Private Peaceful
Cover Page
Title of Book: Private Peaceful
Author: Michael Morpurgo
Book Report By: G. Rao
Date: 12th October 2025
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Publisher: Harper Collins Children’s Books
Copyright Year: 2003
Number of pages: 207
Ages: 9 - 13
Rating: * * * * *
About The Author
Michael Morpurgo is a British author. He has won numerous literary awards such as the Whitbread Children’s Book Award, the Smarties Prize and the Blue Peter award. He won the Blue Peter Award for the book Private Peaceful. He is very famous in his homeland; London, UK. He has been nominated for the Carnegie Medal of Writing, and the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. He has 3 children named Sebastian Morpurgo, Horatio Morpurgo, and Rosalind Morpurgo. He also has numerous pets such as 4 bantams, 3 hens, and a cockerel named George. A Fun fact about him is that he used to be a primary school teacher. That’s probably why he’s so good at writing kid’s books!
Book Summary
Imagine you are a soldier in 1914 fighting the biggest war that humanity has ever experienced. Remember, WWII hasn't happened yet. You are in a muddy trench, careful not to lift your head too high, because you will get shot. The story Private Peaceful begins in the English countryside of Devon. The characters are Tommo, Charlie, Big Joe Peaceful and Molly Monks. It is set just before WWI starts in England. Before the war, they all live mostly happy lives, until the Colonel forces their mother to work for him. The children live with their Grandma “Wolf” that they hate with all their might. But after the Colonel's wife dies, their mother doesn’t have to work for him any more.They enjoy time with their mother until… the war starts.
Tommo and Charlie Peaceful become soldiers representing England. They are not allowed to see their family unless an emergency happens to them. They miss their mother and Big Joe terribly. Charlie especially misses his wife Molly. Charlie gets shot in the foot and has to be rushed into the hospital. He is allowed to see his family and writes to Tommo frequently. A couple of weeks later, he returns to the muddy trenches to fight. Charlie makes a decision to save his beloved brother, but little did he know that it would change everything.
My Analysis
My absolute favorite character was Molly Monks. She was Charlie's wife and Tommo's friend. She was also extremely good friends with Tommo. She named her and Charlie’s baby after him. She has auburn hair, and brown eyes. She hangs out with Tommo's family a lot. She moves in with his family after her parents disown her for having a baby with Charlie. She is very brave as she sneaks out to fish on Private Property lands. She is 16 during the book, and close to the end she turns 17. I really liked her because she is very funny and she stuck with Charlie even after her parents kicked her out of their house.
Moving on to a lighter note, the book also features some comical moments. A notable example is when a plane lands in the bushes as the children are having a picnic. It is a bright yellow plane. The pilot gets out and asks the children a question. When the kids respond correctly, he gives them a packet of humbugs. He flies off as quickly as he came. The children are extremely confused about what happened. Afterwards, they realize that it actually happened because the humbugs were real. This moment captivates laughter and mystery at the same time.
The mood shifts dramatically when Molly gets scarlet fever . Since she was my favorite character, I couldn't bear the fact that she might die. Tommo and his family couldn't see Molly for months. It was an intense moment for them because they might lose a family friend. They saw Molly sleeping by her window from time to time, but they all wondered the same thing. Will she get better? The second I saw that she had scarlet fever, I immediately thought “Oh No!, she cannot die!”
My Conclusion
This emotional page turning book is a must-read for kids 9-13 years old. On Amazon, 93% of people rate it very highly. Caterina Diaz from the UK said “This was a compelling, moving and enlightening book..” Bring out your tissues before reading this book. Trust me, you’ll need them.
