Product description

I have the whole night ahead of me, and I won’t waste a single moment of it… I want tonight to be long, as long as my life…

As young Private ‘Tommo’ Peaceful reflects upon his childhood from the blazing battlefields of the First World War, his memories are full of his old life in the countryside. But the clock is ticking. Every moment Tommo spends remembering the past brings him one moment closer to morning, when his life will change in the most shocking and heartbreaking way… In this impassioned novel, Michael Morpurgo explores the legacy of violence, and the appalling fate of the soldiers shot for cowardice during the Great War. One of the most striking novels of recent years, and now a major film, this intense and heartfelt reflection on war casts an unshakeable spell.

“Full of warmth as well as grief, conveying vividly how precious it is to be alive.” Sunday Times

Product Details

Format

Paperback

ISBN

9780007486441

Condition

New

Available in these packs

Author/Illustrator

Michael Morpurgo

Photo of Michael Morpurgo

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What kids think

  1. emerald234
    on 3 October 2016

    Great book I recommend you to read it

    5 out of 5
  2. HelloWorld195
    on 16 July 2016

    This book moved me so deeply it’s unreal; I love the way Michael Morpurgo made this book tell this story.

    5 out of 5
  3. Chicgirl76
    on 10 June 2016

    I am reading this book in school and I absouletly love it!

  4. lips456
    on 4 March 2014

    so sad but so heart warming. the young love was so cute.

  5. Book-Club-Review-Team
    on 24 February 2014

    I really enjoyed Private Peaceful. Is is one of, or even my favourite Michael Morpurgo to date. I really love the way Michael has written Private Peaceful- the way that history is merged with fiction and a love story. The most captivating thing about the story is that Private Peaceful was a real person, not only a real person but somebody who fought and died representing our country. My favourite scene in Private Peaceful has to be when the German gassed the British Trench. Not only did it illustrate the horrors that can occur in the Trenches but it also illustrates the fact that there isnt really a good side or a bad side; every soldier wanted peace in Europe and were mainly innocent people. This is shown when a German soldier is inches away from killing Tommo but lets him go. At this point I was on the edge of my seat. My favourite character in Private Peaceful has to be Charlie. Charlie is a kind, innocent and caring person; hes the sort of person everybody would want as an older brother. At school if Tommo was being bullied Charlie protected him. In one scene Charlie starts (and ends) a fight with a boy (name?) who was making fun of Big Joe- this scene shows how close the Peaceful Family were. It was not just in his school years that Charlie protected Tommo. Close to the end of the story Tommo is seriously wounded on their mission to capture a German Trench. Sergeant `Horrible` Hanley (as he was known) ordered Charlie to leave his brother their (to die) and carry on with the mission. Fortunately, Charlie stayed with his brother and dragged him back to their trenches. Charlie had such a close bond with Tommo that he just wouldn’t let him die, but unfortunately for Charlie it meant that he would die because he was given a court martial for not following the sergeants orders. Charlie was shot for cowardice without a fair trial. Sadly, the injustice that occurs in this bit was not fictional but fact! During World War One 290 (British) soldiers died because of what was thought to be cowardice but later was found to be shell shock and tiredness. I`d like to think that Private Peaceful was the trigger for the Queen to give all of the soldiers shot for cowardice a posthumous pardon. I have a lot of sympathy for Tommo because to grow up so close to Charlie and to feel so secure around him, when he died Tommo must have felt lost, depressed and probably wanted to give up. Despite this he still had to fight in the Battle of the Somme. The beauty of this book is that the story doesn’t finish as soon as you close the last page; the story continues in your head- did Tommo survive World War One? How did the Peaceful Family react? Did Tommo become a father to Little Tommo, a father that Little Tommo would never grow up with and most importantly did the love story end well for Tommo- did Molly and Tommo live happily ever after just like Tommo visioned when he first met her? Although there is one bad bit of the book. Michael Morpurgo left us crying! I rate Private Peaceful 10/10, a great book that leaves us sitting on the edge of the seat (with a box of tissues!) I would reccomend this book to anybody! Whether its an avid reader, a history bof, an action-seeker or a reader in search of a sad story of War, Love, Family and Tragedy this book would thrill everybody from the ages of 9-99. Superb!

    Ben, aged 13

    5 out of 5
  6. loi77
    on 5 May 2013

    The first book I cried in, I read it at the same time as my grandfather, Charlie, we both cried and cried. This might be a bit harsh for younger reader.

  7. Nashdasher
    on 9 March 2013

    A sad but really wonderful and heart breaking book

  8. thunderball72
    on 9 March 2013

    Great book!Love it!

  9. TheMileLongBookshelfBlog
    on 8 March 2013

    I LOVE HIS BOOKS SO MUCH

  10. Paradise56
    on 8 March 2013

    this good was ok

  11. pawprint2
    on 8 March 2013

    this book has everything really morpurgos best!!!!!some bits are sad some bits are funny so try it youll love it

  12. samcharlie123
    on 8 March 2013

    A great book, with a sad ending though. I’d recommend to Michael Morpurgo fans aged 10+.

  13. lap312i
    on 6 March 2013

    the blurb is kind of sad. but it might be another great book by michael morprugo

  14. MSK
    on 6 March 2013

    This was a truly wonderful book. It is about a soldier called Thomas Peaceful and his Brother. It is set in the First World War and portrays what it must have been like to be in The war – having to suffer friends, Siblings, relatives and teammates being killed or injured; Having to suffer the terror of fighting in the battlefields. The ending was very sad. I recommend this book for ages 9- 12.

    5 out of 5
  15. Sherlock25
    on 6 March 2013

    A good and very sad book, i really recommend it

  16. TwilightTeamEdward
    on 5 March 2013

    this is a really sad book but it is worth a read.

  17. abirnawi20
    on 3 March 2013

    wonderful

    5 out of 5
  18. swimming10
    on 1 February 2013

    Really liked it especially as I love war stories. very sad!

    5 out of 5
  19. historylover900
    on 19 October 2012

    Absolutely loved this book!!

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