Michael's parents buy a yacht, and take him off to sail round the world. Washed overboard in a fierce storm, Michael finds himself on the shore of a remote island - and soon discovers he's not alone. Kensuke, a former Japanese soldier, survived the war and the bombing of Hiroshima, but his family perished. As an extraordinary bond forms between the two, Kensuke faces a heart-breaking choice: can he give up the secluded life he's built for himself to help reunite Michael with his parents? Knowing the pain of losing his own family, Kensuke knows which way he has to decide... Reading this book will take you through every emotion you can think of, from great joy and laughter to utter sadness and loss. At its heart is a story of friendship that will live long in your mind long after and whilst reading it you will be utterly captivated.
The story of a young boy's fantastic adventure after being washed up on a Pacific island – adapted for the stage by acclaimed dramatist Stuart Paterson from the best-selling novel by Children's Laureate Michael Morpurgo. Michael embarks on a round-the-world sailing voyage with his parents, only for their dream to become a nightmare when Michael falls overboard. Washed up on an island in the Pacific populated with orang-utans, Michael soon makes a startling discovery: the island is already home to one extraordinary man, and this is Kensuke's Kingdom... Stuart Paterson's stage adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's Kensuke's Kingdom was first staged by Birmingham Stage Company in 2005.