Private Peaceful

Heroism or cowardice? A stunning story of the First World War from a master storyteller ‘Full of warmth as well as grief, conveying vividly how precious it is to be alive’Sunday Times As young Thomas Peaceful looks back over his childhood from the battlefields of the First World War, his memories are full of family life deep in the countryside. But the clock is ticking, and every moment Tommo spends remembering how things used to be, means another moment closer to something that will change his life for ever.

‘A deeply moving portrayal of camaraderie and courage, innocence and brutality’ Telegraph ‘[Tommo’s] journey from agricultural labourer to cannon fodder is movingly told . . . Morpurgo is expert at getting through to his readers. He writes here about events that should never be forgotten nor forgiven, and does so most effectively’ Independent ‘Full of warmth as well as grief, conveying vividly how precious it is to be alive’ Sunday Times ‘The best novel he’s written since The Butterfly Lion’ The Times ‘Deserved to last as an insight into the First World War in the same way as, say, The Silver Sword or Goodnight Mr Tom’ Telegraph ‘A poignant, elegiac novel’ Daily Mail

Michael Morpurgo OBE is one of Britain's best-loved writers for children, and has sold more than 35 million books around the world. He has written more than 150 novels and won many prizes, including the Smarties Prize, the Whitbread Award and the Blue Peter Book Award, while several of his books have been adapted for stage and screen, including the global theatrical phenomenon War Horse. Michael was Children’s Laureate from 2003 to 2005, and founded the charity Farms for City Children with his wife, Clare. He was knighted in 2018 for services to literature and charity.

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