Michael Morpurgo has written dozens of books for children, including Warhorse, but this is the first one I have ever read. It is set on the island of Bryher in 1914.
10 year old Gracie and her friend Daniel make friends with a deaf man known locally as the Birdman and his dog Prince even though their parents have warned them to stay away from him because all the islanders think he is mad. The islanders also stay away from the neighbouring uninhabited island of Samson because they believe it is cursed.
After the outbreak of the First World War Gracie's father joins the Royal Navy. Gracie's mother struggles to manage financially while he is away. One day Gracie and Daniel decide to help Gracie's mother raise some money to buy food by going fishing in one of Daniel's father's boats. However while they are out fog suddenly descends and they get lost and land on Samson and have to spend a terrifying night there. They suspect that Birdman is also there because a fire has been lit on the top of one of the hills but they cannot find him. The fire keeps them warm through the long night. When the fog lifts they are able to row back to Bryher. Shortly afterwards Gracie's mother receives a telegram saying that Gracie's father is missing, presumed drowned. Gracie blames herself for his death because of her visit to the cursed island of Samson.
One day a narwhal beaches itself on Bryher and Birdman, Gracie and Daniel try desperately to return it to the sea. Birdman says if they don't manage to get it back in the water the other narwhals that they can see swimming in the bay will also beach themselves and Bryher will be cursed like Samson. Samson is cursed because in the 19th century a school of narwhals was stranded on the beach there and the islanders slaughtered them all for their tusks. Gracie and Daniel have to try and persuade the islanders of Bryher not to kill the stranded whale and to prevent the rest of the school from beaching. 7/10
Islands covered - Bryher, Samson and Tresco
Bryher from Tresco
Hell Bay, Bryher
Samson from Taylor's Island, St Mary's
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