SHORT STORIES
"Beautifully
written and fun to read."
Junior
Education
on In Deep Water
"Michelle
Magorian gets right under the skin of her protagonists and
makes you experience what they are feeling in a way which
stays with youlong after the book is finished."
The
Telegraph
on In Deep Water
IN DEEP WATER
' A trio of
dramatised short stories linked by the theme of
water are centred around a storm at sea, a
devastating flood and a boat race - three teenagers
are challenged by the power of
water.'
THE OBSERVER THE EXPRESS DAILY MAIL THE
EXPRESS DAILY
MAIL THE
EXPRESS DAILY
MAIL "Michelle Magorian
is best known for her wonderful novel Goodnight
Mister Tom, recently dramatised on TV (with John
Thaw). She writes stories that skilfully mingle
escapism with reality and appeal to adults and
children alike. In Deep Water showcases three of
her short tales, linked by the theme of water. In
each one, a teenager is challenged by the power of
water - in a flood, in a gruelling boat race and
out on a storm-tossed sea. Director Sue Wilson
places the action in a vividly detailed soundscape
of wind and wave, splashes and gurgles and all
things watery. You might find yourself reaching for
your sou'wester as you listen." Afternoon Play: In
Deep Water Three short
stories, variations on the theme of water by
Michelle Magorian, dramatised by Malcolm Mackee.
Imagine a storm at sea, a catastrophic flood and a
boat race and let your imagination help paint the
rest. "Michelle Magorian,
winner of the ' Guardian Fiction Award' for
Goodnight Mister Tom, explores the theme of water
in a trio of short stories broadcast in Afternoon
Play - In deep Water. The first and most riveting,
follows a Yorkshire family on the run from a flood
which has already devastated their own home and is
still rising. A young pianist, Kathy, is
particularly concerned about the watery fate of her
piano and sheet music but when she finally returns
to the house, she finds that the piano has been far
from idle in her absence…The second and third
of Magorian's atmospheric stories concern a tense
boat race and a terrifying storm at
sea."
"atmospheric….terrifying……riveting"
"today's best listen"
"Recommended"
"scary but fun for all"
"director Sue Wilson places the action in a
vividly detailed soundscape"
"evocatively directed by Sue Wilson"
Nigel
Andrew - Radio Choice
Gillian
Reynold's choice
RADIO
TOP
Author's
note: These three stories came out in a collection called In
Deep Water but this is now out of print. However, two of the
stories, which were broadcast, appear in BE YOURSELF. This
is a collection of past stories and one new one. The picture
of the jacket is on the website with the novels. Although
there is a lovely picture of two girls on it, most of the
stories are about boys.
The new story, 'Sorry!' is a correspondence between two
cousins who need someone to complain to about their terrible
parents. One has a mother who is so house proud that her son
is convinced she hoovers the toothbrushes and the other
cousin has a father who obsessively collects
junk.
SHORT STORIES - Bibliography
Macmillan
2005 Compiled and edited
by Michael Morpurgo
INDEPENDENT - July 7th 2005
A sensitive collection for the children of an uncertain world
WAR:STORIES OF
CONFLICT
Edited by Michael Morpurgo
MACMILLAN CHILDREN'S BOOKS
"Now that the
Geneva Convention seems a dead letter, no one of any age can
feel safe in warfare. This collection of stories focuses on
such hard truths rather than the simple-minded heroics that
marked children's war books of old.
There are fine stories about fighting in Iraq (Celia Rees)
and conflict in Palestine (Elizabeth Laird), but it's still
the Second World War to which most writers turn. Only
Geraldine McCaughrean, as always, steps away, to the
Crusades. Otherwise, Hitler remains synonymous with history
for young readers.
That said, there are some remarkable offerings on this
theme, particularly from older authors who were there. Nina
Bawden writes beautifully about an Italian prisoner working
on a farm. Eva Ibbotson is equally impressive. Her tender
story features a refugee child who prefers to stay with the
family who looked after her rather than return home in 1945.
Both stories have a ring of truth, drawing on autobiography.
The editor, Michael Morpurgo, writes a fine story about
facial disfigurement, a topic not featured in most lavishly
illustrated war books.
The most disturbing piece is not a story at all. Written by
the late Robert Westall, it describes his military service,
in Egypt during the Suez War of 1956. As he puts it: I shall
always be grateful for my tiny war, because it led me into
wickedness. If a writer doesn't understand wickedness from
the inside, he's only half a writer, and all his villains
will be cardboard cut-outs
The wickedness refers to the behaviour of some National
Servicemen who nearly massacred a village after their lorry
got stuck behind a flock of sheep. Panicking about what
looked like an ambush, an already half-mad gunner opened up
indiscriminately. The gun jammed and no one was killed. But
Westall remembers how he did nothing to stop the man. How
many soldiers in Iraq today will have had a similar
experience. Only two stories don't work. The rest,
recognising that war is now a crossover experience, appeal
to adult and child readers alike. Some are briefly
introduced by their authors, others speak for themselves.
There are lighter moments: Michelle Magorian recalls
repertory theatre in 1945 and George Layton looks back wryly
at the experience of a boy sent to a children's home in
Morecombe to put on more weight. This collection is just the
thing for readers looking for something a bit different from
the latest instalment of magical fantasy."
Nicholas Tucker
'The Front Room' in They Wait and Other Stories
Pepper Press 1983
Compiled by Lance Salway, illustrated by Jill Bennet
'Beginners' in Guardian Angels
Viking Kestrel 1987
Compiled by Stephanie Nettell, illustrated by Mike Daley
'The Greatest' in You're Late Dad
Methuen Children's Books 1989
Edited by Tony Bradman
'The Smile' in Love Them, Hate them
Methuen Children's Books 1991
Edited by Tony Bradman
Swedish Radio - 2005
'Whiting' in Stage Struck
Hamish Hamilton 1991
Edited by Jean Richardson
In Deep Water
Viking 1992
A collection of short stories about water and the sea.
Dramatised for BBC Radio 4
Be Yourself
Egmont 2003
An inspirational collection of short stories about learning to trust your own identity.
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