Noah's Gold

by Frank Cottrell Boyce, Steven Lenton (Illustrator)

Proper, sparkly, witty, enticing storytelling . . . It's perfect.' Hilary McKay

Packed with mystery, adventure and laughs , Noah's Gold is the exciting novel from the bestselling, multi-award-winning author of Millions and Cosmic , Frank Cottrell-Boyce. Fully illustrated in black and white throughout by Steven Lenton, this is perfect for readers of 9+.

Being the smallest doesn't stop you having the biggest ideas.

Eleven-year old Noah sneaks along on his big sister's geography field trip. Everything goes wrong! Six kids are marooned on an uninhabited island. Their teacher has vanished. They're hungry. Their phones don't work and Noah has broken the internet. There's no way of contacting home . . . Disaster!

Until Noah discovers a treasure map and the gang goes in search of gold.

'A writer of comic genius - he has something of Roald Dahl’s magic, but more heart' – Sunday Telegraph

Genres: Middle Grade, Childrens, Fiction, Adventure, School, Humor

320 pages, Paperback

Published July 2, 2024

About the author

Frank Cottrell Boyce is a British screenwriter, novelist and occasional actor.

In addition to original scripts, Cottrell Boyce has also adapted novels for the screen and written children's fiction, winning the 2004 Carnegie Medal for his debut, Millions, based on his own screenplay for the film of the same name.
His novel Framed was shortlisted for the Whitbread Book of the Year as well as the Carnegie Medal.
He adapted the novel into a screenplay for a 2009 BBC television film. His 2009 novel Cosmic has also been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal.

He is married and the father of seven children.

Reviews

[Kelly Furniss · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars!.
Our main character Noah sneaks on to the minibus of his sisters geography school trip with with her year 9 friends & the teacher. However things take a turn for the worse literally due to a dodgy sat nav & they find themselves stranded on a small island where Noah is outed & then he accidentally manages to switch off the internet!.This is where the book really changes as we see the panic of the children who can't use their phones and have no communication, it shows the element of reliance especially as they then loose the teacher.
Noah creates a treasure map to distract the group and then gold is actually found but who’s is it?.
This book demonstrates friendship, relationships, survival , morals and independence told through letters Noah writes to his parents and others describing events and the outcomes. This is a comical adventure story but one that leaves the reader with plenty to think through for children & adults and the author does this effectively casting the children’s different personalities & skills. I enjoyed the accent of the narrator too, I would have had a completely different experience reading the book myself.
A book I would highly recommend.

[Stace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eleven-year-old Noah shouldn’t have even been on the school minibus, the one in which the teacher entered the wrong details into the SatNav and now he and the five other students, including his sister, who won’t admit she knows him, are stranded on a deserted island. The minibus is dead after falling off a cliff, with their packed lunches, and their teacher has gone missing after trying to get help.

Maybe it was fate that Noah became trapped in the bus, as he just might be the only one with reasonable ideas. Although according to his parents he is also the one who has broken the internet, which is no longer working and they refuse to allow him home until he fixes it.

How is Noah communicating with his parents when technology doesn’t work and the kids are stuck on an island in the middle of the sea – Letters of course!!

Noah’s Gold is a hilarious story of one young boy who has become trapped on an island with a group of students who are not prepared for being stranded with no food, water, heat, etc. Good job Noah is there.

Told in letters that are mainly written by Noah to his parents in which he shares all about what the children have been up to over the course of five days (and nights), which includes foiling a robbery. The book will have children giggling out loud.

It is filled with adventure and characters that are very believable, especially when you realise how much they relied on technology to get by and didn’t know what some natural items were as they didn’t have labels on them. The banter they have is exactly as I would expect a group of year nines to talk.

This is a fun book that engages the reader, has amazing illustrations throughout, including a map – who doesn’t love a map in a book!! and has a very creative plot that is enjoyable the whole way through.

[Katy Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully funny ‘trapped on an island’ story for today’s tech-reliant youngsters

Cottrell Boyce does come up with some marvellous concepts. Stolen art, bags of money, children going into space… master of the ‘wow! Gotta try that’ synopsis.

And the latest is one that will certainly capture attention. Technology, islands, treasure. A younger brother stows away on his big sister’s minibus trip with a few of her class. In a confused mess of a Satnav misunderstanding (“we were shipwrecked by Satnav!”), the simple trip to a Amazon-like warehouse actually ends up taking the teacher and inattentive group to an uninhabited island that shortly thereafter becomes inaccessible, inescapable and internet-less

Noah may be younger than the others, but he worries that they’ll find out the internet breaking might be his fault (seems that this island houses some very important cables). His sister is pretending she doesn’t know him, their teacher disappears, nobody knows how to source food without Alexa… and what’s this about a treasure map?

