With the weather getting cooler and the nights about to draw in, this is just the book you need to curl up with at the end of the day this Autumn. Grab a blanket, hot chocolate and embark on a wonderful, feel-good adventure, courtesy of Natasha Farrant. Encapsulating all the feels of the adventure stories I used to read as a child, this is sure to entertain and inspire a new generation of MG readers.
Set in the aftermath of World War 1, the story follows the escapades of Lotti and Ben. Two fiercely independent orphans who strike up an unlikely friendship due to the parrallels in their circumstances. Despite their extremely different upbringings, the pair hit it off and along with their four legged friends Elsie and Federico, they plot, plan and execute the most remarkable journey. Twists, turns and everything in between, keep the reader gripped from beginning to end.
Ben is longing for the safe return of his brother following the war, is he dead or alive? Lotti is longing for an escape from her hideous Aunt and Uncle and answers as to why her loving relationship with her Grandma mysteriously stopped. Both situations lead them to France and the tearaway duo overcome a multitude of obstacles in a quest to find their lost loved ones.
A barge, known as the Sparrowhawk, is Ben’s home. A home that Lotti finds herself welcomed into and a home that is conveniently able to travel along canals, rivers and seas to reach the destination. Before long however, repairs are needed and ferocious storms are battled during an epic, nail biting journey – narrowboats are not designed for high seas and extreme weather!
Will they make it across the turbulent seas? Will they find the missing love they are both searching for? This book is a beautiful story, full of bravery, determination, courage and hope. The story of two children who have lost everything, searching for those missing pieces to help put their lives back together again. Voyage of the Sparrowhawk is a must read. It has just the right amount of suspense, tension, exhilaration and joy.
