The War of Jenkins' Ear

by Michael Morpurgo

In an incisive story of secret prejudice, individuality, and tested friendship, Simon Christopher, the stubborn and independent new arrival at Redlands School, has a profound impact on the school and on Toby Jenkins, especially after he confides a secret to Toby.

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Historical, Novels, Historical Fiction

171 pages, Hardcover

First published March 11, 1993

About the author

Sir Michael Andrew Morpurgo, OBE, FRSL is the author of many books for children, five of which have been made into films. He also writes his own screenplays and libretti for opera. Born in St Albans, Hertfordshire, in 1943, he was evacuated to Cumberland during the last years of the Second World War, then returned to London, moving later to Essex. After a brief and unsuccessful spell in the army, he took up teaching and started to write. He left teaching after ten years in order to set up 'Farms for City Children' with his wife. They have three farms in Devon, Wales and Gloucestershire, open to inner city school children who come to stay and work with the animals. In 1999 this work was publicly recognised when he and his wife were invested a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to youth. In 2003, he was advanced to an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL) in 2004. He was knighted in the 2018 for his services to literature and charity. He is also a father and grandfather, so children have always played a large part in his life. Every year he and his family spend time in the Scilly Isles, the setting for three of his books.

Reviews

[engy · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 ⭐️

such an odd book. i found the story to be really weird and that just ruined my experience reading this book. it was so unusual from michael morpurgo's usual writing and storytelling, but i guess nobody's perfect. i honestly wanted to dnf this but i needed it to reach my reading goal for this year and there's only one day left of the year so i couldn't afford to dnf lol. kinda glad i finished it i guess, but this was quite a boring read and pretty tedious to get through. i'm still gonna continue to read more michael morpurgo books though and take this as the exception.

[Klare · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting read, very different from his other stories.

[Kimmi · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I can say is that ending. I need more! I need to know what happened to Christopher! I understand why Morpurgo ended it that way tho - it's like the "seeing is not believing, you have to trust to believe" thing in Christianity. I must admit, this is making me wonder whether God could possibly be real. You'd still have the philosophical question "Who created God?" but this book has sort of convinced me.
A wonderful book, totally convincing.

[Aruna Kumar Gadepalli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is different from other stories that I read, interesting though the pace, if one compares with other books of author is bit slow.

[Rebecca Rogers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely story; very moving.

[Abigail Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no historical war in this book but however a war between a group of boys at a boarding school and a group of village boys. It is about bringing peace between the boys. Michael leaves us questioning whether Christopher is or is not the second coming of Jesus Christ.

[Ceri]

This is the first book that I have had to add to my DNF pile, every other Michael Morpurgo book I have read so far I have always enjoyed, I liked the premise of this book but it failed to deliver. I am disappointed to say the least.

[Ollie · Rating 2 out of 5]

ok...

[Heather · Rating 1 out of 5]

Morpurgo is a brilliant Author.
This book is NOT.
Guess he's allowed one off day.

ALL his other books are better than this. This is too weird and off beat.

[Anna Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this a really weird book. I just didn’t enjoy it very much.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Toby Jenkins hates his boarding school and dreads going back, but this term there is a new boy who makes all the difference. Christopher is self-possessed, in control and sure that he is the second coming of Jesus Christ. Toby is taken on as his first disciple, his "Peter" after Christopher performs a miracle. Toby thinks he has found salvation, but then the trouble begins. It is impossible to describe how clever and intricate this book is. The story itself is simple enough and gripping enough for any child to enjoy. It is not overtly religious, but it throws up many complex questions. It shakes our beliefs and makes us question things we hold to be true. It examines the nature of faith and doubt. It draws interesting parallels with the Bible throughout the story, yet not in an overt or showy way. It shows Christopher as Christ the healer, performing miracles, bringing peace, being scorned and turned away by the authorities. It is a book that works on many levels. It is brilliantly written and I keep thinking about it despite having finished reading it days ago.

[TheInkDoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Enid blyton's novels like the famous five, twins at St. Clares, etc. The main reason was the depiction of the boarding school life, the description of dorms, games, secret and surprise parties at night. In this book, the war of Jenkin's Ear, I came across the other extreme of the boarding school: the punishments, the teasing, the bullying..The story revolves around Toby who is now best friends with a new weird kid who thinks he is the reincarnation of Jesus. Should or Shouldn't Toby believe his friend? What happened to Toby because of this friendship is the key line of the story. It was a quick read. I didn't find it quite amusing as I expected. It was a tad too dry for me.

[Donna Worsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Teaching introduced me to this author as the children were reading his work at school. Since then my Mum has been picking up the odd book for me and I have just started reading them. Great book! A really short read, and I had to remind myself that sometimes things in books don't have to make sense for it to be enjoyable, but I did really enjoy it!

[Joe Booth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Michael Morpurgo. I remember this was one of the first ones I read by him when I was 11, and I was brought up as a Catholic, so certain themes in this story shocked me lol! (spoiler: Christopher's possible true identity). Read it years later when I was 18, was less shocked then, but was very impressed anyway.

[Samantha Pope · Rating 5 out of 5]

I raced through this book, completely caught up with the drama between the boys at boarding school and the friendship between Toby and Christopher. Some people have thought this slow - I didn't find that at all. Rather like an extended metaphor of the life of Christ, this book makes you think and wonder and marvel. Highly recommended.

[srca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would love to have written something like this. It, along with Alan Bennett's The History Boys and MWPP Harry Potter fanfiction, has always made me desperately wish I had been a posh public schoolboy rather than the female piece of human garbage I became (completely of my own making, of course)

[Dayna Duchovney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book , possibly the most of all the Michael Morpurgo ( shorter stories) that I have read so far.
I felt this book had a deeper meaning / moral than just the story its self, that I felt added to the story too.

[Akua Serwaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

very interesting book

[15PinderF · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved it, but I am confused what happened after the end of the book such as what happened in the fighting and is there a second book cause I have a lot of questions. But other wise amazing.

[Andrea Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! A child-friendly version of "The Green Mile".

[Katie Reeeee Eloise · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice and quick read that is really enjoyable

[Jennifer Saliba · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely, somewhat original story which reflects the story of Jesus and his disciples set in a boys' private boarding school. Morpurgo is indeed a master storyteller.

[John Ollerton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A typically charming book.

[hawa · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite books as a child. Toby and Christopher's relationship was very strange, but very interesting. Probably 4 stars (the ending was weird) but for nostalgia's sake I'm giving it a 5!

[Zofia Steiner · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was quite boring

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great story from the ever reliable MM!

[Cob Freddo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so underrated. It's a bit strange that the book is a bit all over the place and I like it. Just a curse word warning on two pages. So probably don't read this out loud in a class.

[Poppy Skillman-Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite an intense one. Still great.

[Saanvi Santosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is my most favourite book which Micheal morpugo wrote.MUST READ.

[Michael Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprising and very engaging. I loved Morpurgo as a child, and this certainly kept me engaged as an adult.