(3) 4-6 Seven-year-old orphan Pierrot is sent to live with his aunt, who works as a housekeeper in Hitler's home in the Austrian Alps. As he grows up, Pierrot (renamed Pieter to sound a little more German and a little less French) develops a relationship with Hitler and grows into a cruel, immensely unlikable young man. Pierrot's evolution will encourage much discussion in this thought-provoking story.

Reviewer: Kristy Pasquariello

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers. Sensitive and simple ink-and-wash illustrations by Jeffers add some resonance to this luxe tenth-anniversary edition of Boyne's sentimental Holocaust fable. The bookmaking is handsome and substantial; Boyne contributes a new introduction to his otherwise unchanged text.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(2) 4-6 Four years ago, nine-year-old Alfie Summerfield's dad, Georgie, went off to fight in WWI. For a while, letters from Georgie came regularly. Then they stopped altogether. Now Alfie (accidentally) learns that Georgie is in a nearby hospital, suffering from shell-shock. The third-person limited narration keeps readers experiencing events solely from Alfie's intelligent but childlike point of view.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2014

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers. When Barnaby was born, he floated up to the hospital ceiling. To his ultra-normal parents' embarrassment, he never grew out of this condition, leading them to cut the tether keeping him earthbound. Barnaby's adventures floating around the world--and coming to terms with his own weirdness--make up Boyne's quirky be-yourself tale. Jeffers's delicate black-and-white illustrations enhance the story's humor and drama.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers. Noah, eight, "couldn't bear to stay [home] any longer." The bulk of the book consists of dialogue between Noah and "the old man," a puppet maker. Noah's troubles emerge in response to the man's parallel experiences; meanwhile, Pinocchio references accumulate. Like Collodi's classic, this story is weighed down by its message. Still, it's briskly told and provides a sympathetic take on a sober topic.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2011