Michael Morpurgo Books

Before the Steven Spielberg film, before the National Theatre production, there was the classic children’s novel – War Horse. From the nation’s favourite storyteller, Michael Morpurgo.

In the deadly chaos of the First World War, one horse witnesses the reality of battle from both sides of the trenches. Bombarded by artillery, with bullets knocking riders from his back, Joey tells a powerful story of the truest friendships surviving in terrible times. One horse has seen the best and the worst of humanity. The power of war and the beauty of peace. This is his story.

War Horse was adapted by Steven Spielberg as a major motion picture with Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, and Benedict Cumberbatch. The National Theatre production opened in 2007 and has enjoyed successful runs in the West End and on Broadway.

A great way of introducing young readers to the realities of WWI. Look out for Morpurgo’s other war fiction including Friend or Foe, Waiting for Anya, King of the Cloud Forests and An Eagle in the Snow.

War Horse is a story of universal suffering for a universal audience by a writer who ‘has the happy knack of speaking to both child and adult readers’ (The Guardian).

Michael Morpurgo 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.

After a fierce storm, a boy discovers a human skull, buried beneath the roots of an ancient tree. A skull with a legendary story…

Vivid re-imagining of the legendary hero Robin Hood by bestselling author of War Horse.

“Tell the sheriff, tell Sir Guy of Gisbourne, tell everyone in Nottingham, that the Outlaws rule here in Sherwood, that we rule in the king’s name… I am Robin Hood.”

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.

I disappeared on the night before my twelfth birthday.

Washed up on an island in the Pacific, Michael struggles to survive on his own. With no food and no water, he curls up to die. When he wakes, there is a plate beside him of fish, of fruit, and a bowl of fresh water. He is not alone …

From the author of the internationally acclaimed War Horse, this is a spellbinding adventure story about friendship and survival.

Friend or Foe is a gripping World War II story from War Horse author and former Children’s Laureate Michael Morpurgo.

Evacuated from London, David and Tucky feel like the war is a long way away from their new life in the countryside. Then one night the skyline of the moor is lit up with gun flashes, and the distant crump of bombing miles away brings the war back to them and shatters their new-found peace. When a German bomber crashes, the boys feel they should hate the airmen inside. But one of them saves David’s life …

In the tradition of Goodnight Mr Tom, Carrie’s War, and The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Friend or Foe is a novel that takes children to the heart of a tumultuous period in history.

From the author of War Horse (now a major motion picture directed by Steven Spielberg) comes a stunning children’s story – loved by kids, teachers and parents alike. Michael Morpurgo has written more than forty books and won the Whitbread Award, the Smarties Award, the Circle of Gold Award, the Children’s Book Award and has been shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal four times.

A stunning story of friendship and our natural world set against the backdrop of the First World War. From the nation’s favourite storyteller, Michael Morpurgo.

Gracie and her friend Daniel have always been warned to stay away from the Birdman and his side of the island. But then they find a message in the sand and discover the Birdman is not who they thought.

But his warnings to stay away from the abandoned and cursed Samson Island stay with them. And when those warnings seem to be coming true, Gracie and Daniel must find out what the Birdman knows – before it’s too late …

Why the Wales Came is a gripping historical tale full of adventure and friendship, from the author of War Horse.

Michael Morpurgo 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.

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 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.

A stunning and moving novel from a master storyteller – featuring the bravest dog in the world . . .

Never has Aman needed a friend more than when a springer spaniel appears before him one day. The dog becomes a constant companion, a shadow, and that’s what Aman decides to call her.

But life in Afghanistan is becoming more dangerous by the moment, and eventually Aman and Shadow must find the courage to leave. But how far can Shadow lead them? And in this terrifying new world, is anywhere really safe?