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War Horse

Michael Morpurgo

Joey is a farm horse in Devon, loved by a boy called Albert. When the First World War begins, Joey is sold to the army and sent to France, and he tells the story himself.

Length
About 37,000 words
To read it
About 25 days
Stage
Key Stage 3

Reading time at 1,500 words a day, the pace we start from until we know your child’s own.

Where it is taught

Why War Horse is on the list

  • Year 7, Core. The books most schools teach in this year. A good place to start.

Reading it here

What your child does with it

  1. 1

    Choose it and set a finish date

    You get a suggested target from the length of the book and your child's reading pace.

  2. 2

    Check in along the way

    A longer book has short check-ins every week or two, so it keeps moving and nothing is forgotten.

  3. 3

    Answer two questions

    When they finish: a review of the book, and a deeper question about how it works.

  4. 4

    Get it marked, and redraft

    Every answer is marked against the rubric for their year, with a reason for every score.