Gingerbouf Does Books

The Terrible Thing that Happened to Barnaby Brocket by John Boyne
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a great book recommend to those who love Roald Dahl. It has the unique child with the amazing gift but is stuck with despicable parents (and I mean it. I was appalled at how awful the mother and father were in this book. They should not have been allowed to have children and wanting to be THAT normal, is itself not normal at all!!!!) a la Matilda, with the kind of fantastical adventure (visits to a whole host of foreign countries, not to mention Outer space, or I should say Middle space) as seen in James and the Giant Peach (though with slightly less insects). Charming, fun but carrying the important message to those impressionable kids, that it's ok to be different, this is a great little read for youngsters.

It took me a while to get into as it's been a long time since I've read a book aimed at younger kids, but after I realigned my inner child, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Barnaby is a wonderful character and someone young people can really relate to (well, except for the floating).

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