Antonio gives his grandson an account of the hardships of the Spanish Civil War. Readers will empathise with Antonio, while acquiring an understanding of an important European conflict. It was interesting to read about how the war affected different communities and how difficult it is to have to leave your home and possibly never return. I liked how even though the story was aimed at children it was still a ‘grown up’ book where hard hitting things did happen which made it quite realistic. School has just begun, and life is about to change. There are lot more evacuees in Slapton, including Barry Turner, whose dad was killed in the war and who keeps smiling at Lily. The new teacher is a Dutch Jew who escaped Holland with her husband just before the Nazis arrived. Lily doesn’t like her until she hears that Mrs. Blumfeld’s husband has been killed in action. To top it all off, her village is full of American soldiers or gum chewing “ruddy Yanks” as her grandfather refers to them. But at least she still has beloved Tips. una storia di vita quotidiana di una bimba e delle sue avventure nel ritrovare un gatto particolarmente votato a scappare, della prima volta che si scontra con la morte -animale e umana-, degli incontri che fa con gente straniera ma che poi si rivela avere molto in comune con la gente del posto.

Armistice Day: A Collection of Remembrance - Spark Interest and Educate Children about Historical Moments

The story begins with Boowie, who is Lily’s grandson, she is telling Boowie the story of an eventful year in her childhood in the form of a letter and old entries from her childhood diary. Boowie receives this letter after Lily has gone away on a mysterious trip following the death of Boowie’s grandfather. Lily tells the story from just before her 12th birthday; her father has joined the army and gone away to war and she lives with her mum and grandfather on their family’s farm with her beloved cat Tips. Before long all sorts of thing begin to change in Lily’s life, not just her father going away: an evacuee called Barry comes to live with them, everyone in the village and surrounding villages are evacuated; making the whole south coast a training ground for American and British troops to practise beach landings and poor Tips goes missing. Amidst all this upheaval Lily meets Adolphus T. Madison, ‘Adie’ for short. He promises to find Lily’s cat and Lily feels her first pangs of innocent unrequited love. The story also contains a surprise at the end, so as Grandma Lily tells Boowie in her letter – no peaking or you’ll spoil the surprise! Teaching resources for Michael Morpurgo's Kensuke’s Kingdom. From Michael Morpurgo Month 2019. Read More

Finally, in March 1944, Adie and Harry show up and, sure enough, they have found Tips. But she only stays put a few days and she is gone again. Tips had been found in the hotel, and shortly after her second disappearance, the hotel is destroyed in an explosion. Lily loses all hope that she will ever see Tips again. I read and review books for children, YA and occasionally adult books. My post and opinions are my own. I read the books I receive from publishers and authors, but there is no guarantee of when or if I will review them. And I almost never review books I don’t like. Il tutto è narrato tramite la candida voce di Lily e forse è proprio questo che mi ha sconvolta di più, la purezza con cui Morpurgo è riuscito a rappresentare l'animo di una bambina e i suoi pensieri innocenti tipici dell'infanzia. Buy from our bookstore and 25% of the cover price will be given to a school of your choice to buy more books. *15% of eBooks. Home > A boy finds his grandma's diary written during World War 2. Explores the theme of attachment, humanity and a ray of hope amidst the cruelties of war.I finished this this morning and I totally loved it. Michael Morpurgo must be my favourite author. This story includes a war-time diary read by Michael Tregenza, or Boowie. Recommended for children/adults aged 8/9+. Lily’s grandfather flatly refuses to go. He hates the war, having served in the trenches of World War I and never got over what he had witnessed then. Even after most of the people are gone, he refuses to go. When Barry learns he can’t move with the family he is living with and ends up moving in with Lily’s family. Then Barry falls in love with the farm and his presence and enthusiasm seem to rejuvenate Lily’s grandfather. Ed è proprio di questo che parla Morpurgo, della sofferenza e dei problemi che i cittadini del mondo erano costretti ad affrontare per una guerra globale che ha provocato danni irreversibili all'animo umano.