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From Hereabout Hill
A collection of stories from Michael Morpurgo that explore different narrative styles and viewpoints.
176 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2000
16 people are currently reading
202 people want to read
About the author
Michael Morpurgo
630 books3,020 followersSir 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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
January 5, 2023
Really nice collection of short stories and starts off really strong. I see a lot of Neil Gaiman in the style of writing and I'm not sure if it's because I've read a few of Neils books and and graphic novels also this is the first time I have read anything by Michael Morpurgo. Some stories are a lot stronger than others and I found the odd one in here a little weak but overall it was a good quick book that someone lend me in work. A fun read to start the year off.
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June 11, 2012A heart warming classic
March 8, 2021
I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would, actually, and found something of the seemingly effortless storyteller about Mr Morpurgo. This is a new reader for our Year 7s and I think out is quite a good choice, ranging between styles and over thought-provoking content as it does. I will pass it to my daughter next, who will no doubt gut it in a matter of hours.
The first story is one of the best - it's setting of coastal Cornwall provides a backdrop reminiscent of Over Sea and Under Stone, as does its magical content. It keeps the reader guessing and stands out as a jewel in the collection. My Father is a Polar Bear is a more down to Earth affair, with its resonances less immediately within one's grasp. This has a limited success, especially when placed next to What does it feel like? the volume's second stand-out text. Tension and challenging content are refracted through the prism of a child's eyes to produce a shattering, empathetic condemnation of war.
The Owl and the Pussycat is one of many stories where animals play a part quite heavily (either he knows his audience or is a bit of an animal lover himself). The glimpses of savagery that the story allows lead the reader to some difficult questions about nature and its ways. Muck and Magic, the next story offered, seems almost autobiographical in its sense of art being passed on, master to servant, and made me wonder whether Morpurgo was indeed an apprentice to some other luminary or placed himself Quixotically in the role via libraries.
Silver Ghost is again about inheritance but is a more generic tale and Letter from Kalymnos shows Morpugo's writerly magpieing as he raids the experience of others to construct a tale around its framework (this may be what he did in Muck and Magic too). He starts every story with a paragraph's explanation which is interesting, although also seems a little like cheating. I expect children will love the chance to know a little more, so I shall forgive him.
The penultimate story is more mythical,almost fairy-tale like in its compactness. It's occasional references to The Tempest give pleasure for the more erudite reader but I found myself not especially interested in digging any deeper. It reminded me of Shrek - quite a lot, actually. The final tale is a short one and mixes Biblical stories in a near parabolic way to create a very similar sense, imbuing with its final words a sense of the Christian in Britain. I like that he chose to use (perhaps lesser known) stories whose age sets them in stone and shot a Pulse of new life through them - at its best the collection channels that pulse of creation.
The first story is one of the best - it's setting of coastal Cornwall provides a backdrop reminiscent of Over Sea and Under Stone, as does its magical content. It keeps the reader guessing and stands out as a jewel in the collection. My Father is a Polar Bear is a more down to Earth affair, with its resonances less immediately within one's grasp. This has a limited success, especially when placed next to What does it feel like? the volume's second stand-out text. Tension and challenging content are refracted through the prism of a child's eyes to produce a shattering, empathetic condemnation of war.
The Owl and the Pussycat is one of many stories where animals play a part quite heavily (either he knows his audience or is a bit of an animal lover himself). The glimpses of savagery that the story allows lead the reader to some difficult questions about nature and its ways. Muck and Magic, the next story offered, seems almost autobiographical in its sense of art being passed on, master to servant, and made me wonder whether Morpurgo was indeed an apprentice to some other luminary or placed himself Quixotically in the role via libraries.
Silver Ghost is again about inheritance but is a more generic tale and Letter from Kalymnos shows Morpugo's writerly magpieing as he raids the experience of others to construct a tale around its framework (this may be what he did in Muck and Magic too). He starts every story with a paragraph's explanation which is interesting, although also seems a little like cheating. I expect children will love the chance to know a little more, so I shall forgive him.
