Until the Road Ends

Another amazing story set during the WW2 blitz from Phil Earle and this one is wonderful elwith the main character point of view being animals. Beau, a stray dog is rescued from the street and taken into a family home where he learns about love, safety and friendship. But then war comes and with it the advice to put pets down and evacuate children. Beau has a strong sense of smell and helps Mr Alfrod in his job as an ARP, sniffing out survivors while his owner, Peggy, is sent to live with her aunt on the south coast with her brother Wilf. Wilf's haughty cat Mabel is left behind in London too and her and Beau meet Bomber, a carrier pigeon training for the war effort. When tragedy strikes in London, the 3 animals set off for the south coast to reunite with Peggy and Wilf and the story of their epic journey is full of danger, excitement and its own share of tragedy. Beau says he will keep searching for Peggy until the road ends and what a story this is. Loved rhe animal's point of view and the fact lots of it is based on truth such as Beau's job to search out survivors. I won't spoil it by saying more but this is a must read book if you love historical fiction,animal adventures or just a good story.

Phil Earle is the master of writing tales that hook you in from the first chapter.
Set in WW2, Until the Road Ends is told from the perspective of an adopted dog - Beau, a cat - Mabel and a pigeon named Bomber.
Beau was a stray until he was saved from being run over by Peggy, they become inseparable until WW2 arrives on their doorstep.
Mabel belongs to Wilf (Pegg's brother) and is a cat who seemingly on the outside doesn't care about anything or anyone, but is there more to Mabel than meets the eye?
Bomber is a pigeon who is destined to help in the War and he meets Beau just as War is breaking out over London.
When Peggy and Wilf are evacuated from London to live by the sea, Beau begins his own journey.

Until the Road Ends is beautifully written, it's sad, funny, and makes you cry. A writer that can make their reader feel all of these emotions is pretty spectacular!

My book of the year!

Phil Earle definitely has the power of the pen when it comes to writing books that tug at the heartstrings. I wondered about the relevance of the title until I read those words in the book, and then again adapted at the end of the story. What a beautifully written, heart wrenching tale. It reminded me in places of The Incredible Journey with the animals making the epic journey alone but with a backdrop of WWII.
Great themes of friendship, relationships and survival abound.

“When the sky falls” is one of my favourite kid’s novels, and so I was eager to read this latest book by Phil Earle, also set in world war 2. However, this time the story is told through the eyes of an animal: Beau, a dog who is rescued by a small girl and taken in by her family, as Britain is on the brink of war. When war comes, and Peggy is evacuated, what will Beau do to be reunited with his human? Along with Mabel the cat and Bomber the pigeon they set out on a journey to where the road ends, to find their family. I read it on a train and had to stop myself from crying at the ending. I became so wrapped up in the lives of these animals and the emotions- it is another beautiful book by Phil Earle. I would highly recommend. I will confess I did spend most of the time quietly singing the “homeward bound” music in my head whilst reading!

Phil's books bring historical events to life by focusing on individual stories taking place in the middle of the chaos of war and shedding light on the lived experiences of people who went through it. This particular book showcases the utter devastation wrought by The Blitz which tore communities and families apart whilst highlighting the bravery of individuals who served on The Home Front.

The stars of the show are Beau, Bomber and Mabel. Their adventure in the backdrop of The Blitz is engaging and exciting. Phil is spot on in the dog vs cat characterisation with Mabel's lines making me chuckle a lot over the course of the book.

The former history teacher in me would have loved using this in the classroom with KS3.