Michael Morpurgo Popular Books

Michael Morpurgo Biography & Facts

Sir Michael Andrew Bridge Morpurgo (né Bridge; 5 October 1943) is an English book author, poet, playwright, and librettist who is known best for children's novels such as War Horse (1982). His work is noted for its "magical storytelling", for recurring themes such as the triumph of an outsider or survival, for characters' relationships with nature, and for vivid settings such as the Cornish coast or World War I. Morpurgo became the third Children's Laureate, from 2003 to 2005, and he is also the current President of BookTrust, the UK's largest children's reading charity. Early life Morpurgo was born in 1943 in St Albans, Hertfordshire, as Michael Andrew Bridge, the second child of actor Tony Van Bridge and actress Kippe Cammaerts (born Catherine Noel Kippe Cammaerts, daughter of writer and poet Émile Cammaerts). Both RADA graduates, his parents had met when they were acting in the same repertory company in 1938. His father came from a working-class family, while Kippe came from a family of actors, an opera singer, writers and poets. They were married in 1941 while Van Bridge, having been called up in 1939 and by then stationed in Scotland, was on leave from the army. Morpurgo's brother Pieter was born in 1942. When Morpurgo was born the following year, his father was stationed in Baghdad. While Van Bridge was away at war, Kippe Cammaerts met Jack Morpurgo (subsequently professor of American Literature at the University of Leeds from 1969 to 1982). When Van Bridge returned to England in 1946, he and Cammaerts obtained a divorce and Cammaerts married Jack Morpurgo the same year. Although they were not formally adopted, Morpurgo and his brother took on their step-father's name. Morpurgo's older brother, Pieter Morpurgo, later became a BBC television producer and director. He has two younger siblings, Mark and Kay. Morpurgo's mother was frail, having suffered a breakdown when she was 19, and grieved the loss of her brother Pieter, who was killed in the war in 1941, for the rest of her life.Morpurgo and his brother were evacuated to Northumberland when they were very young. After returning to London, the family lived in Philbeach Gardens, Earl's Court, where the children played on nearby bombsites. Morpurgo went to primary school at St Matthias, Earl's Court. The family later moved to Bradwell-on-Sea in Essex, where Morpurgo would live during the school holidays, having been sent to boarding school in Sussex when he was seven years old. The school was very strict and the boys were beaten frequently. During this period Morpurgo developed a stutter. His unhappy experiences at boarding school would later inform his novel The Butterfly Lion. After six years at The Abbey School in Ashurst Wood, Morpurgo then went to the King's School, an independent school in Canterbury, Kent, where he felt less homesick than at his previous school. Morpurgo did not learn who his biological father was until he was 19 years old. After the divorce from Michael's mother, Van Bridge had emigrated to Canada and was never talked about. Morpurgo never saw an image of his father until, while watching the 1962 CBC version of Great Expectations on TV with his mother, she recognised Van Bridge in the role of Magwitch and said to Michael "That's your father!" They met in person nine years later.Morpurgo's stepfather was not encouraging to his sons and was disappointed that they were not meeting his expectations for them of going into academia like him, calling Michael "a bear with very little brain." His stepfather decided he should join the army and Morpurgo attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He quickly realised that a soldier's life was not for him and left after nine months.Morpurgo later went to study at King's College London, reading English, French, and Philosophy, and graduated with a third class degree. He then joined the teaching profession with a job at Wickhambreaux Primary School in Canterbury, Kent. He also, in 1968, briefly taught at St. Faith's School in Cambridge. Career From teaching to writing novels It was not until he was teaching in Kent that Morpurgo discovered his vocation in life, of which he later said "I could see there was magic in it for them, and realized there was magic in it for me."Morpurgo's writing career was inspired by Ted Hughes' Poetry in the Making, Paul Gallico's The Snow Goose and Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea. Hughes and another poet, Seán Rafferty, were influential in his career, with Hughes becoming a friend, mentor and neighbour. Morpurgo credits Hughes and Rafferty with giving him the confidence to write War Horse, his most successful work to date. Works Morpurgo is the author of dozens of books, including the notable titles: Adaptations Gentle Giant was presented as an opera by composer Stephen McNeff and librettist Mike Kenny at the Royal Opera House in 2006. Film versions have been made of Friend or Foe (1981), Private Peaceful (2012) and When the Whales Came (1989), the latter also being adapted to a stage play. My Friend Walter (1988) 'Purple Penguins' (2000) and Out of the Ashes (2001) have been adapted for television. Composer Stephen Barlow created a musical adaptation of Rainbow Bear, narrated by his wife Joanna Lumley. This was subsequently presented as a ballet by the National Youth Ballet of Great Britain in August 2010.War Horse has been adapted as a radio broadcast and as a stage play by Nick Stafford, premiering at the National Theatre, London, on 17 October 2007. The horses were played by life-sized horse puppets designed and built by the Handspring Puppet Company of South Africa. It won two Olivier Awards in 2007. Initially intended to run for 16 weeks, due to popular demand the show transferred to the New London Theatre in the West End on 28 March 2009. It closed in the West End after eight years, having been seen by 2.7 million people in London and seven million worldwide at the time. It was the most successful production of the National Theatre ever.On 15 March 2011, the show premiered on Broadway at the Vivian Beaumont Theater. The play's Broadway production won five Tony Awards, including Best Play. It went on several UK tours and was also staged in Australia, Canada, China, Germany, and The Netherlands. It was seen by seven million people outside the UK. In 2011, War Horse was adapted by Lee Hall and Richard Curtis as a British film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film was nominated numerous awards, including six Academy Awards and five BAFTA Awards.Waiting for Anya was adapted as a film of the same title released in 2020. Reception and influence Morpurgo has 30 books on the HarperCollins list and has sold more than 35 million books worldwide.Reading Matters website calls Morpurgo's 1999 Kensuke's Kingdom "A quietly told story, but plenty of drama and emotion."The Guardian describes Private Peaceful, his 2003 novel for older children, as a "humanising and humane work". Children's Laureate Morpurgo and Hu.... Discover the Michael Morpurgo popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Michael Morpurgo books.

