Books by Michael Morpurgo
Alfie lives off the coast of England. Merry lives in New York City. Until Merry and her mother set sail on theLusitaniafor England, where Merry's father is recuperating from a war injury. People told them not to go, hearing rumors that theLusitania might be carrying munitions. But they are desperate to be reunited with Merry's father.
Lizzie and Karl's mother is a zoo keeper; the family has become attached to an orphaned elephant named Marlene, who will be destroyed as a precautionary measure so she and the other animals don't run wild should the zoo be hit by bombs. The family persuades the zoo director to let Marlene stay in their garden instead. When the city is bombed, the family flees with thousands of others, but how can they walk the same route when they have an elephant in tow, and keep themselves safe? Along the way, they meet Peter, a Canadian navigator who risks his own capture to save the family.
As Michael Morpurgo writes in an author's note, An Elephant in the Garden is inspired by historical truths, and by his admiration for elephants, "the noblest and wisest and most sensitive of all creatures." Here is a story that brings together an unlikely group of survivors whose faith in kindness and love proves the best weapon of all.
"When Shadow, a bomb-sniffing spaniel, goes missing in the middle of war-torn Afghanistan, his soldier-owner is devastated. Meanwhile, Shadow makes friends with a local Afghan boy, and sees a whole other side of the war. But as Christmas draws ever closer, the question is - will Shadow and his trainer ever be reunited...?" --Publisher description.