In a series of letters, Noah writes to his parents, pouring out his daily trials and hoping they get them delivered somehow… after all, there is a post-box. But did he really break the whole world’s internet?

Oh, this was just so wonderful. Children the world over will be horrified at the idea of having to survive without the Guidance of Google at their fingertips. It tickled me as an adult who grew up without that (and I’m no Bear Grylls either). Noah’s letters are so heartfelt and revealing – giving up hints about his home life when he mentions the lack of food on the island and the secret sharing, “I’ve seen you do that, Mum… when we’ve been a bit short of food at home.” Readers will understand subtly the family situation and sympathise with the good-hearted Noah.

Then they will laugh at the adventures of the children struggling on using only their own wiles and brains: “I don’t know how Henry VIII died. I don’t know what those birds are called. I didn’t know you were supposed to put a message in the bottle. I won’t know anything until the phones work again!”

Oh boy is there a lesson here! And that’s before we get to Noah’s actual – gold. This is such a funny book, genuinely charmingly funny. You do laugh at the children (who won’t believe the potatoes they’ve dug up are real because they don’t have labels on them). But you also feel a great deal of empathy for their situation and their generation who have been brought up reliant on something that, once taken away, leaves them stranded in more than just a physical sense.

But will Cottrell Boyce show us just what they can do when self-reliant? Read it and find out. And laugh, as I did.

For ages 8-12. With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely wonderful book. So funny made us laugh out loud. We loved the mix of cookery, philosophy, science, history and adventure. The best books always make you think and want to find out more. It was a great idea to write the book using different formats: letters, menus, reports and texts.

[Eleanor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frank Cottrell Boyce remains a genius and no one can change my mind. I always say he's my favourite author and then I don't read one of his books for a while and I think, surely a children's book author can't be my favourite, and then I read one of his books and I'm once again convinced. He has this magic way of putting in small details. And something about these situations in which kids are in charge just is so charming. Framed is and will always be my favourite book, but this is definitely up there in my top FCB books, alongside Cosmic.

Noah's Gold has that perfect mix of reality and then something a little bit magical. The characters are great and Cottrell Boyce's character description is especially elite here. See: "Have you noticed, by the way, that Eve is always asking questions and then answering them herself before you get a chance?". It's so simple but it just tells you so much about the character.

Some other great things which feel so Cottrell Boyce are the fact that the geography trip was originally meant to be going to a warehouse, that the grown up (Mr Merriman) was just so clueless, that Noah was earnestly putting letters in a letterbox and believing his parents were replying, that the entire internet was turned off. Even like the naming of different things on the island (special mention to Furious Yellow). AND the unique format of the chapters - letters and menus. It reminds me of the petrol logbook entires in Framed.

Also shoutout to Steven Lenton's illustrations. They were really great. Also the map at the start of the book just proved this was going to be a good time.

[Barbara Band · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another superb story from Frank Cottrell-Boyce and one that is sure to be a hit with MG readers. Noah (year 7) finds himself unexpectedly on his sister's year 9 trip. However, instead of going to the Wonder Warehouse they find themselves marooned on an "island in the middle of the sea". Their teacher has disappeared, their minibus has gone over a cliff so everyone thinks they're dead and the internet isn't working so they can't call home for help.

With a delightful cast of characters including Dario who is full of interesting facts and Ada who is convinced the island is inhabited by fairies, this is a wonderful funny adventure story about pulling together, helping each other - and maybe not spending all your time looking at your phone!

[John Bolton]

You'd think "disaster strikes during a school trip to a big-river-monikered online retailer's warehouse" would be rejected at the pitch stage. Mind you, I guess you'd think the same of "a wartime boy rescues a wartime gorilla and they have a wartime adventure", "a girl wants a fing, but a fing isn't even a thing", or "there's slime", and they somehow got printed. While I can't speak for the other examples I just gave (because I haven't read them, and won't read them, so don't even think of asking), Noah's Gold works, thanks in no small part to Frank Cottrell-Boyce's wit.

