Kensuke's Kingdom

Book Cover (1999) 

Kensuke's Kindom
Written by Michael Morpurgo

"I heard the wind above me in the sails..."
"You shouldn't be doing this... I was in the cold of the sea before I could even open my mouth to scream"

About the Author
Michael Morpurgo was born in Hertfordshire, England in 1943. He attended the London University, where he studied English and French. Morpurgo first started a career in teaching in a primary school in Kent. During this time he realised that what he wanted to do most in life, was write stories for children.

The Story
Kensuke's Kingdom is a story within a story. The young lead character Michael is telling us the tale of when he was once washed up on the shore of a desert island. After Michaels family decide to take off on an around the world trip on their new boat, the "Peggy Sue", Michael must say goodbye to all his friends and his beloved Gran. However just over halfway through their trip whilst Michael is on watch one night on the deck, when he notices that his best friend - his pet dog - Stella Artios, had fallen over board. When Michael tries to reach for Stella, he realises too late that he is not wearing his life jacket and falls into the water. Before he knows it, Stella has disappeared and so has the Peggy Sue with his parents on board. No land is to be seen for miles and Michael is left alone in the water. When he awakens on the hot sand of a desert island, he finds that he is alone and no chance of finding anybody.

Is he really alone on the island?

Or will he find someone who is able to get him home?

Will he ever get back home?

Characterisation
Our leading characters are as followed:

• Michael - An 11 year old male protagonist that tells the story of being stranded in our story.
• Kensuke - The man that our story revolves around. Kensuke and his wide open desert island home offer key aspects of the story
• Stella Artois - Michael's pet dog and best friend. 

Michael, our young lead character, is an 11 year old boy who has set sail with his family to travel the world. He has had to leave his friends and the rest of his family behind, abandon his football team and his old home for his new life on board The Peggy Sue. Michael's pet dog Stella has a very deep connection with Michael. This may sound silly to some, considering the fact that Stella is in fact a dog, but many dog owners will know that you can create that special connection with your loyal companion. In the story both Michael and Stella become stranded together on the desert island, and must fight for their survival. However, just reading about Michaels feelings towards the fact he has Stella, that he is not lost alone, but the fact he has a friend nearby, makes the reader wish they had that sort of connection.

Kensuke, our other lead character, enters the story a little later on in the book. He is first introduced when Michael lands on the island. Michael learns of Kensuke's existence after building a fire to gain passing ships attention, however he is not happy about Michaels actions as he doesn't wish to be found and rescued, or even discovered for that matter. The reader begins to wonder why that is, why would someone that appears to have been stranded for, who knows how long, want to stay any longer? This raises questions, which us as the reader are intrigued to find out. Between the first meeting of Michael and Kensuke, Kensuke shows hostility towards Michael. He doesn't want Michael to start a fire and begins to berate him. However we find that every morning when Michael awakens in a nearby cave he discovered, he always comes to find that Kensuke has left him some fresh water and food to eat. 

Plot Lines
In this story there is a definite start, middle and end. The beginning explains how Michael and his family first come to buying the boat and why they want to set sail. Saying goodbye to their friends and family, and just beginning their new life together.
The first major plot line in our story, I think, is when Michael first gets thrown over the side of the boat. Our author describes in detail how Michael is feeling stranded in the middle of the ocean, his fear and what might become of him. But when he is washed up on the shore, the real story begins. Michael must fight to survive on a desert island with only his dog by his side. We follow Michael as he searches the island and tried to find food and fresh water to drink. We learn of the howling from the trees, and how he fears something may be out there ready to eat him alive.
The next bog event is when the reader is introduced to Kensuke for the first time. The reader paints a picture of a frail old man, which intrigues us as the reader. Meeting Kensuke is the readers first introduction to "Kensuke's Kingdom". Michael refers to the island as "Kensuke's Kingdom" because he has yet to meet anybody else. Kensuke might just well be the only living soul on the island, and Michael realises he must trust and befriend him to stay alive.
The chapters in the book are quite long in some places, but they helped to add extra detail and flesh out certain parts of the story. Michael is able to describe everything, what he can see, hear, smell and sometimes taste in the air. But it all adds up to help us create a mental image of what Michael may is experiencing, whether he considers it a dream, or a nightmare.

OVERALL

Story: 8½/10

Characterisation: 8/10

Re-readable: Yes (Have read this at least 8 times over)

Recommendable: Yes (Convincing a friend to read it at the moment)

Overall I rate this book: 8/10

The first time I ever read Kensuke's Kingdom, I was roughly around 12 years of age and was still in primary school. I felt the book made a real connection with me, which made me want to read it again and again.
Michael Morpurgo is in fact a children's writer, and Kensuke's Kingdom is a children's book, however, the story is so well written and in depth that I would recommend the book to any person of any age. The story has really stuck in my mind over the years, I have read it nearly 10 times in total. "Kensuke's Kingdom" is one of my favourite books of all time, and I can honestly say I know I will read it again in the future will and probably pass it on to my kids.  Michael Morpurgo is also the writer of The War Horse which was released as a film adaptation starring Jeremy Irvine, which was released in 2011.

The story of Kensuke's Kingdom is short book to read, whether it be to yourself or to your children, because I guarantee they will love it as much as you do. I loved it at the age of 10, and it has been nearly 10 years since, and I still love every page of it. A classic in disguise. If you liked The War Horse, then I know you will love Kensuke's Kingdom. 

I would recommend this book to Young Fiction readers.





Other books by Michael Morpurgo:

1. The War Horse
2. The Sleeping Sword
3. Escape from Shangri-La
4. Twist of Gold