Noah Barleywater Runs Away by John Boyne

In Noah Barleywater Runs Away, bestselling author John Boyne explores the world of childhood and the adventures that we can all have there. Noah is running away from his problems, or at least that's what he thinks, the day he takes the untrodden path through the forest. When he comes across a very unusual toyshop and meets the even more unusual toymaker he's not sure what to expect. But the toymaker has a story to tell, a story full of adventure, and wonder and broken promises. And Noah travels with him on a journey that will change his life for ever. A thought-provoking fable for our modern world from the author of the bestselling and critically acclaimed Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.

I received this book for free as a galley. It’s a children’s book and I don’t usually read stories meant for such a young audience, but I am so glad I made an exception for this one. It was beautiful.

The main point of the story is to make a child understand and cope with death, a difficult subject to say the least. The writing is spectacular, fresh enough to captivate young audiences, but ripe with meaning for adults to also enjoy.

The world and the cast of characters that he creates, among them a talking daschund and a donkey who is always hungry, is so special the reader feels a bit sad to have to leave it behind when the book ends. Noah, the main character, is a perceptive child, sensitive and he feels the change that’s about to come in his life with the death of his loved one. His whole adventure is handled with such tenderness and care that I think this is one book I’ll be rereading.

I highly recommend this book for children, teens, and adults.