The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket

The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket
by John Boyne
illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
Knopf Books for Young Readers, January 8, 2013
review copy (ARC) provided by Cover to Cover Children's Books

This book is about a young boy named Barnaby, but the main thing is that he floats. Which is the same thing as deifying the law of gravity, who ever heard?! His parents, Alistair and Eleanor Brocket, are very normal people. When they learned (or saw) that he could float, they knew right away that was not normal! They set up a plan, a very mean plan, which was meant to make Barnaby float away. Oh, the tragedy! His mother, Eleanor, was a bit happy to have a normal life again once he was gone. Barnaby on the other hand had a wonderful trip! He floated around the world; from Canada to Africa. Barnaby had a pretty nice time- but he wanted to get home! Read this book to find out what happened and if Barnaby ever got back!

I am really glad I read this book; it was the kind that made you want to cry and laugh at the same time. I’m a big fan of those books! This book was simply amazing, I felt like it would fly away if I didn’t finish reading it! Barnaby was the main character, and my favorite. He was always brave; even though he was floating across the world!! I wouldn’t have survived a second out in the sky! In the end, I wanted to know more about what Barnaby was going to do. I might read this book again sometime. --SA

More on Barnaby Brocket from another reader:

About the book:

Barnaby is an eight year old boy, who can float! His parents aren’t so supportive of his difference, because they don’t want to look unusual. Just normal, normal. One day Barnaby’s mother lets him loose out in the open sky. She doesn’t even try to catch him, or make him come back to the ground. His dog tries to catch him…but he floats, and floats. In this book Barnaby takes and exciting adventure, meeting new people who were different as well. Read this fascinating book, to find out how difference is okay.

Rating:

This book made it impossible to put down. I would rate it a 5/5 stars, because it inspires you to stand out. This book teaches you that your differences make you who YOU are. That being too normal is just unusual. Anybody looking for a fun read, check this one out! --Sh