Inspired by the true story of Walter Tull, the first black officer in the British army.A new novel about identity and loss by bestselling award-winning author of WAR HORSE.Michael doesn't remember his father, an RAF pilot lost in the war. And his French mother, heartbroken and passionate, doesn't like to talk about her husband. But then Auntie Snowdrop gives Michael a medal, followed by a photograph, which begin to reveal a hidden history.A story of love and loss.A story that will change everything - and reveal to Michael who he really is...
Classic fables are told with a twist by the wonderful children's author Michael Morpurgo. Read by Harry Man.Classic fables which are told with a twist by the wonderful Childrens book author Michael Morpurgo. READ BY HARRY MAN
How far would you go to find yourself? The lyrical, life-affirming novel from the bestselling author of Private Peaceful.
There were dozens of us on the ship, all ages, boys and girls, and we were all up on deck for the leaving of Liverpool, gulls wheeling and crying over our heads, calling good-bye, I thought they were waving good-bye. None of us spoke. It was a grey day with drizzle in the air, the great sad cranes bowing to the ship from the docks as we steamed past. That is all I remember of England...
When orphaned Arthur Hobhouse is shipped to Australia after WWII he loses his sister, his country and everything he knows. The coming years will test him to his limits, as he endures mistreatment, neglect and forced labour in the Australian outback. But Arthur is also saved, again and again, by his love of the sea. And when he meets a nurse whose father owns a boat-building business, all the pieces of his broken life come together.
Now, at the end of his life, Arthur has built a special boat for his daughter Allie, whose love of the sea is as strong and as vital as her father's. Now Allie has a boat that will take her to England solo, across the world's roughest seas, in search of her father's long-lost sister... Will the threads of Arthur's life finally come together?
The powerful new novel from the master storyteller - inspired by the true story of one man who might have stopped World War II.1940. The train is under attacks from German fighters. In the darkness, sheltering in a railway tunnel, the stranger in the carriage with Barney and his mother tells them a story to pass the time.And what a story. The story of a young man, a young soldier in the trenches of World War I who, on the spur of the moment, had done what he thought was the right thing.It turned out to have been the worst mistake he ever could have made - a mistake he must put right before it is too late...
A thrilling and moving tale about an extraordinary animal caught up in a very human war. Perfect for anyone who loved The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips or The Butterfly Lion...
It's 1945. Elizabeth's father is fighting with the German army on the eastern front. Her mother works at Dresden zoo, where her favourite animal is a young elephant named Marlene. When the zoo director tells her the dangerous animals must be shot to prevent them running amok when the town is bombed, Elizabeth's mother moves Marlene into the back garden to save her... and then the bombs start to fall.
Their home destroyed, Elizabeth and her family must flee the bombed-out city and through the wintery landscape, all the while avoiding the Russian troops who are drawing ever closer. It would be hard enough, without an elephant in tow...
Full of friendship and adventure, this charming story collection from Michael Morpurgo and illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees is perfect to read together, and celebrates the way the countryside and its animals can leave an impression on a child’s heart forever.
Full of friendship and adventure, these three uplifting stories capture the wonder, muck and magic of a city child’s week on the farm.
Join in the daring rescue of a lost lamb, meet a boy who saves a family of swallows, and discover how Barney the horse forever changes the life of the girl who looks after him.
From Michael Morpurgo, co-founder of the charity Farms for City Children, and illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees, this charming story collection for young readers celebrates the countryside and the way its landscape and animals can leave an impression on a child’s heart forever.
A captivating retelling of the nation's favourite fairy tale, from the nation's favourite storyteller, Michael Morpurgo.
After encountering a fearsome beast at a mysterious palace, down-on-his-luck merchant Marco is forced to make a promise in exchange for his life: he must persuade one of his three daughters to return to the palace in his place - but she must come of her own free will.
Beautiful, kind-hearted Belle agrees at once to return to the palace, and there she and the Beast exist companionably, with the Beast asking of Belle the same question at the end of each day: "Dearest Belle, will you marry me?"
