Why the whales came [Hardcover]

Michael Morpurgo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1985

Two children befriend the old man known as the Birdman of Bryher and help him lift a curse from their island.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With the help of an eccentric ally, best friends Daniel and Gracie lift an island curse while saving a group of beached whales. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Michael Morpurgo: The Master Storyteller. Former Children's Laureate Michael Morpurgo needs no introduction. One of the most successful children's authors in the country, and loved by children, teachers and parents alike. Michael has written more than forty books and won the Whitbread Award, the Smarties Award, the Circle of Gold Award, the Children's Book Award and has been short-listed for the Carnegie Medal four times. His novels have been adapted for film (My Friend Walter, Why the Whales Came) and stage (most recently, Kensuke's Kingdom for the Polka Theatre and Why the Whales Came by for Alibi.) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 139 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Inc; First Edition edition (1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590429116
• ISBN-13: 978-0590429115
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,052,024 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Only the good die young; only the best books go out of print, May 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Why the whales came (Hardcover)

This was the first serious chapter book I read to my six-year-old and it has completely sold her on books. Think of a book from your childhood that made you cry: Black Beauty? To Kill a Mockingbird? Why the Whales Came will be on your child's list one day. Thank you Michael Murpurgo, where ever you are.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant read on the scillies, December 7, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Why the whales came (Hardcover)

This book gives you the wonder of the Isles of Scilly mixed in with a wonderful story, about children living on Bryher during the war, and shows the reader a different kind of life. Excellently written and a real joy.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Michael Morpurgo's 'Why the Whales Came', January 16, 2000

By 

Rose Fitzgerald (Leicester) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Why the whales came (Hardcover)

I really enjoyed the first part of the book, as it was really interesting. I think that the author Michael Morpurgo was really clever using something that he knows about. He also wrote `The Wreck of the Zanzibar' and both stories are very alike in some ways. They are set in the same sort of time, and are both set around the Scilly Isles. I like this story so far because it is very realistic. I think that this could actually happen although it is a bit of a fantasy. I enjoyed the first part of the book as it is a different literature than I usually read, that is interesting.

At the start of the book Daniel and Gracie were sailing boats near the Isles of Scilly. When they couldn't find anywhere to sail their boats they went to the Birdman's territory. They lost one of their boats and the Birdman found it. The Birdman wrote messages in the sand to Daniel and Gracie and they gradually began to find out about him. The Birdman had had many bad stories told about him and everyone was terrified of him. Daniel and Gracie found the better side of him. This shows how many people judge other people by what they hear about them.

I think that the Birdman was actually very kind inside.

Daniel is very ambitious and likes to do things in a rush. Gracie is a bit shy and tries to stop Daniel in his frantic rush.