Author: Michael Morpurgo
Review by: Fergus
Year Group: Year 6
Review:
My friend, Miriam and her family recommended this book to me after they had read it and really enjoyed the story. I liked reading this book because it is different to other books I have read in the past.
The story is about a boy called Michael, who is on an around the world adventure with his parents on their boat, the Peggy Sue. One day, Michael and his dog, Stella, fall overboard in a storm. They get washed up on a desert island and eventually meet Kensuke.
Although, Michael and Kensuke don’t always get on they become friends and Michael learns all about Kensuke’s family in Japan.
The main characters in the book are Kensuke and Michael. Kensuke is old, carries a stick around with him and he doesn’t know how to speak English but he wants to learn.
Michael is 12 years old and he tries to find ways to get off the island, which Kensuke does not always agree with.
My favourite part of the story is at the end of the book but I can’t tell you any more otherwise it will give the story away!
I found the story scary when it talked about the hunters, who came onto the island to kill the orang-utans and gibbons, which had become Michael’s friends.
The author describes the island in a number of ways, for example, the forest became impenetrable. This means the forest was not easy to walk through as there were lots of trees and undergrowth. Also, the author also wrote that the jungle droned, cackled and croaked.
The author chose these words to make the story more interesting.
The new words, which I learnt from this book include:
Uninterrupted – without a break in continuity, unbroken, continuous, constant, sustained.
Frantic – distraught with fear, anxiety or other emotion, panic-stricken, distressed.
I think Michael experienced a mix of feelings. He was probably feeling happy at the beginning of the story because he was travelling with his parents but then he became scared when he fell off the boat and nervous when he arrived on the island.
I would recommend this book to other readers who enjoy adventures.
Mark out of 5…
5 – Excellent