The Sandman and the Turtles

by Michael Morpurgo

Mike can't wait for his summer holiday with his grandad. He enjoys listening to his grandad's stories, although he thinks Polly is silly for saying they are true. But this summer Dadci's stories really do come alive, and Mike has his best summer ever.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Fantasy, Kids

96 pages, Paperback

First published November 5, 1992

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

[Klare · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fantasy story for younger children

[Anthony Buck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice but unremarkable.

[Nazifa Begum]

This book is about a boy called Michael going on a summer holiday trip to see his cousins, uncle and aunt as well as Dadci (grandpa). Dadci would often tell Polly and Michael about the imaginative stories but one story stood out to them in particular. It was the story of the sandman and the turtles that froze thousands and thousands of years ago. They were told that they would only come back to life and go back to their home if they were shown love and care. Both, Polly and Michael went on an adventure to find out about the Sandman and the Turtle and to help them to go back to their home by showing them that love and care- like Dadci mentioned. This book was used as a text drive in guided reading. First, we looked at what some of the words meant in the book and some were added to the 'word of the day' board for children to use in their writing for their English writing. Many students also wrote these words down in their magpie books to use in their future writing. Next, we used our inference skills to answer questions about the story. The children also looked at the sequences of the story to understand what happened at each point in the story. Lastly, the children wrote a fiction piece of a time when they went on an adventure following a similar pattern of sequence as the book. The children also used some vocabulary they used from the book. Children really enjoyed being as creative as possible with their writing piece.

[Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun story told by the great Morpurgo.

[Elena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun all the way through.

Read in one sitting and as a sixteen year old I still enjoy a good Michael Morpurgo book

[Carolyn West · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit strange but fun to read for children with an imagination.

[Can Dice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun quick read. One hour or less. I found myself smiling in some parts and towards the end. I love it.

[kelsie (taylor's version) · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a good story for younger readers, but obviously for me it was too short to really enjoy? It was a nice easy read though.

[Christopher Trend · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short and very readable book about imagination, fantasy and reality. What happens when the three overlap?

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic book by Michael Morpurgo. Full of imagination, fantasy and myth. I really loved this one, only wish it was longer.

[Jebin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! It was just the break I needed. I enjoyed being on that beach with the children, the sandman and the turtles.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going to admit it from the start that I adore Michael Monpurgo as much as I love Roald Dahl. I go into books from both others with a high expectation and neither seems to disappoint. I love this story. I love the magic and how stories come to life. The fact that children can change the world and that Grandads or Dadcis stories are more than just words. I adore the ending - makes me giggle every time I read this.

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 3 out of 5]

81 - 2017

[Jack · Rating 2 out of 5]

For book reviews and more, please visit my book blog, The Book Stop

A bit predictable and not the most exciting of storylines. Not a page turner for me. I wasn't intrigued by the story's events. I did like the characters and how they were portrayed though. I liked the ending but wish that it was a bit longer. Overall it was a nice, short read but not my favourite.

[Lucía · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is for very young people around about 4 years old if you read this book and your any older you will not enjoy it. I didn't like that there was basically no real problem in the story. It was totally pointless. The only part I liked about the book was the illustrations they were hilarious for that I give the book a 2 out of 10. I would not recommend this book if you are over the age of six unless you love to look at funny illustrations.

[Clare S-B · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this to my little brothers and they both enjoyed it a lot. I did to but, it seemed a little to silly, but it was fun for them. I kinda dislike how fairy tales come true in the real world, it wouldn't bother me if it all happened in some 'otherworld' but it is just way to far fetched, but it was still cleverly done.

[Christine Ottaway · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another winner.
In this tale of the Sandman and his turtles coming to life, it's hard to know where fantasy ends and fact begins. Classic Morpurgo.

[Maia Ben-Yami · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book the author shows us in a nice way what he thinks of folkstories: if you believe in them they come true for you, if not- they don't.
Wonderfully funny and exiting.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely, old fashioned and heart warming story. My 5 year old loved it and wanted to give it 10 stars!

[اليازية خليفة · Rating 1 out of 5]

قرأت القصة بعد قراءة" The Mozart Question" شعرت بالملل وأنا أقرؤها، صدقت ابنة أخي عندما رفضت شراء قصصه الخيالية وأصرت على قصصه التاريخية.

لا أشعر حتى برغبة في تقييمها...

[Tinker · Rating 4 out of 5]

It may look a bit babyish but it is still a good read.

[Clemen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is for little kids...

[Anshul · Rating 1 out of 5]

my mum read out to me and thought it was boring and dumb. i just liked listening to her say " captain sergei ivanovitch prokofiev" !

[Lilypod · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book because it had loads of exciting parts. My favourite character was the Sandman becuase he was funny! Michael Morpurgo is one of my favourite authors!!!

[Ümit Mutlu · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice little book about tiny little fantasies and child stories.

They can be true!

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely children's book, I read this to a class of y2s over several lunchtimes and they loved it.

[Jenna Mills · Rating 2 out of 5]

A cute story for kids no doubt, but not so great for an adult. My kind of ending though.