Kensuke's Kingdom (NHB Modern Plays) - Softcover

Morpurgo, Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1854599690 ISBN 13: 9781854599698

Publisher: Nick Hern Books, 2006

Synopsis

The story of a young boy's fantastic adventure after being washed up on a Pacific island adapted for the stage by acclaimed dramatist Stuart Paterson from the best-selling novel by Children's Laureate Michael Morpurgo.

Michael embarks on a round-the-world sailing voyage with his parents, only for their dream to become a nightmare when Michael falls overboard. Washed up on an island in the Pacific populated with orang-utans, Michael soon makes a startling discovery: the island is already home to one extraordinary man, and this is Kensuke's Kingdom...

About this title

Review:

It would be foolish to think that Michael Morpurgo, author of the award-winning When the Whales Came, could create something that would prove to be anything less than stunning and here, in Kensuke's Kingdom, he certainly proves he has not lost his magic touch.

When Michael is washed up on an island in the Pacific after falling from his parent's yacht, the Peggy Sue, he struggles to survive on his own. But he soon realises there is someone close by, someone who is watching over him and helping him to stay alive. Following a close-run battle between life and death after being stung by a poisonous jelly fish, the mysterious someone--Kensuke--allows Michael into his world and they become friends, teaching and learning from each other, until the day of separation becomes inevitable.

Morpurgo here spins a yarn which gently captures the adventurous elements one would expect from a desert-island tale, but the real strength lies in the poignant and subtle observations of friendship, trust and, ultimately, humanity.

Beautifully illustrated by Michael Foreman, Kensuke's Kingdom is a stylish, deceptively simple and magical book that will effortlessly capture the heart and imagination of anyone who reads it, ensuring that Morpurgo continues to stand tall amid the ranks of classic children's authors. (Ages 9 and over) --Susan Harrison

Review:

A brilliant touring production... I was still on a high days later. --The Times Educational Supplement

One to treasure... In this adaptation by Stuart Paterson, the story is beautifully told... I've never heard such cheering as there was at the start of the second act. --Birmingham Post

Paterson is a quite unrivalled talent within the theatre. --Herald

About this edition

• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 1854599690
• ISBN 13: 9781854599698
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 64