The Wreck Of the Zanzibar - Michael Morpurgo

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 ...
...a farm on Bryher in 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 ... more

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.
She and her family have a farm on Bryher in 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 suffer from storms and their cows being ill, gradually the people of Bryher are leaving and going to the mainland.

During this difficult time Laura helps a leatherback turtle that has been washed up on the beach. Although the family are hungry and could eat it, Laura feeds it and helps it return to the sea.

Finally her father decides that they will have to go and live on the mainland, but because of storms during December they cannot leave.

During a really violent storm comes a shipwreck, the remaining people of Bryher manage to save it's crew and cargo. This includes brother Billy and some healthy cows.

On Christmas Day they find a turtle dead on the beach, but it is not real just a ships figure head. The figure head of the wrecked ship the Zanzibar, and we finally find out who Zanzibar is.

The question of whether the good fortune of the shipwreck for the islanders came about from Laura's kindness to the turtle remains.

I came upon this book as my son is reading and working with the text for this school term.
I can see why it has been picked for this as there are plenty of topics that can be followed up from it. Such as what island life was like in 1907, children of fourteen being and work and not at school, people relying on salvaging wrecks for a living etc..

Michael Morpugo has written many books, some have been shortlisted for the Smarties Prize, and' Why the Whales Came' has been made into a film.

Would I recommend this book, well yes it's well written if not a must read classic.

Would Matthew recommend it. NO. He say's he hates it because it's about a girl. Thats a nine year old boy for you, and also being told by his teacher that he has to read it may have a lot to do with his dislike for it.

Published by Mammoth. Price £4.50.
ISBN.0-7497-2620-2 

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