Out of the Ashes

by Michael Morpurgo, Michael Foreman (Illustrations)

On New Year's Day Becky Morley begins to write her diary. By March, her world has changed forever. Foot and mouth disease breaks out on a pig farm hundreds of miles from the Morley's Devon home, but soon the nightmare is a few fields away. Local sheep are infected and every animal is destroyed. Will the Morley's flock be next? Will their pedigree dairy herd, the sows with their piglets, and Little Josh, Becky's hand-reared lamb, survive? Or will they be slaughtered too? The waiting and hoping is the most agonizing experience of Becky's life.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Animals, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Teen, Contemporary

128 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2001

About the author

Sir Michael Andrew Morpurgo, OBE, FRSL is the author of many books for children, five of which have been made into films. He also writes his own screenplays and libretti for opera. Born in St Albans, Hertfordshire, in 1943, he was evacuated to Cumberland during the last years of the Second World War, then returned to London, moving later to Essex. After a brief and unsuccessful spell in the army, he took up teaching and started to write. He left teaching after ten years in order to set up 'Farms for City Children' with his wife. They have three farms in Devon, Wales and Gloucestershire, open to inner city school children who come to stay and work with the animals. In 1999 this work was publicly recognised when he and his wife were invested a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to youth. In 2003, he was advanced to an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL) in 2004. He was knighted in the 2018 for his services to literature and charity. He is also a father and grandfather, so children have always played a large part in his life. Every year he and his family spend time in the Scilly Isles, the setting for three of his books.

Reviews

[Eleri Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although the characters themselves are fictional the book centred around the events that unfolded during the foot and mouth outbreak in 2001 in the UK. I found this an emotional read more so as the events that unfold (such as having to burn the farm animals) are told through the eyes of a thirteen year old.

[Ellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking. Being a children's book it was very simple and to the point but had me in tears.

[John Naylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before I review any of Michael Morpurgo's works I normally have to compose myself. This was no different. He is primarily classed as a children's author but he is also one of the most emotional authors around.

It is a fictionalised but true to life account of the 2001 foot and mouth outbreak. It centres around a girl who keeps a diary of the events. It shows a devastating time on the lives of many farmers (I accept many other professions were affected by the outbreak. Their stories are valid but not told here.)

I hope that Britain never has another outbreak. We live on a period of doubt surrounding food standards and that does worry me. This book should be read outside of an outbreak too. Especially for how one of the girl's parents is portrayed. It could help children to understand their own parents better.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book because it can carry your feelings within its self it can be sad but happy it has animals and people and sometimes illustrations. The characters were nice to read about. I would recommend this to any age group over 9. It’s basically an emotional rollercoaster you can’t tell how you feel until you feel it.

[Sarah-Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is written in a diary style from the perspective of a child, so is easy to follow. That’s not to say it’s an easy read. This short story broke my heart, and captured the pain felt by the families affected by foot and mouth disease.

[S Brunning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Out of all the books in our house I managed to pick THE SADDEST ONE WE OWN!!
Very well written, just really, really sad.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book during my student's "private reading time" at a school I volunteer at. I read it over the course of about 5 weeks (some weeks I did not get a chance to read) in 15 minute slots. This meant that all of my feels about what was going on had to remain carefully locked away so my students would not get distracted from their own, often very tenuous, connections to their own books.
It's not a very long book, there's not a ton of characterization or description, and there are a few grammar problems. But it touched on a great a depth of pain inside me. I remember being at home, on Fallowfield Road in Canada when this happened. I remember the fear clenching in my stomach that it would cross the ocean and we would lose everyone. I remember the sign that is still nailed on the barn door, even though no more animals live there, that said "Biohazard, no unauthorized entry." I remember my mother saying to me in passing, "the first farmer around here who gets it is going to be crucified."
It did cross the ocean, and even in North America, a lot of people lost everything that made their lives worth living. But it didn't come to us.
While I read this book I kept replacing the father with my brother, and thinking, what if it had come? What if it had been Faith, Matilda, and Jacklin? The fear returned to me.
I heard the gunshots, I saw the flames, smelled the smoke, and felt the loss. This is an important book.
Read it.

[Francesca Tomassi · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Out of the Ashes' gives you a raw insight into what it was like to live amidst the Foot and Mouth Epidemic that England endure not too long ago. It is told through the eyes of a 14 year old farmer’s daughter called Becky. She writes of the heart ache she and her family experience when farm animals are slaughtered and burnt in an attempted to control the spread of the disease. Her diary allows you to see how Foot and Mouth Disease affected a family and how they coped with it.

I thought it was an interesting book that allowed you as the reader to see a child's perspective on such a prominent event. The book at times does go into rather graphic detail, such as the description of the dead cows burning in the fields. However it is an obviously unavoidable fact that must be mentioned.

I feel this book would be suitable for children 10-12 years of age. It could be used in the classroom to show children how real life events can be used in Fiction.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

2020
I’m not crying, your crying. This was a very apt read for our current situation, the only difference is we aren’t culling people (yet). I’m so glad I decided to reread this as a fully fledged adult as I can now appreciate the mental health, mainly depression, aspects in this book that I felt were very truthful representations.


(OLD REVIEW)
I read this book when I was very young, around the time when foot and mouth disease was at it’s height and all over the news so I knew how bad the situation was. However to read a true story about the event was heart breaking! And although the disease is no longer about and I am much older now it is still a favorite book of mine that I go back to every now and then for a quick but emotionally tugging read!

