Stories for 8 Year Olds

Joy and heartbreak combine in this bittersweet tale of a champion greyhound's journey through life - and from owner to owner... "The sack wasn't just drifting gently along like everything else, it was turning of its own accord. There was definitely something inside it, struggling against the side of the plastic bag, kicking at it, squeaking and squealing in terror. He had no idea what it might be, only that it was alive and in danger of drowning." When Patrick saves a litter of...

A funny, heartwarming animal story from a master storyteller, perfect for children learning to read. Lula always likes me to go with her to the end of the lane. She loves a bit of a cuddle and a lick or two before the school bus comes. "Oh Russ," she whispers. "A horse. It's all I want for my birthday." And I'm thinking - excuse me, but what's so great about a horse? Isn't a dog good enough?" The touching tale of one girl and her dog exploring farm life, from Britain's best-loved children's...

A beautifully crafted chapter book, perfect for children learning to read. From master story-teller Michael Morpurgo. When Stevie Rooster is mean about Nick's old dog dying, Nick throws Stevie's best conker into the pond. But Grandma says there's a better way to get back at Stevie - become Conker King of Jubilee Park. Nick must use some conkers from the tree in the old scrapyard. And in that scrapyard is a skinny, starving dog who looks just like Nick's old pet. Can Nick rescue the animal and...

The stunning novel set during World War One from Michael Morpurgo, the nation's favourite storyteller and multi-million copy bestseller. May, 1915. Alfie and his fisherman father find a girl on an uninhabited island in the Scillies - injured, thirsty, lost… and with absolutely no memory of who she is, or how she came to be there. She can say only one word: Lucy. Where has she come from? Is she a mermaid, the victim of a German U-boat, or even - as some islanders suggest - a German spy…?...

Before the Steven Spielberg film, before the National Theatre production, there was the classic children's novel...In the deadly chaos of the First World War, one horse witnesses the reality of battle from both sides of the trenches. Bombarded by artillery, with bullets knocking riders from his back, Joey tells a powerful story of the truest friendships surviving in terrible times. One horse has the seen the best and the worst of humanity. The power of war and the beauty of peace. This is his...

A heart-warming tale of courage and warmth, set against the backdrop of the second world war, about an abandoned village, a lifelong friendship and one very adventurous cat! 'Classic Morpurgo brilliance' - Publishing News "Something's up. Something big too, very big. At school, in the village, whoever you meet, it's all anyone talks about. It's like a sudden curse has come down on us all. It makes me wonder if we'll ever see the sun again." It's 1943, and Lily...