When The Sky Falls by Phil Earle - ESSENTIAL

 When The Sky Falls by Phil Earle, 308 pages. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2022. $17

Language: G (0 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: ; Violence: PG (war, blitzkrieg)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL, MS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

In England in 1940, Joseph is sent out of his town to go live with Mrs. F. while his dad serves in the war. Mrs. F. does not especially like children, and Joseph finds her to be cold and unfriendly. When bombs fall from the sky, they run and hide in the shelter outside. Usually Mrs. F. leaves and Joseph does not know where she goes. One time he decides to follow her. He discovers that she takes care of the animals still left in an abandoned zoo. Joseph wants to help, and soon he makes friends with the most dangerous animal in that zoo, an old silverback gorilla named Adonis. Will Joseph and Mr. F. find common ground and be friends? And will they be able to save all the animals from bombings and this horrible war?

A most awesome and amazing book. I loved it and I could not put it down. The relationship between Mrs. F and Joseph is very strained to start with but gets a little better. Joseph really takes to working at the zoo with all the animals, especially with Adonis. The story is warm hearted and at times heartbreaking. It is definitely a "must read." Characters are white British.

Ellen-Anita, Librarian