Books with author Michael Morpurgo M B E

“Will fire imaginations and elicit the heart-pumping, wide-eyed response that has kept this tale alive and vigorous through the ages.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)Long ago a Scandinavian warrior fought three evils so powerful they threatened whole kingdoms. Standing head and shoulders above his comrades, Beowulf single-handedly saved the land of the Danes from a merciless ogre named Grendel and from his sea-hag mother. But it is his third terrible battle, with the death-dragon of the deep, in which he truly meets his match. Lovers of heroes, monsters, and the drama of battle will find this retelling as enthralling as it is tragic.

A gripping children’s story from War Horse author and former Children's Laureate Michael Morpurgo.“We all knew what was going to happen. We’d seen it before. A ship about to founder staggers before she falls. A huge wave broke over her stern and she did not come upright again.” Life on the Scilly Isles in 1907 is bleak and full of hardship. Laura’s twin brother, Billy, disappears, and then a storm devastates everything. It seems there’s little hope. But then the Zanzibar is wrecked on the island’s rocks, and everything changes . . .The Wreck of the Zanzibar is a gripping historical adventure from the author of An Eagle in the Snow, Listen to the Moon, Shadow, and An Elephant in the Garden.Michael Morpurgo is the master storyteller of such modern classic children's books as War Horse, Friend or Foe, Private Peaceful, and Kensuke's Kingdom. He has written more than one hundred books for children and won the Whitbread Award, the Smarties Award, the Circle of Gold Award, the Children’s Book Award and has been short-listed for the Carnegie Medal four times.

On New Year's Day Becky Morley begins to write her diary. By March, her world has changed forever. Foot and mouth disease breaks out on a pig farm hundreds of miles from the Morley's Devon home, but soon the nightmare is a few fields away. Local sheep are infected and every animal is destroyed. Will the Morley's flock be next? Will their pedigree diary herd, the sows with their piglets, and Little Josh, Becky's hand-reared lamb, survive? Or will they be slaughtered too? The waiting and hoping is the most agonizing experience of Becky's life.

“Morpurgo's dramatic telling captures the vitality of the tale as well as its beauty and mystery.” — Booklist (starred review)Welcome to a medieval world full of sword fights and shape-shifting, monsters and magic, and timeless characters both gallant and wonderfully human. Written anonymously in the fourteenth century, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is retold in its entirety by Michael Morpurgo in a lively and accessible narration that captures all the tale’s drama and humor. Vivid illustrations by the celebrated Michael Foreman infuse this classic tale with dragons, swords, and medieval pageantry.

After 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 that ensures that their friendship will never be forgotten. A section of activities for young readers includes Lion Facts, Pet Care Quiz, Puzzle Pages, Makes and Bakes, and more.

When Lesley is sent to Venice to interview world-renowned violinist Paulo Levi on his fiftieth birthday, she cannot believe her luck. She is told that she can ask him anything at all – except the Mozart question. But it is Paulo himself who decides that it is time for the truth to be told. And so follows the story of his parents as Jewish prisoners of war, forced to play Mozart violin concerti for the enemy; how they watched fellow Jews being led off to their deaths and knew that they were playing for their lives. As the story unfolds, the journalist begins to understand the full horror of war, and how one group of musicians survived using the only weapon they had – music.

A lifetime of tales from the nation’s favourite storyteller, and award-winning author of WAR HORSE – the perfect gift for any book-lover.The most comprehensive and definitive Michael Morpurgo collection ever, this gorgeous edition features twenty-five enchanting short stories by the nation’s favourite storyteller – as well as extracts from twenty-five of his best-loved novels.Divided into five parts – covering war, animals, memory, the sea and folk tales – this timeless treasury spans the whole of Michael Morpurgo’s glittering literary career.Each of the five parts also features a full page illustration by the illustrators Michael has worked most closely with in the course of his writing life: Michael Foreman, Quentin Blake, Christian Birmingham, Emma Chichester-Clark and Peter Bailey. With such beautiful illustrations and such a wealth of extraordinary stories, don’t miss this stunning treat for collectors and fans alike.

An enchanting take on the legend of King Arthur from Britain’s best-loved children’s author, Michael Morpurgo.‘There stood before me an ancient man swathed in a dark and tattered fleece, his long hair and beard matted with filth, his face grey with grief and age. Holding the sword out in front of me, I backed away until I felt the sink behind me and I could go no further. His eyes followed me all the way.' When Bun Bendle is struck blind, he feels like he is drowning in blackness. But the discovery of an ancient tomb and a strangely familiar sword changes him forever.The Sleeping Sword weaves a contemporary tale with Arthurian legend in a way that is utterly spellbinding. Once again, former Children’s Laureate and award-winning author of War Horse, Michael Morpurgo, demonstrates why he is considered to be the master story teller.

A stunning new classic from master storyteller Michael Morpurgo for readers of 9+, in the vein of PRIVATE PEACEFUL and THE BUTTERFLY LIONThis is a landmark new novel from the nation’s favourite storyteller, set in the unique landscape of the Camargue in the South of France during WW2. There, a young autistic boy lives on his parents’ farm among the salt flats, and the flamingos that live there. There are lots of things he doesn’t understand: but he does know how to heal animals. He loves routine, and music too: and every week he goes to market with his mother, to ride his special horse on the town carousel.But then the Germans come, with their guns, and take the town. A soldier shoots a flamingo from the sky, and it falls to earth terribly injured. And even worse is to come: the carousel is damaged, the horses broken. For this vulnerable boy, everything is falling apart.Only there’s a kind sergeant among the Germans – a man with a young boy of his own at home, a man who trained as a carpenter. Between them, perhaps boy and man can mend what has been broken – and maybe even the whole town…

Discover the beautiful stories of Michael Morpurgo, author of Warhorse and the nation’s favourite storytellerBest-selling author Michael Morpurgo turns his storytelling skills to the drama and tragedy of the Spanish Civil War, illustrated by Michael Foreman.TORO,TORO is the story of a young boy growing up in Andalucia, Spain, on a farm rearing bulls for the bull ring. Antonito hand rears a little black calf and they become firm friends, but the boy doesn't yet understand the fate of the black bulls – the corrida and death. Later, when he learns of the horrors of the bull fight, he frees Paco, the black bull, and rides with him into the hills.There they witness the bombing of their village (it's the year 1936, and the Spanish Civil War has started) and Antonito cannot go back – his family and the farm are destroyed, and Paco has run off, wild with fright. He decides to stay in the hills, where he meets up with the Resistance fighters. During the War, Antonito hears stories round the campfire of the wonderful black bull, who becomes a symbol of freedom for them all. Could this really be Paco? But no-one has ever seen him. After the war, when Antonito is working as a muleteer in the mountains, he falls asleep and dreams of Paco. In the morning, he wakes to see hoof prints on the ground beside him…A delightful story, full of nostalgia and drama in the author's own inimitable style. Illustrated by Michael Foreman.