The Emergency Zoo
Miriam Halahmy
Subjects
- Animal Tales - bundles of fur, fluff and fun
- History Time - blasts from the past
Average rating
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 take action. 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.
Reviews
I really enjoyed this book because I love animals and this book is about saving animals from the slaughter they had to go through during the war. The two main characters, Tilly and Rosy, want to save their beloved pets from the slaughter and when other children find out about it they start to bring their pets to the small hut in the wood where they are hiding all the different kinds of pets from the grown ups. My favourite part in this moving story is when Rosy rescues a kitten from being abandoned , Rosy is also my favourite character .
Principal Beryl Pumpernickel 01.08.2024
This book was nice as it wan't the usual war story and showed the children and pets' side of the war - something you don't see much. The stuggles and hardships were kind of overlooked and the book was a little long for the story. However, it was a nice book and I'd reccommend it.
Sir Quincy Pennyfarthing 29.08.2023
I liked the emergency zoo - it was based on events that happened in WW2.
Anonymous 24.08.2022
I liked all the pups and my favourite character was Tilly. I would recommend it to someone else
Mademoiselle Petunia Custard 15.08.2022
I really liked this book. It was so good to see children stand up for themselves up to grown ups. I liked Tilly best because she was in charge of everything. I only didn’t like how the snake (I forgot the snake’s name) died without any explanation or anyone missing it as I like snakes. Overall, I would recommend this book.
Countess Kangaroo Mozzarella 08.08.2021
This is a fiction book about how local children rescue their much loved pets from an uncertain future when children themselves are evacuated from London at the start of WW2.
Anonymous 30.11.2020
I didn't like it that much because it is all about war and saving animas from danger.
Doctor Hopscotch Squirrel 31.08.2020
It is very interesting and explains about ww2
Anonymous 26.08.2020
This is a fiction based book about 2 friends who attempt to save their beloved pets from death as England declare war on Germany. My favourite character was Sidney Scudders a cheeky cockney who along with his siblings bring his pets to the zoo. I would recommend this books to others kids.
Anonymous 28.06.2020
