SuitabookFamily separation and reunion
Billy leaves Bryher for the sea, and his family copes with distress and uncertainty while hoping he will return.
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Book details
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Michael Morpurgo - Author
This is a poignant historical family story about isolation, hardship and perseverance. Its emotional centre is Laura’s longing to help, belong and reunite her family, alongside compassion for a vulnerable turtle.
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Sign in for personalised guidanceThis is a poignant historical family story about isolation, hardship and perseverance. Its emotional centre is Laura’s longing to help, belong and reunite her family, alongside compassion for a vulnerable turtle.
Billy leaves Bryher for the sea, and his family copes with distress and uncertainty while hoping he will return.
Laura and Granny May protect a stranded, dying turtle even when the family is hungry.
Expect sadness and hardship to occupy much of the story: a child leaves, family members grieve, animals and homes are lost, and hunger becomes a serious threat before circumstances improve.
This is a grounded book brief while Suitabook strengthens the analysis: some draft conclusions still depend on unresolved evidence.
Anything not established here remains open; it is not being treated as absent or safe.