The penultimate story is more mythical,almost fairy-tale like in its compactness. It's occasional references to The Tempest give pleasure for the more erudite reader but I found myself not especially interested in digging any deeper. It reminded me of Shrek - quite a lot, actually. The final tale is a short one and mixes Biblical stories in a near parabolic way to create a very similar sense, imbuing with its final words a sense of the Christian in Britain. I like that he chose to use (perhaps lesser known) stories whose age sets them in stone and shot a Pulse of new life through them - at its best the collection channels that pulse of creation.
September 26, 2015
A wonderful collection of short stories by master storyteller Michael Morpurgo - a real gem! (But some of the stories are not appropriate for Primary school students. Might work best as a teacher resource in Primary or for independent reading for older students. Author notes for each story at the end of the book.)
From the book cover: "Each story has an introduction written by Michael Morpurgo himself. He has crafted a thought-provoking and captivating collection, ideal for exploring different narrative styles and viewpoints."
From the book cover: "Each story has an introduction written by Michael Morpurgo himself. He has crafted a thought-provoking and captivating collection, ideal for exploring different narrative styles and viewpoints."
July 1, 2012
Strange, but beautiful stories that stay with you forever. There's mystery, suspense and history engraved in each of them, which is great. A really good book to own, as you'll want to reread all the time!
September 24, 2015
Collection of 9 stories. Easy and quick read. The collection depicting the human nature.
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May 22, 2018Hereabout Hill by Michael Morpurgo
This is a fiction book. I am not sure what fiction genre this is but they are very mysterious and adventuress. I chose to read this book because they are a lot of stories in one book. There are a lot of adventures and mysteries.
The book is about all these small stories. Some end happy and some end bad. There isn’t one setting but all of them are in England. My favorite story is called: My Father is a Polar Bear. It is about this family with a small kid who is the person writing, and his big brother Terry, the mysterious father who was a polar bear, a mom, and her husband at that time called Douglas. It is about the boy who finds out that his father is a polar bear. Not a real one but his father played a role of one in a play, and that is why he left his wife and children. One day the grandmother of the two boys go to the theater to see a play. When the play was done, and tha cast was shown, the little boy and Terry saw it immediately that that was their father. Terry and the little boy went back tage to see their father. Their father was shocked and happy that he had his children. When the little boy got older he would always talk about how his father was a polar bear. His children told their children and so on. This was my favorite story because it ended happily and not sadly.
This book made me feel happy, sad, angry and other emotions. It makes me feel very engaged in the book because it has so many descriptive words. All the characters seemed real but there was the first story called: The Giant’s Necklace, which was very confusing with sort of ghost worlds and human worlds. It was very hard to understand but the way the author has written it, it actually makes sense and it is very descriptive.I give this book a 5/10 because I liked some stories which I was very engaged in but others not so much. I am not sure if these stories have a connection because you can’t really understand why these stories were written. I do recommend this to a friend if they want to read short stories and if they like mysteries and adventures. Any age is recommended because the stories are so different from each other that everyone will like at least one story.
This is a fiction book. I am not sure what fiction genre this is but they are very mysterious and adventuress. I chose to read this book because they are a lot of stories in one book. There are a lot of adventures and mysteries.
The book is about all these small stories. Some end happy and some end bad. There isn’t one setting but all of them are in England. My favorite story is called: My Father is a Polar Bear. It is about this family with a small kid who is the person writing, and his big brother Terry, the mysterious father who was a polar bear, a mom, and her husband at that time called Douglas. It is about the boy who finds out that his father is a polar bear. Not a real one but his father played a role of one in a play, and that is why he left his wife and children. One day the grandmother of the two boys go to the theater to see a play. When the play was done, and tha cast was shown, the little boy and Terry saw it immediately that that was their father. Terry and the little boy went back tage to see their father. Their father was shocked and happy that he had his children. When the little boy got older he would always talk about how his father was a polar bear. His children told their children and so on. This was my favorite story because it ended happily and not sadly.
This book made me feel happy, sad, angry and other emotions. It makes me feel very engaged in the book because it has so many descriptive words. All the characters seemed real but there was the first story called: The Giant’s Necklace, which was very confusing with sort of ghost worlds and human worlds. It was very hard to understand but the way the author has written it, it actually makes sense and it is very descriptive.I give this book a 5/10 because I liked some stories which I was very engaged in but others not so much. I am not sure if these stories have a connection because you can’t really understand why these stories were written. I do recommend this to a friend if they want to read short stories and if they like mysteries and adventures. Any age is recommended because the stories are so different from each other that everyone will like at least one story.
