New Releases by John Boyne

A Dickensian ghost story from the bestselling author of The Heart’s Invisible Furies and A Ladder to the Sky “A wonderfully creepy novel…magnificently eerie.” —The Observer This House Is Haunted is a striking homage to the classic nineteenth-century ghost story. Set in Norfolk in 1867, Eliza Caine responds to an ad for a governess position at Gaudlin Hall. When she arrives at the hall, shaken by an unsettling disturbance that occurred during her travels, she is greeted by the two children now in her care, Isabella and Eustace. There is no adult present to represent her mysterious employer, and the children offer no explanation. Later that night in her room, another terrifying experience further reinforces the sense that something is very wrong. From the moment Eliza rises the following morning, her every step seems dogged by a malign presence that lives within Gaudlin’s walls. Eliza realizes that if she and the children are to survive its violent attentions, she must first uncover the hall’s long-buried secrets and confront the demons of its past. Clever, captivating, and witty, This House Is Haunted is pure entertainment with a catch.

From the author of The Heart’s Invisible Furies and The Absolutist, a propulsive novel of the Russian Revolution and the fate of the Romanov family. Part love story, part historical epic, part tragedy, The House of Special Purpose illuminates an empire at the end of its reign. Eighty-year-old Georgy Jachmenev is haunted by his past—a past of death, suffering, and scandal that will stay with him until the end of his days. Living in England with his beloved wife, Zoya, Georgy prepares to make one final journey back to the Russia he once knew and loved, the Russia that both destroyed and defined him. As Georgy remembers days gone by, we are transported to St. Petersburg, to the Winter Palace of the czar, in the early twentieth century—a time of change, threat, and bloody revolution. As Georgy overturns the most painful stone of all, we uncover the story of the house of special purpose.

A tale of acceptance from the bestselling author of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Barnaby Brocket is an ordinary eight-year-old boy in most ways, but he was born different in one important way: he floats. Unlike everyone else, Barnaby does not obey the law of gravity. His parents, who have a fear of being noticed, want desperately for Barnaby to be normal, but he can''t help who he is. And when the unthinkable happens, Barnaby finds himself on a journey that takes him all over the world. Drifting from Brazil to New York, from Canada to Ireland, and even to space, the floating boy meets all sorts of different people--and discovers who he really is along the way. This whimsical novel will delight middle-graders, while readers of all ages will find themselves questioning what it means to be "normal."

Inglaterra, setembro de 1919. Tristan Sadler, vinte e um anos, toma o trem de Londres a Norwich para entregar algumas cartas à irmã mais velha de William Bancroft, soldado com quem combateu na Grande Guerra. As cartas, porém, não são o verdadeiro motivo da viagem de Tristan. Ele já não suporta o peso de um segredo que carrega no fundo de sua alma, e está desesperado para se livrar desse fardo, revelando tudo a Marian Bancroft. Resta saber se o antigo combatente terá coragem para tanto. Enquanto reconta os detalhes sombrios de uma guerra que para ele perdeu o sentido, Tristan fala também de sua amizade com Will, desde o campo de treinamento em Aldershot, onde se encontraram pela primeira vez, até o período que passaram juntos nas trincheiras do norte da França. O leitor testemunha o relato de uma relação intensa e complicada, que proporcionou alegrias e descobertas, mas também foi motivo de muita dor e desespero. O pacifista é uma história de amor e de guerra que se insere na tradição do romance Reparação, de Ian McEwan. Nada é o que parece nesta trama envolvente e vigorosa, que revela as consequências de uma vida tragicamente marcada pelo silêncio. Com uma abordagem original e relevante para o nosso tempo, o autor do best-seller internacional O menino do pijama listrado revisita neste romance o universo da guerra, tendo dessa vez como pano de fundo a Primeira Guerra Mundial. Sensível e engenhoso, John Boyne esmiúça um dos capítulos mais traumáticos da história da humanidade pela perspectiva de dois jovens soldados que lutam, acima de tudo, contra a complexidade de suas emoções.

