Great Boy Stories: A Treasury of Classics from Children's Literature »

Michael Morpurgo is the author of more than fifty books for children and has had several of his novels adapted for film and television.

This handsome collection of carefully chosen and beautifully illustrated extracts celebrates favorite boy characters from children's literature. A new generation of readers will be delighted and inspired by the antics and adventures of timeless heroes such as Tom Sawyer, Oliver Twist, Peter Pan, and Winnie-the-Pooh.

Anamaria Anderson - Children's Literature

This collection features seventeen memorable episodes from classic and contemporary "boys' books—about pirates, or pranks, or great heroics." The selections, made by Whitbread Award-winning British author Michael Morpurgo, are nicely balanced. They include tales of great battles ("Peter's First Battle" from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) and solitary victories, quiet stories and funny ones, familiar heroes and some which are likely to be new faces. Only Winnie-the-Pooh seems truly out of place here, even among boys ranging from Flat Stanley to Oliver Twist. Morpurgo contextualizes each excerpt; although some stand alone better than others. Illustrations vary from selection to selection—some are from original editions, others were commissioned for this volume. Many of these "boy stories" would make great read-alouds for younger children. The collection's best audience, however, are independent readers—including boys and girls of any age—who may be encouraged to seek out the full-length versions of their favorites. 2000, Kingfisher/Houghton Mifflin, Ages 7 to 12.