Book description
A heart-warming tale of courage, set against the backdrop of the second
world war, about an abandoned village, a lifelong friendship and one
very adventurous cat!
'Classic Morpurgo brilliance' - Publishing News
"Something's up. Something big too, very big. At school, in the
village, whoever you meet, it's all anyone talks about. It's like a
sudden curse has come down on us all. It makes me wonder if we'll ever
see the sun again."
It's 1943, and Lily Tregenze lives on a farm, in the idyllic seaside
village of Slapton. Apart from her father being away, and the 'townie'
evacuees at school, her life is scarcely touched by the war. Until one
day, Lily and her family, along with 3000 other villagers, are told to
move out of their homes - lock, stock and barrel.
Soon, the whole area is out of bounds, as the Allied forces practise
their landings for D-day, preparing to invade France. But Tips, Lily's
adored cat, has other ideas - barbed wire and keep-out signs mean
nothing to her, nor does the danger of guns and bombs. Frantic to find
her, Lily makes friends with two young American soldiers, who promise to
help her. But will she ever see her cat again? Lily decides to cross the
wire into the danger zone to look for Tips herself…
Now, many years later, as Michael is reading his Grandma Lily's diary,
he learns about The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips - and wonders how one
adventurous cat could still affect their lives sixty years later.
Note that it has not been possible to include the same picture content
that appeared in the original print version. “A master storyteller at
his best” The Sunday Times
"From the first sentence of a Michael Morpurgo book, you know you
are in the hands of a natural storyteller." Guardian
“Classic Morpurgo brilliance” Bookseller's choice, Publishing News
"…a succinctly engaging tear-jerker, it is also full of happiness
and affection and has a joyful ending… It is also about people who care
enough to look after each other, offering a lesson in life as well as
history. Sunday Times, Children's Book of the Week
"…Michael Morpurgo weaves a touching tale that's full of
surprises. A master storyteller at his best." Funday Times
"As always, Morpurgo writes with solid confidence in a voice
that's gentle yet spellbinding." Evening Standard
'Praise for PRIVATE PEACEFUL:
Tommo's journey from agricultural labourer to cannon fodder is movingly
told…Michael Morpurgo is expert at getting through to his readers. He
writes here about events that should never be forgotten nor forgiven,
and does so most effectively. Independent
…full of warmth as well as grief, conveying vividly how precious it is
to be alive… Sunday Times
The best novel he's written since The Butterfly Lion. The Times
Deserved to last as an insight into the First World War in the same way
as, say, The Silver Sword or Goodnight Mr Tom. Telegraph
A poignant, elegiac novel. Daily Mail In May 2003 Michael was
appointed Children's Laureate. During this role, he has travelled the
country from end to end, bringing books to children in remote areas as
well as to inner city children. Through the power of his storytelling,
Michael has succeeded in 'putting literature back into literacy'.
Michael and his wife Clare have been award MBEs for their work in
founding and running the charity Farms for City Children, a charity
which each year takes up to 3,000 children to a working farm for a week.
Before the first farm opened 22 years ago, Morpurgo was a teacher and
his knowledge of children's experiences, plus his experience of farms
enrich his writing enormously. He has won the Whitbread Children's Book
Award, the Red House Children's Book Award, the Carnedie Medal and the
Smarties Book Prize.