El libro que conmovió a millones de lectores. Estimado lector, estimada lectora: Aunque el uso habitual de un texto como éste es describir las características de la obra, por una vez nos tomaremos la libertad de hacer una excepción a la norma establecida. No sólo porque el libro que tienes en tus manos es muy difícil de definir, sino porque estamos convencidos de que explicar su contenido estropearía la experiencia de la lectura. Creemos que es importante empezar esta novela sin saber de qué trata. No obstante, si decides embarcarte en la aventura, debes saber que acompañarás a Bruno, un niño de nueve años, cuando se muda con su familia a una casa junto a una cerca. Cercas como ésa existen en muchos sitios del mundo, sólo deseamos que no te encuentres nunca con una. Por último, cabe aclarar que este libro no es sólo para adultos; también lo pueden leer, y sería recomendable que lo hicieran, niños a partir de los trece años de edad. El editor La crítica ha dicho... «Una historia que tiene mucho de fábula... una pequeña maravilla de libro». The Guardian «Un libro que persiste en la memoria del lector. Sutil, de una exquisita sencillez y absolutamente conmovedor». The Irish Times «Un libro tan sencillo, tan aparentemente accesible, que es casi perfecto». The Irish Independent «Profundamente conmovedor». The Wall Street Journal «Un libro que no se olvida». The Australian «Extraordinario». The Irish Examiner

I Brocket sono persone normali. I Brocket amano essere persone normali. Fanno di tutto per non farsi notare e storcono il naso di fronte a stranezze o spettacoli insoliti. E così, quando il loro Barnaby viene al mondo, per i Brocket è una vera tragedia, perché il piccolo mostra subito di avere la testa tra le nuvole. Letteralmente: Barnaby non è soggetto alle leggi di gravità, e anziché rimanere tra le braccia di mamma e papà fluttua verso il soffitto. Un terribile giorno, esasperati da questo figlio decisamente fuori dal comune, decidono che il piccolo deve andare per la sua strada. Tradito, spaventato e solo, Barnaby fluttua via dalla sua famiglia e inizia così un magico viaggio intorno al mondo in cui incontrerà personaggi strampalati che lo ameranno così com''è e vivrà insolite avventure che gli faranno scoprire la gioia di essere diverso.

Russland, år 1915: Da den seksten år gamle gutten Georgy Jachmenev kaster seg foran en snikmorders kule som var ment å ramme et sentralt medlem av tsarfamilien, blir han erklært en helt. Hans liv forandres for alltid når Georgy som belønning for sin gjerning, blir utnevnt til livvakt for Alexej Romanov, tsarens eneste sønn. Georgy og Alexei danner et nært vennskap, og Georgy blir innviet i Russlands mange hemmeligheter og bevitner en rekke hendelser som er medvirkende til tsarens undergang og tsarfamiliens endelikt. Når Georgy 65 år senere besøker sin kone på sykehuset, kommer minnene tilbake om hvilke konsekvenser disse hendelsene fikk for deres liv sammen. Minnene til Georgy fungerer som et nydelig puslespill der historien om Romanovfamiliens siste skjebnesvangre dager langsomt spilles ut for leserens indre øye. Forfatter John Boyne, som tidligere har skrevet bestselgeren Gutten i den stripete pyjamasen, er tilbake med en spennende og vakker beretning om Russland og landets aller siste tsar. Den er en episk roman om kjærlighet, lojalitet og svik, samt et av de dystreste kapitlene i Russlands historie.

September 1919: Twenty-year-old Tristan Sadler takes a train from London to Norwich to deliver a clutch of letters to Marian Bancroft. Tristan fought alongside Marian''s brother Will during the Great War. They trained together. They fought together. But in 1917, Will laid down his guns on the battlefield and declared himself a conscientious objector, an act which has brought shame and dishonour on the Bancroft family. The letters, however, are not the real reason for Tristan''s visit. He holds a secret deep within him. One that he is desperate to unburden himself of to Marian, if he can only find the courage. Whatever happens, this meeting will change his life – forever.

