The Wreck of the Zanzibar - Michael Morpurgo

As a primary teacher I have read this book over the past couple of years to my Year 4 class. We all adore it. There is a universal appeal about Michael Morpurgo's books that is inescapable. Even the worst behaved kids in my class were totally mesmerized, hooked to the story line and couldn't wait for their daily fix. I have often visited Cornwall and the Scilly Isles and each time I read one of Morpurgo's stories set in this landscape it brings to mind the coastline, coves and weather conditions instantly. He is a true master at conjuring up an enduring image of his environment. The story focuses on a 14 year old girl and her twin brother Billy. ...  Read the complete review

The wreck of the Zanzibar Michael Morpurgo Mammoth, 1996 Laura is a 14 year old girl who adores her twin brother, but Billy is growing up. Amid many fights with his father Billy takes off with a sailor with barely a word to his family. Laura and her parents and her aging grandmother are left to fend for themselves through storms, sickness and famine. The story itself is told through Laura's diary, now being read by her great-nephew Micheal, whom she left her diary to in her will. The illustrations in this edition serve as sketches drawn by Laura when she was writing her diary; some of them span two pages and represent the story very well. ...  Read the complete review

The story begins with Great Aunt Laura dying peacefully at the age of one hundred. At the funeral Michael is given a diary belonging to his great aunt, the book is her story of a few extraordinary months of her life. Along with the diary is a letter telling Michael that the diary will tell him about where Zanzibar came from, at this stage the reader doesn't know who or what Zanzibar is. The Diary of Laura Perryman starts in 1907 on her 14th birthday. She and her family have a farm on Bryher in the Scilly Isles, life is difficult the cows are not milking well,and her father is always finding fault with her twin brother Billy. A schooner ...  Read the complete review