Michael Morpurgo – Shadow – For Reading Addicts

“As ever, Morpurgo’s warmth and humanity suffuse a story of courage, love and hope.”

NO MAJOR SPOILERS

This caught my eye in a book sale, namely because we have a dog at home called Shadow, and so I picked it up for my daughter. It’s aimed at 8 to 10 year-olds and to see if my daughter would cope OK with the language, I started reading the first page. Two hours later I’d finished the entire book, and although I am closer to 40 than 10, I thoroughly enjoyed it and the story has stayed with me.

I’m not saying that Shadow is a book for all ages, it’s definitely written perfectly for its target audience and I’d have loved to read a more ‘adult’ in depth version, but for children this is a truly beautiful book and it would probably be an enjoyable quick read for any adult too.

Shadow follows the story of a young refugee boy called Aman, who befriends a dog he names Shadow. When Aman and his mother make their bid for freedom, Shadow will not leave them behind and what follows is a beautiful story of courage and hope. It’s the perfect story for any little boy or girl, and is as didactic for young readers as we have come to expect from Morpurgo, who is a fine author.

A really love story, and while the language may be simple, the story is complex and the lessons it teaches are beautiful.