Michael Morpurgo
Scholastic, 2003
164 pages
Grades 4-6
Adventure
When the brickworks in Michael's small English town closes, his parents are without jobs. In a bold move they take their life savings, buy a yacht and make plans to sail around the world with only Michael and dog Stella as the crew. At first the journey is exciting, but then the storms blow in. One night, while Michael is at the helm and his parents are rest below, he and Stella are thrown overboard and wash up on a small seemingly deserted island. Mysteriously drinking water and food appear every morning, keeping the two survivors alive. Who is leaving the essential food stuffs? The answer arrives as Kensuke shows himself-a seemingly wild man who appear to be part monkey. How did this man arrive on the island and what is is back story? He acts very unfriendly. Can he and Michael become friends? Most of all, are they both destined to be stranded on that island forever?
Not a new book, but almost twenty years later Kensuke's Kingdom still holds up. Written by the author of the popular War Horse, it is a wonderful adventure story for kids not quite ready for Hatchet. Small town factories are still closing, leaving folks without jobs and needing to relocate, making this situation still relevant. Even though Michael misses his friends, how exciting would it be to sail around the world with your parents and a dog? That alone will hook readers, but then once he is overboard the story really gets going. Readers will learn to take care of earth's resources, not make snap judgements about strangers, find peace in the quiet life, and witness the devastation of war. Kensuke is a victim of the horrors of WWII and his family is from Nagasaki, one of the cities desecrated by the atomic bomb. Never the same, he has found solace in his private island life, until Michael comes along. A surprise ending will relieve readers in the best possible way and offer not only an excellent conclusion but leave them wondering if the story is actually real (it isn't). A great piece of classic Adventure fiction.
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