Morpurgo Untitled

by Michael Morpurgo

320 pages, Hardcover

Published September 19, 2019

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

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Boy Giant tells the story of Omar, Omar is a believable main character, 12 years old, adrift, shipwrecked and alone. Fleeing war, seeking sanctuary, he is saved by being cast ashore onto the island of Lilliput. Welcomed, respected, cared for, he at first believes he is in the England he has only heard about through stories, where new beginnings are possible, where help is given to those in desperate need. He is mistaken. He is not in England.
Morpurgo takes the topic of refugees and twists your heart with it. Its is a fantastic read as a story, but it has a powerful contemporary message at its heart. The book highlights what faces victims of war when trying to find safety. It questions the beliefs and actions of leaders we have now and shows what the consequences of a hostile environment do to our own humanity and to those we will not help. The spirit in Lilliput is what we are in danger of losing. Morpurgo hopes the children reading this book with feel empathy with those in genuine need, and challenge the ideas of selfishness and hate. I hope he is right but the ideas behind Morpurgo's book cannot wait a generation before action is taken, so I hope adults read it too. It could, as Swift wrote, tongue in cheek, to his friend about 'Gulliver's Travels' "wonderfully amend the world".

[Evie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book is AMAZING it is a very heart warming book.when I was reading it I really struggled to put it down and it only took me 4 days to read it when it usually takes me about 2-3 weeks to Finnish a book .i would highly recommend this book to all children young and old smaller children it is very easy to read but very very good :)(: