Voyage of the Sparrowhawk

“We should run away,” said Lotti. “But where?” asked Ben. The breeze grew stronger. The woods breathed out the scent of bluebells. Where will we sail to, Lotti, on the ocean of blue? And just like that, Lotti knew. In the aftermath of World War One, everyone in the small English town of Barton is trying to rebuild their lives. Ben is living alone in his father’s old narrowboat, the Sparrowhawk, avoiding the town constable, who is threatening to send him to the orphanage, and awaiting news of his older brother, Sam, who was injured in France and has been declared missing. Lotti’s horrible aunt and uncle want to send her away from her beloved home to boarding school—just when she has so successfully managed to get expelled from her last one. When a chance encounter brings the two children together, each recognizes the other as a kindred spirit, and they begin to find their bearings in their strange new world. But this peace is temporary, and when the constable and Lotti’s aunt and uncle close in on them, Ben and Lotti decide to run away to find Sam. They hatch a risky plan to sail the Sparrowhawk through England’s canals and rivers all the way across the sea to France. And there’s something in France that Lotti is looking for, too. … The pair sets sail on the journey of a lifetime, facing wonders and danger at every turn, and discovers that having true friendship and love means that they are never alone in the world. Voyage of the Sparrowhawk is propulsive and deeply satisfying, full of high stakes, twists and connections, and most of all—adventure.