In some ways, the book felt like an episode of Seinfeld. It's frequently laugh-out-loud funny, but apart from the dramatic events that bookend the story, not much actually happens. Told through exchanged letters between the main character and his parents (think Chocolate Milk, X-Ray Specs & Me), the novel is about a boy called Noah stowing away on a school field trip. They finish up on an island, which is where the remainder of the story unfolds. The thing about Noah's Gold is that it doesn't need frenetic chases and scenes of peril. It's not about drama. If anything, the book is about hope. Noah offers hope to the other children on the island, and shows that, actually, children can cope perfectly well without Internet access, thank you very much.

The letter-writing conceit generally works well, and the only time I was pulled out of the story was when the events in Letter #13 continued into Letter #14 when there was no clear reason why Letter #13 didn't simply continue. Perhaps I missed it, but it did make me stop and think why it had happened (other than as a natural chapter break). At another point, I thought I'd spotted a hiccup in the timeline: at the end of one letter, Noah learned that he had received a letter from his family; we were then presented immediately with said letter, which talked about events which had only just happened. I wondered how on earth they could have read about them and responded so quickly. However, to my delight, this was accounted for and explained later (spoilers!) (also, plus points for understated but excellent twist).

I did find that the characters spoke and acted much younger than their chronological age. It's noticeable, but it doesn't detract from the enjoyment of the novel. On the whole, then, an enjoyable book. The characters are engaging and believeable (although I maintain they're younger than we're told), and the story bobs along nicely. Noah is a wonderful narrator, and if you're after an easy read that will give you plenty of giggles, you could do a lot worse.

[Stephen the Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frank Cottrell-Boyce is one of those “gem of an author” who knows how to tap into what young people want to read and enjoy.Cosmic and Billions are classic stories and Noah’ s Gold should be added to this list.
This is an adventure story interwoven with some comical and thought provoking elements. Young Noah accidentally finds himself caught on a geography school trip with his older sister and some fellow year 9 students; through the naivety of their teacher they find themselves stranded on a small island where accidentally young Noah “ switches off “ the internet and thus chaos ensues. They are stranded without communication . What is comical and striking ( and worthy of family and class discussion ) is how the youngsters are so dependent on the internet and social media within their lives for survival, knowledge and communication. When confronted with a dial- up phone box, all sorts of confusion arises. Noah’s creation of a treasure map to distract the group and the subsequent discovery of gold all ads to the adventure.
This book is also about relationships between a brother and sister and a group of friends.
Told through a series of letters, Noah writes to his parents and others describing events and the ensuing outcomes. This is a book full of heart .When the children discover food and make comparisons to their local food bank we know that this isn’t the world of middle class Enid Blyton youngsters but a world of challenge and change that often is dominated by technology and materialism leaving many without.
This is a cross over book - perfect for upper key stage 2 readers but those in key stage 3 not necessarily wanting to venture in to the YA adult section of the library or bookshop.
A true delight for young and old
Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy.

[Janet Brown]

Despite one in three children in the UK estimated to be living in poverty, the realities of growing up poor just aren't reflected in the majority of books for children and teens. Except for Frank Cottrell-Boyce. His characters don't live in fancy houses or go to smart schools; they live in ex-mining communities (Framed), or deprived Northern towns (Millions) and more often than not come from families who are struggling for money (such as in Noah's Gold where Noah's family's reliance on foodbanks is referenced a number of times). However, if that makes his books sound dour and serious - 'issues' books about poverty - they couldn't be anything further from that. Instead, Cottrell-Boyce finds the magical in the mundane.

In Noah's Gold, a school field trip to an online retailer's warehouse (the humorously named Orinoco Company, in a nod to the behemoth online company named after another South American river) goes awry when the satnav attempts to direct them to the Orinoco River, leading the minibus off the coast of Ireland and via ferry to a deserted island. Why is a ferry running to a deserted island, you ask. All becomes clear later in the novel. In common with some of his previous books, there is some mild peril involving dastardly criminals up to no good, whom - in the manner of Scooby Doo - the meddling kids thwart. Themes of isolation and survival run through the book, which felt particularly fitting for our current circumstances. A modern Famous Five adventure which will be thoroughly enjoyed by middle grade readers.

[Beth Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so much fun. I can’t even tell you how many times this book made me chuckle and fully laugh out loud, which I always find rare with books.

This one follows Noah, who has snuck in the back of the minibus on his sister’s geography field trip. The unlikely gang end up on a deserted island, and now they have to band together to try and survive on the island and maybe also fix the internet too (I still don’t quite understand what that bit was all about!).

