This delightful, bittersweet 'fairytale' is a flight of fantasy with playful use of language . . . a joy from start to finish. Noah's heartbreaking emotional journey is lightened by a rich vein of absurd humour and eccentric characters

With goodly dollops of magic and wonderful surrealism, [the book] has a fable-like quality. If they like magical stories, and if they like to deal with serious issues in a metaphorical way, they will love this sweet, funny and kindly book. I certainly did

Noah Barleywater Runs Away is a carefully crafted whimsical gem, a story to share with others and to discuss at book clubs, a true publishing event. I would recommend this unusual, life-affirming tale to adult readers, and as a read-aloud for thoughtful children of age eight or nine-plus

The style and language is accessible to children but Boyne is still able to create a story of great subtlety, imagination and compassion. The ending, while extremely moving, is neither trite nor contrived . . . Boyne succeeds because he set out to write a great book which could be enjoyed by children, and naturally, as with all great books, by adults also

Noah Barleywater Runs Away is a lovely story wrapped in magic and fairytale, and has reminded me how much I love John Boyne's writing. Readers of all ages will find something charming about this story, and it'll make you think about your own actions and how time moves a lot quicker than we think. I highly recommend it to everyone, whether you're old, young or just an 8-year-old boy looking for an adventure

Destined to become somthing of a children's classic

Lovingly and movingly told

The message that 'life's too short' is carefully imparted by John Boyne. Eloquent and gentle, the author again shows he has a knack for storytelling

With illustations throughout from Oliver Jeffers, this is a beautiful and wonderfully written fairytale. Poignant, fantastical and charming: Noah Barleywater Runs Away is a must read

This is an unusual, poignant story with as many surprises as the shop itself

A fantasy grounded in its own logical world, like Alice in Wonderland

Watch out for the heart-warming twist at the end, guaranteed to take adults back to childhood. When Noah Barleywater ran away, I went with him

The way the two strands of narratives entwine is skillfully and sensitively done. Boyne has interesting things to say about identity, self knowledge and how we cope with life's travails and the book really does benefit from a second reading. Oliver Jeffers has produced beautiful cover artwork and his line drawings are suitably enigmatic helping to make this both an attractive and desirable package

The end of the story is particularly glorious as the reader finds out why Noah chose to run . . . Beautiful, haunting and a book that can be enjoyed by adults

A journey that will change [Noah's] life. And it could change yours too

Boyne has written a magical new story that will melt the hearts of children everywhere

Boyne's is no simple fairy tale. Enchantment is intertwined with realism, and while a suspension of disbelief will stand readers in good stead, so will the inevitable recognition that sadness is the flip side of joy, and death an inevitable part of life