The White Horse of Zennor and Other Stories [Paperback]

Michael Morpurgo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 5, 2008 | Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up

At the furthest edge of Britain, where the sea gently washes over the land and myths brush against reality, lies Zennor. Since the beginning of time strange and mysterious things have happened there, and these stories highlight all the most haunting and enchanting events.  Once a year, on a misty autumn night, there is a pounding of hoof beats as a great white horse comes thundering over the moor in the moonlight. Then there are the old tin miners that Cherry meets when she is cut off by the incoming tide, as well as limping Billy who learns to swim with the seals. The proud Thomas Barbery and the intriguing Mad Miss Marney also add their own stories to this unforgettable collection.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-7 Set in contemporary Cornwall, these short stories have an old-fashioned flavor of sentimental pathos. All are more of less tinged with the occult. Two involve Knockers, the little folk who bring luck to farmers; one is about a determined child who makes her way home through a storm only to find that her grieving family cannot see her ghost. In another, an ostracized boy with a twisted foot swims off to live with the seals. These tales portray a world in which kindness is a rare virtue, and good ends are sometimes achieved by dubious means: the Knockers use something very like blackmail to persuade farmer Barbery to respect his land, and the child Kate relies on a rather deceitful capitalist venture to help Miss Marney , a witchy recluse. The characters seem remote, and the dialogue is unconvincing. Children will be better served by real Cornish folk tales or by Eleanor Farjeon's longer and more sophisticated Martin Pippin in the Apple Orchard (Lippincott, 1961; o.p. ) . Gale Eaton, formerly at Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield, Mass.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

In this reissue collection of older stories, master British storyteller and Children’s Laureate Morpurgo spins tales of gentle fantasy, otherworldly transformations, kind deeds, and just rewards. Set on the Cornwall coast in the tiny town of Zennor, one story tells of a little girl lost at sea who encounters some old tin miners of the last century. In another yarn, a great white horse appears to rescue a farm from ruin after the farmer’s children do a good deed for a “little person” known as a Knocker. The last story of Mad Miss Marney hints, in a delightful twist, that the kindhearted but misunderstood Miss Marney, assumed to be a witch, has actually concocted the previous stories. Wonderful read-alouds, the lyrical style and fable-like plots of these tales pay tribute to the power of imaginative storytelling. Grades 4-7. --Anne O'Malley

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Egmont UK (May 5, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1405239638
• ISBN-13: 978-1405239639
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #117,102 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #80 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Literature > Short Story Collections

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The white horse of zennor, February 25, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: White Horse of Zennor: And Other Stories from Below the Eagle's Nest (Hardcover)

I think this is a wonderful book filled with adventures!
This is not just for girls but boys and adults too.
Each little story is magical and my favourite was gone to sea because it was truely original! My second favourite was Mad Miss Marney but the others were brilliant too!
I really reccomend this book to any interested reader and I think it is aged at 8+. I would give this book 7 out of ten!!
Please read it I really think it is a good book!
Michael Morporgo is a special author too so read others of his like The War Horse which was my favourite !

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic book, May 9, 2011

By 

jjking - See all my reviews

This review is from: The White Horse of Zennor and Other Stories (Paperback)

This book is such a breath of fresh air. It is a series of short stories set in Cornwall filled with wonderful 'little people' and magical happenings. My daughter, who is 8, loved it.