Best Seller Michael Morpurgo Books of 2024

  • The Three Musketeers synopsis, comments

    The Three Musketeers

    Alexandre Dumas

    One of the bestloved adventures of all time.When young D'Artagnan comes to Paris to seek his fortune, he is challenged to a duel with not one, but three of the king's Musketeers. B...

  • Michael Morpurgo synopsis, comments

    Michael Morpurgo

    Maggie Fergusson

    Discover the true life story of favourite storyteller Michael Morpurgo – a biography specially edited for children, and featuring seven original Morpurgo stories.We are enchanted b...

  • Arctic Star synopsis, comments

    Arctic Star

    Tom Palmer

    Multiawardwinning author Tom Palmer returns with a thrilling naval adventure inspired by the incredible history of the Second World War Arctic convoys.Multiawardwinning author Tom ...

  • The Last Polar Bears synopsis, comments

    The Last Polar Bears

    Harry Horse

    Having seen a depressed polar bear in the zoo, Grandfather and his dog, Roo, set off on an expedition to find the last polar bears. After a treacherous journey on HMS Unsinkable, t...

  • Rescuing Ruby synopsis, comments

    Rescuing Ruby

    Nicola Baker

    The second book in a warm and beautifully observed farm adventure series from Nicola Baker, star of Our Farm in the Dales. Perfect for fans of Jacqueline Wilson and The S...

  • Five Children and It synopsis, comments

    Five Children and It

    Edith Nesbit

    When Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane and their baby brother go digging in the gravel pit, the last thing they expect to find is a Psammead – an ancient Sandfairy! Having a Sandfairy fo...

  • Finding Hope synopsis, comments

    Finding Hope

    Nicola Baker

    The first book in a warm and beautifully observed farm adventure series from Nicola Baker, star of Our Farm in the Dales. Perfect for readers 8+ and fans of Jacqueline Wilson,...

  • The Canterbury Tales synopsis, comments

    The Canterbury Tales

    Geoffrey Chaucer & Geraldine McCaughrean

    A lively retelling of the medieval classic.One fine spring day, thirty pilgrims set off from Harry Bailey's inn in Southwark for the shrine of Thomas A Becket in Canterbury. The in...

  • The Jenius synopsis, comments

    The Jenius

    Dick King-Smith

    Dick KingSmith, creator of 'Babe the SheepPig', presents the cleverest guinea pig in the world!Judy's classmates snigger when she claims guinea pigs are brainy. But, when her guine...

