Author Michael Morpurgo answers your questions....

[RachelMumsnet]

Great news! Award-winning children's author Michael Morpurgo has kindly agreed to answer YOUR questions. Michael has written more than 100 books, including The War Horse, The Butterfly Lion and Private Peaceful, and founded Farms for City Children with his wife. His most recent book, This Morning I Met a Whale, is the story of a little boy who meets the whale that turned up in the Thames a couple of years ago. Please use this thread to post your question - or your children's questions - to Michael. You don't have to give any details about your children, although their age may be useful. The last day for sending in questions is next Friday, 12th December. Michael will then answer as many as possible and they'll be published on the site before Christmas.

[roisin]

Thank you for the link! I've only just found this.

[weblette]

One very happy dd here. Thanks Fennel!

[Fauve]

Thanks, Fennel. DD now over the moon.

[Fennel]

here it is

www.mumsnet.com/michael-morpurgo-q-and-a.html

Someone kindly linked me to it.

[Fauve]

???

[Fennel]

But where are the answers? Someone told me he'd been on and replied to every question but I can't see where.

[Fauve]

Dd has now polished off her Xmas Morpurgo books - Alone on a Wide Wide Sea, When the Whales Came, and another title. Good job there are plenty more to keep her going!

[Fauve]

I haven't seen one - dd is asking if there have been any answers yet. I expect MNHQ have been a bit busy, though.

[MrsWeasleyStrokesSantasSack]

Has there been another thread with the answers to our questions or is this still a work in progress?

[MorocconOil]

Hi Michael, We are all fans of your books in our family. My 9 year old son says that 'Alone on a Wide, Wide Sea' is his favorite because he likes the way you describe things. He would like to know where you got the ideas for that book from.

Many thanks

[nettie]

Both my sons are reluctantly writers, even though they love reading, have fab vocabularies and imaginations. So Iwould love to know if you enjoy writing as a child. Both boys (6 & 11) love your books, I've just finished reading Kasper to them. I think your books should come with a box tissues

[GerryChristmasMumsnet]

We're going to send the questions over to Michael at the end of the afternoon, so if anyone has anything else they'd like to ask him, this is a last call for questions

[bonty]

My question is -

What exactly is your connection with the Isles of Scilly, and were you annoyed that they changed the title of your book for the film When/Why the Whales Came?

Just curious as I was born on Scilly and attended the film premiere in St Ives many years ago.

Thanks

[janinlondon]

Hello, My name is Isobel and I am nine. Nearly everyone in my class is reading one of your books, and we all love them. Our teacher Mrs Lock is your biggest fan! Could you tell us which one of your books makes you the most proud, and why? We think you are a fantastic author, but we all have different favourites. Thank you for writing such great books for us.

[Lemontart]

Hello. I have a quick question from my 7yr old (off school ill and dictating this to me). She is a big fan of Adolphus Tips and finished reading it with her dad last weekend.
She wants to know:
"is the cat on the cover really how you imagine Tips to look? Do you ever wish you could illustrate your own books so they look exactly how you see them in your head?"

[harman]

Message withdrawn

[Katw3kitts]

Sorry if these have been asked previously ...

Q1 What is your favourite book out of the ones you have written ?

Q2 Who is your favourite author and do you have a favourite book ?

Q3 Have you written your Christmas list and is what would you like Father Christmas to bring you this year ?

Q4 Are you having turkey on christmas day ?

Lottie (aged 11)

Q4 Has writing made you rich and do you drive a sports car ? (james 7)

[lisalisa]

I also haven't got a question but just wanted to thank you for being the trigger to start a reluctant 9 year old reading.

My son had meningitis as a baby and subsequently struggled with reading and writing. Used to being near the bottom of the class he had already written reading off as something only the clever kids did and too much hard work to be worthwhile ( (it was hard work to read for him).

He was persuaded to read one fo your books about 6 nmonths ago and really enjoyed it. Full of excitement I rushed out to our local bookshop and after having sought advice from teh assistant there bought an armful - yes, literally, of your books for 7yrs up ( I wanted to start him easily).

Cue 6 months later he's read about a quarter of all the books yhou've writen ( yes - really) and reads easily a book or two every week and has his nose permenantly stuck in a book. He loves to ashare them with me so I am familiar with many of your characters and ideas.

I want to thank you for being such an exciting and inspiring childnre's author and for giving my son the gift of reading . He is now making terrific progress at school all thanks to his new foudn love of reading!!!!

[Swedes]

Btw DS1 (16) says your endings are great. He thinks it makes your books more thought provoking.

[vet50]

My son (10) loves your books but is finding The Sleeping Sword makes him 'too sad'. Perhaps he is over sensitive or too young, but it does seem to contain a lot of upsetting material in one book. How can I help him (and me) to see the light side please?

[Swedes]

I heard you interviewed (on R4) during the Bath literary festival and it was a real treat.

I have two children from a previous marriage and two children with my partner. I think we are mostly a very happy family, but I am acutely aware of the pitfalls for step and blended families and your life-story made me cry (with all four children in the car). Family breakdown is now very common in our society, but we have yet to get to grips with continuing to cooperate as parents to our children after a relationship ends (often it is the opposite of cooperative). I have written a parents' charter that would operate like a pre-nuptial agreement. May I please send it to you for your observations? It is two sides of A4 in Word.

[ahundredtimes]

Sorry Mr Murpurgo - there is a high maintenance 9 y-o update.

'It's not so much that it was sad, some things are a bit sad aren't they? It's that he like actually did it on purpose to make me cry, when he didn't need to because I thought he would be with the boy at the end, and it made me cross because why not do that, why make it so like it was, like was it just to be mean? But then I've thought about this a lot haven't I, so perhaps it was okay? But I would like to know what he thinks.'

[Doobydoo]

Hello Again.Ds1 would like to know if Bertie Andrews is real?