King of the Cloud Forests

by Michael Morpurgo

Escaping from China as the Japanese invade, Ashley and Uncle Sung embark on a perilous journey across the Himalayas. Then Ashley finds himself alone in the hostile mountains , battling for his life. He is just about to give up all hope, when he has a mysterious and terrifying encounter …

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Adventure, Historical Fiction, China

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1987

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

[Baba · Rating 2 out of 5]

A rollicking adventure starting off with a missionary settlement in China being invaded by the Japanese, causing a British boy, Ashley, and his Chinese mentor to flee, only to see the boy end up with …wait for it... yetis! Just an OK read, despite such an intriguing premise. 5 out of 12, Two Star jam, just for Morpurgo's so accessible writing style that makes it easy for children to get into his work

2014 read

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

First things first: I fricken love the Yetis! They are the master race, no questions asked.

***

This book was not what I was expecting. I only read one book of Morpurgo's before and I was excited to read more. Even though it was not as good as 'Private Peaceful', it still has some pleasant qualities. It is fast paced, unique and there a constant development between the characters. The ending was great.

However, there was times when I had to ask myself, 'what on earth am I reading?', but I soon got over that when I realised how cool the Yetis were. It certainly isn't a book that I am likely to come across again. That is for sure.

[Stancyy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mimi !
Point négatif : y a quasi que des personnages masculins
Points positifs : yéti + le perso attrape la mononucléose infectieuse... je me sens entendue et comprise 🗿🗿🗿

[Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite an interesting read got hooked from first page and liked how the story flowed

[Klare · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read.

[Rachel Payas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this one with my class of Year 6. We enjoyed it overall and most of the children rated it highly due to the creatures! They loved Ashley’s adventures. You can tell however that this was written in the 80s. Some of the language and the vernacular in general was hard for my class from 2025 to grasp at times and I ended up having to explain a lot more of the language than I expected.

[Len · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an old fashioned tale is this. A young Briton cast adrift in the Himalayas from all that is familiar to him. Then taken captive, made king – or something similar to it – until he can manufacture his escape and make his way back to what he knows as civilization. Taken like that it could be from the 1920s or 30s, a story from the era of the Boys' Own Paper and Chums. That is, until one looks more closely.

The old imperialism has gone. Young Ashley respects the people around him and is upset when they do not respect him – and it is not all due to his father's religious teaching. Ashley is a British boy of our time rather than the 1930s. If there is a failing in the book it is that: Ashley would not have done well growing up in the Empire.

Of course he has a rough time. Forced out of China by the Japanese invasion in the company of his mentor, Uncle Sung, he has to retreat into the high mountains of Tibet and Nepal. Then trapped alone in a howling blizzard he is taken by a tribe of high mountain creatures, perhaps yetis, but not quite human and comes to be treated as the re-embodiment of their almost supernatural, white-skinned god-cum-ruler of years earlier.

Back in the days of the Boys' Own Paper those yetis would have been portrayed as either savage or playfully childish King Kongs. In 1987 they become an endangered species with their own culture, pseudo-language and religion, deserving their place in the world. Ashley fits in, in a somewhat paternalistic way, making friends with “Little Red” and the adults. There are some strange things that happen, the environment for one. When Ashley is brought to the land of the yetis it seems to be an almost Shangri-la paradise in a world of ice, snow and towering mountains, one wonders why humans hadn't colonised it first and, though its river is flowing down from the Himalayan glaciers and therefore icy cold, Ashley has little difficulty in swimming in it without developing hypothermia.

They are small points. Ashley escapes and makes his way back to Britain where there is a twist to the tale as he discovers why the yetis thought him a reincarnation of a divine spirit. But sadly there is not a truly happy ending as the adult Ashley can only dream of contentment by returning to the high mountains and finding his tribe once more.

It is a deceptively simple story but written with such style that at times it becomes breathtaking to read. I said in my comments as I was reading the book that it was like watching an experienced tightrope walker performing her act and thinking 'that looks easy enough'. Yes, OK, now just try doing it yourself.

