Alone on a Wide Wide Sea by Michael Morpurgo

Alone on a Wide Wide Sea by Michael Morpurgo

For a long time I would be recommended Michael Morpurgo books whenever I asked a friend or teacher for a suggestion. Although I never particularly disliked them, he would never have been my first choice of author when choosing a new book. After reading 'The Wreck of the Zanzibar' as a class read in Year 5, I decided to read 'Alone on a Wide, Wide Sea. 

Inspired by the English orphans transported to Australia after WWII, Michael Morpurgo tells the story of Arthur Hobhouse. Forced to leave his sister Kitty and the orphanage he grew up in, he is made to work at a farm called Cooper's Station, tyrannized by their cruel foster father. Eventually, Arthur and his friend Marty are able to escape, and taken by bushmen to Aunty Megs who looks after injured and orphaned animals. The boys attribute their luck to a key Kitty gave Arthur, and treasure it.

After becoming an apprentice at a boat-building business and developing a love of the sea, Arthur becomes ill, however meets his soon-to-be wife and has a beautiful daughter, Allie. Allie is determined to undertake a dangerous solo voyage to England to find Kitty and give her the key, on a boat she built with her father. 

The second half of the book is narrated by Allie, as she embarks on her trip following her father's death. She finds comfort in the presence of an albatross, believing it to be her father's spirit, and begins to interact with an astronaut on board the International Space Station.

Despite the complex story, the book is filled with beautiful imagery, mapping the changing nature of childhood time, and exploring what could have been the story of any one of the young children sent to Australia following the war. Although it deals with some difficult themes, I would recommend it to anyone upwards of 10, but I would expect it to be enjoyed best by an 11 or 12 year old.

FictionFan1 Rating: 9/10

If you liked this author you might like: Adam Silvera, E B White

About the author: Sir Michael Morpurgo has written over 100 books for various age groups, and also won several medals and awards. His works are often regarded as some of the best children's literature available, due to the constantly relevant and accessible themes.

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My Chocolate Brownie Recipe 

I often bring spare baking to school with me, as there is simply no way for my household to eat it as quickly as I bake it. This means I sometimes receive requests from my friends, whether for something I haven't previously brought to school, or a favourite. More often than not, the request will be for my chocolate brownies, and although I am commonly asked for the recipe, it can be difficult to explain exactly how I make them, as my recipe has developed slightly from the original one I used over time. 

I sat down this week and thought about what recipe to share, and I realised that this is quite a complicated recipe. It doesn't require too much skill, but takes time as there are several parts to it. Despite this, they are definitely worth it, and taste absolutely delicious! 

I bake these brownies in a traditional 8" x 10" traybake tin, but I have also used a 9" x 12" tin before. It just depends on how thick you like your brownies. If you want to double the recipe (which I frequently do), you will need a much larger bowl, but also I recommend using two tins rather than one larger one, otherwise the baking isn't always even, and can leave some raw or burnt areas. I have never tried halving, but assume it would be difficult to find an appropriate tin size. The brownies do however last for up to two weeks in an airtight container (tried and tested) which is plenty of time to eat them!

Good quality chocolate is the best way to guarantee amazing brownies - I use any supermarket brand of cooking chocolate chips, but for the dark chocolate I recommend 'Dr Oetker' if you can get hold of it. Using milk and white chocolate chips makes the brownies look much better, but I'm sure they would taste great with only one.

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 25-30 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Servings: Depending on size, makes approx. 30 brownies

Ingredients: 

• 185g unsalted butter
• 185g dark chocolate
• 85g plain flour
• 40g cocoa powder
• 3 large eggs
• 275g golden caster sugar
• approx. 50g white chocolate chips/chunks
• approx. 50g milk chocolate chips/chunks

Method

Preheat the oven to 350F/18C/160C fan. Don't forget to do this, and line your traybake tin!

Melt the butter and dark chocolate. Cut the butter and chocolate into small pieces, and melt in a glass bowl over a pan of boiling water (make sure the bowl doesn't touch the water), stirring frequently until melted. Remove from heat once melted to cool slightly.

Beat the eggs. Crack all three eggs into a large bowl, and using either a stand mixer or an electric hand whisk beat them until pale and they have doubled in volume. This is the most important step, and stops the brownies being too dense.

Mix eggs and melted chocolate/butter. Pour the chocolate/butter mix into the beaten eggs, and fold using a figure of eight motion. Take your time, as it's important not to knock too much air out.

Sieve the dry ingredients and fold in. Place the bowl on weighing scales with a sieve on top and set to zero. Pour in the flour and cocoa powder, shake to pass through the sieve, and fold using a figure of eight motion. It will look way too floury, but bear with it. Stop mixing before you think you should!

Stir in chocolate chips. Pour in the chocolate chips and fold ion, again taking care not to knock out too much air.

Bake! Pour into the lined tin and bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes. Gently shake the tin, and if the brownie wobbles at all give it five more minutes. A skewer should come out of the centre clean when it is ready.

ENJOY!! - Allow to cool in the tin, then slice into squares and store in an airtight container for up to two weeks. I doubt they will last that long though!

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