Books: The Elephant in the Garden

The Elephant in the Garden - Michael Morpurgo

What I love about Michael Morpurgo is that he writes wonderfully real, moving stories and then something wacky, like an elephant for example, turns up. Morpurgo has long been a firm favourite of mine amongst the children's literature canon. The first time I read Private Peaceful I was absoltely stunned by its simplicity, emotion and boldness. I love his style of writing and the delicacy with which he deals with big subjects, many of which would be entirely alien to many of his young readers.

And so, The Elephant in the Garden (Or Elephant as I will now call it) is set in Dresden, Germany and follows a small family - and their elephant - as they must travel to find shelter after their house is destroyed by RAF bombers. The story is narrated by Lizzie, now an old woman in a home, retelling her story for her carer and her son, Karl. Dismissed as slightly batty, Lizzie's stories about keeping an elephant in her back garden has been dismissed by the carers at the home. When Karl visits, however, he believes instantly. Eventually persuaded to listen, Karl and his mother sit together with Lizzie as she tells the story, from her time before the war, through family arguments about the Hitler uprising, the dreadful and hellish Dresden bombings and into post-war life.

Morpurgo creates the beatufully vivid characters of Karli, Mutti, Papi, Lizzie and Peter, the rescued canadian RAF navigator, and inserts them into the real events of that horrendous allied attack on Dresden. I cared about the characters. I wanted them to survive the bombings. And then there's the elephant. Named after Marlene Dietrich, the family will not go anywhere without their pachyderm companion (adopted by the Mutti who works at Dresden zoo). Remarkably, it is Marlene that diverts attention from the fact they are harbouring an RAF serviceman, as every policeman and refugee they encounter believes their story about rescuing the elephant from certain death at Dresden zoo. The journey is not without its obstacles but Marlene's persistance, solidarity and strength carries the tired travellers to their eventual destination.

It is a lovely book, beautifully written in a way that will interest children. It is bold to write a WW2 story set in Germany and from a German's perspective but Morpurgo is, as ever, sensitive with his subject matter and characters, and therefore with his readers.

My rating **** 4/5 stars

Recommendation: Read the Morpurgo back catalogue. I suggest Private Peaceful, The Butterfly Lion and Warhorse (soon to be a Spielberg smash hit!).

Books: The Book Thief

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak


"1939 - Nazi Germany - The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier.

"Liesel, a nine-year-old girl, is living with a foster family on Himmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall.

"Some important information - this novel is narrated by death. It's a small story, about: a girl; an accordionist; some fanatical Germans; a Jewish fist fighter; and quite a lot of thievery.

"Another thing you should know - death will visit the book thief three times."

With a blurb like that, how could you not be interested? I loved this book for all of its quirkiness, originality, comedy and tragedy. It is a truly unique story, written from the point of view of Death. Death sees humans in various colours and he becomes, however reluctantly, engrossed in the life of little Liesel. The story follows Liesel's life as she grows up on Himmel Street, suffering the depression of the war years. She dabbles in a little light thievery with her best friend Rudy, who will not stop asking her for a kiss, but she only finds real joy when she holds a book between her hands.

This story is about the redemptive power of words and books, which allow Liesel to both escape and come to terms with the chaotic and colourful life that surrounds her. Somewhere between beating up a school bully, joining the Hitler Youth and befriending a Jew in her basement, Lisel becomes a young girl empowered by the printed word.

Having Death as a narrator continues to bring something uniquley sombre and matter of fact about the sheer number of human lives lost during the wars. Death's little notes and observations intermittently break up the narrative, allowing you to briefly step away from the difficulties of Liesel's young life. This book is a valuable addition to the Holocaust literature canon as Death, rather than separating the faces of suffering Jews and those men simply fighting for their countries, merely sees colours and lives ending. The Book Thief certainly shows the inhumanity of the Holocaust but instead chooses to focus on the power of relationships, conversations and words to overcome. After all, Death sees death all the time, so our narrator is interested only in the little flashes of humanity that manage to colour the blood red landscape of Nazi Germany.

Rating: ***** 5/5 stars
Recommendation: A must read, particularly if you have an interest in Holocaust literature. Also suitable for teenagers.