[Tom Ewen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a history with this book. At school as a young boy the best teacher I ever had read this book to his class. I loved it. So much so, my mother found it in the library and I read it once more. It was the first book I remember resolutely capturing my heart, the first book I could not put down, the first book I would read before school to the consternation of my poor mum who was desperately trying to get me out of the door. It was a book that genuinely showed me how magical reading is, how joyful and how immersive.

37 years later, I bought it for my own child who is perhaps too young for it but nonetheless, I read it to them. It remains utterly magical. Full of kindness, tragedy, pathos, adventure and other worldliness. Having since been to Tibet myself and visited the Himalayas the richness of the imagery is only more evocative and a tale which imprinted itself in my memory so vividly has created new memories all over again.

It is beautiful and I’m genuinely grateful to Michael Morpurgo for having given me such a gift; the love of reading that which has seen me through much of my life.

It’s a child’s book, yes. It’s also just a bloody good read!

[16HardyalK · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a action genre that goes through a exhausting journey. King of the Cloud Forests is the story of Ashley Anderson, the son of a missionary working in China. When the Japanese invade his adopted country he must flee with his Uncle Sung across the Himalayas into India. What happens to Ashley in the Himalayas and whom he meets there is what makes this book so special. These is lots lf confusion when he is captured, who are these inhuman characters. I would recommend this book to anyone who like suspense and action.

[F.R.I.E.N.D.S Lover ❤️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was soooo good it’s about a young boy named Ashley who leaves his father in the war of China and goes with his Uncle Sung into the mountains of Tibet. There his uncle disappears and leaves him alone in the peaks. Suddenly a mysterious creature brings Ashley to a cloud forest filled with others like that beast. Could these be the legendary yetis?

[Isla (lovednonebutyou) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book hit me directly in the chest so hard I couldn't breathe. God. This is the third Michael Morpurgo book I've read this year and the fourth one in my life and he knows where to hit you so it hurts. I loved Ashley and watching his journey, especially with the yetis. I was devastated when he had to say goodbye to them, and then cried when he met "Leelee". Hats off to you Mr Morpurgo for changing my life with another of your novels.

[Sylvie Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love a Michael Mopurgo book every single time

[Arti · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young boy escapes from China after the Japanese invasion and starts on a journey thru Tibet, Nepal and India to England. Through snow clad mountains and many storms, he fights the cold and hunger and comes across wolves and the yeti... he lives with the yeti for an year and learns about their life and their ways - his experience with the Yeti touches his life as nothing else... and he finds that many years ago a young doctor (who later won the novel prize for medicine) had lived with the yeti for three years... and the yeti had mistaken him for the old doctor from the past... the two share a bond and an experience and such comradeship that is more precious to them than anything else... they remember their simplicity and honesty that is beyond what we can aspire for...

As he grows up, he fails to become attuned to the harshness of people around him and misses the warmth of close companionship of the Yetis and the clear clean air of the mountains - and he lives in the hope of going back and living with them again...

A heart warming story... a new author for me... an easy charming read...

[Carlos Río · Rating 2 out of 5]

"King of the Cloud Forests" es una novela juvenil de Michael Morpurgo de 1987, y con dolor, porque me encanta este autor, he de reconocer que no me ha gustado. Aunque tiene ideas muy buenas, me parece un Morpurgo desafinado: uno de sus puntos fuertes, que es crear tensión, aquí falla, y da la sensación de que el escritor iba descubriendo la historia mientras avanzaba, pero también iba olvidándose de lo que había escrito anteriormente.

"King of the Cloud Forests" va pasando por distintas etapas, que se corresponden al viaje de Ashley, y a todas les pasa lo mismo: en cuanto se acaba la novedad, son aburridas porque Morpurgo se olvida de subir la tensión (a veces se da cuenta, y entonces crea algo interesante, pero lo hace tras páginas y páginas muy anodinas). Además, el autor va plantando elementos que parecen importantes, pero que luego no pintan nada; y cierra la novela con demasiadas casualidades.

http://www.elrincondecarlosdelrio.com...

