Children's Books > M Children's Books > Michael Morpurgo > less than 5 GBP

Advantages: easy read with lots of interesting facts about world war 2
Disadvantages: none

A heart-warming story which instantly draws you into the life of the two brothers and their family. Set at the time of World War Two this book is one that you can't put down. The book is aimed at a year 9 boy (3rd year at secondary school) but have also found it popular with younger boys. Michael Morpurgo is every child's favourite author and I have seen this book extremely popular this year in the school where I work. A sad but all too realistic ... Read review

Advantages: Well-written, honest, emotionally engaging.
Disadvantages: Young Manchester United fans may not like it so much!

...did, once." It is Billy the Kid's eightieth birthday, and as he sits on his favourite park bench, whiling away the hours before the match, he reminisces about his life. And it has been an eventful life. All Billy ever wanted to do was to play football for Chelsea FC. And he did too, before the war. He was good, scoring nine goals in his first season. Word had it that he would be playing for England before the year was out. But then Hitler came. ...
...Dunkirk. Because of Joe's death, Billy broke his promise to his father and joined up too, as a medic. And from then on, nothing went right for Billy. Nothing went right for Billy for a long, long time. The peace and safe harbour of that park bench has been so very hard to find… A story for young, but confident, readers of perhaps six to nine, Billy the Kid is not one that will last them forever. The narrative is simple but the vocabulary fairly ... Read review

Advantages: magical, easy to read
Disadvantages: none

This is the touching story of a young boy called Bertie told by his widowed wife after his death to another young boy called Jack after he finds himself in her garden after running away from boarding school (the same school Bertie went to) Bertie grew up in Africa where met his "Butterfly lion" but had to leave him when he got sent to England to go to boarding school. I don't want to give too much of the story away but i think any children (or ...
...which would be easy as the print is large and there are only 127 pages which contain some non-coloured pictures(by Christian Birmingham), which help illustrate and capture the magic of the story wonderfully. I got made to read it for my Uni course, but i am so glad it was this book as its such a beautiful story and had me actually crying in parts! This is the first Michael Morpurgo book i have read, but i will certainly be reading a few others ... Read review

Advantages: Great read
Disadvantages: You will put off things you should be doing just to keep reading the book

Gracie and Daniel have been told to keep away from the Birdman, but they find out that he isn't mad, but keep it secret. The birdman does warn them to stay away from Samson Island because it is cursed and only he knows why. The children, however, get lost in their boat during a foggy day and land on the island . When they return home tragic news awaits them. Will they discover what the Birdman knows about Samson Island before it's too late?. The ...
...and is another gem from Michael Morpurgo. Well worth reading and a good lesson in human behaviour and how fear of the unknown, or unexplained, can affect us. I find most of his books are for age 8 and over,but having said that if your child is younger and a good reader I would definately suggest it. My 7 year old loves his books. ... Read review

Advantages: Interesting story about life on the Scilly Isles.
Disadvantages: About a Girl? See opinion

The story begins with Great Aunt Laura dying peacefully at the age of one hundred. At the funeral Michael is given a diary belonging to his great aunt, the book is her story of a few extraordinary months of her life. Along with the diary is a letter telling Michael that the diary will tell him about where Zanzibar came from, at this stage the reader doesn't know who or what Zanzibar is. The Diary of Laura Perryman starts in 1907 on her 14th birthday. ...
...the Scilly Isles, life is difficult the cows are not milking well,and her father is always finding fault with her twin brother Billy. A schooner called the General Lee runs aground and the Bryher boat is first to it, getting it ashore means work for the Bryher people. But the Laura's joy is shortlived as once the General Lee is repaired her brother runs away to be a cabin boy on it. For the next few months the family and the rest of the islanders ... Read review