Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Billy the Kid
    Billy the Kid
    Billy the Kid
    Audiobook1 hour

    Billy the Kid

    Written by Michael Morpurgo

    Narrated by Richard Attenborough

    5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Read by the inimitable Richard Attenborough. Billy was a champion soccer star, playing for Chelsea in the 1930s. But that was before war broke out…

    Billy the Kid is told through the voice of an 80 year old man, who looks back on his life as Chelsea’s champion striker until the outbreak of war in 1939 and on through his subsequent life. Billy joins Chelsea as a football apprentice, rises through the reserves to become a real champion. His passion for football sees him through the war years – even as a prisoner of war he organises a friendly against the Italians – but, having been injured by a mine he cannot play for Chelsea on his return to England. Billy turns to vagrancy and alcohol and for years he wanders up and down the country. he re-settles in London in a derelict house and is befriended by a family who move him to a shed in their garden. He, in turn, helps their son with his football who in his turn becomes a Chelsea player. Billy becomes a Chelsea Pensioner and his 80th birthday is celebrated when Chelsea play at home. A novel for both children and adults which deals with some difficult issues. Michael Morpurgo’s storytelling is superb.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateOct 4, 2010
    ISBN9780007420551
    Billy the Kid
    Author

    Michael Morpurgo

    Michael Morpurgo is one of Britain’s best-loved writers for children. He has written over 130 books including War Horse, which was adapted for a hugely successful stage production by the National Theatre and then, in 2011, for a film directed by Steven Spielberg. Michael was Children’s Laureate from 2003 to 2005. The charity Farms for City Children, which he founded thirty years ago with his wife Clare, has now enabled over 70,000 children to spend a week living and working down on the farm. His enormous success has continued with his most recent novels Flamingo Boy and The Snowman, inspired by the classic story by Raymond Briggs. He was knighted in 2018 for services to literature and charity.

    More audiobooks from Michael Morpurgo

    Related to Billy the Kid

    Related audiobooks

    Children's Social Themes For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    Related categories

    Reviews for Billy the Kid

    5/5

    5 ratings3 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      It is a story that highlights the horror of war, the resilience of the human spirit and the enriching qualities of love, kindness and friendship.
    • 5/5
      Billy wanted to play for the Chelsea Football club. Billy`s dream came true but the second world war had started. Soon Billy went to war but came back to find his family dead. After walking up and down the country for years he comes back to the house where he live in his childhood and coaches a boy up into the Chelsea team.
    • 5/5
      I read this a couple of books ago to my 8 year old son and 6 year old daughter. It was quite hard going for them in places and we talked about the story and characters and what happens in war quite a bit before and after readings. Generally we read through to the end of the next very short chapter with the old man in the park observing. The story in several places had me almost losing my voice and welling up. It is very emotive, deep and tells of one man's story of war. There is a harrowing murder. It is a brilliant book. I've become a fan of the author and this is something like the 6th book I've read to these children. With this being such an intense read in places, we lined up a more light hearted story to launch into next. We've just read another Morpugo - My Friend Walter, nothing like as hard or emotional, but the children loved it even more, perhaps because it was more of a wild imaginary story rather than something so hard and believable. It was as we were reading this when we saw an old beggar in the street. My boy wanted to know what the man's story was, but on this occasion we did not have time to stop and ask.