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Homecoming

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In this involving tale, master storyteller Michael Morpurgo revisits the ‘landscape of his memories’, telling of his boyhood in the idyllic village of Bradwell fifty years before. The village is a stone’s throw from the sea, with a gull on every chimney stack, and is peopled by quirky characters such as the three Stebbing sisters, the white moustachioed Colonel Burton and Bennie the village thug. But the heroine of this story is the serene Mrs Pettigrew, who lives in a railway carriage down in the marshes with her dogs, donkey, bees and hens; she befriends the young Michael and lets him ride over the marshes on her donkey so he too can experience the magic of the local wildlife and environment. But industrial reality intrudes when plans are made to build a nuclear power station on the site of the marshes, endangering Mrs Pettigrew’s home and the gulls, owls, kestrels and thousands of insects and plants which also belong there. A village battle ensues for and against the environmental hazard of the power station, and the young Michael finds himself caught up in the sad fate of Mrs Pettigrew and the landscape of his boyhood.

80 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2012

3 people are currently reading
137 people want to read

About the author

Michael Morpurgo

635 books3,044 followers
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.

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
Profile Image for Fatma Al Zahraa Yehia.
604 reviews983 followers
October 20, 2024
During his visit to his childhood home after 50 years, the narrator remembers a brief chapter of his life that had a profound impact on him.

From the very first lines, the narrator shows us how revisiting the past could be frightening. He shows us how scary is it to find that the sweet picture of the past that he kept on his mind for a long time has changed.

Morpurgo tells the story of a life of a peaceful village that was demolished forever by building a nuclear power plant. That plant mostly affected the life of "Mrs. Pettigrew" as it was designed to be built on her land what eventually leads her to leave the country altogether after losing her beloved house.

The story explores the special bond that connected Michael-the narrator-with "Mrs. Pettigrew" the old foreigner who opens Michales' eyes to the beauty of nature around him, which makes him later more aware of the dangers of Nuclear power projects in his small village.

Though the overall quiet and peaceful atmosphere of the story, The pace was quick and focused on a short period of time. The illustrations were amazing and depicted the beauty of the place and time.
Profile Image for Phu.
788 reviews
November 5, 2023
Trở lại tuổi thơ là tác phâmt hứ hai mình đọc của tác giả này, so với quyển đầu tiên mình đọc của ông ấy thì quyển này hay hơn hẳn, mình cảm thấy nó buồn, sâu sắc hơn để dành cho thiếu nhi.

Câu chuyện xoay quanh hành trình trở về vùng đất thơ ấu tại Bradwell của nhân vật Michael, đó là hành trình tìm lại ký ức tuổi thơ và cũng là hành trình đối mặt với những đổi thay của thời gian, sự tàn nhẫn của cuộc sống.

Ban đầu mình chưa thể theo kịp giọng kể của nhân vật, nhưng dần dần sau đó mình lại bị cuốn theo từng lời kể về những ngày thơ ấu đó. Đúng là trong cái rủi có cái may, đã dẫn dắt đưa Michael đến với cuộc sống của bà Pettigrew - một người phụ bị cho là kỳ lạ và cả Michael cũng sợ bà ấy. Nhưng tất cả đã thay đổi vì sự tốt bụng và ân cần của bà Pettigrew dành cho Michael. Cậu bé được khám phá và biết đến những điều tuyệt vời trong cuộc sống ở vùng đầm lầy của bà Pettigrew cùng lũ chó và cô lừa của bà ấy.

Điều mình ấn tượng nhất chính là cách câu chuyện được thêm thắt những cao trào, xúc động rất hay. Với Michael và cả chính người đọc như mình cũng có những ký ức về một nơi nào đó của tuổi thơ, chỉ tiếc là những nơi đó chẳng thể tồn tại mãi. Dù mọi thứ hiện tại đã đi theo những phát triển tiện nghi hơn nhưng vẫn có gì đó thật buồn... trong hành trình của Michael mình được thấy bản thân mình trong đó. Bên cạnh đó phần minh họa của cuốn sách rất đẹp.
Profile Image for Craig Sisterson.
Author 4 books91 followers
April 10, 2018
A terrific wee story from a great storyteller, that I imagine would be ideal for primary school readers or parents reading aloud to their kids at night. Michael revisits his childhood hometown, with all the memories that stirs up of a more innocent time in his life, before the town was divided over the building of a nuclear power station. It's a relatively straightforward tale, told simply, but deceptive in its simplicity. Morpugo draws us in as the main character 'Michael' reminisces about being bullied in an incident that introduces him to a wonderful lady, Miss Pettigrew, who lives a life surrounded by plants and animals, in a railway carriage by the marsh. A delightful tale for kids, that is threaded with issues such as bullying, the environment, economic 'progress', and the people who touch our lives.
54 reviews1 follower
August 31, 2022
I loved it because I loved the setting of it but I didn't like that Mrs pettigrew died and that her donkey died too but I also loved the bit where Mrs pettigrew made her speech and that Micheal Murpugo chose some powerful sensory language. Finally, I loved how Michaels mother bonded with Mrs pettigrew. I love Micheal Murpugos books because they always have friendship in them.
Profile Image for Katie.
348 reviews9 followers
February 7, 2021
I thought this book would be about a donkey.
I was wrong 🤭
It was about a small seaside town and an isolated lady that lived on the edge of the town in a train carriage. The story then lead on to how the council built on that plot of land...

