MICHAEL MORPURGO
Michael Morpurgo is an award winning English author, poet and playwright. He was born on 5 October 1943 in England. In high school, he says he was regarded as ‘rather stupid but great at rugby’.
After school he trained for the British army. He left the army and became a primary school teacher where he discovered a talent for storytelling.
He names his inspiration as Ted Hughes (Poetry in the Making), Paul Gallico (Author of ‘The Snow Goose’) and Hemmingway (Author of ‘The Old Man and the Sea’)
Mr Morpurgo has recurring themes in his work of the triumph of an outsider, relationships with nature, and vivid settings including the Cornish coast, Indonesia and World War 1.
Michael is patron to many charities and started one of his own – Farms for City Children
Some of his books have been adapted:
War Horse – adapted as a play and a Steven Spielberg movie
Gentle Giant – presented as an opera
Rainbow Bear – musical adaption, later presented as a ballet
Awards and Prizes
1993 Prix Sorcières (France): King of the Cloud Forests
1995 Whitbread Children’s Book Award: The Wreck of the Zanzibar
1996 Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (Gold Award): The Butterfly Lion
1999 Prix Sorcières (France): Wombat Goes Walkabout
2000 Red House Children’s Book Award: Kensuke’s Kingdom
2001 Prix Sorcières (France): Kensuke’s Kingdom
2002 Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (Bronze Award): The Last Wolf
2004 Red House Children’s Book Award: Private Peaceful
2005 Blue Peter Book of the Year Award: Private Peaceful
2005 Hampshire Book Award: Private Peaceful
2008 California Young Reader Medal: Private Peaceful
Books
Michael Morpurgo has written more than 120 books. The following books are in our school library. Some are in the Junior Fiction section while most of them are in the Fiction section. You will find them under MOR.
War Horse
This book recounts the adventures of a horse as he moves from life on a farm into the battles of World War I, the story of a friendship lasting through the toughest of tests. Through the eyes of the war horse, Joey, Michael Morpurgo tells this moving and powerful story of survival on the Western Front.
Private Peaceful
This is a stunning novel of World War I. It is so absorbing and atmospheric that you will want to keep reading to the end. Told through the voice of a young soldier it captures in 24 hours the memories of his life – with the harsh realisation that he is also facing an unknown future!
Running Wild 2009
When 10-year-old Will’s father dies in the Iraq war, his mother surprises him with a trip to Indonesia. But little could she have known what awaited them both there. At first Will knows that something is wrong is when Oona, the elephant he is riding along the beach, begins to spook. Then, suddenly, she takes off into the jungle with Will on her back. And that’s when Will sees the wave come crashing in! With his mother almost certainly drowned, with nothing to cling on to but an elephant and nothing to help him but the clothes on his back, Will faces a terrifying future. But maybe the jungle and Oona the elephant, can help him!
Not bad for a bad lad
When a young boy gets a reputation for being naughty at school, he reacts by being the bad lad that everyone expects. Leaving school at fourteen, he becomes a thief and eventually ends up in Hollesley Prison. But Mr Alfie, the stable manager, decides to give the boy a chance, letting him look after the horses. Can this bad lad’s skill with horses save him from a life of crime and help him achieve his dreams?
Little Manfred
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.
This morning I met a Whale
A fictional account of the day a whale swam up the Thames, in which the whale makes an environmental plea to the boy who first sees him.
At sunrise, young Michael spots a whale on the shores of the Thames and thinks he must be dreaming. But the creature is real and brings a message for him – humans must mend the damage they are doing to the planet before it is too late. Can he fulfil his promise to tell others when neither his teacher nor his classmates believe his story?
Gentle Giant
This fairy tale-like story features Skinner, a sad, lonely giant, who rescues a young girl from drowning in a polluted lake, thereby regaining the friendship of the villagers who had always been frightened by him.
Cool!
A moving and thought-provoking read. Robbie is badly injured in a car accident involving his dog Lucky. As he lies in a coma, unable to speak or move, his family and friends – including Zola, the famous Chelsea footballer – come along to see him. Will Robbie ever recover?
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Morpurgo and http://www.michaelmorpurgo.com/
Visit the Official Website at http://www.michaelmorpurgo.com/
This novel by South African author Richard Street has been donated to the school by the author himself. Set on a game farm in South Africa, it follows the life of 12 year old Dion from when he is bitten by an unusual spider. As a result of the bite, Dion is able to turn into any animal he chooses. He enjoys the flight of a fish eagle, the stealth of a leopard and the cheekiness of a monkey among others. He and his friend Sipho have fun at first, but things take a serious turn when a hunter arrives on the farm. Dion spots a leopard with cubs near the farm and he is determined to save it from being shot. His efforts to frighten the hunter away lead to some hilarious situations and the race is on to see if he can get him to leave before he kills the leopard.