After more than a year in the jungle, Will comes across Doctor Geraldine, a lone scientist who has devoted her life to the saving and rehabilitation of the threatened orang-utans, a small, heroic activity set against the slow obliteration of the species. It's through her that Will's future seems about to be decided, until he takes matters into his own hands. The approachable manner in which this is achieved, through the eyes of nine year old Will, make it a truly remarkable read. Beautifully told and illustrated likewise, it is an absolute pleasure to read. This novel made me laugh and cry from start to finish. I was truly captivated and unable to put it down. The approachable manner in which this is achieved, through the eyes of nine-year-old Will means this book, although will have differing effects on each audience member, is accessible for KS2 pupils and above.

In the second paragraph the text says that Morpurgo was born in 1943. It then goes on to say 'When the Second World War broke out Michael.... was evacuated'. However, the war began in 1939 so Michael's evacuation cannot have been triggered by the start of the war. remember to tell her that last thing at night before I went off to sleep. Mum had always told me the same thing at bedtime; Dad too, when he was home. I always loved them saying it. And now it comforted me to be saying it to Oona each night, helped me to put the past behind me, and to come to terms with my new life in the jungle with Oona. Of course I didn’t expect any kind of response from her to anything I’d said. I did think sometimes, that an occasional, ‘Love you too,’ would have been nice. But it never happened. There was one time though, when she did reply, in a sort of a way, in a most surprising way actually. I’d just said my ‘goodnight, love you’, when she let out one of the longest, loudest farts I had ever heard in all my life. I’d known her long enough by now to know she was a frequent farter, but this particular one was truly the most magnificent fart of all farts, and musical too, one that seemed to go on and on interminably. I could hear my own giggling echoing through the trees long after I’d finished. I remember I’d always giggled with Bart and Tonk and Charlie when someone let off in school assembly, even when we knew we’d get into trouble with Big Mac. I don’t know why, but when it came to farts I was a helpless giggler, I could never stop myself. Now out here in the jungle there was no need to stop myself, no Big Mac to keep me in at playtime. There wasn’t any real need to stop myself either when my laughter turned to tears, as it so often had done since I’d been in the jungle with Oona. I could tell it upset her when I cried, so I did my best not to. I promised her so often that I wouldn’t cry again, but it was a promise I was still struggling to keep. I went on promising her all the same, because I knew that one day if I promised it often enough, it would help me to make it happen. “I’m not going to cry, Oona.” I’d hold her trunk between my hands, close my eyes, and tell her yet again. “I’m not going to think of them. I mean it this time. I really mean it. I promise. I promise. I promise.” Every night during those early times with Oona, I tried to keep that promise, and there were many nights when I failed. There were no weeks and months for me any more, not in this place, only days, and the long long nights. Whenever I saw a glimpse of the moon through the trees above, I’d think about where I’d seen it before, through the window at home, out camping with Dad. It was these nights I hated most, for it was then that, however much I tried, the old griefs would come welling up inside me again. All I could do then was give myself up to tears. In some strange way though, I found the discomfort of having to sleep rough in the jungle each night did help to distract me from the sadnesses Running wild is a children’s adventure fiction novel. In this novel the story of a young boy named Will is told through captivating chapters. The emotion throughout the novel is strong and the narrative holds deeper conceptual meanings.

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In November 2016 Michael Morpurgo won the J M Barrie Award for his contribution to children’s literature.This award is given every year by Action for Children’s Arts to a “children’s arts practitioner” whose lifetime’s work has delighted children and will stand the test of time. This story somewhat changed the way I look at life. Their are many struggles, but with friends and family you can and will make it.

Geography: This novel provides deep description and context for rainforest topics. Pupils would be better able to imagine the different layers of the rainforest, understanding the different animals and their struggles. Pupils could use self-chosen extracts of the book to add vivid description to rainforest work/projects. Michael Morpurgo has thrilled and delighted huge numbers of young readers since becoming a children’s author in the early 1970s," Wood said. "Action for Children’s Arts is delighted to recognise Michael’s outstanding contribution by presenting him with the J M Barrie Award 2016. His work will undoubtedly, like Peter Pan, stand the test of time, making him a truly worthy recipient of this award." David Wood, chair of Action for Children’s Arts, said Morpurgo is “one of our greatest storytellers”. I really enjoy Michael Morpurgo's story lines, most of them are adventurous and emotional making his books good reads. I think his style of writing is also very descriptive making his books engaging and entertaining. This lovely reading comprehension also comes with a set of questions, which test how well the children have understood the text.You can also read about his life in War Child to War Horse,a collaborative biography with Maggie Fergusson. Will and his mother are on a trip to Indonesia, Will is living out his dream of rising an elephant, when suddenly they become separated(by the elephant) in an urgent commotion. The boxing day tsunami was coming. Oona, the elephant saved Wills life from a terrible disaster, and continues to do so throughout the narrative. With the rich, vivid adjectives the visualisation of each event Will encounters is unexplainable. We've also included lovely illustrations to make this reading comprehension engaging for your students. The idea for this book came from a newspaper article about Aamber Owen, who was saved from the 2004 tsunami by an elephant whom she was riding at the time. Morpurgo had not traced Owen until 2016, and invited her and her family to the opening night of the stage production in London. [2] Morpurgo was also influenced by The Jungle Book and " The Elephant's Child", his two favourite stories from his childhood. [3] Morpurgo added: “Storymakers and storytellers like Barrie, and like all the previous winners of this award, have given us the hope and faith children need, we need, to keep flying, have sustained us through dark and troubled times, have banished doubt. To touch the lives of children, to witness their listening and reading silence, is reward enough in itself. This is simply the icing on the cake.”