterns were like his laces went clip-clapping, clip-clapping. Oh, that sort of thing? Yeah.

Speaker 2 1:58

I don't know really. I think it it just I think lines just come into my head. I imagine what shoelaces do um if they're untied, I guess that's what it is. So if you think if your shoelaces are untied, if you watched them as you walk along, I guess they would flip and flap and click and clack. So I guess it's trying to make the shoelaces have a bit of a life of their own. They're not just boring shoelaces, they are clicking and clacking, that sort of thing. Does that make sense?

Speaker 1 2:32

Yeah, it does. Thank you. Sally, if Tim was real, what do you think he would be like in a school thing?

Speaker 2 2:40

I don't know. It's interesting. So when you write a book, you sort of know what your characters are like, and then when the illustrator puts them on the page, you actually see really. So I think Tim would be quite mischievous. I think not a not a naughty boy, but but a bit of a troublemaker. And in the other books, Tim is in there as well, and he is a little bit of a troublemaker. So but he but he's a good boy, but he's just he just doesn't really listen very much. He prefers to cause a little bit of trouble.

Speaker 1 3:16

Thank you. Wilbur, what impression did you get of Tim from Tim Tie-Your- Shoelaces?

Speaker 3:22

Well, it's hard for me to say something about Timothy, because they don't really go into too much detail about him. I guess some details about where he lives, and their parents tell him every day to tie his shoelaces.

Speaker 2 3:34

So the only thing you would find about Tim that tells you maybe a little bit about who he is is when Mr. Wilbeck says to him, do not poke the flatulence bubbles. And Tim just can't help himself, he has to poke them. And so that's a little bit that tells you. But yeah, you're right. There's not that much you have to just um think what would he be like. So for each reader, I guess Tim is what you think Tim would be like.

Speaker 1 4:05

Ah, those those bubbles. I I can really imagine that just putrid smell coming out of them. What advice would you give to children who want to write their own stories?

Speaker 2 4:17

Oh, that's a really interesting question, and it's one of my uh favourite questions of all. Um, because not only am I a writer, I'm also a tutor for children that have learning differences. So children that struggle with language to some degree, whether it be spelling or reading, it doesn't stop them from writing because writing is your imagination. So even if you can't spell the best, don't ever stop writing. You write and then we fix spelling in what's called edits. So my best uh advice for children that want to write is if you've got a story in your head, you write it down. In in whatever form you write it, you write it down. And because it's your imagination and your creativity that's more important than your ability to spell.

Speaker 1 5:09

Absolutely, Sally. Wilbur, do you have any other questions for Sally? Why don't you add much detail about Timothy?

Speaker 2 5:17

Because the books are quite small and because they are designed to attract readers that early readers, so children that are quite young but are very good at reading, so they want a book with a lot of words in but not too much detail. And they're also designed for children that have a little bit of difficulty with reading. So they want a small book, but they want something that's adventurous. And sometimes when we add detail about a character, it can spoil the book for somebody. So when you read a book, you tend to imagine in your own head, each person, what the character is like. So you may have a friend that you think, oh, my friend would do something crazy like poke flatulence bubbles or not tie his shoelaces. So that would be how you would imagine. So we shouldn't put too much detail in about a character because sometimes it can spoil the actual adventure of the story. It makes it drag out a little bit. So if it was a bigger book about him, not excuse me, not just Tim's adventure, then we would I would probably put more detail about him. But I think it's a fun idea. Maybe if if people are interested in the book, then you could maybe decide for yourself what Tim and you could write maybe a little biography of what you thought Tim um was like. What does he like animals? Does he, you know, what sport does he play? That sort of thing.

Speaker 1 6:55

Yeah, I think that would be a really fun and entertaining classroom activity for the slightly younger children. Sally, I noticed that you had quite some detailed illustrations in your story. Did you have any input into these? No, I didn't.

Speaker 2 7:11

Um there was I was matched up to, in my opinion, uh the best illustrator I possibly could get. There's wonderful illustrators out there, but um Christopher Nielsen obviously read my mind and he produced um illustrations which are just outstanding. I mean, they they are the other half of the book. They tell the story just as much as the words do. So they were all from his imagination and they just fit perfectly.

Speaker 1 7:45

Yes, definitely. Wilbur, have you got any questions about the illustrations? Um, I didn't think so.

Speaker 2 7:51

Did you like them, Wilbur? Did they help the book? Did they help with the the story? Yeah, helped me understand quite a lot. Yeah, that's the best part, isn't it, when you can read the story and then see in the pictures exactly what what's you're reading.

Speaker 8:07

Yeah.

Speaker 1 8:07

Sally, do you have any other book ideas for your series?

Speaker 2 8:11

So I have three other books out um in the series so far. So there's uh Wanda, wear your glasses because she doesn't. Um there's uh Becky Brush Your Hair because she won't. And there's Sam, stop your frowning, because he's not an unhappy child, but he's a bit of a grumpy child, so he tends to frown a lot. And a couple of other book ideas that are sitting there is Daisy Don't Tell Lies. And you can imagine what happens when someone tells lies from the old stories of Pinocchio. And then there's Ed would eat your vegetables, because as a child, I was told if you don't eat your vegetables, you'll get smaller and smaller and smaller. And then there's a really gross one, which I'm not sure whether I should write or not, is about picking your nose. So I'm not sure whether that's too gross. What do you think? Too gross, Wilbur? Or good? Uh I don't know. So it depends whether children would want to read a book about what happens if you told don't pick your nose, but you do pick your nose and possibly your brains fall out. What do you think, Wilbur? Oh yeah, I reckon you could do that. You could do that one. That's that sounds good to me then, if you think I could do that.

Speaker 1 9:24

Absolutely. For one last question, Sally, do you as an author think humour is important for younger readers?

Speaker 2 9:31

Humour plays a very big part in my writing. I did try to write differently. It's a matter of finding what your voice is as a writer. And because I was raised on humour, um, I think my voice, my writing goes down better if I write in humour. And I think children like to see the humorous part of the world. I think, you know, the idea like I don't know child, uh say now, do not go in sewers, okay? But I think it's fun to to imagine what it could possibly be, the worst it could possibly be, and make it funny. So yeah, I I find I think humour's important for children some of the time.

Speaker 1 10:20

Thank you, Sally.

Speaker 10:21

Any final questions or thoughts, Wilbur? Um, they jumped quite quickly into the first problem and I missed a little bit of introduction to its world and characters. Okay, yeah.

Speaker 2 10:33

So again, um if if the book had been written as a bigger story about Tim, then there would have been more about the actual character. I guess the stories are all set up the same way about what if uh you don't listen to things your parents say. Um, but it's interesting you should say that because what it tells me about you, Wilbur, is that you're ready to read books that have more, that are a little bit more involved. So you you're a reader that's probably ready for books that are a little bit higher than that one. So that's a good thing for you. But that's a really good point for me as well, because as I go on to write bigger books, then I can focus on that aspect and add that into my my other stories.

Speaker 1 11:27

Thank you, Wilbur, and thank you, Sally, for such an interesting and funny story. I found it quite extraordinary and an overall excellent reading. Lovely, thank you very much.

Speaker 2 11:40

That's that's the things authors live for is the the children love reading their books. It gives you something. Yeah. Thank you for that. Thank you, Sally.