What do you get when you cross foxes with football and the ghost of King Richard III?
Give up?
Well, I'll tell you. You get Michael Morpurgo’s The Fox and the Ghost King, that's what. It's a pretty odd sounding combo, I know, but the result is a really sweet against-the-odds, underdog (or should that be underfox?) story.
It's a little bit of fairy-tale blended with a little bit of history, and a whole lot of pluck.
I don't know any foxes personally, but think they have a bit of a bad rap. They are usually portrayed as villains - the Sandy Whiskered Gentleman in Jemima Puddleduck, for example. But they are so darn cute, I'm sure they don't really deserve it, do they? The fox family in this story are definitely on the cute side, anyway.
What I didn't know about foxes is that they are football fans. And no matter where they live, their favourite team is Leicester City, otherwise known as The Foxes (naturally). Now, what I didn't know about foxes is far surpassed by what I didn't know about football. I know now that Leicester City have long been the underdogs of the Premier League, till in 2015-16 when a little bit of magic turned things around for them. This bit of the story really is true. The other bit of truth in the story is the discovery of Richard III's body - under a carpark if you recall.
The magical bit is the way that Michael Morpurgo weaves these threads together, telling the tale through the eyes of a cute and cheeky little fox cub. Odd combo it may be, but it definitely makes a fabulous read for a small person.
Further reading
- More titles by Michael Morpurgo
- Our post showcasing other Foxy titles
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