The Emergency Zoo by Miriam Halahmy
Aug. 8th, 2016 11:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
It is late August 1939: Britain is on the brink of war, and preparations are under way to evacuate London’s children to the countryside. When twelve-year-old Tilly and her best friend Rosy find out that they will not be able to take their beloved dog and cat with them – and that, even worse, their pets will, along with countless other animals, be taken to the vet to be put down – they decide to act. The two girls come up with the idea of hiding them in a derelict hut in the woods and, when other children find out and start bringing their rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters, their secret den turns into an emergency zoo.
Inspired by real events during the Second World War, Miriam Halahmy’s novel is a touching tale of courage, resourcefulness and camaraderie in desperate times, as well as a stirring defence of animal welfare.
August 1939, London. While 12-year-olds best friends Tilly and Rosy have spent the summer playing with their pets, Tinkerbell the cat and Bonny the spaniel in an abandoned hut, the adults have been worrying about the coming war with Germany. Soon the girls learn that all of the children will be evacuated to the countryside if war beaks out and all of the pets will be put down because of concerns that bombing will drive them mad while rationing will mean there isn’t enough food for them.
Tilly and Rosy are devastated – Rosy in particular because Tinkerbell was a gift from her parents who have since died. Determined not to let their pets die, the girls resolve to hide them in the abandoned hut and find a way to look after them. But word leaks out among the other kids about what they’re doing and soon they find themselves being asked to look after other animals, turning their den into an emergency zoo. How long can Tilly and Rosy keep their zoo a secret and who will look after the animals if they are all sent away?
Miriam Halahmy’s standalone historical novel for children aged 9+ is based on the real life decision of grown-ups in 1939 to kill around 75,000 family pets for fear of what the war would do to them. Halahmy tells the story with a great deal of sensitivity to the love that the children have for their pets while also showing the anxiety that many adults felt about the coming war and how they wanted to try and do the sensible thing to better protect their families. Although Tilly and Rosy are well characterised, the other children are painted in broad brushstrokes (reconciling poor and rich and bullies with victims), although I did like how Halahmy brings in Jewish refugees from Germany with Rudi and Lotte because it added an extra dimension to the story. Halahmy does not sugar coat the practicalities of keeping so many animals or the consequences of failures (and I did get a bit teary at some of the events) but there’s enough hope in the ending (with some nicely executed antics) to offset the darker moments. All in all this is a well put-together novel about a forgotten event in British history and I look forward to seeing what Halahmy writes next.
The Verdict:
Miriam Halahmy’s standalone historical novel for children aged 9+ is based on the real life decision of grown-ups in 1939 to kill around 75,000 family pets for fear of what the war would do to them. Halahmy tells the story with a great deal of sensitivity to the love that the children have for their pets while also showing the anxiety that many adults felt about the coming war and how they wanted to try and do the sensible thing to better protect their families. Although Tilly and Rosy are well characterised, the other children are painted in broad brushstrokes (reconciling poor and rich and bullies with victims), although I did like how Halahmy brings in Jewish refugees from Germany with Rudi and Lotte because it added an extra dimension to the story. Halahmy does not sugar coat the practicalities of keeping so many animals or the consequences of failures (and I did get a bit teary at some of the events) but there’s enough hope in the ending (with some nicely executed antics) to offset the darker moments. All in all this is a well put-together novel about a forgotten event in British history and I look forward to seeing what Halahmy writes next.
It is late August 1939: Britain is on the brink of war, and preparations are under way to evacuate London’s children to the countryside. When twelve-year-old Tilly and her best friend Rosy find out that they will not be able to take their beloved dog and cat with them – and that, even worse, their pets will, along with countless other animals, be taken to the vet to be put down – they decide to act. The two girls come up with the idea of hiding them in a derelict hut in the woods and, when other children find out and start bringing their rabbits, guinea pigs and hamsters, their secret den turns into an emergency zoo.
Inspired by real events during the Second World War, Miriam Halahmy’s novel is a touching tale of courage, resourcefulness and camaraderie in desperate times, as well as a stirring defence of animal welfare.
August 1939, London. While 12-year-olds best friends Tilly and Rosy have spent the summer playing with their pets, Tinkerbell the cat and Bonny the spaniel in an abandoned hut, the adults have been worrying about the coming war with Germany. Soon the girls learn that all of the children will be evacuated to the countryside if war beaks out and all of the pets will be put down because of concerns that bombing will drive them mad while rationing will mean there isn’t enough food for them.
Tilly and Rosy are devastated – Rosy in particular because Tinkerbell was a gift from her parents who have since died. Determined not to let their pets die, the girls resolve to hide them in the abandoned hut and find a way to look after them. But word leaks out among the other kids about what they’re doing and soon they find themselves being asked to look after other animals, turning their den into an emergency zoo. How long can Tilly and Rosy keep their zoo a secret and who will look after the animals if they are all sent away?
Miriam Halahmy’s standalone historical novel for children aged 9+ is based on the real life decision of grown-ups in 1939 to kill around 75,000 family pets for fear of what the war would do to them. Halahmy tells the story with a great deal of sensitivity to the love that the children have for their pets while also showing the anxiety that many adults felt about the coming war and how they wanted to try and do the sensible thing to better protect their families. Although Tilly and Rosy are well characterised, the other children are painted in broad brushstrokes (reconciling poor and rich and bullies with victims), although I did like how Halahmy brings in Jewish refugees from Germany with Rudi and Lotte because it added an extra dimension to the story. Halahmy does not sugar coat the practicalities of keeping so many animals or the consequences of failures (and I did get a bit teary at some of the events) but there’s enough hope in the ending (with some nicely executed antics) to offset the darker moments. All in all this is a well put-together novel about a forgotten event in British history and I look forward to seeing what Halahmy writes next.
The Verdict:
Miriam Halahmy’s standalone historical novel for children aged 9+ is based on the real life decision of grown-ups in 1939 to kill around 75,000 family pets for fear of what the war would do to them. Halahmy tells the story with a great deal of sensitivity to the love that the children have for their pets while also showing the anxiety that many adults felt about the coming war and how they wanted to try and do the sensible thing to better protect their families. Although Tilly and Rosy are well characterised, the other children are painted in broad brushstrokes (reconciling poor and rich and bullies with victims), although I did like how Halahmy brings in Jewish refugees from Germany with Rudi and Lotte because it added an extra dimension to the story. Halahmy does not sugar coat the practicalities of keeping so many animals or the consequences of failures (and I did get a bit teary at some of the events) but there’s enough hope in the ending (with some nicely executed antics) to offset the darker moments. All in all this is a well put-together novel about a forgotten event in British history and I look forward to seeing what Halahmy writes next.