For such a small book it contained a lot of death.
I dont think this book is suitable to children. The pictures are beautiful but the story would be weird and uninteresting to kids.
12 reviews1 follower
September 18, 2013
’Homecoming’ is written in the first person and starts with the narrator reluctantly revisiting the village where he grew up fifty years ago. His reminiscences are vivid and well painted, with beautiful illustrations, and exactly embody how our childhood memories are sometimes vague and random, perhaps remembering one specific characteristic of a person and not quite remembering his or her name right.

The book retells how the young narrator first met Mrs Pettigrew who lived in a railway carriage by the sea wall surrounded by marshland, with her dogs, hens and a donkey. This idyllic childhood ended when ‘men in suits’ built a large atomic power station on the marsh, destroying the surrounding habitat and forcing Mrs Pettigrew to leave her home.

I was surprised to find I didn’t like this book. Although it puts a strong case for preserving the environment and could be useful when discussing conservation issues and change in general, I would recommend extreme caution with Primary readers. The story itself is very bleak (Mrs Pettigrew’s husband died, the donkey died, and, after burning her old home down, Mrs Pettigrew also died!) and strongly biased against the ‘men in suits’. Additionally, in the book Mrs Pettigrew is referred to and treated as ‘different’ in the village because she is ‘foreign’.

I found the book very melancholy and felt it included messages that would not be constructive or enlightening, nor welcome in an inclusive multi-cultural classroom.
Profile Image for Cherie.
110 reviews
July 1, 2018
Homecoming by Michael Morpurgo
I really like Michael Morpurgo. So I couldn't resist this little gem. Beautifully illustrated too by Peter Bailey. A quick read one afternoon whilst I was on holiday. Michael revists his childhood home & village in a sweet reminiscence which speaks as much to adults as children.
Profile Image for Katy Kelly.
2,579 reviews106 followers
May 2, 2016
A short story from Morpurgo, based on his own childhood. I was reminded of 'Boy' (Roald Dahl's reminiscences of childhood) at times, though this is a serious story.

This would have interest for adult readers, those who enjoy stories of past times and their own childhoods, readers interested in how small towns have had to change to make 'progress', to the detriment of these rural populations and the wildlife/landscapes surrounding them.

Michael, a man, returns to the village he remembers from childhood and shares his memories with the reader, of his mother and a scattering of eccentric characters, but mostly about Mrs Pettigrew, the widow who lives with dogs and donkeys in an old railway carriage on the marshes.

The book charts their friendship and Michael's idyllic time with her, until the first threat of a proposed atomic power station rears its head.

This is a rather sad story for a younger reader, with an ending that, unusually for Morpurgo, does not offer much in the way of happiness or rebirth.

There are moral messages here, environmental ones that teachers may find make this slim tome a good one for class reading, and it is, as always eminently readable and simple enough for a primary school student.

I liked Peter Bailey's drawings, they had a nostalgic quality and added to our portrait of Mrs Pettigrew.

It's nice to read a true story for a change, but if Morpurgo has stuck to read events, it does make this stand out as a less uplifting tale than we are used to, which is not a problem unless it is a little upsetting for a young reader/listener unexpectedly.

I enjoyed the short story, and I do look forward to discussing it with students at my secondary school.

I would say best recommended to children aged over 10.
Profile Image for Catherine Smith.
12 reviews2 followers
October 15, 2013
Homecoming is a short story written by Michael Morpurgo, telling a story of his growing up, near a marsh in a small town. It is written in the first person, from his perspective as he is revisiting the town he grew up in. He tells the story of a character, Mrs Pettigrew, who lived in a caravan in some marshes near the village. Unfortunately the town council want to build a nuclear power station on these marshes, and it seems that this is the way things will go. The main character, his mother and Mrs. Pettigrew must campaign to save her land.

