Voyage of the Sparrowhawk by Natasha Farrant

Ben is an orphan. Each Sunday, when he was young, the orphans were taken for a walk along the canal. On this day Ben aged just four, is not wearing shoes and so he his hurt when he steps onto some glass. Another orphan, a boy named Sam aged eleven, stops to help the little boy. Moored on the canal there is a narrowboat. 

"The boat was red and green, with her name Sparrowhawk, painted in gold on a scarlet panel. Above the letters a bird of prey few, tough and graceful, orange eyes glinting and blue-grey wings outstretched."

The owner of the boat, Nathan, helps Ben with his foot and his involvement in this small incident leads him to visit the orphanage to adopt the two boys. A new little family is formed.

Now fast forward nine years. World War II has just ended. Ben is now thirteen. Nathan has died in France while visiting Sam in a hospital in France. Sam, enlisted as a soldier and was injured in the war. Ben has been cared for by a village woman, but she is leaving to live with her sister in Wales. Ben is desperate to find Sam and he is sure his brother is alive but he has received one of those terrible telegrams telling him Sam is missing - meaning he might be dead. Ben moves back onto the Sparrowhawk but a child cannot live alone, and the local policeman is becoming suspicious. 

Meanwhile we meet Charlotte (Lotti). She also lives near the canal. Her life was one of love, privilege and wealth. Unfortunately, her parents have both died in a dreadful accident. Her vicious uncle and aunt have come to live in the big house. Lotti has been expelled from her horrible boarding school and Ben finds her hiding on his boat clutching a small dog.

Lotti needs to run away, and she is desperate to find her grandmother in France. Ben needs to run away too, and he is desperate to find his brother Sam who is also in France. They have a boat - but it is a canal boat and is not suitable for the open ocean. These two intrepid kids will need the assistance of strangers to reach their destination - and yes there are four wonderful people who do step into help them on their wild adventure. 

Spoiler alert - this book has the MOST glorious happy ending and includes a very sweet love story between two of the adults who help Ben and Lotti. 

Descriptive prose captures the bucolic canal boat life, tempestuous Channel crossing, and numbing devastation of postwar France. Main characters are cued as White. Inspiring, memorable, and adventurous: classic storytelling. Kirkus Star review

I challenge any reader, young or old, not to want to devour this book in one delicious sitting. Once started upon the story of Lotti and Ben, two orphans living in the aftermath of World War 1 and who could not be more different in temperament or background, it is impossible to put down. ... These are characters who will dwell long in your memory and indeed leave you wanting to know more, including about some of the fascinating minor characters. ... A standalone, middle grade adventure that is as well written as this, is pure gold dust with which to captivate young readers and a perfect class read. But be warned, they may not want to go home! Love Reading4Kids

Blurb from the author web page: In the aftermath of World War One, everyone is trying to rebuild their lives. If Ben is to avoid being sent back to the orphanage, he needs to find his brother Sam, wounded in action and now missing. Lotti's horrible aunt and uncle want to send her away to boarding-school (when she has just so successfully managed to get expelled from her last one!) Just as they think they've found their feet in the new order, disaster strikes, and Lotti and Ben must get away. Together they hatch a plan - to cross the Channel on Ben's narrowboat and find Sam, and something Lotti is looking for too... Buffeted by storms, chased by the police, Lotti, Ben and a growing number of dogs set out on an epic journey, on the search for lost loved ones and a place to call home. 

• WINNER OF THE COSTA CHLDREN'S BOOK AWARD 2020!
• TIMES AND SUNDAY TIMES CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE YEAR 
• WINNER OF THE SPARK BOOK AWARD
• WINNER OF THE SEFTON BOOK PRIZE

You can see I gave this book five stars. I highly recommend this book for readers aged 10+. I read the entire book (352 pages) over the course of one evening and one day. You could read this book in a family or to a class but with your class you will need to set aside time to read lots of pages at each sitting. I heard a very distressing story this week about a classroom teacher who agreed to read The Wild Robot to her Grade four class after the children enjoyed the first couple of chapters in the school library. That was back in February this year. It is now November, and the children recently told their Teacher-Librarian that their teacher had 'nearly finished' - that means she has spent 8 months reading a 288 page novel which has fairly big print and whole page illustrations. Reading aloud to your class is SO important. The formula is simply you need time (plan to read every day) and a book you love! 

Companion reads:

Thursday's Child

While the storm rages

The Great elephant Chase

Journey to the River Sea (note there are many different cover designs for this book)

I previously talked about this book by Natasha Farrant. 

The Girl who Talked to Trees