[Catherine Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used this book as a Year 5 Guided Reading session.

It is a diary of a girl who lives on a farm in Devon. Foot and mouth disease has first arrived in the UK and is spreading across the country.

This is a moving recount of her feelings and emotions as a child growing up in the terror that reigns across the countryside.

I found this book very useful as a talking point, especially for children who had little grasp of current issues. It is extremely well written and is very moving. Children can relate to her, as it is written in first person, through a diary, therefore not written in high level difficult language at all.

[Emily Griffiths-hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first proper book I read as a child and it was the first one to make me cry when I read it. The storyline was so captivating and emotional it sent goosebumps through me. This is one of my favourite books and it is well written. I would definetley recommend it.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angles of Death

We follow Becky a 13-year-old girl who lives on a farm with her family. They have a great life in a small village set in Britain. Amid their lives, a virus spreads in the north, and the family attempts to protect the animals. But fate has a different plan for them.

I loved the narration and style of writing that was in the form of diary entries. It reminded me of Daddy-Long-Legs.

The story has a similar vibe to the former, and I loved it. It was a light-read and heartbreaking. The father had been struck with grief & depression. I enjoyed the adventures of Becky and Ruby. However, considering characters, I wished a feline was added to the story. I loved how Becky protects her animals. Little Josh sensed he was going to die and decided to stay with Becky in the house. I cared for him out of all the others. A tear-jerker, indeed!

I finished the book in one day and a half. I had a full world-view of the lives of Morleys and beloved animals.

[Ramona Cantaragiu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is like a punch in the gut and is not for the faint-hearted as it contains very graphic descriptions of animals being slaughtered as a result of the foot and mouth outbreak that affected the farms in England in 2001. The story is told through the diary entries made by Becky, a 14 year-old girl living on a farm with her family. The plot is straightforward and develops quickly, giving the readers a glimpse into the hardships experienced by farmers who had to destroy their animals in order to prevent the spread of the diseases. Also, bear in mind that if you are triggered by accounts of depression and attempted suicide, you might one to stay clear of this book. Overall, this book is an opportunity to show young adults how real life events can be fictionalized.

[C.J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book as a little kid in primary school and didn’t get it at all. I had never dealt with death or loss at that point so it didn’t really click. But I found it again while throwing out stuff from the storage unit this year and thought I’d give it another go now that I’ve kept livestock and had experience with loss. Halfway through I had to put the book down and cried for a solid hour. Which, I rarely cry at any form of media so being unable to stop for an *hour* was a big deal. 20-odd years difference in life experiences had me bawling lol. It hit me in a very raw spot in my heart I think. 10/10, would highly recommend.

[Gracie-Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a simple book for young readers. It is moving and will make you cry. I remember going riding around the outbreak and the smell of disinfectant as we drove over the soaked straw at the gate. I remember when the cows in the farm across the road disappeared. How we used to be able to pet their noses as young children, then one day the barn they used to live in became storage for the tractors and the cows never came back. The smell of cows never came back. 100 pages of heartbreak.

[Abi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the fist book I fell in love with. It will forever hold a special place in my heart. I remember building a special bond with the characters and never wanting their story to end.
It was a very real book based on true events that unfolded in 2001. This tear jerking book is one of the VERY few books that have made me cry in my years of reading.

[Theo Tunnicliffe · Rating 4 out of 5]

An upsetting tale of Foot and Mouth Disease in 2001 from a young girls perspective. It was very insightful for learning about the impact it has on families. Beautifully written by Michael Morpurgo and there are lovely illustrations by Michael Forman. Worth reading but be aware it's not the most upbeat book.

[Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book around aged 12.
The Foot and Mouth outbreak in the UK had recently happened, and to read this as a child it was upsetting. But it was brilliant, one of the first books to make me cry.
The book itself may not be a true story but it is so close to the reality of the time that it was almost educational at the same time.
As an adult I will definitely reread this at some point.

[H Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know how you could read this and fail to be moved. The simplicity in which it is told through the eyes of a child- the impact on her family, the community and the animals is heartbreaking. Although this is fictional, it was of course all too real for so many and I am sure those horrors must have made indelible marks

[Tara Harries · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is told through diary entires of a 13 year old girl who lives on a farm during the 2001 foot and mouth outbreak. Although this is fictional story, the events are based on true events that happened which makes it an emotional read.

[Anwai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favourite Michael Morpurgo by a long way but an interesting story, made more so by the fact that it was pieced together from true stories and also by the fact that Morpurgo and his wife run farms for city children and had to close them because of the foot and mouth outbreak.

[Janyne Kemp · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastic book, it made me cry thinking of what has happened in this story as i know of farmers that have been affected by foot and mouth disease it a terrible thing for farmers and animals. I always love reading Michael morpurgo books always have beautifully written stories.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sad as usual...make sure you have a hankie!

[Gabby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written book that made me cry, as someone who remembers it happening but being removed living in a city it really brings home the impact. A book all children and adults should read.

[Lisa Brunton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its so heartbreaking

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

i live in the lake district and this was a very touching and true events.
great book really catches the emotions.

[ABCD · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book as a child, it used to make me cry but still I read it multiple times.

[Grace Donnelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this when I was young, I remember being interested in it at the time, though it was sad and short it was informative.

[Aruna Kumar Gadepalli · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story woven around certain events in UK in 2001 mostly farming related, the story will make one cry.

[Emily Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book I read over and over as a child. It delicately deals with death and grief in a way that a child can understand. A very well written tragedy told from the perspective of a young girl.