Kensuke's Kingdom

On July 28, 1988, the night before his 12th birthday, Michael disappeared. He promised a friend named Kensuke that he would conceal the truth of what happened while he was missing, but more than 10 years have passed since then, and he feels ready to tell his family and friends the extraordinary truth of how he survived. Part of Michael’s motivation for sharing his story is his desire for the world to know that Kensuke was “a great man, a good man” (5).

The narrative moves backward in time. Michael lives in England with his mother, father, and a sheepdog named Stella. He attends St. Joseph’s School and spends much of his time playing soccer with his best friend, Eddie Dodds. On Sundays, Michael, his parents, and his dog love to go dinghy sailing on the local reservoir.

When Michael is 10, his parents receive a letter informing them that the brickworks that employ them both will be shut down. As their search for new jobs drags on, his mother and father begin to argue frequently. Michael’s misery is compounded by the cessation of the family’s beloved sailing trips and by Eddie moving away.