October 24, 2020
I started reading this with my daughter as she had to read it for school but in the end she finished it without me so I had to read the rest of my own. I’ve only ever read one Michael Morpurgo book (Why the Whales Came) when I was a child (which I remember enjoying) and knowing these are often read by adults as well as children I thought I’d continue with it.
This is a collection of short stories however not one story and each are based on Michael’s dreams or thoughts he may have had that never materialised into full stories. For what is supposed to be a children’s book though some of the stories are very harrowing with very adult themes in them from murders, death, suicide, war, ghosts and religion. Often the Author stops short of giving a full descriptive account leaving the rest to your imaginations which I was thankful for, however they were still harrowing in parts and I’d say could be a bit scary for children. Some stories had a nice ending, others not so much but all had a moral of some description in them which was nice and is clearly Michael’s style but I feel probably would be lost on some children and appreciated more by adults.
Would like to read some more of his classics though.
This is a collection of short stories however not one story and each are based on Michael’s dreams or thoughts he may have had that never materialised into full stories. For what is supposed to be a children’s book though some of the stories are very harrowing with very adult themes in them from murders, death, suicide, war, ghosts and religion. Often the Author stops short of giving a full descriptive account leaving the rest to your imaginations which I was thankful for, however they were still harrowing in parts and I’d say could be a bit scary for children. Some stories had a nice ending, others not so much but all had a moral of some description in them which was nice and is clearly Michael’s style but I feel probably would be lost on some children and appreciated more by adults.
Would like to read some more of his classics though.
April 25, 2019
This is a collection of short stories that are all VERY sad - be warned! It is also probably for more grown up children than I am (according to my dad). One is set in the war where a girl's village is invaded and all the towns people evacuated leaving the girl behind. Another has a girl thinking she has met people within a cave by the sea, but they are actually ghosts. One of Morpugo's recurring themes is also featured in "The Beastman of Ballyloch", where an outcast who lives on an island ends up saving the day after the village lake and fields are ruined by a passing magical salesman (the Beastman is a similar character to the Birdman in "Why the Whales Came"). So long as you presume that in almost every story somebody dies (apart from the Beastman, its just fish and crops that die in that one) you'll be okay and that it is still beatiful and well worth reading.
January 15, 2020
Hereabout Hill from Michael Morpurgo is a book of short stories but word of caution most of the stories I would say are definitely not appropriate for Primary school children.
My 10-year-old was given this for Christmas by a school Santa and I have always Enjoyed Morpurgo so decided to give this a read, I am so happy I did as this is not suitable for his age the stories tell the tales of death and war Ethnic cleansing teenage suicide and ghost stories and crucifixion of Christ.
All the stories are beautifully written and all have an emotional impact this is Morpurgo at his very best in my opinion it is an instance classic.
I really enjoyed this but again a word of caution not for the young.
Well worth your time and hard-earned cash.
My 10-year-old was given this for Christmas by a school Santa and I have always Enjoyed Morpurgo so decided to give this a read, I am so happy I did as this is not suitable for his age the stories tell the tales of death and war Ethnic cleansing teenage suicide and ghost stories and crucifixion of Christ.
All the stories are beautifully written and all have an emotional impact this is Morpurgo at his very best in my opinion it is an instance classic.
I really enjoyed this but again a word of caution not for the young.
Well worth your time and hard-earned cash.
August 14, 2019
This is a book of multiple short stories on varied topics, even a couple of ghost stories. They are all told in the first person and told very well. A nice style in writing, easy to read, no profanity amongst them. Sometimes I felt as though I was reading Tales of the unexpected, with the authors little introductions to each story. The stories themselves were exactly my cup of tea, because I am a melancholic old sod, and these tales are rather sad, and involve a lot of death. I really liked it. I recommend this book highly
April 21, 2023
tGN: devastating, unexpected, brilliant.
