A review by thecosynook
The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips by Michael Foreman, Michael Morpurgo

4.0

Another book that I have had on my shelves for years but never actually read! I am making more of an effort to get through these books so that I can try and clear some of my backlog!

In this book we follow a young girl called Lily and her family around the time of WWII, their town has to be evacuated so that the army can train in their village. However when they move Lily’s cat Tips goes missing and may be somewhere in the village. Will Lily find her before its too late?

This is an incredibly short book that is definitely aimed at children, the font is large and while the story is fun it isn’t particularly complex. However saying that I did still enjoy the story and how quickly it progressed.

I don’t want to spoil too much of the story therefore I won’t go into incredible detail as it is only a short book, however saying that it is still a very moving story. There is so much packed into the story that you still feel really connected to the characters even in such a short space of time.

It was interesting to read about how the war affected different communities and how difficult it is to have to leave your home and possibly never return. I liked how even though the story was aimed at children it was still a ‘grown up’ book where hard hitting things did happen which made it quite realistic.

Surprisingly even though Tips is on the cover and in the title the story isn’t really centered on her, it is mainly centered on the friendship between Lily and the soldiers – they are practicing in her town and vow to keep an eye out for Tips – I liked how the friendship grew throughout the book as they got closer together

It is a little predictable in places however you have to remember it is a children’s book so there’s only so much complexity the story can have so please be prepared for some parts which you may be able to see how they are going to plan out – just remember it is supposed to be for young children

So I’m going to leave this review here as I don’t want to give any more away. It is definitely a moving book with stories of friendship and the war. I loved how Lily really cared about her cat (as a fellow cat owner I can definitely relate) and how she would do anything for her. If you couldn’t already tell I would definitely recommend this book, it is short but such a loving tale of family and friendship. Pick this one up if you are looking at a quick but wholesome tale.