Noah è scappato. Via da casa, dai suoi genitori, da una domanda a cui non sa rispondere. Via verso il bosco per allontanare i cattivi pensieri, battere sentieri inesplorati e vivere un''avventura indimenticabile. Nel suo vagabondare, inciampa in luoghi misteriosi e strani figuri. E finisce in un negozio di giocattoli diverso da tutti quelli che ha conosciuto in vita sua, dove gli scaffali risuonano di magia e i giochi hanno un''anima. Lì, tra marionette che sembrano vive e scatole chiuse da anni, Noah incontra un anziano signore che sembra aspettare solo lui. Il giocattolaio ha una storia da raccontargli, una storia di grandi avventure, sorprese belle e brutte, promesse non mantenute. Noah non lo sa ancora, ma quella storia gli cambierà la vita.

At the start of his school holidays, Danny Delaney is looking forward to a trouble-free summer. But when his mother returns home one afternoon, flanked by two policemen, he knows that something terrible has happened. Mrs Delaney has accidentally hit a small boy with her car. The boy is in a coma at the local hospital and nobody knows if he will ever wake up. Consumed by guilt, Danny''s mother closes herself off, while Danny and his father are left to pick up the pieces of their fractured family. Told in John Boyne''s unique style from the point of view of a twelve-year-old boy, The Dare is a brilliantly compelling story about how one moment can change a family forever.

De jongen in de gestreepte pyjama begint in Berlijn in 1943. Als de negenjarige Bruno op een dag uit school komt, zijn al zijn spullen in kratten gepakt. Hun nieuwe huis staat naast een hek dat zich uitstrekt zover het oog reikt, een hek dat Bruno afschermt van de vreemde mensen die hij daarachter ziet bewegen. Op een van zijn ontdekkingstochten ontmoet Bruno een jongen wiens leven en omstandigheden zeer verschillen van die van hem. Toch sluiten de jongens vriendschap, maar het is een vriendschap die niet zonder gevolgen blijft...

Corre el año 1758 cuando el joven Matthieu Zéla abandona París acompañado por su hermano menor, Tomas, y por Dominique Sauvet, la única mujer a quien amará de verdad. Además de haber sido testigo de un brutal asesinato, aunque aún no lo sabe, Matthieu lleva consigo otro terrible secreto, una característica insólita y perturbadora: su cuerpo dejará de envejecer. Así, su prolongada existencia nos llevará desde la Revolución francesa hasta el Hollywood de los años veinte, de la Gran Exposición Universal de 1851 a la crisis del 29, y cuando el siglo XX llegue a su fin, la mente de Matthieu albergará un cúmulo de experiencias que harán de él un hombre sabio, aunque no necesariamente más feliz. En la novela que afianzó su prestigio como un gran fabulador, capaz de transformar los temas más variados en historias que fascinan al lector, John Boyne autor de La casa del propósito especial, Motín en la Bounty y El niño con el pijama de rayas retoma el clásico mito de la vida eterna en un apasionante relato de amores y crímenes donde las andanzas del protagonista y la Historia con mayúscula se funden de forma brillante.

William Cody is told stories about the legendary Buffalo Bill - his father''s grandfather. William leaves for Japan in his 20s, but is summoned back to England by his father, who has a grand plan to re-introduce the legendary stage shows of Buffalo Bill.

An action-packed fictional telling of the events on the HMS Bounty. Fourteen-year-old John Jacob Turnstile has gotten into trouble with the police on one too many occasions and is on his way to prison when an offer is put to him - a ship has been refitted over the last few months and is about to set sail with an important mission. The boy who was expected to serve as the captain’s personal valet has been injured and a replacement must be found immediately. The deal is struck and Turnstile finds himself onboard, meeting the captain, just as the ship sets sail. The ship is the HMS Bounty, the captain is William Bligh, and their destination is Tahiti. Mutiny on the Bounty is the first novel to explore all the events relating to the Bounty’s voyage, from their long journey across the ocean to their adventures on the island of Tahiti and the subsequent forty-eight-day expedition towards Timor. A vivid recreation of the famous mutiny, the story is packed with humour, violence, and historical detail, presenting a very different portrait of Captain Bligh and Mr. Christian than has been shown before.

