pickA wonderfully told story about a 8 year-old boy who is running away from home, seeking great adventures. Truth is, he‘s running away from a situation he fears to face at home. He‘s soon swept away in a fantastical adventure, and learnt some important lessons in life. Nicely plotted, a clever retelling of a popular children‘s classic.
#middlegrade
8 year old Noah runs away and forges a path through the woods. He finds a toy shop with an unusual toy maker, who will change Noah's life
Anyway, it was probably best that he went out to make his own way in the world. After all, he was already eight years old and the truth was, he hadn't really done anything with his life so far.
pickExcellent all ages #audio, narrated by the late Andrew Sachs. Warm and whimsical, a fable about coping with adversity. It's a clever riff on Carlo Collodi's classic; I recommend adding Pinocchio to your family playlist also. Maybe listen to Pinocchio first, so kids won't miss the literary allusions. Some aspects of Boyne's writing will be better appreciated by an older audience, but layered books like this make great intergenerational listening.
"... to London, stopping for a couple of days at a literary festival, where I ran in and out of the authors' readings at such a speed that the wind I generated turned the pages of their books for them, leaving both their hands free for drinking and fingerpointing."
[I like it when children's books have sly content that is more likely to be appreciated by adults.]
Noah Barleywater Runs Away | 
