Daisy, with her perfectly round face, determined, beady eyes and severe Joan of Arc coif, is a veritable icon of juvenile intransigence

Full of humour, this is great for newly confident readers

This is a great book to encourage new readers and to bring on those who enjoyed the previous Daisy books

I would recommend this book

Highly recommended

This light and amusing story still manages to tackle serious issues around difference and conformity . . . the message is that you cannot change your family, but you can love them all the same. A book to be enjoyed by children either as an adventure or a thought provoker, with lovely illustrations by Oliver Jeffers

Very entertaining reading . . . This is a book very much on the side of the child, operating rather in the same way that, for example, the children’s novels of Roald Dahl operate. But Boyne’s humour is much gentler and subtler than Dahl’s, even occasionally taking young readers into areas (such as New York’s art world) where they might miss some of the slyly satirical subtext. Oliver Jeffers’s black-and-white illustrations, nicely complemented by their pithy, “handwritten” captions, capture both the wit and pathos of Boyne’s text

A fast paced and warm-hearted story for any age - with an important message

A new children's title from John Boyne is always an exciting prospect, and this funny and moving story about the pleasure and pain of being different from everyone else is bound to satisfy loyal fans and first-time readers alike. Boyne cites the novels of Roald Dahl as a particular influence on his writing here, and sure enough there are nasty parents, open-hearted children, and eccentric characters galore - but as with his previous two books for this age group, there's something unique about the way that Boyne deals with those 'terrible things' that lie right at the heart of the human experience. He seems somehow more forgiving of adult frailties than Dahl, despite presenting the awful consequences of their actions with an almost shocking simplicity, and his warmth and understanding are deeply poignant

A wonderfully uplifting story with an extremely likeable title character, full of humour, with some dark moments showing the best and worst of human nature

A poignant, timely novel

A lovely book . . . filled with a real sense of humanity

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