MFiaPB: heartwarming, content
WDiFL: devastating, shocking, heartaching, depression, angry
TOatP: anticlimactic, upsetting, angry
MaM: funny, friendship
SG: weird, unexplained
LFK: unexpected, dodgy, confusing
tBoB: superstitious, educational, romantic
MFiaPB: heartwarming, content
WDiFL: devastating, shocking, heartaching, depression, angry
TOatP: anticlimactic, upsetting, angry
MaM: funny, friendship
SG: weird, unexplained
LFK: unexpected, dodgy, confusing
tBoB: superstitious, educational, romantic
May 24, 2024
I am not kidding when I say that this short story collection changed my life. I actually cannot express how much I loved these stories as a kid (yes I was probably too young to read them but!!). THE GIANTS NECKLACE + THE LETTER TO THE BEST FRIEND... both have stuck with me.
November 9, 2021
really good collection 🙏 giants necklace is very well written
July 8, 2023
I liked only two of the nine stories: "Muck and Magic" and "The Beastman of Ballyloch." I do admit that he's a good storyteller.
September 7, 2023
Nice short stories, I struggled to undergo some tho but overall I liked it.
December 19, 2024
📚📚BOOK REVIEW 📚📚
🌄Rounding off the year with my Morpurgo choice for December was From Hereabout Hill.
🌄Morpurgo has created a collection of 9 short stories exploring love friendship and life and death for younger readers.
As with many collections of stories, some are better than others.
🌄For me, 5 of the 9 were quite memorable.
Giant Necklace was a sad adventure of a girls quest to make a shell necklace.
Polar bear Dad was a quirky story of Michael's relationship with his dad.
What does it feel like? was a story of friendship between a soldier and a girl despite the Second World War.
The Owl and the pussycat detailed the relationship of a boy and his care of an owl.
Muck and magic was an animal story of a boy and his friendship with a horse he befriends on his daily walk.
🌄All Morpurgo stories deal with adult themes of love, loss, and friendship sensitively and accessibly for younger readers, which is why he is such a great storyteller for children.
🌄🌄🌄/5
🌄Rounding off the year with my Morpurgo choice for December was From Hereabout Hill.
🌄Morpurgo has created a collection of 9 short stories exploring love friendship and life and death for younger readers.
As with many collections of stories, some are better than others.
🌄For me, 5 of the 9 were quite memorable.
Giant Necklace was a sad adventure of a girls quest to make a shell necklace.
Polar bear Dad was a quirky story of Michael's relationship with his dad.
What does it feel like? was a story of friendship between a soldier and a girl despite the Second World War.
The Owl and the pussycat detailed the relationship of a boy and his care of an owl.
Muck and magic was an animal story of a boy and his friendship with a horse he befriends on his daily walk.
🌄All Morpurgo stories deal with adult themes of love, loss, and friendship sensitively and accessibly for younger readers, which is why he is such a great storyteller for children.
🌄🌄🌄/5
May 29, 2023
Overall Rating 3/5 stars
🔹️Genre: mystery/fiction/adventure
🔹️Age Range: 10+
🔹️Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔹️Setting:⭐️⭐️
🔹️Characters Journey:⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔹️Entertainment Level:⭐️⭐️⭐️
A collection of short stories where some were better than others for me. It started off with the story 'The Giants Necklace', which I really liked and was my favourite by far. Others were OK or just lacking in something, I felt. Overall, it is good for a quick read. It definitely has some stories to create discussion.
🔹️Genre: mystery/fiction/adventure
🔹️Age Range: 10+
🔹️Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔹️Setting:⭐️⭐️
🔹️Characters Journey:⭐️⭐️⭐️
🔹️Entertainment Level:⭐️⭐️⭐️
A collection of short stories where some were better than others for me. It started off with the story 'The Giants Necklace', which I really liked and was my favourite by far. Others were OK or just lacking in something, I felt. Overall, it is good for a quick read. It definitely has some stories to create discussion.
January 26, 2020
A lovely collection of books touching your heart from every angel. From meeting a ghost to the terrors of war. Very good book would reed again would recommend to those who get bored half way through a book.
June 29, 2013
The Giant's Necklance is another short story by Michael Morpurgo that was used for literacy lessons with my year five class.
The story focuses on Cherry who is on holiday with her family in a Cornish coastal village. Whilst on holiday Cherry occupies her time by making a necklace out of cowrie shells and she wants to make it big, thus why the title is called "the Giant's Necklace."
