Childrens reading

Yes, firstly I know it's in the wrong category but I couldn't see it listed anywhere else!

So, here goes..........

Michael Morpurgo wrote war Horse, back in the eighties. It was one of his best, most well written books with an excellent storyline.

Joey is a horse, not a normal horse, but a horse that understands several languages and has written a book! Yes, this book has been written from the point of view of Joey, the young farmhorse sent out to war, and has several mysterious adventures while he’s there.

Albert is Joey’s best friend; at least they seemingly understand each other. They live on Albert’s parents farm in the British countryside, with the other – and older – horse Zoey.

The storyline is that Albert’s father buys Joey at an auction, but doesn’t really need him. Albert and Joey immediately like each other, but Albert’s father wants him to be a working horse, and so Joey trains him to plough fields. However war breaks out and Albert’s father sells Joey to the Army for 40 pounds.

Albert hates this, and says that he’ll sign up for the army when he reaches 16. So, Joey gets sent off to France and meets Captain Nicholson, a very high-ranking soldier.
Captain Nicholson rides a horse called Topthorn, and Joey immediately takes a shine to him.

After a while in the British Army, and several riders later, he meets Emilie and her Grandfather and stays on their farm for a while, with Topthorn, until the German army raids their farm and takes them. They are ridden with the German Army for a year or so, until Topthorn dies. Joey stays with him, but the other troopers run off and disband.

The enemy is firing at them, and so Joey has no choice but to run. He does, and ends up in the middle of nomans land before finally finding more people. It turns out to be the British Army, and he finally meets Albert again. Joey gets tetanus and nearly dies, but he was lucky and survived.

Then, they were told “5 Minutes and It’s over” and so the war ended.

Albert and Joey go back home, and Albert marries Maisie Cobbledick, who he was dating before he left for the Army. “Whose crusty bread was every bit as good as he had said but try as he might he never got to eat any of her Pasties, and do you know she never even offered him one”

Michael Morpurgo has a way in this book of making the characters come to life, and he does this both by the way that you don’t realise you’re reading from the point of view of Joey, and the formation of words.

I’d aim this book at young teenagers, as some of the language is too hard for children and too easy for most Adults.

My opinion of this book is that it is a good bedtime read, but not really a very good book to read for too much at a time, the plot doesn't change too much and it does get boring in the middle, a problem that alot of books suffer from.

Oh well, try it Anyway!