When Michael is washed up on an island in the Pacific after falling from his parent's yacht, the Peggy Sue, he struggles to survive on his own. 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 after being stung by a poisonous jelly fish, the mysterious someone--Kensuke--allows Michael into his world and they become friends, teaching and learning from each other, until the day of separation becomes inevitable.

Morpurgo here spins a yarn which gently captures the adventurous elements one would expect from a desert-island tale, but the real strength lies in the poignant and subtle observations of friendship, trust and, ultimately, humanity.

Beautifully illustrated by Michael Foreman, Kensuke's Kingdom is a stylish, deceptively simple and magical book that will effortlessly capture the heart and imagination of anyone who reads it, ensuring that Morpurgo continues to stand tall amid the ranks of classic children's authors. (Ages 9 and over) --Susan Harrison --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Book Jacket

"I heard the wind above me in the sails. I remember thinking, this is silly you haven't got your harness on, you haven't got your lifejacket on. You shouldn't be doing this. Then the boat veered violently and I was thrown sideways. I had no time to grab the guardrail. I was in the cold of the sea before I had time to scream."

Washed up on an island in the Pacific, Michael struggles to survive on his own. He can't find food, he can't find water. In the end he curls up to die. When he wakes, there is a plate of fish beside him and a bowl of fresh water.

He is not alone...

From the Author

Two of my favourite books are Treasure Island and Robinson Crusoe. So it is no accident, I suppose, that I have written books about islands--The Wreck of the Zanzibar and Why the Whales Came. But I have yearned to write my own desert island story.

Several things happened that made me do it. I heard of a family who had sold up everything, bought a yacht and sailed round the world. Someone sent me a newspaper cutting about a Japanese soldier who stayed behind on an island after the Second World War and hid. He was found after living there for 40 years on his own. Then I received a letter from a boy who had enjoyed some of the books I had written. He ended his letter this way: "I think you should write about a boy who gets stuck on a desert island". Now I had to write it.

Shortly afterwards I met Professor Tanimoto from Japan, who wanted to interview me about my writing. I interviewed him instead, about being Japanese. But still I could not get started. Then, one day, I was going milking with a group of children who had come to my farm from their city school. One girl looked at my dog and asked what she was called.

"Bercelot", I said. "What's yours called?"

"Stella Artois", she replied.

The next day, I began writing Kensuke's Kingdom. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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