Giveaway #521 : Win An Eagle in the Snow by Michael Morpurgo - closed - winner Daisy Mae

Michael Morpurgo OBE is one of Britain’s best-loved writers for children. He has written over 100 books and won many prizes, including the Smarties Prize, the Blue Peter Book Award and the Whitbread Award. His recent bestselling novels include ‘Listen to the Moon’, ‘A Medal for Leroy’ and ‘Shadow’. His novel ‘War Horse’ has been successfully adapted as a West End and Broadway theatre play and a major film by Steven Spielberg. A former Children’s Laureate, Michael is also the co-founder, with his wife Clare, of the charity Farms for City Children. 

His powerful new novel, An Eagle in the Snow, is inspired by the true story of one man who might have stopped World War II. Imagine the scene - it's 1940. A train is under attack from German fighters. In the darkness, sheltering in a railway tunnel, the stranger in the carriage with Barney and his mother tells them a story to pass the time. And what a story ! The story of a young man, a young soldier in the trenches of World War I who, on the spur of the moment, had done what he thought was the right thing. It turned out to have been the worst mistake he ever could have made – a mistake he must put right before it is too late… 

You can see the trailer here, to get a feel for the book.

As a grown-up, I'm a fan of historical fiction, which I find both educational and enlightening, but I wasn't sure how this would work for children's fiction. Michael Morpurgo manages to deliver a narrative that will appeal to readers of all ages and levels though - younger readers will love it as an exciting story featuring war, adventures and animals, whereas older readers and even adults will appreciate the social commentary and moral issues that may well go over the heads of the younger audience. The illustrations will also make it more appealing to reluctant readers. The fact that it is based on a true story makes it even more poignant and gripping.

As a book spanning two wars and explaining, in a child-friendly way, life in the trenches and how war affected those back home, it's the perfect book to explain to youngsters what Poppy Day is all about.

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks (8 Oct. 2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0008134154
• ISBN-13: 978-0008134150
• Product Dimensions: 14.4 x 2.8 x 22.6 cm

I have a copy of An Eagle in the Snow by Michael Morpurgo to give away to one lucky Madhouse Family Reviews reader. Fill in your entries in the Rafflecopter widget below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

UK only. Closing date : 25/11/15

T & C's : Entries close at midnight on the closing date. Winners will be selected with a random number generator and announced on facebook, twitter and in the giveaway post subject line. Please note, you will be contacted by email and/or twitter and if I haven't heard from you after 28 days, I'll have to pick another winner. Prizes will be sent out by the companies or their PR directly to winners. Madhouse Family Reviews cannot be held responsible for any prizes that go astray !

Other giveaways you may be interested in :

Giveaway #520 : Win 1 of 2 kids' space hoppers #jumponit - closing date 24/11

Giveaway #519 : Win 2 x A Traveller In Time dvd - closing date 23/11