Michael Morpurgo Collection 12 Books Set From Hereabout Hill, Waiting for Anya

This 12-book collection brings together stories by Michael Morpurgo, including War Horse, Kensuke's Kingdom and Waiting for Anya. Spanning war-time dramas, ghost stories, myths and legends, the set moves through a wide range of settings and perspectives, from remote islands to mountain borders and coastal communities.

Across the collection, children face danger and uncertainty, friendships form in unexpected circumstances, and communities are tested by conflict and change. Alongside longer narratives, the set also includes short stories and retellings inspired by legend, offering a varied selection of Morpurgo’s storytelling.

Included titles

• Waiting for Anya
• From Hereabout Hill
• King of the Cloud Forests
• Kensuke's Kingdom
• Why the Whales come
• Long Way Home
• My Friend Walter
• The Ghost of Grania O'Malley
• The Sleeping Sword
• White Horse of Zennor
• The Wreck of the Zanzibar
• War Horse

Key details

• 12-book set by Michael Morpurgo
• Includes a short story collection: From Hereabout Hill
• Kensuke's Kingdom includes new colour illustrations
• War Horse is set during the First World War and is narrated by a horse
• War Horse has been adapted for film and stage

Synopses

Waiting for Anya

Set near a mountain village in Spain during the Second World War, Jo discovers that Jewish children are being smuggled away from the Nazis. With German soldiers stationed at the border, he must warn his friends that the children are trapped, where any mistake could be fatal.

From Hereabout Hill

A collection of short stories exploring friendship, love, revenge, life and death. It includes a civil war tale in which a young girl hides from enemy soldiers, a story of a child swept out to sea while collecting cowrie shells, and an account of two brothers building a picture of their absent father over the years.

King of the Cloud Forests

As the Japanese invade China, Ashley and Uncle Sung flee and begin a dangerous journey across the Himalayas. Ashley is later left alone in the mountains, fighting to survive, until a mysterious and frightening encounter changes everything.

Kensuke's Kingdom

On the night before his twelfth birthday, Michael disappears and is washed up on an island in the Pacific. With no food or water, he expects to die, but wakes to find fish, fruit and fresh water beside him, and realises he is not alone.

Why the Whales come

Gracie and her friend Daniel are warned to avoid the Birdman and his side of the island, but a message in the sand leads them to see him differently. As their friendship grows, the children become stranded on Samson Island and must decide whether to believe the Birdman’s claim that the island is cursed.

The story is set on a remote island against the backdrop of the First World War.

Long Way Home

George faces another summer with another foster family and plans to run away back to the children’s home. Expecting rejection, he is surprised to begin feeling at ease with Tom Dyer and his sister Storme, and starts to wonder if he could belong with them.

My Friend Walter

Bess meets the ghost of Sir Walter Raleigh and learns she is his ancestor. She struggles to explain him to her family, especially when he causes trouble at home, from breaking a fishing rod to smoking cigars in her room.

The Ghost of Grania O'Malley

Islanders are determined to cut the top off the Big Hill in search of gold. Jessie and Jake want to save it and need a plan quickly, turning to the possibility that the ghost of Grania O’Malley, the pirate queen, could help.

The Sleeping Sword

Bun Bendle is struck blind and feels overwhelmed by darkness. The discovery of an ancient tomb and a sword that seems strangely familiar becomes a turning point that changes him.

White Horse of Zennor

A collection of myths, legends and ghost stories set in Zennor, at the furthest edge of Britain. In a church town where myths brush against reality, the tales describe a place where strange events unfold and ghosts roam freely.

The Wreck of the Zanzibar

Life on the Scilly Isles in 1907 is harsh, and Laura’s twin brother, Billy, disappears before a storm devastates the island. When the Zanzibar is wrecked on the rocks, events take a dramatic turn.

War Horse

Set amid the chaos of the First World War, a horse witnesses battle from both sides of the trenches. Bombardment and gunfire surround him as he tells a story of friendship surviving in terrible times, showing both the worst and best of humanity.