About the book:
A poignant tale of the physical and mental scars of war from the acclaimed author of War Horse, illustrated by a talented new screen printer.
From a young age, Michael was both fascinated by and afraid of his grandfather. Grandpa’s ship was torpedoed during the Second World War, leaving him with terrible burns. Every time he came to stay, Michael was warned by his mother that he must not stare; must not make too much noise; must not ask Grandpa about his past. As he grows older, Michael stays with his grandfather during the summer holidays, and as he finally learns the story behind Grandpa’s injuries, he gets to know the real man behind the solemn figure from his childhood. Michael can see beyond the burns, and this gives him the power to begin healing some of the scars that have divided his family for so long.
About the Author:
Michael Morpurgo is, in his own words, “oldish, married with three children, and a grandfather six times over.” Born in 1943, he attended schools in London, Sussex and Canterbury (one at least of which was horrible enough to inspire him to describe it obliquely in The Butterfly Lion).
He went on to London University to study English and French, followed by a step into the teaching profession and a job in a primary school in Kent. It was there that he discovered what he wanted to do.
“We had to read the children a story every day and my lot were bored by the book I was reading. I decided I had to do something and told them the kind of story I used to tell my kids – it was like a soap opera, and they focused on it. I could see there was magic in it for them, and realised there was magic in it for me.”
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I thought this book was very good. Even though it was a short story sometimes those can be the best and this one was. The way Michael Morpurgo wrote this story was excellent, with all of the description he used along with the illustrations that help you visualise what is happening
When you read this book it is very easy to picture each character and follow what type of personality they hold. This book isn’t just a story because it makes you think twice. So i would recommend it to any micheal morpurgo fans and others.
I really liked half a man l think it’s by a good author but not as good as David Walliams. It was about an old man who was on a warship and he got torpedoed and managed to get on a life boat and survived with extreme injures so I do think its a very good book indeed.
Touching and sad, I couldn’t put it down but I couldn’t read on. Had me at tears. I recommend this book to everyone.
This book is very touching. I loved it but it was quite sad at times.My favourite character was the little boy because he was always curious about his grandad’s injury. It was so moving, I even found myself shaking at one point!