Product Description

This is an exciting adventure and friendship story by a much-loved, award winning author. Gracie and her friend, Daniel have always been warned to stay away from the Birdman and his side of the island. But then, they find a message in the sand and discover the Birdman is not who they thought. They build up a lovely friendship with him, but when the children get stranded on Samson Island they don't know whether to believe the birdman's story that the island is cursed. Set on a remote island against the backdrop of World War I, this story will captivate and delight young readers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5210 in Books
• Published on: 2007-02-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

About the Author
Michael Morpurgo: The Master Storyteller. Former Children's Laureate Michael Morpurgo needs no introduction. One of the most successful children's authors in the country, and loved by children, teachers and parents alike. Michael has written more than forty books and won the Whitbread Award, the Smarties Award, the Circle of Gold Award, the Children's Book Award and has been short-listed for the Carnegie Medal four times. His novels have been adapted for film (My Friend Walter, Why the Whales Came) and stage (most recently, Kensuke's Kingdom for the Polka Theatre and Why the Whales Came by for Alibi.)

Customer Reviews

An exciting review by Jessica and Egce
This book is about Gracie Jenkins and Daniel Pender who were inseparable friends. They lived on the Scilly Isles off the Cornish coast. There is a small island off Rusy Bay called Samson which is said to be haunted.
We really enjoyed this book because of the way it made you want to read on.It also had a very happy ending.
We recommend this book to all ages exspecally
between 6-12.

This review is one of the best in the world!!!!
Gracie and Daniel find them self very curious about the birdman and Sampson island, which is supposodly cursed, which Gracies father's best friend found out when he was forced to move after he visited the island and found terrible things were happening to him and his family. Gracie and Daniel visited Rushy Bay to sail there boats because Daniels brother kicked the two children away from the pool they usually sail there boats at, but when they get there, they find that there were the enitials Z.W. writen in seashells within the sand. Then they finally meet the birdman and his parrots and find that his real name was Zackaria Woodcock, and that he wasnt a bad or dangerous man. But he did warn them about Sampson island and that it was cursed. Curiousoty got the best of Gracie and Daniel who left to visit Sampson island. When they got there it was to foggy to see, so they went back home, were Gracie found that her Dad had been killed by the war that happened in 1914, WAS IT THE CURSE!!!???

Mark Wilson Age: 11

BRILL BOOK
Michael Morpurgo has once again enchanted me with this brilliant book. This is really a breath-taking read and I am not just exaggerating - it is actually splendid stuff! I would nominate this book for the Whitbread Award, although the author has won it many a times, or the Smarties Award.

The foundation stone of this story is the curse which came to the people of Samson, one of the Isles of Scilly, and how two young children - an inseparable pair of friends, a boy called Daniel and a girl called Gracie - and the supposedly mad Birdman of Bryher manage to redeem the curse some thirty years later.

I would rate this book 10/ 10 (it is on my favourites list) and would recommend it to older children and Morpurgo writes clever, complex, and thought-provoking books.