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The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips | 
 enlarge | Author: Michael Morpurgo
Creator: Michael Foreman
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
Category: Book
List Price: £5.99
Buy New: £1.04
You Save: £4.95 (83%)
New (32) Used (18) from £1.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  12 reviews
Sales Rank: 1127
Media: Paperback
Pages: 192
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5 x 0.7
ISBN: 0007182465
EAN: 9780007182466
ASIN: 0007182465
Publication Date: February 6, 2006
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
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Amazon.co.uk Review
A lot of Michael Morpurgo's novels for young readers have shared a common theme recently, and to a canon of work about the two World Wars that has included War Horse and Private Peaceful he adds the quietly impressive The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips. His backdrop, meticulously researched and recreated as ever, is the evacuation of several South Coast villages in early 1944 to make way for American troops as they practice for the imminent D-Day landings. Morpurgo focuses on the impact this upheaval has on one young twelve-year-old girl, Lily Tregenze, who lives on a farm in the village of Slapton with her mum and grandfather. Her world is made up of her local school, currently filled to bursting with London evacuees, and her adoration for Tips, her faithful cat companion. Tips is forever having litters of kittens and Lily is distraught when her dad, who's away in the army, then her mum, drowns successive litters because they would be too many to keep and feed. The biggest shock of the reality of living in Wartime Britain, however, comes when they find out they have to move to their Uncle George's farm to make way for the army exercises. On the eve of their move, Tips goes missing. And for months afterwards it is only the kindness of a young American soldier and his army friend who help look Lily look for Tips that helps her get through the many changes and challenges in her life. The reader is forewarned that there is a twist at the end of this story, that Lily has gone and done something amazing and maybe a little foolhardy, and half the fun of this book is guessing what that might turn out to be. Morpurgo is a genuinely talented storyteller. There is always the kernel of a great idea in his books that make him one of the best writers for children around today. (Age 8 and over) --John McLay
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| Customer Reviews: Read 7 more reviews...
adolphus tips January 2, 2009
this book is just as it's title describes. amazing. i have never cried so much in my life. i felt a pain in my heart as lily tregenza describes how much she misses tips, and how much she loves adie and harry. definitely top of my book list.
Ver good worth reading October 16, 2008
I dont want to give the book away but it is a very good book i read when i was about 11-12 and enjoyed it, good storyline.
Beautiful September 21, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a truly wonderful little book - which I would guess is aimed at age 9 - 13 children. It's only short and easily readable in an afternoon.
It's a beautiful story and very well written and shows the war and how it affected this small farming community from a young girl's perspective. It's not just about a missing cat - it is much more than that. It covers Lily's relationship with her family, with an evacuee who is sent to live with them and with the American soldiers based nearby. We also learn about Lily's guilt - she doesnt feel that she misses her Dad (who is away at war) enough, and feels closer to her new friends, the American soldiers.
The book starts as a letter to Michael from his grandmother Lily - enclosed with the letter is her childhood diary which tells the story of the evacuated village and her search for her cat Tips. We know that there is going to be a twist at the end of the book, and the twist is quite surprising but brings a lump to the throat.
As a postscript, Michael Murpurgo explains that the people of Slapton were actually evacuated during the war, and the village and it's beach used as a training ground for the Americans in preparation for the D Day landings.
I would recommend this book to all; adults and children alike.
A heartwarming story - I couldn't put it down. August 20, 2008
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
Michael Morpurgo has written yet another brilliant story with 'The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips'.
It's the story of Lily Tregenza who, in 1943, lives on the family farm on the coast of Devon with her mum and grandfather. Her dad's away in the army. Lily has a cat called Tips, and when the family are forced to move from their home for several months while the army take over the area as a training ground Lily's beloved Tips runs away and gets left behind. Lily is heartbroken but will not give up her search for Tips and she enters the cordoned-off Danger Zone to look for Tips herself - a very dangerous place to be...
It's a lovely story. Written in a simple, easy-to-read style, yet granting the reader a true insight into the Second World War from a child's perspective in the countryside. We also learn at the outset of the story that there's going to be a twist to Lily's tale right at the end, so as long as you don't cheat and peek at the end, it makes for a really compulsive read.
Michael Morpurgo reminds us that 3000 people really were evacuated from their homes around Slapton Sands in Devon, so that the troops could practice landing exercises along the beaches. The beaches there were similar there to the landing beaches in Normandy, used for the D-Day landings of June 1944.
I can highly recommend the story of Adolphus Tips for all ages from 8+.
Continues to keep us entertained on car journeys... July 15, 2008
I and my two children (5 +7) love this audio version of this wonderful story - what a gifted writer Michael Murpurgo is. It's a quietly dramatic story, uplifting and profound in some places and a fascinating insight into a child's life during the second world war. I'm always in tears at the end!
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