My son is just starting to get confident with reading. He has always loved Morpugo's books when we read them to him at nght. Michael Morpugo's "Conker" is very compelling and deals with a young lad who lives with his Gran and loves his Dog "Old Station" or "Alsation" - we can joke about this spelling! The story deals with real life events and experiences and does not flinch from raw emotion. Both My son and I have enjoyed it and have looked forward to him reading it bit by bit each night. This is a good read for a little boy.