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every time I read a Michael Morpurgo book, I think I can't be more enthralled than the last one....then I am - AGAIN.

This book is amazing. If you are the sceptical type, you'll think its all made up or maybe you are a believer. Whichever you are, this is an amazing story and Morpurgo deserves the title, 'The Master Storyteller'.

It is the tale of Ashley Anderson and Uncle Sung, who make the long and dangerous journey from his father's mission in China to try to get home to England, travelling through Tibet & Nepal's mountainous country.

Ashley is seperated from Uncle Sung and finds himself living with gentle creatures, who revere him as a King ( or a God). The Yeti.

An amazing, well told story....whether you believe it or not is up to you....

[Steph Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Michael Morpurgo was my favourite author as a kid and if I was 10 perhaps I would have rated this book a little higher. Even though the plot wasn't as interesting as I'd hoped and I would have preferred more character development, I still loved it. It made me feel very nostalgic and I didn't have to question why Michael Morpurgo was my favourite author.

[Aruna Kumar Gadepalli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Telling a story in a manner that holds the readers attention is I feel that Michael Morpurgo's skill. This book as of other books of the author deal with war, human relations and various things that hold a man to philosophical nature of the human nature. Easy and quick read with a fine story-line.

[Nikolaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book I chose to read was “King of the Cloud Forest” written by Michael Morpurgo. This book is adventure fiction, I usually don’t enjoy adventure fiction but I enjoyed this book because Michael Morpurgo is an incredible author. I have loved all of Michael Morpurgo's books so I decided to try this one.

This book mainly takes place in the wild, especially the forest but also some other locations. The main character is a boy called Ashley. His challenge is to survive and luckily he does. Ashley and his Uncle Sung, have to flee China and they have to survive living alone in the mountains, during winter, which is hard. One day Ashley is captured, by Yetis and has suddenly become their king/leader.

At times this story was scary but mostly excited. It wasn’t believable because this story isn’t realistic, doesn’t seem realistic, but I enjoyed reading as I escaped reality. I even laughed at different parts. My favorite part was when all the yetis started learning english, because they speak funnily, which made me laugh. I would recommend this book to a few friends, because I think a few of them will enjoy it. The reading age is 11-15. 7/10 is my rating.

[Lynxx · Rating 4 out of 5]

King Of The Cloud Forests is an unassuming story at first glance, before it's unexpectedly weaved with myth and fantasy. What starts as a boy's introduction to the realities of war and loss in China becomes a reflective and wistful account of an arduous journey across the Himalayan mountains, the assimulation into and then loss of an intimate, unanticipated family, and the way this experience colours Ashley's perceptions of life in the unfamiliar civilisation of England.

Morpurgo's writing is clean and cohesive, padded with edifying descriptions and details that give the world and Ashley's thoughts depth without impeding the pace or easy digestion of the story. The consistency of the narrative voice gives legitimacy to the mythological presence and helps to lessen the jolt from reality to fantasy.

Overall it is a pleasant and easy read; a fantastical escape that never strays far from the harsh realities of loss for long, but is always embedded with a shard of hope.

[Sonal · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was just as amazing as Michael's other books . Good plot , outstanding characters and a fantastical world . However , I wish there was more information on what actually happened to Tot when he went missing . I would've also liked to have more information on Ashley's father , about whether he was alive at the very end of the book . I know it was mentioned that he was in a prison , but that was when Ashley was still young . I wouldve liked to know what happened to Mr Anderson when Ashley was grown up . I think it would've also been nice to have more background information about Charlotte. But other than that , it was beautiful . Full of twists and turns , nothing was predictable ! Especially the fact that Uncle Sung was alive . I'd honestly thought he'd died in the snow , but I was overjoyed when I read that he was alive.

[Hitishaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book 'The King Of The Cloud Forests' is certainly an enthralling book with ironical ending. When Japan invades China, Ashley Anderson is sent away with his Uncle Sung to walk through the mighty Himalayas to Tibet and then to India from where they would sail to England to where his grandmother lives. They have to take certain precautions and when they reach the Himalayas, Ashley loses his Uncle. He somehow survives through some snowy days when he is about to die from hunger. He meets two yetis who take him to their kingdom. The call him ' Lelee' and he and the Yetis make friends. Then he leaves and he unexpectedly finds Uncle Sung. They travel to England and then meet another man having the same adventures.

