The Sleeping Sword

This novel by Michael Morpurgo marks a return to his beloved Isles of Scilly. Unlike the remarkable Out of the Ashes which was grounded in the horrific realities of the foot-and-mouth epidemic, this is a beautifully written tale in which Morpurgo says he has woven 'a magical fleece of fact and fantasy'. Bun Bendle is tragically blinded in a swimming accident, and the heedless freedom of his earlier life becomes a distant memory as he has to learn how to cope in the dark world he now inhabits. The threat of being sent away from Bryher to a special school for the blind hangs over him until his friends and the other islanders petition his parents to let him stay. But the family finds it hard to cope as his mother gives up work to teach him at home, and there are Braille lessons to be paid for. There seems to be no way out of the financial mire until another accident changes the course of Bun's life for ever. Stumbling into an undiscovered tomb, he finds a sword and shield dating back to the time of King Arthur. As he grips the sword, an incredible power flows into him. Like Arthur's knights, Bun realizes he too has an important quest - to return the sword and the shield to their rightful owner, Arthur himself. Yet there is a dilemma - the items are valuable and the family is desperately short of money. Bun knows what he must do, even though the sword and shield could set up his family for life. This is actually a story within a story. An apparently straightforward tale of a knightly quest turns out to be merely a dream - or is it? The reader is left tantalisingly unsure at the end of the book, as events begin to turn in on themselves and there is a very real possibility of healing. Morpurgo is a superb story-teller, skilfully plaiting together strands of myth and reality to create a glowing tapestry which will mesmerize his young readers. Ages 8 + (Kirkus UK)