When Ken first hears the news that his parents are sending him to Canada, he thinks this is his stepmother’s way of finally getting rid of him. But once the bombs start to fall on his London home, and his family has to the spend their nights in the stinky, crowded bomb shelter, Canada doesn’t seem so bad. He is one of 90 children aboard the luxury ship. For the first time since the war started, he can eat as much as he wants, and there is a whole room full of brand-new toys to play with. At first, the children must wear their life vests at all times even when they sleep, but on the fifth day, the captain announces that they are out of danger. That same night, Ken is woken up by an explosion. The ship has been torpedoed!

What happens next is a miraculous story of survival spent aboard a crowded lifeboat with only 8 days of water, no shelter, and no compass for direction. Based on true events and real people, this novel in verse is a must read. Once you start reading, you won’t be able to stop.

Book reviewed by Mary S., Youth Services Department Head