Anthony Cunningham
Member
I purchased this book in hardback from my local bookstore today. Having read it this afternoon I have already ordered another copy for a Christmas present! A considerable chunk of the story takes place on the Titanic.
I found this short novel utterly charming and very, very moving. It is beautifully illustrated with pen and ink drawings by Michael Foreman. The novel relates the story of Johnny, a young orphan working as a bell boy at the Savoy hotel in London, Kaspar, an aristocratic cat who he befriends and their adventures together. Morpurgo treats the Titanic disaster with great sensitivity but also with a secure grasp of the facts.
Morpurgo is one the leading writers for young people today in the UK. I have read many of his books with my students and they are always well received. I would also strongly recommend another of his novels, 'Private Peaceful' which is set in the years up to and including the First World War. (If you don't shed a tear or two at the end then, frankly, you've got a heart of stone!!)
I found this short novel utterly charming and very, very moving. It is beautifully illustrated with pen and ink drawings by Michael Foreman. The novel relates the story of Johnny, a young orphan working as a bell boy at the Savoy hotel in London, Kaspar, an aristocratic cat who he befriends and their adventures together. Morpurgo treats the Titanic disaster with great sensitivity but also with a secure grasp of the facts.
Morpurgo is one the leading writers for young people today in the UK. I have read many of his books with my students and they are always well received. I would also strongly recommend another of his novels, 'Private Peaceful' which is set in the years up to and including the First World War. (If you don't shed a tear or two at the end then, frankly, you've got a heart of stone!!)
