Noah Barleywater Runs Away
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Noah is running away from his problems the day he takes the untrodden path through the forest - or at least that's what he thinks. 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, wonder and broken promises. And Noah travels with him on a journey that will change his life for ever.
A thought-provoking fable from the author of the bestselling Boy in the Striped Pyjamas.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
At age eight, Noah Barleywater runs away from home. He is "the seventh cleverest boy" in his class and has "read 14 books from cover to cover" but does not consider these achievements sufficient, and seeks adventure. On his journey, which has strong shades of Alice in Wonderland and The Phantom Tollbooth, he travels through quirky villages in one, when he picks apples, it is considered a serious crime, and the tree and apples are rushed to the hospital before meeting a dachshund and a donkey, who point him to a magical toyshop. There he meets an old man, his friends, and many intricate puppets, which represent figures from the man's past. As the old man shares his stories, which touch on themes of courage, selflessness, and keeping promises, Noah opens up about his own family's struggles. Though the magical elements in this carpe diem tale are loosely bound by a meandering thread, Boyne (The Boy in the Striped Pajamas) touchingly conveys Noah's emotional development from a boy in denial of painful realities to a young man who accepts that which can't be changed. Ages 8 12.