I loved this unlikely group, who were so much fun to read about and had some great interactions. Noah made such a funny narrator with a lot of honesty that I think so many kids will relate to. The illustrations were so good and complemented the story so well too. This one is definitely an adventure story at it’s heart, and I really enjoyed blasting through it and seeing where it was going to go.

The friendship group were so heartwarming to read about and there was also some interesting discussions of living without technology too. It’s great to see these kinds of stories being so popular with children.

Although there was a lot of fun plot, I didn’t quite understand where the ‘internet’ aspect fit, which did let it down a little bit for me. I just feel like this book was strong without this extra seemingly quite random aspect to the story that also didn’t feel fully fleshed out.

Overall, this one was so much fun and I’ll definitely be recommending it to a lot of kids at work!

★★★★
3.5 out of 5 stars

-Beth
May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

[Donna Burkert · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a well-known fact (in his family) that Noah breaks everything he touches. But, when he stows away in the back of the school mini-bus, on his sister’s geography field trip to Wonder Warehouse, his ‘skill’ has mammoth repercussions that affect more than just him and his family.

First the Sat-Nav goes awry and the group end up on an island in the middle of the sea, next their mini-bus is ruined, and finally the children find they are alone. But when the internet stops working too, then they really worry about how they will survive? If you can’t search up ‘how to survive on a deserted island?’ or how to make dinner for six children with one packet of sweets, a few rice crispie sandwiches and a bar of chocolate? Then how can they possibly survive? And to top it all, Eve – Noah's sister – completely disowns him. Can Noah become the ‘wee gem’ that the others believe him to be? Can he keep them alive AND fix the internet? By dropping a series of letters, to his parents, into the island’s mail box, Noah explains his plans step by step … but will anyone receive them?

Frank Cottrell-Boyce puts a light-hearted twist on a story that has deep-seated undertones. What would children do now without the internet? When the answer to everything is a quick search away, what would really happen if this was no longer possible? What skills does each child possess (or latent knowledge) that could really help them to survive?

[Denise Forrest · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like all of Frank Cottrell-Boyce’s books, this one is a bit odd and quirky! It is written in the format of a series of letters.

After accidentally stowing away on his big sister’s geography field trip, Noah becomes the hero of the story. When the teacher takes them the wrong way, they lose the rest of the class and somehow end up on an uninhabited island. Then the minibus is destroyed and their teacher goes missing. The letters Noah writes home to his parents recount the challenges they face and the actions they take to survive. Add in a treasure hunt and the need to fix the internet and what you end up with is a fast paced, humorous story of survival without the benefits of modern technology.

The book raises some questions about the value of and reliance upon mobile phones and the internet. It also mentions the family’s need to use a food bank and the way the parents make it sound as if they’ve won a competition. I thought this was a lovely touch as it’s the first time I’ve come across this in a children’s book but it wasn’t talked about in a doom and gloom kind of way, nor was it glorified.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Bee Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fabulous, funny, silly and full of meaning book this is.
First; my proof copy had some illustrations, but not everything. I can't wait to get my hands on a finished copy and look at them properly. The ones I saw were amazing, full of humour and perfectly matched to the text.

Second; this is a brilliant story. It's told mostly in letters from Noah to his parents (and grandmother? I was unclear about that.) with a few replies from them and a couple of other items thrown in as well. Noah's a great narrator, funny and serious with a wonderful eye for detail. (Golden Fury! I'll be calling it that forever. My grandchildren will think I'm crazy, but I will persist.)

I loved the overall message here; yes, you miss things if you spend all your time buried in the internet, but it is useful for things as well. And that ending...leading us to a sequel, maybe, Mr Cottrell-Boyce? I do hope so! I'd love to spend some more time with these characters.

Brilliant. Get your hands on a copy as soon as you can.

[Katy Wheatley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noah wants to go on his sister, Eve's geography field trip. They are going to a huge warehouse which bears rather close resemblance to those of a certain online bookshop, which has everything you could ever dream of under one roof and drones to deliver it. On the morning of the trip, Noah makes his sister a fabulous packed lunch and in placing it in the back of the minibus he gets accidentally packed into the luggage. It looks like his dream will come true, but when the teacher insists on following the satnav rather than the map, things take a very different turn.

Noah, his sister and four of her classmates end up marooned on a tiny island with no grown ups and no way to get home. And it also seems as if Noah might have accidentally broken the internet. It is time to see what happens when people have to stop looking at their phone.

A gorgeous, magical tale with Cottrell-Boyce's brilliant ability to get inside the heads of children and capture them on a page and his deep empathy and humanity.

