When the Sky Falls

Product Information

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.

Against the tide of devastation walked a boy: tutting and huffing at the tears and carrying-on. He looked just like any of the other evacuees in the station: regulation case, tag and gas mask box. But instead of being shoehorned onto a train, he was marching away from one, having just arrived.' This is our first introduction to Joseph, a 12 year old boy from Yorkshire, who is fizzing with rage. Angry at everything, with everything; determined to go it alone, convinced he's been rejected by everyone, adamant he'll not suffer the pain of abandonment again. Angry. He's met by Mrs F. She keeps her pain in a tin and wears her kindness and loyalty under a coat of brusque efficiency and focused determination. She speaks plainly and appreciates the same in return. Her days, and now Joseph's, are consumed by the upkeep and maintenance of her family's zoo ...of which precious little remains. And then there's Syd. Syd is about Joseph's age and works at the zoo after school. She talks about her pain, the grief becoming almost bearable if she can talk about it and working at the zoo keeps her busy and takes her mind off it. The pain of loss, it shrouds them all: Joseph, Mrs F, Syd and Adonis. Mrs F is also the keeper of the local zoo, which has been in her family for years. There she attends daily to care for the animals that are left behind, including Adonis the Gorilla who is as moody as Joseph is.

This is a beautifully written story of Joseph finding his forever home in the confusion and chaos of the Second World War. Abandoned by his mother, with his father fighting in France, Joseph is in constant trouble. So his grandmother sends him away to London to the care of Mrs F, or Mags to her friends. Joseph has little choice but to stay despite it being clear that Mrs F doesn’t like him or want him around. The history of the time the book is set in (World War II) is so interesting to me because most people, including me, only know the facts and statistics. Sometimes we forget that people have actually been through this and children have had to witness the world wars and see the destruction, and live in fear in case there is an air raid or something which could destroy their home that they have grown up in. This makes it so thought provoking because as a reader it makes us think and sympathize with Joseph because of what he is going through even if he is portrayed at the start as quite a naughty child, who even his own grandmother couldn’t take care of. The characters were also conveyed in a great way. Joseph was really hateable (if that's a word) at the start, but you gradually grow to like him, and begin to realise that he is a boy that is mentally troubled by his previous life. Syd is a wonderfully kind, yet talkative character who just wants to help. Mrs F, well, you just feel sorry for her at the beginning - she was just dumped with this boy, that, let's face it, she didn't really want. Joseph's problems become a little clearer as the book progresses. It seemed that he had dyslexia (known as word blindness till the 1960s) and had been all his life. If only it had been diagnosed sooner, he might have suffered less bullying and had a better temperament. But his teachers were ignorant, and his classmates were ruthless.

David Almond introduces his new picture book, A Way to the Stars, a story about perseverance and finding a way to make dreams come true. If you are interested in more writing opportunities and history activities including an evacuee research topic, letter writing and designing and writing about a lighthouse in the war- you may be interested in my ‘Letters from the Lighthouse’ unit. A wonderful story of hurt, kindness, and what it means to be human in an inhumane world.” - The Times of London, Children's Book of the Year The plot is certainly different. Whilst you have our two main characters, the zoo also felt like a main character as did the war which felt eerie and ever-present in your mind. Mrs F and Joseph co-exist, and whilst the fight to save Adonis brings them closer, they are still worlds apart. ‘Joseph felt a bond with Adonis in these dark days of his life and this filled him with happiness, but also dread. Happiness that Adonis finally trusted him, but dread that their friendship might soon be over.’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 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. 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. We know from the start that Joseph is a troubled boy, but his full story unweaves slowly over the course of the book, as do the stories of Mrs F, the owner of a zoo who takes charge of him and sets him to work trying to find food for its starving animals (including a majestic but sad gorilla), a girl called Syd who befriends him despite all his efforts to push her away, and Adonis, that sad gorilla who is at the heart of the unfolding narratives and heart-wrenching finale.

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. https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/letters-from-the-lighthouse-literacy-reading-writing-and-history-unit-12727046 Mrs F. is the owner of a zoo and she takes Joseph to work with her. This is where Joseph meets the strong gorilla named Adonis. At first he wants nothing to do with the animal until the gorilla takes him under his protection

Phil Earle Press Reviews

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... Brilliantly written and fast-paced, this is a superb book. Suitable for upper key stage two and key stage three. The end note shares the true story that inspired the book, which would make for a great classroom study or project. Highly recommended. Oh wow! When the Sky Falls is the most emotional and exciting middle grade book that I have read this year! Take a moment to look at the front cover more closely. A fabulous illustration that gives you a peek at what lies inside that cover When the Sky Falls took into a part of WW2 that I haven't previously read about. We have read stories about life on the home front but this is a new angle looking at the struggles of a city zoo. Bestselling author Alexandra Christo, author of TikTok sensation To Kill a Kingdom, introduces her new book, The Night Hunt (Hot Key Books), a dark... 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.