The last day before the family are due to return home, they all go to the beach. Cherry, determined to complete her necklace, remains on the beach whilst her family return to the cottage to pack and she promises her mother she will be home before dark. Not giving up on her determination, Cherry continues her search. However, the tide is coming in fast and Cherry begins the ascent towards Eagle's Nest but a storm is brewing and Cherry succumbs to the sea.
Cherry then finds herself in a disused tin mine by a father and son who used to work there. The miners then assist Cherry to return home. Upon returning home, no one can hear and/or see Cherry. It is at this point the reader realises Cherry was killed by the storm and she is now a ghost, as were the two tin miners.
This is yet another example of how Morpurgo uses twists in his story. This story is an excellent resource to challenge the children with vocabulary and also introduces dialects to children, specifically the Cornish dialect. One activity the children undertook was to find sentences within the story and write what they think it means, thus a comprehension exercise. Another activity was whereby the children had to discuss how Morpurgo sets the scenes within this story, of which he does in a superb way.
A very challenging read which will definitely push the majority of the children in the class with their reading and comprehension skills, but certainly worthwhile. It also raised an important question by the children:- Why was Cherry allowed to be left alone on the beach, whilst her parents returned to the cottage? Again, a PSHCE cross-curricular link.
The story focuses on Cherry who is on holiday with her family in a Cornish coastal village. Whilst on holiday Cherry occupies her time by making a necklace out of cowrie shells and she wants to make it big, thus why the title is called "the Giant's Necklace."
The last day before the family are due to return home, they all go to the beach. Cherry, determined to complete her necklace, remains on the beach whilst her family return to the cottage to pack and she promises her mother she will be home before dark. Not giving up on her determination, Cherry continues her search. However, the tide is coming in fast and Cherry begins the ascent towards Eagle's Nest but a storm is brewing and Cherry succumbs to the sea.
Cherry then finds herself in a disused tin mine by a father and son who used to work there. The miners then assist Cherry to return home. Upon returning home, no one can hear and/or see Cherry. It is at this point the reader realises Cherry was killed by the storm and she is now a ghost, as were the two tin miners.
This is yet another example of how Morpurgo uses twists in his story. This story is an excellent resource to challenge the children with vocabulary and also introduces dialects to children, specifically the Cornish dialect. One activity the children undertook was to find sentences within the story and write what they think it means, thus a comprehension exercise. Another activity was whereby the children had to discuss how Morpurgo sets the scenes within this story, of which he does in a superb way.
A very challenging read which will definitely push the majority of the children in the class with their reading and comprehension skills, but certainly worthwhile. It also raised an important question by the children:- Why was Cherry allowed to be left alone on the beach, whilst her parents returned to the cottage? Again, a PSHCE cross-curricular link.
November 26, 2011
Michael Morpurgo not only thinks about what the readers want, but also how to make them feel what others feel when they lose someone important to them. Most of Morpurgo's storys in this book include someone experiencing losing someone preciose.
April 15, 2014
i didnt really like it, for this i am going to be talking about the first book , the giants necklace, which we had to read for school. it was so boring and didnt really grip me,
see my full review:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga6yz5...
see my full review:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga6yz5...
November 28, 2022
A lovely little compilation of stories, note to anyone with young children, not a little kids book. I grew up reading Morpurgos books so thought I’d check this one out and definitely a bit too mature for little ones.
May 3, 2024
Some stories noticeably better than others, but most as devastating as Michael Morpurgo tends to be. Honestly, most of my problem with it is just the cover. Several of these are *decidedly* adult stories - the cutesy font just feels so out of place.
May 7, 2012
Interesting. I liked it - most of it anyway. Not sure I'd want to read it again....
June 13, 2013
Morpurgo should be allowed to print money, but this is utter drivel and he should be secretly ashamed of himself.
July 16, 2013
interesting book of short stories.suitable to teenagers and 10 to 12 year old as well.
October 20, 2014
Had to read for work. Honestly not overly impressed by it. It'll be interesting to see what the students think.
November 19, 2015
Well-written children's short stories, but nothing special.
October 10, 2025
Some of the stories are fantastic and sparked some excellent debates in my classroom. Others were ok.
I’d say one or two were probably inappropriate for primary school age.
I’d say one or two were probably inappropriate for primary school age.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews