Boy Giant: Son of Gulliver

by Michael Morpurgo

A stunning new story of hope, humanity and high-seas adventure for children and adults everywhere from Sir Michael Morpurgo, the nation’s favourite storyteller and multi-million copy bestselling author of WAR HORSE.

“We were the truth of our own story.Me, and the two tiny people on my shoulder, in the middle of the sea…” War has forced Omar and his mother to leave their home in Afghanistan and venture across the sea to Europe. When their boat sinks, and Omar finds himself alone, with no hope of rescue, it seems as if his story has come to an end. But it is only just beginning. Because in the end, a little hope makes a big difference… A thrilling adventure inspired by the classic story of Gulliver’s Travels, this is also a gripping modern narrative of rescue and refuge, from a writer at the height of his powers. A book about breaking down walls, at a time when many are trying to build them. And a timeless reminder of humanity’s infinite capacity for good… even when those humans are very small indeed.

Genres: Childrens, Middle Grade, Adventure, British Literature, Fiction

Paperback

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

[Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obviously directed towards a younger audience but the blurb says enjoyable for any age. It is well written but truthfully, mostly what I enjoyed from the book was the message that anywhere can be home but the heart always belongs to family. Framing the narrative within the immigration crisis and having the boy wash up on Gulliver's island is a nice thought and metaphor. Though I can't help feeling it slightly undermines the severity of the tragedies faced by these immigrant's, although almost necessary for children. Morpurgo does well to not let the message get lost in the fantasy of the story. Overall it isn't the next Warhorse or Cool! But it would be a great way to teach children about the challenges immigrants from war torn countries face and I feel children would enjoy the story and humour more.

[BooksForTopics · Rating 5 out of 5]

Award-winning storyteller Sir Michael Morpurgo brings his loyal readership a brand new novel this autumn, brought to life with line illustrations by Michael Foreman.

Boy Giant: Son of Gulliver is a heartwarming refugee story about hope and humanity in times of being without a place to call home. Omar is making the perilous journey across the sea to England after his home in Afghanistan has been devastated by war. After seeing his family torn apart, Omar and his mother walk for miles to reach the coastline in order to board a boat heading to a safer place to find refuge. Not having enough money to pay the fare for two, Mother persuades Omar to take the journey to England alone and wait for her there. Uncle Said owns a cafe on Fore Street, Mevagissey and Omar repeats the address over and over so that he doesn't forget where to wait.
The sea journey is terrifyingly perilous and before long waves are crashing over the sides and Omar watches the boat fill with water as hope of being reunited with mother begins to fade. A powerful sea storm sees Omar losing consciousness and after a while he awakes on the shores of an island. Taking in the crowd of friendly and curious faces staring him and hearing a few words that he recognises from his limited English, Omar dares to hope that he has reached England's shores at last. There's only one problem; the people here are small enough to fit in his hand and he is a mountainous giant by comparison.
Omar soon realises much to his dismay that this is not England but the island of Lilliput, which keen-eyed readers may recognise from the story of Gulliver's Travels set a few hundred years before. Now, the Lilliputians call Omar a 'Son of Gulliver' and welcome him with warmth and kindness. But Omar soon discovers that the island is under threat, and the peace-making legacy of Gulliver from the past needs his help to be restored.
This is a gripping story offering an original twist on a well-loved classic. The story of Gulliver is cleverly leaned upon in both structure and narrative and the revisiting of Lilliput is delightful to those familiar with the details and themes of Gulliver's Travels. Importantly, it does not matter that the majority of young readers will be unfamiliar with the original, as Morpurgo explains all the necessary background through the story.
With important themes of reconciliation, kindness to strangers and the devastating effects of war, this is a thrilling read that raises questions about whether humanity will ever learn from its past as well as being an imaginatively-rendered encouragement to individuals to seek reconciliation over conflict in everyday situations.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an advanced proof copy. We have featured this book on our Autumn 2019 Ones to Watch list.

[Linley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A retelling of the tale of Gulliver (1726). By using modern language, Morpurgo has given this valuable story a new audience. It will hopefully get the readership that Morpurgo's writing deserves.

Recommended to Y7-10 (ages 11-15).

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omar is forced to flee Afganistan. He hopes to meet his mother again in the mystical place called England, where people smile and help each other and there is no war. But his boat goes down at sea and he wakes up somewhere very different...

I'll admit, I've never read Gulliver all the way through, just children's versions, so I can't say how accurate this is to the original. However, on its own merits, it's a beautiful story, very much a Michael Morpurgo. My early version doesn't have all the illustrations, but there's enough that I can tell this is going to be a very beautiful book.

Morpurgo and Foreman are an excellent team and this is going to be a wonderful book. I mean, I cried. But that's par for the course with these guys!


Between Gran Baruta and Tapit - and my friends sitting here on my shoulders - I was discovering so much about Gulliver; for instance, how he had brought the English language to Lilliput three hundred or more years before, which was why everyone on the island now spoke two languages, Lilliputian and English. I discovered, in time, that the suit of clothes I was wearing had not been newly made for me, as I had always supposed, but was altered from some of Gulliver's clothes that they had kept and looked after when he left. As for my house, it had been Gulliver's house when he was on Lilliput. Like my clothes, it had been cared for all these years, and looked after, so that everything would be ready for him if he ever came back.

"He never did come back," Gran Baruta told me sadly one evening. "But we never forgot him, never forgot what he did for us, how his wise words changed our life here forever, helped us become who we are. The spirit of Guliver lives on. He may not have come back as we hoped, but you did, Son of Gulliver, you did."

So I was learning more and more about this Gulliver who had been there before me. But about Blufecu, they would tell me nothing. Just a mention of it and everyone fell silent. Blufescu was a closed subject.

[Esme · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was just a redo of the original story. The kids enjoyed it at first but got pretty bored of it towards the end.

[Just_me · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another wonderful Michael Morpurgo book. The Son of Gulliver is very easy to read and I instantly loved Omar or Owzat as he is also known. This book ties in the well know story of Gulliver along with a story of war and loss and a child refugee. I highly rate this book along with most other Morpurgo books that I have read and will definitely be recommending it to the children I work with.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC to read and review.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming story about Omar, a refugee desperate to reach his mum in England, who is capsized at sea and washes up on an island called Lilliput - the same island where Gulliver travelled to so long ago. With the help of his new friends he finally makes his way to Cornwall to try and find his mother. A charming book.

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have said it before, and I will say it again... Michael Morpurgo is a magician when it comes to storytelling... and this is no exception.

I will be honest, it initially perplexed and confused me (probably because, as a Librarian, I was worrying about which section of the library I should put it in) but once I had gotten over myself, I relaxed into the story and thoroughly enjoyed it (and for the record, I have put it in Realistic... which it clearly isn't, but it is even less Fantasy and I just couldn't quite see it in Mystery/Adventure either.)

Michael Morpurgo has taken the story of Gulliver's Travels and used the themes therein to tie it in with a modern day refugee story. I must confess that I didn't really know the original story of Gulliver and had to do a bit of background research, but there are many parallels between the two tales.

Omar and his mother are being forced to leave war-torn Afghanistan after losing his dad and sister. The two are separated and Omar ends up in a boat out at sea in a storm. When the boat sinks, Omar finds himself washed up on a strange beach surrounded by tiny people... and so he embarks on a new chapter in his life.

Essentially Boy Giant is a story of hope and kindness and forgiveness and tolerance... basically all that is good in the world.

It would make a fabulous readaloud.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an adventure, fantasy and war type genre and is a great book for any ages but mostly younger people. For a Michael Morpurgo book this of course has to have war included but here, war is not the main theme and mostly focuses on adventure which makes it less tense and a easy read. A quick summary of this book would be about a boy names Omar who was forced to leave their home because of war and was planning to move to England, on the way their event occurs and the real story begins. I enjoyed the change of theme from the regular war type Michael Morpurgo books, I would suggest this book to kids and young teens because this is a very easy read and include some pictures in every few pages. I very much enjoyed this book to read over my holiday as it set my mind to ease

[Sean O’Lorey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boy Giant: Son of Gulliver by Michael Morpurgo.

95% of the time Michael Morpurgo can do no wrong. This sadly, for me, is in that 5%. Omar leaves Afghanistan due to the war, his mum sends him on a boat and says to meet in Fore Street, Mevagissey where his uncle lives. Omar on a perilous journey ends up in Liliput. Where Gulliver ended up hundreds of years before. While in Liliput, Omar makes friends and learns English. They welcome him as one. He even breaks the rivalry between the neighbouring town. Before eventually leaving.

Although this story has some sweet moments and as touching as it is, I really couldn’t get on with it. I do love Morpurgo but this for me, isn’t one of his best.

[Aryan Lal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omar loves to play cricket. He is far better than anyone else in the neighbourhood…. BUT THEN THE WAR COMES! Omar finds himself as a refugee. Walking for days and nights, him and his mother finally find their way to a boat. They didn’t have any money but his mom had just enough jewellery on her body to buy a single ticket for Omar. He sails for days on end with another 15 fellow refugees. His is tired and hungry until the storm comes!

Omar finds himself washed up on the beaches of Lilliput. If this place rings a bell, you are right! This book relates to Gulliver’s Travels but reaches to another level with its personality and emotions.

