London, 1940. Jack is one of the few kids who is not evacuated from the city. He lives with his dad who has been badly wounded during WWI, his mum who is struggling to keep the family fed and Jack also cares for his grandfather who lives close by. Every night bombs fall onto London. Jack and a friend have signed up to be messenger boys.
Wikipedia: Police Auxiliary Messengers (PAMS) were operational in the UK during World War 2. Young lads under the age of eighteen with their own bikes were employed by local police forces with the primary role of taking messages during and after air raids if telephone communication was not practicable. I found this short documentary film made in 1942.
Jack talks about working for the air raid wardens: Often Boy Scouts or Boys' Brigade members aged between 14 and 18 as messengers or runners would take verbal or written messages from air raid wardens and deliver them to either the sector post or the control centre. Bombing would sometimes cut telephone lines and messengers performed an important role in giving the ARP services a fuller picture of events.
Publisher blurb: It’s 1940 and Nazi bombs are raining down on London, but 13-year-old bike messenger Jack has just discovered something unbelievable: a stray dog with a surprising talent. Jack navigates the smoky, ash-covered streets of London amid air raid sirens and falling bombs, dodging shrapnel and listening for cries for help, as a bike messenger for fire crews. When Jack finds a dog, miraculously still alive after the latest Nazi bombing of London, he realises there’s something extra special about the shaggy pup–he can smell people who are trapped under debris. With his new canine companion, nicknamed Rip because of the dog’s torn ear, maybe Jack can do more than just relay messages back-and-forth–he can actually save lives. And if Jack’s friend Paula is right about the impending Nazi invasion, he and Rip will need to do all they can to help Jewish families like hers. There’s just one problem: Jack has to convince his ill-tempered father to let him keep Rip.
Jack himself is deaf in one ear and this gives him a special affinity with his new dog and his torn ear. It also makes him very wary of making new friends because he has been very badly bullied at school but in this time of war and danger new friends are so important.
I do wish this book had a reference or further reading list. A map of the area in London could be useful too.
This is a gripping story of heroism made all the more interesting because it is based on a real dog called Rip. The relationship between Jack and his dad is harrowing at times because his dad has what we now call PTSD. I recommend this book for readers aged 10+.
Strangely I feel that I have read a similar book to Rip to the rescue about a small dog and London in WWII and the rescue of people trapped after the bombings but I simply cannot recall the title. If you have a suggestion I'd love to know - please add it to the comments.
Read more about the Dickin medal which is award to animal heroes. Here is some information about Rip himself. I found an interview with Miriam Halahmy where she talks about her books.
Companion books:
