Product Description

Michael Morpurgo's inspiring new story of Robbie, a boy in a coma -- victim of a car accident. Locked inside his own head, able to hear but not move or speak, Robbie tries to keep himself from slipping ever deeper into unconsciousness. Robbie, football fan and animal lover, runs after his dog Lucky one day when he chases a cat and is hit by a car. Unconscious, Robbie lies in hospital, unable to speak, move or eat. But he can hear; he is aware, even though his family and friends don't know this. Inside his head, we hear Robbie's thoughts; on his Mum and sister, why his parents are separated. His friends and family try desperately to reach him -- even Zola, his favourite Chelsea footballer, comes to see him. And still Robbie can't 'wake up'. Until one day, against hospital rules, Dad brings Lucky into the hospital. Can Lucky bring Robbie back to life?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5108 in Books
• Published on: 2003-03-03
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 112 pages

The Guardian
'Absorbing and satisfying...with a real story at its heart.'

From the Back Cover
"Sometimes I tell myself that maybe I'm in the middle of a bad dream... I'm locked inside my head and I can't get out."

Robbie lies in a coma, after a terrible car accident involving his dog, Lucky. He can hear, but he can't move or speak. He can't tell his family that he loves them, that he's going to be OK. Everyone comes to visit Robbie, desperate to reach him - even the famous Chelsea footballer Zola. But Robbie is on the brink of death and nothing is working. Will they ever be able to bring him back?

About the Author
Michael Morpurgo OBE is one of Britain's best loved writers for children. He has written over 100 books and won many prizes, including the Smarties Prize, the Whitbread Award and the Blue Peter Book Award.

Customer Reviews

A really cool read!
My 8 year old son has just finished this book and I asked him to write a review for Amazon. This is what he said: "I am eight years old and have just finished reading this book. My mum said she'd take me to the Fair if I read this book because she is worried that I don't like reading. I was surprised that it was a good book, I just wanted to read it all the time. I read it in a few days. There were some hard words in it, but I skipped them and the book still made sense. I recommend this book for boys who don't like reading much."

He is a very reluctant reader and this is the first book he has read on his own. I was really suprised to find him voluntarily reading it, and he really seemed to enjoy it. His two best friends are also reading it now. It is sometimes difficult to find books for boys whose reading ability is less than their age - they don't want to read about teddy bears, but can't manage too complicated vocabulary, but this is an excellent read that really catches their imagination. Now my challenge is to find more books that will inspire him to read and without me resorting to bribery this time.

(We tried writing this review a couple of weeks ago, but it didn't seem to appear - so if you find something similar somewhere else on Amazon, that's why!)

Cool!
Although the subject of the book may seem rather morbid for children, my eight year old daughter couldn't get through it fast enough. The way the book is written from the viewpoint of the boy in a coma is novel; the writing is well-paced, involving the reader from the start. The story unfolds gradually, and as each chapter progresses, the reader learns more of the events as the boy remembers them himself,with an uplifting ending. This is the first book we have read by this author, but is definitely the first of many.

Emotional story
My 8-year-old daughter read this book and asked me to read it as she really enjoyed it. It is such a touching story that I had wet eyes nearly all the time when I was reading it. My daughter recommends it to everyone.