Black Queen Award-winning author by Michael Morpurgo (author)

The Black Queen is what Billy calls his weird neighbour. She always wears a black cloak and a wide black hat. She lurks in her garden, alone except for her black cat. Spooky or what? So when the Black Queen asks Billy to look after her cat, he’s nervous. Still, he can’t resist peeking into her shadowy house. Inside, there are chessboards everywhere. What game is the Black Queen playing? Is Billy brave enough to find out?

A fabulously spooky short read from a master writer

Michael Morpurgo is a former Children’s Laureate

His books include War Horse and Kensuke’s Kingdom

An intriguing tale perfect for newly confident readers

Product Details

Format

Paperback

ISBN

9780552576017

Date published

June 2nd, 2016

Other details

96 pages

Condition

New

Author/Illustrator

Michael Morpurgo

Michael Morpurgo is a master storyteller, weaving captivating stories full of drama and intensity that are coming to be regarded as true classics. Exploring the most profound subjects with a light yet powerful touch, his books tell unforgettable stories in simple, direct words.

Michael Morpurgo discovered his talent for writing while working as a teacher. “We had to read the children a story every day and my lot were bored by the book I was reading. I decided I had to do something and told them the kind of story I used to tell my kids – it was like a soap opera, and they focused on it. I could see there was magic in it for them, and realised there was magic in it for me.”

Living in Devon, listening to Mozart, and working with children have provided most of the stimulae Michael needs to discover and write his stories. He spends about half his life mucking out sheds with the children, feeding sheep or milking cows; the other half he spends dreaming up and writing stories. “For me, the greater part of writing is daydreaming, dreaming the dream of my story until it hatches out – the writing down of it I always find hard. But I love finishing it, then holding the book in my hand and sharing my dream with my readers.”