[Joss · Rating 5 out of 5]

While written for children, anyone with an interest in history and strange possibilities will enjoy this. I first read it a frightening 30 years ago, so this is a re-read of a treasured paperback, signed by the author with the inscription,"Love from the Yetis". Not giving away anything here as there is a picture of one on the cover. Ashley is the son of a missionary doctor in China at the outbreak of WW2. When the Japanese invade, Ashley and Uncle Sung head for the hills to escape, but, the hills in question being the Himalayas, they get into trouble and are separated and Ashley's adventure begins.....

[Simpu · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is about demolishing an old family barn and how Annie, the little girl together with her grandpa tried their best to talk Annie’s father out of it. But he went ahead with the plan and what happened next is amazing.

The author has successfully churned a wonderful story out of something simple and humble like a barn. He points out that a barn is not just a building to store grains or raise cattle. It is also a home, a haven to plenty of other living beings, raising their family for decades. This small story throws light on the importance of empathy for others, and unbelievable animal instincts and brings home the importance of coexistence and caring for others.

[Francesco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ashley Anderson è figlio di un missionario inglese in Cina. All'avvicinarsi dell'esercito giapponese durante la seconda guerra mondiale, il padre decide di mandarlo in Inghilterra insieme allo Zio Sung, e approfittando del fatto che questi è tibetano la strada migliore è passare per l'Himalaya.
Qui Ashley incontrerà il misterioso popolo degli Yeti e farà un'esperienza che lo segnerà per tutta la vita.

Malinconico, il libro è impreziosito dalle illustrazioni all'acquarello di un artista francese che riesce a rendere magnificamente il senso di immensità delle vette himalayane e il calore accogliente della tribù degli Yeti, così come il grigio inglese e la ricchezza di colori della Cina.

[Maryam ღ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a rather hopeful story. I grew a quick liking to the yeti's who capture Ashley and revere him as their king. Ashley taught the yeti's quite a few things. For example swimming. I also liked how Ashley and another man met the yeti's and told each other what they named them. I found it quite pleasant when Uncle sung and Ashley meet a few months after they both thought the other dead. I enjoyed reading this book and didn't want it to finish. This is one of the nicest Michael Morpurgo book I read.

[Jodie Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

My main reason for reading this was because it was a recommended text for a KS2 mountain based topic. I did enjoy the text once I got past chapter 4 as I found the first few chapters difficult to engage with.

As a lower key stage 2 teacher, I think that the continual mention of cigarettes/pipes/ tobacco would be tricky to navigate in the classroom. This would be more suitable for upper key stage 2.

[Jodzilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coup de coeur.

Douce histoire touchante et réconfortante qui fait rêver aux montagnes de l'Himalaya.

J'ai maintenant comme ambition de vivre moi aussi aux côtés des yétis, avec la neige, les montagnes et les moutons.

《 (...) dans leur simplicité et leur honnêteté, ils atteignent une grandeur d'âme à laquelle nous pouvons à peine prétendre, sans le moindre savoir, sans la moindre référence à une divinité.》

[Maia Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael Morpurgo is a brilliant author because even though it is long it all seems to fit in with storyline. Getting someone telling a story in the actual book of what he has wrote is amazing. I also want to say a big thank you to the editor of this book because they make things better than they originally were.

[LB Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

What else lives up in the mountains, in the in unbearable cold? As Ashley travels with his Uncle Sung from China to England, he must be disguised to fit in with the people who live around these parts. But will he be able to survive the icy cold on his own. But then he is taken away and strange hairy creatures revere him as their king. Can he solve this identity crisis?

[Lauren White · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was beautifully written as are all MM books. The imagery was fantastic and the protagonist was relatable. It was just a tiny bit too fantastical for a five star from me, but I enjoyed every minute.