Muck and Magic: Stories from the Countryside

Muck & Magic

by Michael Morpurgo

Written in support of the Farms for City Children charity, an anthology of newly-commissioned stories celebrating the countryside. Includes contributions from Berlie Doherty, Ted Hughes and Dick King-Smith.

175 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1995

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

[Nuqksh Sapra · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are many stories in this book from the countryside and they are all very interesting

[Hh · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a dissappointing, pointless book of short stories. A few had promise, but then veered off into cliche land. Poor editing didn't help the any. I do not recommend this book to anyone. (I actually picked it up because Dick King Smith had written a story, but his was one of the worst and most disappointing; a mild but dull rephrasing of a Redwall story.)