Book Review by Kevin

The Wreck of the Zanzibar

About the Author:

Micahael Morpurgo is one of the best children's books authours and has been rewarded with many prizes such as the Whitebreads Children's Novel Award. He wrote over 40 books, and I have read seven of them, each heart warming written, even if some of them have sad endings.

Publisher: Egmont Press

Story line: The story begins as Michael, a young boy, goes to the funeral of his Great Aunt Laura, who left him a diary of the most special months of her life. In the form of the diary we learn what happened in Laura's life in these couple of months from late 1907 to 1908.

Laura lives a normal and rather boring life on the Scilly Islands until her twin brother, Billy Perryman, disappears with a adventurous sailor, fed up of arguing with his father and milking their cows all day long and wanting to explore the world. One day a storm destroys everything on the island, drowning their only cows and hens, overflooding crops and destroying their gigs.
 

Then it comes to the most important days in her life when Laura finds a stranded Leatherback Turtle and cares for it, eventually helping him back into the sea. She hides the event from her family and the rest of the Island because food is so scarce and everybody is hungry.
 

When everyone on the Island is ready to leave something happens which they have all been waiting for......

Read the story further to find out if Billy will ever come back and if the Island will come to life again.

Comment: This is the first book from Michael Morpurgo and I would say one of the most wonderful that he ever wrote.