This much anticipated companion to the award-winning When the Sky Falls follows the dramatic early life of Adonis the gorilla.
A tale of loyalty, loss, betrayal, and rebirth.
It is 1911 and London’s docks thrum with underhand deals, none so great as the arrival of a valuable, rare and exotic animal, smuggled from the depths of the Congolese rainforest. The baby gorilla stands to make one man, the shady Goliath Deeds, very, very rich: he and his right-hand man, juvenile pickpocket, Toff Squabble. Heaven help anyone who dares stand in their way, not least the brave and innocent twelve-year-old Nettie Beecroft, who finds herself embroiled in a dangerous rescue attempt where she encounters toshers, bone grubbers and gangsters.
Whom can Nettie trust? And can she save the life this very special creature?
Praise for When the Sky Falls:
‘A magnificent story’ Philip Pullman
‘Deeply felt, movingly written, a remarkable achievement’ Michael Morpurgo
Creators
Born and raised in the north of England, Phil Earle is the author of numerous acclaimed, award-winning books for children and teenagers. He has worked as a carer, a dramatherapist, a bookseller and a publisher, and loves talking at schools and festivals around the world. His novel When The Sky Falls won the Books Are My Bag Readers Award and the British Book Award for Children’s Fiction. He lives on the side of a very steep hill with his wife, their five children and two dogs.
Reviews
Nobody writes striking, heartfelt adventure like Phil Earle. The Dawn of Adonis is a showcase of everything he does best: humour and peril and towering stakes all wrapped up in stark, spare, powerful prose. I loved it!
Ross Montgomery