After a return home to consult with her father, Belle resolves to follow her heart and return to the Beast, but her plans are thwarted by the trickery of her jealous sisters. When, at last, Belle is able to find her way back to the palace, she finds her beloved Beast lying as still as death on the ground. As Belle's tears fall on his face, the Beast is transformed into a handsome prince - the ancient spell upon him broken by Belle's tears of true love...
It's Christmas in 1914 in the trenches of the Western Front. And something wonderful has just happened...A forgotten letter in a secret drawer brings one night in the Great War vividly back to life. Writing home from the front, a soldier has an incredible story to tell.
Read by the inimitable Richard Attenborough. Billy was a champion soccer star, playing for Chelsea in the 1930s. But that was before war broke out...Billy the Kid is told through the voice of an 80 year old man, who looks back on his life as Chelsea's champion striker until the outbreak of war in 1939 and on through his subsequent life. Billy joins Chelsea as a football apprentice, rises through the reserves to become a real champion. His passion for football sees him through the war years - even as a prisoner of war he organises a friendly against the Italians - but, having been injured by a mine he cannot play for Chelsea on his return to England. Billy turns to vagrancy and alcohol and for years he wanders up and down the country. he re-settles in London in a derelict house and is befriended by a family who move him to a shed in their garden. He, in turn, helps their son with his football who in his turn becomes a Chelsea player. Billy becomes a Chelsea Pensioner and his 80th birthday is celebrated when Chelsea play at home. A novel for both children and adults which deals with some difficult issues. Michael Morpurgo's storytelling is superb.
Blodin the beast stalks the land, breathing fire and reducing villages to ruins. Who or what can end his tyranny? Only wise old Shanga, weaving his strange carpet, knows how to destroy the monster, but he is too old to cross the mountains that never end. Read by Harry Man.Blodin the beast stalks the land, breathing fire and reducing villages to ruins. Who or what can end his tyranny? Only wise old Shanga, weaving his strange carpet, knows how to destroy the monster, but he is too old to cross the mountains that never end.
Joy and heartbreak combine in this bittersweet tale of a champion greyhound's journey through life - and from owner to owner..."The sack wasn't just drifting gently along like everything else, it was turning of its own accord. There was definitely something inside it, struggling against the side of the plastic bag, kicking at it, squeaking and squealing in terror. He had no idea what it might be, only that it was alive and in danger of drowning."When Patrick saves a litter of greyhound puppies from the canal, he can't bear to hand them all over to the RSPCA. He pleads with his parents: couldn't he just keep one of them? But nothing will convince them and Patrick cries himself to sleep - only to be woken by a greyhound puppy licking his face!Patrick christens his puppy Best Mate, and that's what he becomes. Patrick's favourite thing is to watch Best Mate running at full stretch on the heath, a speeding bullet, a cheetah-dog. Until one day Best Mate is kidnapped by a greyhound trainer, and begins a new life as a champion race dog. Suzie, the greyhound trainer's step-daughter, loves Best Mate on first sight and gives him a new name, Bright Eyes. But what will happen when he can't run any more?
A stunning new story of hope, humanity and high-seas adventure for children and adults everywhere from Sir Michael Morpurgo, the nation's favourite storyteller and multi-million copy bestselling author of WAR HORSE.
"We were the truth of our own story.
Me, and the two tiny people on my shoulder, in the middle of the sea..."
War has forced Omar and his mother to leave their home in Afghanistan and venture across the sea to Europe. When their boat sinks, and Omar finds himself alone, with no hope of rescue, it seems as if his story has come to an end.
But it is only just beginning.
Because in the end, a little hope makes a big difference...
A thrilling adventure inspired by the classic story of Gulliver's Travels, this is also a gripping modern narrative of rescue and refuge, from a writer at the height of his powers. A book about breaking down walls, at a time when many are trying to build them. And a timeless reminder of humanity's infinite capacity for good... even when those humans are very small indeed.