  • Finding Wonder synopsis, comments

    Finding Wonder

    Lauren St John

    'Superb storytelling.' Phil Earle'Absolutely brilliant!' Abi Elphinstone, author of Sky Song'Completely enthralling. A masterclass in mystery adventure.' Piers Torday'Utterly mag...

  • After the War synopsis, comments

    After the War

    Tom Palmer

    Master storyteller Tom Palmer returns with a deeply moving and beautifully told novel of friendship and belonging, inspired by the incredible true story of the Windermere Boys...

  • The Outlaw Varjak Paw synopsis, comments

    The Outlaw Varjak Paw

    SF Said

    The second adventure in the life of the extraordinary Mesopotamian Blue, Varjak Paw: kung fu for cats!Having saved the city cats from a fate worse than death, Varjak Paw finds hims...

  • Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge synopsis, comments

    Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge

    Fiona Munro

    This special Ladybird ebook edition celebrates the fairy tale story of Kate Middleton, the classic girl next door, as she married her prince and became Her Royal Highness, Catherin...

  • How to Make Children Laugh synopsis, comments

    How to Make Children Laugh

    Michael Rosen

    'A WORK OF GENIUS' Chris EvansJokes, a jackinthebox, jelly and jumping beans make children laugh.As do practical jokes, peekaboo, pantomine and poetry that makes no sense.Why and ...

  • Michael Morpurgo synopsis, comments

    Michael Morpurgo

    Sally Wilkinson

    This innovative series is designed to help primary teachers plan focused sessions on the work of popular, wellloved and valued authors, both classic and contemporary. Each book con...

  • Home at Grasmere synopsis, comments

    Home at Grasmere

    Dorothy Wordsworth & William Wordsworth

    A continuous text made up of extracts from Dorothy Wordsworth's Journal and a selection of her brother's poems. Dorothy Wordsworth kept her Journal 'because I shall give William pl...

  • The Man Who Planted Trees synopsis, comments

    The Man Who Planted Trees

    Jean Giono & Barbara Bray

    ‘A book for children from 8 to 80. I love the humanity of this story and how one man’s efforts can change the future for so many. It’s a real message of hope.’ Michael MorpurgoDisc...

  • The Secret synopsis, comments

    The Secret

    Ruth Thomas

    Mum knew she shouldn't have left the children alone. That was why she was hurrying home, running to catch the evening train. She was so worried about Nicky and Roy that she didn't ...

  • Podkin and the Singing Spear synopsis, comments

    Podkin and the Singing Spear

    Kieran Larwood

    Podkin is now Keeper of the Gifts which is a tremendously important job and just a tiny bit boring. It doesn't help that there are still three gifts missing Podkin can't stop him...

  • Scabbit Isle synopsis, comments

    Scabbit Isle

    Tom Pow

    The first time Sam sees the mysterious figure of Janet she vanishes into the deserted fields beyond the town where nothing has ever been built. Sam learns that centuries before thi...

  • Michael Morpurgo synopsis, comments

    Michael Morpurgo

    Maggie Fergusson

    The life of Michael Morpurgo OBE, as a biography, and autobiographical stories.Michael Morpurgo OBE is a national treasure. With books such as ‘Private Peaceful’, ‘Kensuke’s Kingdo...

  • The Fairy Caravan synopsis, comments

    The Fairy Caravan

    Beatrix Potter

    THE FAIRY CARAVAN is the story of a miniature circus, William and Alexander's Travelling Circus. It is no ordinary circus, for Alexander is a highland terrier and William is Pony B...

  • Fantastic Mr Dahl synopsis, comments

    Fantastic Mr Dahl

    Michael Rosen

    Life story of Roald Dahl, World's No.1 storyteller, creator of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr Fox, Matilda, The BFG, James and the Giant Peach and many more, broug...

  • The Yearling synopsis, comments

    The Yearling

    Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings & Michael Morpurgo

    WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE'A literary masterpiece for all ages . . . a tale of growing up, of love and laughter, of tragedy and loss and grief a tale that is so compelling that...

  • The Bomber Dog synopsis, comments

    The Bomber Dog

    Megan Rix

    The Bomber Dog is a heartwarming story for 9+ readers about a brave puppy who joins the paratroopers during the Second World War and becomes a heroic war dog. Perfect for fans of M...