Showing results by author "Michael Morpurgo"

It’s 1944. Elizabeth's father is fighting with the German army on the eastern front. Her mother works at Dresden zoo, where her favourite animal is a young elephant named Marlene. When the zoo director tells her the dangerous animals must be shot to prevent them running amok when the town is bombed, Elizabeth's mother moves Marlene into the back garden to save her… and then the bombs start to fall.

In 1914, a beautiful foal with a distinctive cross on his nose is sold to the Army and thrust into the midst of the war on the Western front. But his heart aches for Albert, the farmer's son he left behind. Will he ever see his true master again?

The powerful new novel from the master storyteller - inspired by the true story of one man who might have stopped World War II. It's 1940. The train is under attacks from German fighters. In the darkness, sheltering in a railway tunnel, the stranger in the carriage with Barney and his mother tells them a story to pass the time. And what a story. The story of a young man, a young soldier in the trenches of World War I who, on the spur of the moment, had done what he thought was the right thing.

Told in the voice of a young soldier, the story follows 24 hours in his life at the front during World War I, and captures his memories as he looks back over his life. Full of stunningly researched detail and engrossing atmosphere, the book leads to a dramatic and moving conclusion.

When Michael is washed up on an island in the Pacific after falling from his parents’ yacht, he struggles to survive on his own. He can’t find food and he can’t find water, and as Michael and his dog curl up to sleep, he knows they cannot last long. But he soon realises there is someone close by, someone who is watching over him and helping him to stay alive.

Michael Morpurgo’s classic tale, capturing the power of the human spirit. First published back in 1982, ‘War Horse’ has taken the world by storm. The book was adapted to the stage and was performed at the National Theatre and on Broadway. This full and unabridged edition is beautifully performed here by the National Theatre’s first Albert, OIivier-award-winner Luke Treadaway. At the outbreak of World War 1, Joey, young Albert's beloved horse, is sold to the cavalry and shipped to France.

A stunning and moving new novel from Michael Morpurgo, the nation’s favourite storyteller – featuring the bravest dog in all the world. When Hero, a bomb-sniffing spaniel, goes missing in the middle of wartorn Afghanistan, his soldier-owner is devastated. Meanwhile, Hero makes friends with a local Afghan boy, and sees a whole other side of the war. As Christmas draws ever closer, the question is – will Hero and his trainer ever be reunited?

Olly's brother, Matt, has always wanted to be a clown, and when he sees the plight of Africa's children, he makes the decision to fly the family nest to take his skill to a place devoid of laughter. To his family, it is a travesty: this bright, intelligent boy with a glowing future ups and leaves to head into the unknown, leaving behind him a trail of worry and feelings of impending doom. Olly is charged with the care of a family of starlings that she and her brother have been watching over in the garden....

Children’s author Michael Morpurgo narrates his book The Mozart Question, an eloquent and ultimately uplifting story charting a small boy’s discovery of his love for the violin, and of his parents’ traumatic past in a concentration camp during the Second World War. This audiobook weaves together the book’s narration with musical extracts to bring the story alive, featuring pieces by Beethoven, Vivaldi, Bach and Mozart performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

From master storyteller Michael Morpurgo comes a surprising, charming and uplifting twist on The Wizard of Oz, told by a very special and unforgettable character: Dorothy's pet dog, Toto.

Classic fables which are told with a twist by the wonderful Childrens book author Michael Morpurgo. READ BY HARRY MAN. Classic fables which are told with a twist by the wonderful Childrens book author Michael Morpurgo. READ BY HARRY MAN

Homeless and lost in a dark, strange forest, young Robin is rescued by a motley crew of misfits. He yearns to avenge his father and seek justice against cruel oppressors, to finally defeat the Sheriff of Nottingham, once and for all. And through his friends, Robin Hood finds the courage to become a legendary hero.

There were dozens of us on the ship, all ages, boys and girls, and we were all up on deck for the leaving of Liverpool, gulls wheeling and crying over our heads, calling good-bye, I thought they were waving good-bye. None of us spoke. It was a grey day with drizzle in the air, the great sad cranes bowing to the ship from the docks as we steamed past. That is all I remember of England…

A heart-warming novel about Kaspar the Savoy cat, from the award-winning author of Born to Run and The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips. Everything changes with a cat like Kaspar around. After all, he's Prince Kaspar Kandinsky, Prince of Cats, a Muscovite, a Londoner and a New Yorker, and as far as anyone knows, the only cat to survive the sinking of the Titanic….

For Will and his mother, going to Indonesia isn't just a holiday. It's an escape, a new start, a chance to put things behind them - things like the death of Will's father. And to begin with, it seems to be just what they both needed. But then Oona, the elephant Will is riding on the beach, begins acting strangely, shying away from the sea. And that's when the tsunami comes crashing in, and Oona begins to run. Except that when the tsunami is gone, Oona just keeps on running.

A lyrical and moving tale of a young boy growing up in Africa, and his lifelong friendship with a white lion. Bertie rescues an orphaned lion cub from the African veld. They are inseparable until Bertie is sent to boarding school far away in England and the lion is sold to a circus. Bertie swears that one day they will see one another again, but it is the butterfly lion which ensures that their friendship will never be forgotten.

The heart-lifting, heartbreaking new story by Michael Morpurgo, the nation’s favourite storyteller.In the Imperial War Museum is a wooden Dachshund, carved by a German prisoner of war for the children of the British family with which he stayed after the fighting ended. This is the story of how it got there…When the Bismarck sinks, one of the only German survivors is taken on board a British ship as a prisoner of war. Sent to live with a host family, Walter must adapt to a new way of life, in the heart of an enemy country.

Things have been difficult for Harry since his mother remarried. With a new baby at home, and only trouble at school, life is unbearable. Ocky the chimp, escaped from the circus, offers Harry a chance for a new life. Things have been difficult for Harry since his mother remarried. With a new baby at home, and only trouble at school, life is unbearable. Ocky the chimp, escaped from the circus, offers Harry a chance for a new life. With his friend, Harry runs away from all the people who seem so hard on him.

At the outbreak of World War I, Joey, young Albert's beloved horse, is sold to the cavalry and shipped to France. He's soon caught up in enemy fire, and fate takes him on an extraordinary odyssey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man's land. But Albert cannot forget Joey and, still not old enough to enlist, he embarks on a treacherous mission to the trenches to find him and bring him home.

Eloise has always loved Joan of Arc. Noble, honest and brave, she was everything Eloise wishes to be. And on a bright sunny day in Orleans, Eloise has a very special daydream…. A young girl faces an impossible task - to save her beloved France from tyrants. To free her country, Joan will lose everyone she has ever loved. But she listens to her heart and believes in her calling. Through patience, perseverance, and unbreakable spirit, Joan of Arc leads armies to victory and finds the strength to face the cruellest of destinies.