Barnaby grows up with his ordinary brother, average sister, and a dog of ‘indeterminate breed’. Mattresses are nailed to the ceiling. Eleanor and Alistair try to keep him out of sight. On a school excursion to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the public discovers Barnaby’s secret. His parents are appalled and agree that some-thing must be done. Strangely, the ‘terrible thing’ turns out to be not so terrible.

John Boyne’s novel The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2006) was a New York Times bestseller and a Miramax film. In The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket, Boyne again constructs a third-person view of the world through the eyes of a bright and curious little boy. Where Pyjamas held wide appeal for adult readers, Barnaby Brocket sits more firmly as a children’s read: part-adventure story, part-orphan story (a book lover with negligent parents, Barnaby cultivates a ‘treasured orphan collection’).

Children will delight in Barnaby’s adventures: a tale filled with wry, touching friendships and funny dialogue. Boyne’s clever classroom scenes are reminiscent of Robin Klein and Roald Dahl. Once Barnaby is alone in the world – floating above it, really – the course is set for scrapes, near misses, and fantastic encounters. Ethel and Marjorie in their hot air balloon are the best; they remind Barnaby that life is fun when you’re different.