You can also read about his life in War Child to War Horse,a collaborative biography with Maggie Fergusson. Morpurgo added: “Storymakers and storytellers like Barrie, and like all the previous winners of this award, have given us the hope and faith children need, we need, to keep flying, have sustained us through dark and troubled times, have banished doubt. To touch the lives of children, to witness their listening and reading silence, is reward enough in itself. This is simply the icing on the cake.” Written by Michael Morpurgo, who is a fantastic author, he has the skills and the expertise to drag you into the story and have you clinging on to the characters, hoping that everything will be okay in the end.

For more information about the work of Farms for City Children, please visit www.farmsforcitychildren.orgJust as we all do at some time, character Cherry is so focused on her task (gathering shells), that everything around her changes and the task suddenly isn't the most important after all. The family dynamics are explained in only a smattering of sentences but the reader will feel the love in it, even as friendly teasing is the norm.

Michael Morpurgo is the author of many books for children, five of which have been made into films. He also writes his own screenplays and libretti for opera. She tries to escape, but then suddenly a huge wave comes and takes her away. As she goes down she is conscious that she is drowning and clutches her shells to her chest. Those are her last thinking thoughts before the sea takes her away. Here is one of the main clues that she died. I kind of guessed she died from here but then since the story continues and she is still in it, it came to me as a little surprise that she died. David Wood, chair of Action for Children’s Arts, said Morpurgo is “one of our greatest storytellers”.This story is a ghost story, but not a scary one, although young and sensitive children will probably feel upset and very emotional and cry.