[Rosie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book and by the end, I was really into it, but I found the first half a bit of a slog. There's just so much going on - a massive link to Gulliver's Travels, modern day refugees and war and even a woman rowing solo around the world. The thread of 'stories' running throughout and how individuals' stories join others' was interesting. When considering how I would use it in the classroom I think I would use extracts to scaffold writing, but I wouldn't use it as a class read.

[Sharlene Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am sure I have mentioned before that I have not read all the classics (not many at all really :/) but stories like these that draw the old stories into today are really beautiful to read. I enjoyed the modern inclusion on refugees and travelling away from home in fear and I love how that comes into a new generation “son of Gulliver” story. It’s like an into for the new generation to go back and engage with the classic novel.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A modern tale of a boy and his mother forced to leave their home in Afghanistan. Separated at the shore when the boat they were travelling in would only allow Omar . A storm hits and Omar washes up on an island full of tiny people who speak a foreign language and dress as if they’re stuck in another century. Using the tale of Gullivers travels Michael Morpurgo once again provides a narrative like no other. Engaging, amusing, relatable and above all enjoyable.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gulliver Part 2 meets refugee from Afghanistan!

I thought this was just going to be a repeat of the Gulliver story....but how many Morpurgo’s have I read?! I should have known that this masterful story teller could take even a famous well known story and run with it....to a whole new direction and a brilliant ending!

Fore Street Mevagissey! If I ever go visit Mevagissey again...I will have to look up Fore Street!

[Leo Margetts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book for multiple reasons. My first reason is that I liked how they linked a different book into this. The book they linked was the travels of Gulliver because the little people the main character was staying with for the majority of the book were calling him the son of Gulliver when he was actually a refugee from Syria. I also really enjoyed the ending because of how the mother of the boy who got left behind in Syria got reunited with the boy and his uncle

[Mousumi Choudhury · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great tale where the past and the present meet...when doing good for others and living for others.

Liked the connection to the Gulliver's Travels from the past and the Afganistan war from the present. The theme is something that still holds true .. friendship, hope, unity, relationship, grit and determination. Lots of twist through the book. A wonderful read for 8-10 year olds.

[Dorthe Svendsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

For en fantastisk forfatter. Forfatteren står nevnt på pensumlisten min for neste halvår. Mem jeg har fått mersmak etter Puffinboka og prøver å få i meg så mye som mulig av denne deilige brittiske flyten. Jeg har tro på at det forbedrer språket mitt samtidig som jeg får inn vakre historier. Denne boka var helt unik, tenk å klare å ta ett gammelt eventyr og gjøre det om til en superrelevant historie fra i dag, og samtidig formidle det gamle respektfult!! Anbefales!

[Kimmi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the link to Gulliver's Travels (which I am adding to want to read, if its anywhere near as good as this) and the way that Son Of Gulliver solves their problems. The ending was very sweet, and as usual Morpurgo lost and regained hope, which I've found he's very good at. Overall, a great read!

[Christine Ottaway · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another excellent Michale Morpurgo book, this one based upon Swift's Gulliver's Travels.

Omar, an Afghan refugee, washes up on the shores of Lilliput where he befriends the Lilliputians and helps right some historic wrongs just as his forerunner Gulliver did hundreds of years before.

Like all Michael Morpurgo books it is well told and well written.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book about a boy from Afghanistan who flees his Country with his mother and sister. When they chance on taking a boat to England from their refugee camp it becomes clear that they can only afford for one of them to go. Omar the son is made to go by his mother. On the journey they encounter rough seas. Soon Omar is the only one still in the boat and after another storm he finds himself washed up on Lilliput 300 years after Gulliver.

[Yusuf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boy giant is an amazing book which I really enjoyed reading as the book has an interesting storyline on how omar has to flee from war in Afghanistan after his dad was killed and being separated from his mother to go and look for his uncle in Cornwall

[Steph Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea what this was about when I picked it up in the library, and only did because they had a sand sculpture in there of the main character. It made me cry, laugh and think about how we receive strangers. This definitely touched my heart and will stay with me.

[Adele · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a dreadful idea, but the narrative swings from so fast it feels rushed to so slow it’s dull. And it’s very predictable. I know it’s aimed at children, but I read this with children and they didn’t think much to it either!

[Anna Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

War has forced Omar and his mother to leave their home in Afghanistan and venture across the sea to Europe. When their boat sinks, Omar finds himself alone, with no hope of rescue, it seems as if his story has come to an end.
But it is only just beginning ...

[Paul Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read Michael Morpurgo since the children were young and I enjoyed this tale for today.

[Niamh · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Runningrara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful for further reading recommendations and little else.

[Toby Gingell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very exiting and a bit sad love how its linked to gulliver travels

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for children!

Review to come...