When I am asked to justify why I enjoy reading children’s books one of the many reasons I give is that a well written story for a young audience frequently contains the best aspects of humanity. Although they may feature villains, heart stopping adventures and danger they also tend to convey fortitude, kindness and hope. Phil Earle has done this many times in his novels and this companion book to his award winning When The Sky Falls contains all of this in abundance. The Dawn of Adonis is the type of book that adults – librarians, teachers and parents – like to recommend because it is an example of quality writing with a perfectly paced plot, wonderful characterisation and historical detail. Children will like to read it because it is exciting, with moments of great tension and drama and with two young people at the heart of the story for whom they will be rooting from start to finish.

In 1911 London’s docks are alive with underhand deals, none so great as the arrival of a valuable, rare and exotic animal – a baby silverback gorilla. The baby gorilla stands to make one man very, very rich. That man is Goliath Deeds, a man so evil that others live in fear of his retribution should they get in his way. By his side is young pickpocket Toff Squabble who obeys Deeds’ demands of him. But then one night twelve-year-old Nettie is unwittingly drawn into this criminal underworld. Can she find a way to rescue the baby gorilla and take him to safety and who can she trust to help her in her mission?

This companion novel to When the Sky Falls provides the origin story of Adonis the gorilla and works perfectly well as a stand alone story however I believe many will be drawn to read the original if they have not already done so by the time they have finished The Dawn of Adonis. Within a couple of sentences the prologue has grabbed the reader with its intensity and high drama setting the scene perfectly for the ensuing adventure. Goliath Deeds is a villain with no redeeming qualities at all and the opening scenes with Toff reluctantly drawn into this man’s plans have a darkness that is Dickensian in feel. Meanwhile, a few streets away kind hearted Nettie is accompanying her father, a vet, in a rescue mission to save a cat. These two young people from such different backgrounds are shortly to be thrown together by circumstance and this meeting will have a profound effect on them both.

It sounds banal to say I couldn’t put this down but I genuinely could not do so. The relatively short chapters, the rapid pace of the plot, the tension and the engaging characters combine in an immersive and satisfying read. Toff and Nettie are wonderful characters as is the development of their relationship. The sparky dialogue between the two of them, Nettie’s resolute determination, bravery and compassion and Toff’s battle with loyalty, experience and what he feels to be right are conveyed skilfully throughout. Abandoned as a baby and ‘rescued’ aged 7 from the orphanage by the dreadful Deeds, Toff struggles with the idea that ‘any family is better than no family‘. Nettie meanwhile is coping with her own trauma and is still grief stricken over the death of her mother and baby brother. Their shared experience of loss is portrayed with kind thoughtfulness.

The descriptions of the London dockland area are so vivid that this story feels a little as though it is being played out on the big screen. This is not really a surprise as Phil Earle has talked about the influence of film and TV on his writing in the past. The plot builds to a gripping climax and the resolution of the story will strike a chord with those who have read When the Sky Falls. The final pages required a stiff upper lip from this reader and I confess I closed the final page with a contented sigh and a small sob.

The Dawn of Adonis is both exciting and heart breaking in places, the themes of loss, particularly the death of parents needs to be borne in mind when recommending to children and there are moments of animal cruelty too. However Phil Earle’s compassion shines through even these moments and the way in which loyalty and love triumph is such a heartening aspect of this wonderful book. I loved this and really didn’t want it to end.

I bought my copy, signed by Phil, at a thoroughly enjoyable event held at the Andersen Press offices in London earlier this month to mark publication. The conversation between the author and his editor, Charlie Sheppard was enlightening and it is lovely to see the dedication to Charlie in the front of the book. During the evening we learned that there is to be a graphic novel version of When the Sky Falls in collaboration with Fred Fordham published in October and many will be looking forward to this.

The Dawn of Adonis was published on 5th June by Andersen Press and is highly recommended. This will, I’m sure, be one of my favourite books of the year.