When the Sky Falls Reviews

As the Second World War escalates and bombs start to fall, Joseph is charged with protecting Adonis the gorilla in this nerve-shreddingly tense thriller based on a true story.

Here are selection of reviews written by our students:

The story, written by Phil Earle, centres around a boy with little to no family left other than his Grandma, who sent him off to London. It is a sad story of overcoming challenges that life gives us. Despite the hardships of Joseph and the zoo, they keep trudging on. Sometimes sad endings are the best.

Emotional. The whole book is a rollercoaster of emotions. The fact that it is based in WW2, which is one of the worst times in history. I really enjoyed the school scene because it shows how people struggle with dyslexia. 

This book shows a friendship between a gorilla called Adonis and boy called Joseph. The book is sad and has a rollercoaster of emotions and is un-putdownable. Overall, the book shows the hardship and truths of war and about making friendships with people.

This book is based on the war which is a good topic because the war was very eventful. So, the book is very emotional and detailed. I like how the ending shows how special the bond was between Joseph and Adonis. Overall, this book is a must read.

Breathtaking, emotional, a riveting read about a boy's journey, based on horrible events that Earle found out from his friend's dad. During WW2 his friend's great grandad had a job to go to Manchester Zoo and shoot the three lions if a bomb dropped right on the cage. My favourite part of the story is the part when Adonis was being brave and protective to Joseph. I would like to recommend this to everyone because the book is interesting breathtaking and wonderful to read! I couldn't put the book down.

We were delighted to welcome Phil Earle to school Monday 4th November and you can read more here.