From Hereabout Hill

Friendship, love, revenge, and the questions of life and death run through this gathering of short fiction by Michael Morpurgo. The stories vary widely in mood and setting, and each one is built to hold a young reader's attention.

One tale follows a young girl who takes refuge in a public lavatory to escape enemy soldiers during a civil war. Another tracks a little girl who is carried out to sea while gathering cowrie shells on the beach. A third traces two brothers as they gradually form a picture in their minds of the father who is not with them.

Morpurgo, a former Children's Laureate and the author of War Horse, is known for stories that speak directly to younger readers. This varied selection shows his range as a writer for children.