Phil Earle
Author of The Bubble Wrap Boy
About the Author
Phil Earle was born in Hull, United Kingdom in 1974. He studied English and drama at the University of Hull. His first job was as a social worker in a children's home. He then trained as a drama therapist and worked in a therapeutic community in London, caring for traumatized and abused show more adolescents. After a couple of years in the care sector, he decided to become a bookseller at Ottakar's. After three years, he became a sales rep, and then a key account manager for Transworld/Random House, and is now sales director at Simon and Schuster Children's Books. He is also the author of several books for children and young adults including Being Billy, Saving Daisy, Demolition Dad, and The Bubble Wrap Boy. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Works by Phil Earle
De gorilla en de jongen 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Gender
- male
- Birthplace
- Hull, Yorkshire, England, UK
Members
Reviews
Book 202 - Phil Earle - When the sky falls
In WW2 there used to be a British soldier who, when the air raid sirens went off, had to rush to the city zoo and stand with his rifle aimed at the lions…just in case. In the acknowledgments after the novel…Phil Earle tells this astonishing story. This is his twist on that tale.
Joseph is a rare child in the war as he is evacuated in to London to stay with a friend of the family. Joseph is hurting…Joseph has lost so much and is angry at the world. Mrs F that he is sent to live with is a typical WW2 battling older lady. For so much of the book we wonder if Joseph will ever let us in…away from his mother who doesn’t know how to handle him…away from his father who is away fighting…struggling to fit in at school as although he is brilliant with figures…really struggles with letters…something we discover is linked to dyslexia but back in the 1940s…he sees himself as stupid. It is a heart breaking read and a hard read…as each time we think we have moved forward another pillar comes crashing down around him.
Through this darkness Mrs F, who runs a city zoo, introduces him to Adonis, a silver-backed gorilla. During each air raid she goes to the zoo…rifle in hand…in preparation for what she must do in case a bomb lands and Adonis is freed.
The climax of the novel shows there was nothing easy during wartime…but we cheer with the characters and we cry with them through every chapter, tragedy and triumph.
One of the best I have ever read…would be an amazing book for an incredible class project. Simply superb.… (more)
In WW2 there used to be a British soldier who, when the air raid sirens went off, had to rush to the city zoo and stand with his rifle aimed at the lions…just in case. In the acknowledgments after the novel…Phil Earle tells this astonishing story. This is his twist on that tale.
Joseph is a rare child in the war as he is evacuated in to London to stay with a friend of the family. Joseph is hurting…Joseph has lost so much and is angry at the world. Mrs F that he is sent to live with is a typical WW2 battling older lady. For so much of the book we wonder if Joseph will ever let us in…away from his mother who doesn’t know how to handle him…away from his father who is away fighting…struggling to fit in at school as although he is brilliant with figures…really struggles with letters…something we discover is linked to dyslexia but back in the 1940s…he sees himself as stupid. It is a heart breaking read and a hard read…as each time we think we have moved forward another pillar comes crashing down around him.
Through this darkness Mrs F, who runs a city zoo, introduces him to Adonis, a silver-backed gorilla. During each air raid she goes to the zoo…rifle in hand…in preparation for what she must do in case a bomb lands and Adonis is freed.
The climax of the novel shows there was nothing easy during wartime…but we cheer with the characters and we cry with them through every chapter, tragedy and triumph.
One of the best I have ever read…would be an amazing book for an incredible class project. Simply superb.… (more)
Story of Beau the stray dog who is rescued by Peggy just before the onset of WW2. When War hits, the directive comes for all non-essential animals to be put down as they are taking precious resoources. Peggy's family refuse and Peggy and her brother are sent to the coast away from London to live with their aunt. Beau becomes a sniffer dog, hunting out humans who are still alive when the bombs have destroyed houses but then catastrophe strikes when a bomb kills Peggy's father and mother. Beau and the cat Mabel with the help of a carrier pigeon Bomber, decide to try to travel and reach Peggy and her brother on the coast. But the journey is fraught with danger.
Lovely book that reminded me of the Michael Morpurgo novels.… (more)
Lovely book that reminded me of the Michael Morpurgo novels.… (more)
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 20
- Members
- 405
- Popularity
- #60,014
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 15
- ISBNs
- 63
- Languages
- 2
Representation: N/A
Trigger warnings: Animal death
Score: Six and a half out of ten.
While the Storm Rages by Phil Earle could've been better.
It starts with Noah living in UK in 1939, and the British Government ordered everyone to evacuate. They say they will euthanise and put down all pets to preserve humans. However, Noah plans to save all the animals he can, bringing Clem with him. He wants to take all the animals outside London.
Noah and Clem start their journey on the River Thames, yet the plot feels contrived. The only reason the plot exists is because Noah wanted to save people's pets and other animals, which leaves many unanswered questions. For example, how did his parents not notice he was missing until the end? How did his father not notice Noah took his boat? Some scenes of animal death might be too much for its intended young audience.
The writing style is accessible and avoids purple prose but lacks detailed descriptions. The pacing can be slow at more than 350 pages, but Earle could've removed some filler scenes to speed up the plot. I couldn't connect to Noah as he made a well-intentioned but questionable and misguided choice, with Clem reluctantly agreeing.
The conclusion is okay.