I think the story would be good to use for Year 3-5 students, particularly because it covers the topic of embracing debate between the students, as well as the geographical issue of power stations and protecting wildlife areas, something useful for cross curricular learning. As I felt with the Dancing Bear, the novel appears a little dated and I feel some more advanced children may pick up on this. I do feel however, that the book has a variety of talking points, starting immediately with bullying of the child, moving to nuclear power, and also the isolation that Mrs Pettigrew faces as she appears 'foreign'.

The book is really nicely illustrated by Peter Bailey, and the younger children would enjoy being able to look at these and discuss how the characters in the story feel.

I think this book would be good to use for class reading or as the base of the lesson, particularly to encourage further discussion. I would not particularly encourage it for free reading as it uses a lot of varied vocabulary and references that the children may not understand and may need further support with.

12 reviews6 followers
June 9, 2013
Homecoming is suitable for Years 3-5, or children aged 7-10. This is a lovely little gem of a book about a child, Michael, and his growing and enduring relationship with a local old lady who teaches him about life and nature. They first become friends after Michael is bullied as a child and the lady, Mrs Pettigrew nurses and consoles the bleeding, crying young child. She is a strange lady who lives alone, on the marshes near Michael’s village and in a railway carriage! A tragedy occurs, and Michael moves away from the village with his mother. Fifty years later, Michael returns to the village an old man to revisit some of his strongest childhood memories...

It touches on the childhood theme of bullying but only very lightly. The main themes running through the book are the beauty of nature, village life and the passing of time. It is very clear the author, Morpurgo, loves being surrounded by nature and holds some anger towards cities and modern buildings. It is very tender, heart-rending and emotional. The lark singing at the end is so beautiful...I really think children will love this book once they have finished reading it, not really at the start of the book, so try to finish the book in 2 to 3 sittings with your class, no more than that. It is a gem, with cross-curricular links to primary geography, PSHE and possibly art (decent illustrations exist throughout).
Profile Image for Tara.
74 reviews
September 7, 2013
My 7 year old son and 10 year old daughter enjoyed having this story read to them today. Like many of his other books, the story is thought-provoking for both children and adults. The children loved the idea of living on a marsh in a railway carriage (beautiful illustrations by Peter Bailey) and we had a long chat about nuclear power.
Profile Image for Du Ca.
26 reviews10 followers
December 24, 2016
Cuốn sách không chỉ dành cho trẻ em.
Profile Image for Tanya.
1,395 reviews24 followers
June 28, 2022
I was nearby anyway, so I had every excuse to do it, to ignore the old adage and do something I'd been thinking of doing for many years. "Never go back. Never go back." Those warning words kept repeating themselves in my head ... [p. 1]

Read via Internet Archive: I hadn't previously been aware of this children's book set in Bradwell-on-Sea, near where I grew up. The framing narrative is that of a middle-aged man, 'Michael', returning to the village in which he lived as a child, and revisiting his memories of the 1950s. He remembers the friendship of the mysterious Mrs Pettigrew, who lived in a railway carriage out on the marsh. Mrs Pettigrew loved nature, and had a donkey (named Donkey) and three greyhounds: she was the widow of a botanist, and grew up in Thailand.

Michael's childhood was idyllic, until men in suits came from London to present a plan to the villagers: a nuclear power station, to be built on the marshes where Mrs Pettigrew lives. The plan divided the village, with Michael, his mother and Mrs Pettigrew all being firmly opposed. Some of the villagers welcomed the benefits that the power station would bring: jobs, money, investment.

As a child I often swam at Bradwell beach (the water was always warmer there) and I remember the science-fictional hum of the power station. It was decommissioned in 2002, though there are plans for a second power station. Meanwhile, the remains of the reactors loom over the fields: the older, present-day version of Morpurgo's narrator sees the 'monstrous complex' and feels as though his memories have been trampled.

Homecoming is a melancholy book, very evocative of the salt-marsh landscape and its vibrant ecology, but also of loss, death, defeat. Understandably negative about nuclear power, too: the power station was built only 12 years after Hiroshima was bombed, and the perils of radiation were very much in the public imagination. Mrs Pettigrew, who'd researched the risks, claimed that even after the power station had ceased operation, it would need to be entombed in concrete for centuries to be anything like safe. Turns out it's 80-90 years, which is quite bad enough.

Lovely watercolour illustrations by Peter Bailey, which were the reason I read the scanned Internet Archive version rather than the ebook.

