After centering my Review Reflection on this book, I had to read it for myself. The title page notes the book as a "fairytale" written by John Boyne which instantly gives it an impression that it should be from long ago and not be taken at its word as a tale of truth. As many of the reviews noted, this story is whimsical, but also melancholy and has a lesson to impart.
Noah runs away from home but we don't know why and where from. Right away he ends up in towns where there are fantastical elements but he does not act as if they are so strange or bizarre as one would in, say, the Harry Potter world. This lends itself to the fairytale impression you get from the book. Eventually, Noah comes to an old toy shop where he meets the old toy maker and they share the tales of their lives to each other. You begin to get an impression that Noah is in a dream and this dream has been hand crafted to help him get through the denial and grief of his mother's illness. In this way, I read the whole book as if Noah created this world for himself and I could only imagine the wonderful tales that his mother must have read him at bed time that would have shaped and informed his idea of this toymaker world.
Since the reviews I read gave away more of the end, I will leave my review of the book there but I will agree with the assessment that its really a book for adults not because of subject matter but because of the style of the telling. I think if there are students with specific tastes you could pass this one off but it would be fewer than with older audiences. I know a parent who has read it aloud to a second grade class and her six year old son and she said both really enjoy it, so could make a great read aloud for younger readers.
Interest level: Grades 3-6 Intended reading level: Grade 6
Genre: Fantasy (fairy tale)
Comparable titles: Where the Wild Things Are (the movie version, if that counts), Alice in Wonderland, Pinnochio
Book connections: wooden toys, carving, Pinnochio
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