When the Sky Falls

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I think the novel would have benefitted from a few more external prompts and events occuring - a letter from Jospeh's father, a visit to Syd's house, that sort of thing. Moments that would help turn inert ideas into narrative, that would show us firsthand things we need to care about. Full of interesting characters and a brilliant plot, this is an interesting story. Shying away from the typical evacuee-in-the-countryside plot lines, the reader is able to experience the Blitz through Joseph's eyes as well as gain more of an understanding of being a child during the war. Joseph's school experience in London is heartbreaking and he struggles with undiagnosed dyslexia but soon finds a friend to help him read aloud during the monthly exams. Joseph learns more than just words during his time with Mrs F. Most children during the war were evacuated from cities, to safer places in the countryside. Joseph was not one of these children. He was 'evacuated' from his home in a place (which I think remains nameless) to a city (that as far as I know also remains nameless). Joseph is rude, abnoxious, and downright selfish. And he doesn't exactly get on with his host Mrs Farrelly. And when he's put to work on what remains of her zoo, it seems that even Adonis, the resident ape, takes a dislike to him. Soon, though, they seem to form a kind of friendship. But when the bombs start to fall, he has to make a choice - let the ape free or shoot him on the spot? And this decision may well cost him his life. A scrumptious plot that was fabulously delivered. I do appreciate the instinct not to neatly resolve everything neatly, but these aspects just felt like they didn't get the attention they needed. Behind every anger hides deep-seated sadness and that's a big life lesson that Joseph needs to learn.

Mrs F, Grans associate is the lady now in charge of him. She is short, strict and makes it clear his behaviour will not be tolerated and sets about making him conform by going to school, doing chores and working. And this is where the story takes a different direction. Mrs F runs the family Zoo at a time in the Blitz when food is rationed and people think animals should be put down. But Mrs F has Adonis the gorilla and as Joseph works at the Zoo with the help of his new friend Syd he begins to warm to her, him and vice versa. But Joseph is not the only one with difficulties and a past and will that be the end of the loss in his short life?. Can they help heal each other?. And for Earle that is a great part of this story, he wishes to tell us. He shows us that be it human or animal. we all have to deal with pain and sorrow. It is some of our most basic instincts and too often it course us to lash out at those around us. We think they cannot possibly understand this raw and unbridled pain we are going through. And to some extent, this took me by surprise in a book aimed at a younger audience. Earle doesn't try and sugarcoat what is happening here. But allows the reader to experience that journey Joseph goes through. And maybe that is part of what makes this book so well, there is no dumbing down. He treats us all equally and trusts readers of any age to something that feels very real. The ending of the book was suitably sad and fitted the story well; the way Joseph and Mrs F were united in the face of their mutual loss was inspiring yet devastating for the reader.

A boy and a gorilla create an unbelievable bond in this powerful WWII tale for young readers, for fans of Alan Gratz and Michael Morpugo. The author of the Anastasia books as well as more serious fiction ( Rabble Starkey, 1987) offers her first historical fiction—a story about the escape of the Jews from Denmark in 1943.

My favourite part of the book was Joseph’s relationship with Adonis because it was a demonstration of how he began to trust others and care for them. However, I also liked how he and Mrs F ‘finally found’ a bit of solace in each other. The story opens in a train station where children are being evacuated to the countryside, except Joseph who is being sent to the city by his grandmother. An unlikely friendship develops out of need for teamwork between Joseph and his guardian Mrs F, who is in charge of the city zoo. Joseph is an unhappy lad who is missing his father fighting in the war and unable to comprehend why his mother left him. I've been a fan of Phil Earle's work for a long while now, and ten years after "Being Billy" marked him out as a top author in the YA field, "When The Sky Falls" should catapult him into a whole new league. It's a book that's going to win awards and reach a huge audience, and the world at large is going to discover what those of us already in the know have been aware of for the past decade -- that Phil Earle is a must-read author.An extraordinary story with historical and family truth at its heart, that tells us as much about the present as the past. Deeply felt, movingly written, a remarkable achievement’ Michael Morpurgo

I wish the zoo was maybe further explored in this book -although the description was great I felt more of an atmosphere could’ve been created - the past glories of the zoo further delved into. The ending was a little abrupt but I guess it was fitting as the bombs were abrupt and it shows how life can be taken in a matter of seconds.This masterful study in loss and redemption is a book strongly influenced by "Kes" and "The Machine Gunners" (I love the little knowing nod to the latter), but the style is all Earle's own, and it ends up sitting proudly by those two fore-runners, as an equal. It will make you weep more than once, and you're going to be biting your nails as it draws towards the climax, but ultimately it's a work that will make your heart sing. By the time the ending inevitably imperils the zoo, I hadn't been given enough for the danger to the animals to resonate, or the threat they represent, the love Mrs. F has for it... When The Sky Falls is a powerful take on relationships, friendships and finding yourself in a world gone mad. Expertly written by someone with a keen sense of history and a strong understanding of human vulnerabilities. Joseph Palmer is a 12 year old boy who has a rough childhood. His mother left him because she couldn't take care of him, and his dad had to leave him behind to fight in war. The young boy has a difficult character that mainly consists of tantrums and anger issues. This story completely consumed me. The author was brilliant as the narrator and he told the story so well on audio. However I am glad I went in quite blind to the book but because wow, I never saw that ending coming. I finished the story completely choked, nodding my head in disbelief with mixed emotions, still thinking through the subjects raised. So many twists it left me in awe and the authors explanation of it been a true story at the end astounded me further.