Never go back, never go back: your memories will be trampled.


Fulfils the 'technology-themed' rubric of the 52 Books in 2022 challenge.


Profile Image for Rachel Fellowes.
94 reviews1 follower
August 11, 2017
Lovely book, read it with my 7-year-old son. Sparked long discussions about dwelling rights, the spoiling of natural habitats, radioactivity and its effects. Brought back memories of children from Chernobyl who came to visit West Cork during the '90s for respite.
22 reviews2 followers
April 7, 2018
The book taught me that people who live on their own aren't necessarily weird - they can be very good! Ms Pettigrew was kind and generous to young Michael - she pulled a thorn out of Michael's cheek.
25 reviews
September 16, 2020
A lovely lyrical picture book with stunning illustrations. A story about love, animals and migration. Shows dedication to a task and the love and will go carry on even in tough times, and that hard work pays off and you get what you want or where you want to be in the end
Profile Image for Sophie Crane.
5,251 reviews179 followers
August 24, 2023
i decided to read this book as it was not to long so i could sit in the garden and read it.
the story is about a man who travels back to his childhood home and remembers it before he left, he remembered a lady who he knew and its a bit sad but i still really enjoyed it!
Profile Image for Kalilah.
338 reviews2 followers
April 25, 2018
I love the sound of Mrs Pettigrew's home!
7 reviews
September 27, 2021
Lovely story about a boy who befriends Thai neighbour in a UK coastal town. Powerplant built on her plot of land. He returns years later. Easy to read, very likeable characters. Y3 up.
12 reviews1 follower
October 10, 2022
Touching. It's about the Blackwater, but about childhood, and wounds and joy. Loved it's simplicity, told through the eyes of a rediscovered child...
Profile Image for ines.
286 reviews6 followers
July 2, 2023
ترجمة : د. أكرم حمدان
552 reviews2 followers
February 20, 2025
I love Michael Murpurgo books. A little sad but a beautiful book.
Profile Image for Josie.
1,884 reviews39 followers
December 17, 2024
A bleak and depressing story, especially since it's based on true events. Although it conjures up images of a bygone time, and the illustrations are lovely, I would have liked more depth to the plot. The story is packed with sad events, but I never felt the impact of that emotion. Most of Michael Morpurgo's books make me tear up, but not this one.
Profile Image for Cruth.
1,656 reviews146 followers
February 24, 2014
Author: Michael Morpurgo
Illustrations: Peter Bailey
First Published: 2006 as "Singing for Mrs Pettigrew" in Singing for Mrs Pettigrew: A Story Maker's Journey.

Gift for 8yo on her birthday.

A mix of themes in a short children's book:
- environmental awareness
- the price of progress
- acceptance of others
- bullying
- growing up
- childhood influences.

Beautifully illustrated with a bittersweet message and sad twists.


from http://i.telegraph .co.uk/multimedia/archive/02173/homec...

Easily read with interesting, unusual messages in a children's story.

A book that remains with you as your subconscious harries those intertwined threads and makes you think.

References:
Author's website: http://michaelmorpurgo.com/books/home...

Age:
Read aloud - 6+
Read yourself - 8+

(ISBN 978-1-4063-3202-5)

-CR-
Profile Image for Kyriakos Sorokkou.
Author 6 books213 followers
Read
August 2, 2019
TEACHER'S REVIEW #2

This is the second review, one more follows. This is part of my reviews of books I'll give to my students on our Easter Class on Monday. These reviews will boost my reading challenge, and will prepare me for the post-Easter discussion for each book with each student.
This was a beautifully sad story, that's an oxymoron but it's how I felt it was. An ecological story about a beautiful idyllic seaside marsh and Mrs Pettigrew living in her railway carriage (wagon). And then money-hungry people decide to build an atomic power station. It shows our love for money and our love for destroying mother nature. A heart-rending story as the Telegraph's review says, a story for every child and adult alike. 5 bright stars
Profile Image for CaroleHeidi.
192 reviews12 followers
May 22, 2016
Another haunting short story by Michael Morpurgo, this time from the first-person view point of a man re-visiting his childhood village fifty years after moving away as a child. As he walks the streets he remembers his neighbours and particularly Mrs Pettigrew, a quiet lady from Thailand who lives out on the marshes in a converted railway carriage with her dogs and donkey. The story is idyllic until men from London come and propose the building of a nuclear power station on the marsh, right where Mrs Pettigrew and her animals live. The end of the story is chillingly believable and very sad. Again Morpurgo says a lot with only a few words.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews

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