Trepidant, vital i commovedora, Motí al Bounty narra les aventures i desventures de John Jacob Turnstile, un jove orfe de catorze anys que sobreviu a base d''escurar les butxaques dels altres i buscar-se seriosos problemes amb la llei. Quan és a punt d''entrar a la presó, però, li arriba una proposta temptadora, i així serà com Turnstile, un encantador i desvergonyit antiheroi amb el cor d''or i la paraula àgil, s''embarcarà al Bounty cap a unes terres llunyanes i un futur incert.

“A narrative pace that never flags for an instant . . . if thrillers are to work they must be thrilling. And this is where Boyne scores highest of all.” ---The Irish Times

Part of the Open Door series of short books for emerging readers. Alison Clark returns home to her father''s house in rural Wexford with her movie star boyfriend, Nick. It''s the first time she''s been home in years. Her father does not approve of her boyfriend or her pregnancy and Alison''s mother is struggling to keep them from fighting. There is a lot of tension in the house. Will father and daughter ever make up?

Bored and lonely after his family moves from Berlin to a place called Out-With in 1942, Bruno, the son of a Nazi officer, befriends a boy in striped pajamas who lives behind a wire fence.

“A delightful epic, filled with twists and treachery, and vividly told” from the New York Times–bestselling author of All the Broken Places (The Herald). John Boyne became internationally known for his acclaimed novels Crippen and the bestselling The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Now, for the first time in the US comes The Thief of Time, the book that started the career of the author that the Irish Examiner calls “one of the best and original of the new generation of Irish writers.” It is 1758 and Matthieu Zela is fleeing Paris after witnessing the murder of his mother and his stepfather’s execution. Matthieu’s life is characterized by one extraordinary fact: before the eighteenth century ends, he discovers that his body has stopped ageing. At the end of the twentieth century and the ripe old age of 256 he is suddenly forced to answer an uncomfortable question: what is the worth of immortality without love? In this carefully crafted novel, The Thief of Time, John Boyne juxtaposes history and the buzz of the modern world, weaving together portraits of 1920s Hollywood, the Great Exhibition of 1851, the French Revolution, the Wall Street Crash, and other landmark events into one man’s story of murder, love, and redemption. “Boyne is a skilful storyteller . . . The novel is superbly constructed.” —Sunday Tribune “Boyne is creative and entertaining, particularly as he develops his characters.” —Library Journal “One of the finest reads this reviewer has enjoyed in quite a while. It’s gripping without cliffhangers, philosophically deep without angst, honest and wise and absolutely charming. Bravo to Mr. Boyne—and when’s the next book?” —Historical Novel Society

Berlín 1942. La guerra no afecta gaire la vida de Bruno, un noi de nou anys que viu en un barri residencial. Però un bon dia arriba a casa i es troba totes les coses empaquetades: el seu pare, membre de l''elit militar, ha rebut un nou destí i es veu obligat a marxar i instal·lar-se amb tota la família en una àrea rural mig deserta i molt depriment. Bruno s''avorreix i passa els dies obsessionat amb una tanca que s''alça davant la finestra de la seva habitació. Fins que no coneix Schmuel, el noi del pijama de ratlles, que viu a l''altra banda del filferro espinós, Bruno ni tan sol no comprèn que ja no és a Alemanya sinó a Polònia. Tampoc no és conscient del que passa a la vida de Schmuel fins que és massa tard per escapar els horrors que es viuen a l''altre costat de la tanca. L''honestedat narrativa, la congruència dels personatges i la progressió magistral de la trama, doten aquesta novel·la d''una qualitat literària molt humana i d''una força narrativa captivadora.

Two young boys encounter the best and worst of humanity during the Holocaust in this powerful read that USA Today called "as memorable an introduction to the subject as The Diary of Anne Frank.” Berlin, 1942: When Bruno returns home from school one day, he discovers that his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family must move to a new house far, far away, where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people in the distance. But Bruno longs to be an explorer and decides that there must be more to this desolate new place than meets the eye. While exploring his new environment, he meets another boy whose life and circumstances are very different from his own, and their meeting results in a friendship that has devastating consequences.

This beautifully drawn novel re-creates the amazing escape attempt of one of history''s most notorious killers. "Genuinely thrilling . . . "--"Sunday Tribune" (UK).