| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Product details
Would you like to give feedback on images?
|
A desert-island adventure, and a subtle observation of friendship, trust and humanity.
Winner of The Children's Book Award.
Superbly read by DEREK JACOBI.
When Michael is washed up on an island in the Pacific after falling from his parents' yacht, he struggles to survive on his own. He can't find food and he can't find water, and as Michael and his dog curl up to sleep, he knows they cannot last long.
But he soon realises there is someone close by, someone who is watching over him and helping him to stay alive. Following a close-run battle between life and death, the mysterious stranger - Kensuke - allows Michael into his world and they become friends, teaching and learning from each other, until the day of separation becomes inevitable.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
The Peggy Sue sets sail from Fareham, Hampshire and travels round the world but Michael and Stella end up in the water, washed up on an island with Kensuke and his orang-utans and gibbons.
This book is a personal diary, yet written in a narrative form. It is an intercultural experience of a young English boy who ends up meeting a Japanese doctor. There are gentle reminders to the reader of the devastation and loss which atomic bombs can cause whilst at the same time there is the gentle caring and kind development of a relationship between a ship-wrecked boy and a man many years his senior.
The theme suggests overtones of the latest TV fad of "Survivor" yet the pace and content of the book is far gentler and less vicious. We can see how characters interact with each other and the emotional upheavals that the loss of loved ones brings, whatever the age, however long the separation.
There is also mention of the plight of some wild animals and the horrendous experience which some undergo for the profits of animal hunters, whilst a realisation of how the simple orang-utan is closer to humankind than we might remember.
The book gently unfolds how, within the wider world and pace of Western life, a gentler more laid-back existence can still be found. The air of tranquillity of undiscovered places allows the reader to almost enter a fantasy existence, whilst at the same time, still being anchored into Western civilisation with memories of past experiences and future expectations.
This book is full of exciting subadventures, whilst the overall plot moves on at an appropriate pace. A definite must for any 9-13 year old, but adults too will enjoy this voyage of discovery and reunion.
| |||||
Amazon Home | |
| International Sites: United States | Germany | France | Japan | Canada | China | |
| Business Programs: Sell on Amazon | Fulfilment by Amazon | Join Associates | Join Advantage | |
| Customer Service | Help | View Basket | Your Account | |
| About Amazon.co.uk | Careers at Amazon | |
| Conditions of Use & Sale | Privacy Notice © 1996-2012, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates |
