Morpurgo, Michael. Half a Man.

Morpurgo, Michael.  Half a Man.  Random/Candlewick Press    2015  64p   $16.99  ISBN 978-0-7636-7747-3  elem/ms  Realistic fiction  E-BN    

While the story centers on Michael’s grandfather, and their relationship, the book reflects the broader theme of the importance and value of family and good friends through good times and bad.  While this book is recommended for elementary libraries as well as middle school, care should be taken when circulating it, because the topics may be too intense for younger elementary students.
     

Summary: Michael discovers who his grandfather really is in this heartfelt story about families, and how relationships can change after just one difficult event.         

Family-Fiction                                                    --Lynn Fisher

Morpurgo, Michael. Shadow.

Morpurgo, Michael.  Shadow.       Feiwel&Friends/Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group   178p  $16.99 978-0-312-60659-6          2012      ms/jr        VG-BN                  Realistic fiction                                   

Michael Morpurgo, author of War Horse (which was recently released as a movie), offers a fictional story based on real events.  Morpurgo was inspired by a news clipping about an Australian sniffer dog who was separated from his handler when serving in Afghanistan.  Although he went missing for more than a year and was presumed dead, the dog survived and was returned to her unit, having been fed and cared for by local people.

Matt is visiting his grandfather when he learns the plight of his classmate Aman, who, along with his mother, has been incarcerated in Yarl’s Wood, a detention camp, to await deportation.  Matt convinces his grandfather, a retired journalist, to visit the family and to take steps to secure their release.

The story is told from several perspectives. Aman tells the story of life under the Taliban and his family’s harrowing flight from Afghanistan.  Six years after seeking asylum in the UK, Aman and his mother are abruptly threatened with deportation to the country they fled, where retribution for their flight is a certainty.  Matt is grounded in the present, and his story is one of friendship and describes Aman’s many admirable qualities; Aman is a star athlete, good student, and loyal friend.  Matt’s grandfather provides a mature point of view, and has the life experience to place all the stories in perspective and prepare a plan of action.

It is not until Matt brings his dog to the prison-like detention center that the story of Shadow, a remarkable springer spaniel, comes to light.  Shadow’s story threads itself through all the story lines, and ultimately brings together the elements necessary for Aman’s rescue in the UK, as well as Afghanistan.

The theme of civil liberty is obvious.  The parallels between the Afghani regime and the British government are deliberate.  How can the UK call itself a democracy when it infringes on civil rights to this extent?  The call to action is more subtle.  Aman and his mother are, at the last minute, permitted to stay on in the UK, but what about the other families who are still living in the detention camp?  Readers may be prompted to action in considering their plight. This offers a springboard to discussions of the value of friendship and loyalty, conflict, and how to take effective steps to become an activist at any age.

Friendship-Fiction, Dogs-Fiction, Taliban-Fiction, War-Fiction, Afghanistan-Fiction, United Kingdom-Fiction                                                                                                                                                                        --Hilary Welliver

 

Morpurgo, Michael. An Elephant in the Garden.

Morpurgo, Michael.  An Elephant in the Garden.  Feiwel&Friends/Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, 2011. 199p. $16.99  ISBN 978-0-312-59369-8  ms (Grades 5-8)   E-BN Historical  

     This is an excellent historical fiction set during World War II.  The story unfolds as an elderly lady in a nursing home relates her story to a friendly nurse and the nurse’s little boy.  When she was a child, her mother worked at a zoo with the elephants.  As the Russian army was advancing, plans were made to destroy all the large animals who could be a threat if let loose in the city.  A young elephant accompanied the family in their escape.
     Two different fonts are used to differentiate when the conversation is in the present time and when it represents the reminiscences of the elderly lady.  This is a very effective format to tell a story.
     The author’s note explains that the genesis of the story came from several factual accounts.  One was an account of a zookeeper saving a young elephant, and there were also first-person accounts of families escaping bombed cities and fleeing before the invading Russian Army.  This note helps the realism in the story, which is excellently rendered.
     Students will first be fascinated to find out about the elephant and then will be hooked on the story.  Like the little boy, they will want to know what happened next.  This makes the novel hard to put down.  Some of the action is predictable to an adult, but it is exciting enough to make the reader want to read on.
     This is an excellent choice for middle-school libraries, Grades 5-8.
Subject: W.W.II -- Fiction   

Joan Theal