While the Storm Rages: The eagerly awaited new novel from the bestselling author of When the Sky Falls

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Add in the police looking for them, and the tension rises up notch after notch. Will they ever get to the animal haven? When the government advises people to have their pets put down in readiness for the chaos of war, hundreds of thousands of people do as they are told. But not Noah. He’s not that sort of boy. With his two friends in tow, he goes on the run, to save his dog and as many animals as he can. No matter what. Last year I read "When the Sky falls" which I can highly recommend. This book is also written by Phil Earle and is based on a true World War Two story.

While the Storm Rages by Phil Earle - LoveReading4Kids While the Storm Rages by Phil Earle - LoveReading4Kids

While the Storm Rages is more than just a story about children and their pets. It's about struggle, friendship, loyalty and, of course, devotion. Occasionally heart-warming, and though not heart-breaking in the truest sense, definitely emotionally troubling at times. Maybe not for young ones with a nervous disposition or emotional issues, as it can tug at the heartstrings. I hope that doesn't sound patronising, but children and their pets can be a touchy subject. I just had to read While the Storm Rages after reading the author's previous wartime children's novel, the superb When the Sky Falls. I have to be honest and say I'm not a big one for research. I'm impatient to get writing, and I'm a pretty reluctant reader, or at least a very choosy one. If I'm researching I tend to go to documentaries or films. I did do a lot of googling of London in the Blitz, which was really useful. I really like working from visual things like photos.While the Storm Rages is a harrowing adventure story set during a daunting period of turmoil and tribulation. Where there is a senseless waste of all life on the planet, many of them innocent, Noah takes it upon himself, with the aid of his friends, to try and spare a few at least. Peggy and Beau are inseparable: the only thing that can ever come between them is war. Peggy is evacuated to the safety of the coast, but Beau is left behind in the city, where he becomes the most extraordinary and unlikely of war heroes. Until The Road Ends

Phil Earle - authorfy

A story in which courage and love between human and animal are central in a heartbreaking era of our history. It was a mixture of watching films like Empire of the Sun, Hope and Glory, plus footage I found on YouTube. Also, to be honest, I tried to use my imagination, to really try and empathise what it would smell and sound like to be living through the blitz. Earle has a huge talent for writing realistic relationships full of the ups and downs of life. Noah is joined in his adventure with Clem, his clever best friend, and Big Col, the local school bully. Their dynamic was brilliantly fun. Noah has such a great sense of humour and wit, and he bounces off the others well. Not to forget the pets, of course, which add a sense of brevity to even serious situations (I mean, how could they not when you have a donkey!).

Genre

The novel is partly based on true events: until I read this book, I had never heard of the cull of British pets at the start of the Second World War.