A French boy guards the dangerous secret that Jewish children are being hidden from Nazis in his village. ""This well-plotted novel,"" said PW, ""is both gripping and temperate."" Ages 10-14. Continue reading » Discuss author, title, front cover & blurb - What questions do they make you want to ask? What do you think the story will be about? Do you think you are going to like the story - why/why not?

Wreck of the Zanzibar by Michael Morpurgo | Goodreads The Wreck of the Zanzibar by Michael Morpurgo | Goodreads

The hardship on the island deepens when a storm rips off roofs, smashes houses and drowns the few cows on which the islanders are dependent for their milk. Hope disappears. Even Laura's parents are estranged from each other because of Billy's departure. With the help of an eccentric ally, best friends Daniel and Gracie lift an island curse while saving a group of beached whales. Ages 8-12. Continue reading »

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An award-winning duo teams up for Sir Gawain & the Green Knight. England's children's laureate Michael Morpurgo retells this classic medieval tale with illustrations by Michael Foreman. Morpurgo Continue reading » Forgotten the title or the author of a book? Our BookSleuth is specially designed for you. Visit BookSleuth My only criticism of the book is that there is a little too much misery and sadness in the book which continues nearly till the end and can sometimes make the reading very depressing. However, the author keeps the characters very real and as a reader, I felt very involved in their lives. I would give it an 8/10 and would recommend it to those who enjoy realistic stories. Morpugo is such an atmospheric and prolific author, it feels mean to not enjoy his books, which is, perhaps, part of the problem I had with this. I always think I'll love the work, and then sometimes I simply don't. Perhaps with this it's because there really isn't much to tell in this story, and perhaps in itself, that is a good change to have. There's a lot to think about, for younger readers, and a lot of putting oneself in the central character's place - imagining a kind of desolation it's hard to conjure up in an increasingly globalised world. An opportunity presents itself and Billy takes it. He leaves Bryher without saying goodbye to his family. Mother is heartbroken and retreats into her shell. The rest of the family, devastated, find their own ways of dealing with this grief. More misfortune strikes as a storm wipes out the cattle, the hens and ruins their houses. Things go from bad to worse before they start getting better towards the end.

Wreck of The Zanzibar Resources | PDF | Turtle - Scribd The Wreck of The Zanzibar Resources | PDF | Turtle - Scribd

In a disappointing effort, a distinguished British team turns out a plodding tale about a misunderstood, almost mute giant who saves the town and gets the girl. The cruel villagers call the giant Continue reading »I loved the way in which Michael Morpurgo wrote the story, reading Laura's diary entries I felt that it was more personal and carried a lot more emotion. The story begins with Michael's great aunt Laura who has just passed away, who has left him her diaries for him to read. The diary is written over a year when Laura was 14 years old and documents her troubled family life that led to her twin brother running away to sea. This truly broke Laura's heart. The diary entries tells the story of this time for Laura and the events that led to Laura saving the day not just for her family but for everyone that lived on the the island of Bryher.

Wreck of the Zanzibar by Michael Morpurgo - Publishers Weekly The Wreck of the Zanzibar by Michael Morpurgo - Publishers Weekly

A story where they are just about to give up when they are reminded that good things come to those who wait. The time stamps as chapter names provides a reader with a sense of pace throughout the book. This article about a children's historical novel of the 1990s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. The book is written in the form of a diary. The entries are shorted on days of turmoil and frustration. The entries are longer when something remarkable has happened. Pooling their considerable talents once again, Morpurgo and Birmingham (previously teamed for Wombat Goes Walkabout) craft a superb picture book about a boy, a special swan and the sometimes cruel Continue reading » Former British children’s laureate Morpurgo (War Horse) offers a sweet, touching historical novel (published in the U.K. in 2008) that balances sentimentality with humor and action. The orphaned Continue reading »First published in the U.K. in 1997, this novella, billed as a sequel to Morpurgo's War Horse, reads more like a tender epilogue. Albert, who joined the British Army during WWI at age 14 intent on Continue reading » Laura Perryman's family has always lived on Bryher. She lives with her twin brother, Billy, and her mother and father, and her Granny May. They have four milking cows, which is enough to keep the entire population of the island supplied with milk. Of course, almost evey family keeps a fishing boat. The sea feeds the people of Bryher. But can you imagine how it must feel to grow up in such a tiny community, working so hard and having so little? Billy, fourteen years old and bored with the unending milking routine, is feeling the strain. What if a British soldier had a chance to shoot Hitler on a WWI battlefield but opted to let him go instead? Morpurgo’s incisive historical novel draws inspiration from the life of Henry Tandey, the Continue reading »

Wreck of the Zanzibar, Used - AbeBooks The Wreck of the Zanzibar, Used - AbeBooks

Another Robin Hood retelling? Why not, if it's created by the distinguished team that crafted Arthur, High King of Britain? Why not, if Morpurgo succeeds, as he does, in bringing together the Continue reading »When it comes to a choice between the rough, unrelenting work under his father's stern eye and the promise of adventure held out by Joseph Hannibal, a sea-faring visitor, there's no contest. Billy leaves in secret on the General Lee. I thought the opening was lovely and the chapters are brief with the first person narrative flitting between Michael and Laura. Elements of the story reminded me of Why the Whales Came which I thought to be far better.