[Charly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noah's Gold - Frank Cottrell-Boyce

A child in my class recommended this book to me and brought in their copy for me to borrow. Their summary was 'a teacher gets lost on the way to a school trip, they get stuck on a deserted island, the teacher goes missing and the children are stranded' I said it sounds like my nightmares before school trips!

This book is absolutely brilliant. Very funny with lots of serious messages about us all being addicted to our phones and the internet woven throughout. Definitely suitable for year 3 upwards. Although the dry, sarcastic humour which appealed to me so much may go over younger children's heads, the plot will appeal to all of KS2. Will add to the library wishlist!

[Karen M · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely read - I especially liked the idea of the internet breaking oh and the gold as well! But the real magic of this book is in the characters created and developed as we read. Far, far away from Lord of the Flies these children learn to support each other on their small island uncovering clues - and food - along the way as well as coping with the frightening prospect of no mobile phones…Noah and his sister reach an understanding of each other and the way life works while there are laughs along the way. The epistolary nature of the book allows us to empathise with Noah and his life on and off the island and his realisation of who answered his letters is a marvellous moment .

[Bella · Rating 1 out of 5]

I absolutely did not like this book. I love fantasy and all that and I can tell this is viewed for younger people but none of it was adding up.I’m 13 and I found this annoying to be honest a lot of thinks that Noah did should be questioned and how the teacher lead the to them on a ship in a car it another ISLAND!,also when the teacher just left and then randomly appeared again and then left them straight after on a boat it’s all just quite bizarre.

[Eithne Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a joy! What a treasure! If I were still teaching I'd demand extra funding to get a class set of these. Entertaining, insightful, witty and bang up to the minute.
I love how he gives the kids a hopeful ending, and boy do they need that now.
In addition, with my teacher hat on, there are lots of themes to explore: modern poverty, shame, family relationships. All conveyed through quite an advanced vocabulary which never talks down to the reader.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frank Cottrell-Boyce’s books have so much charm and wit. This island-set survival story is a sort of version of Lord of the Flies where all the children are resourceful, sweet and smart. I bet this would be a great class read for a Y5 or 6 class - it’s fun and relatable with lots of dilemmas to discuss, including whether some aspects of life might be better without the internet. Recommended.

[Francesca Pashby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would this make a great read aloud? I'm not quite sure. There was something just slightly off kilter about the whole thing, a weird tinge of horror almost, although I don't think kids reading it would be chilled in the way I was.

Dystopian v religion v laughs per page was an unusual combo ... will have to revisit before next year.

[Cortney Westhoff-O'Farrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author spun a clever story around our children's use of their phones and what happens when they have to go back and do things in an old fashioned way, ultimately figuring out along the way that it's a fun and adventurous way to go about life. Really creative and kept our family's interest with a few good laughs.

[Kieran Fanning · Rating 4 out of 5]

FRAMED is one of my favourite children's books so when I saw NOAH's GOLD I had to take a look. I can report that it's a brilliant adventure with Frank's trademark humour, and kid-centred storytelling throughout. And it's set in Ireland, which is a bonus!

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think Cottrell Boyce is a bit overrated. I taught Cosmic to two cohorts and just never quite enjoyed it. This didn’t feel that much different to Cosmic. I wasn’t really very gripped. I can see why some children may enjoy it though.

[Vonprice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Frank Cottrell-Boyce’s writing and recommend this to all readers of 8/9+

My full review can be found here: http://vsviewfromthebookshelves.home....

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved learning all about Noah and his “friends” getting stranded on the island, phantom phone calls, not having a can opener and reading his letters. The ending was just lovely - learning how and who Noah’s letters were being received by. This is a great journey! I loved the illustrations too.

[Norah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going into this book I wasn’t quite sure if it would be something I was going to enjoy mainly because it is for school. But this book was actually very very good. The plot, the writing style this author is incredible. Everyone through the ages 8-11 should definitely try this book

[MrsSock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely wonderful, we didn't want it to end. Such an adventure, and written in such a unique way.

[Ophelia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can’t see this book working for non native speakers. There is quite a bit of slang and the plot a little complex for non mother tongue children.

[Jonny Brick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neat parable about human connection, with some artistic licence taken in the plot. Told through letters, which is fun.

[Ethan Beard · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a nice book. The characters found gold, they had so much fun and had a celebration. The story was in a letter format which is different from my other read and I quite liked it.