This summer, I got totally swept away on an adventure with the crew of the plucky Sparrowhawk.

Life in the small village of Barton is slowly getting back to normal after the Great War. But not for Ben, who’s living with a woman in the village after his adoptive father was killed in France and his older brother missing, presumed dead. Or for orphaned Lotti who has found herself fleeing from the local villain after ‘rescuing’ his chihuahua from a cage!

When Ben is faced with the threat of going having to go to Wales (and go to school), he comes up with a plan to return to his beloved home, The Sparrowhawk – the beautiful narrowboat he’d lived on before the war. Then Lotti convinces Ben to take control of his own destiny and helps him devise an even more daring plan – to sail The Sparrowhawk to France to find his missing brother!

This story is a good old-fashioned adventure with echoes of the Famous Five as two determined children race through the waterways of England (and beyond) with a determined policeman following in their wake.

I loved the fierce spirit and independence of Ben and Lotti as they set-off on their mission to find out the truth about their families and take control of their own destinies.

The ravaged landscapes of post-war France, and the broken people trying to rebuild their lives, that the pair encounter on their journey add an extra layer of poignancy to this superb truth-seeming quest. They also contrasted beautifully with the rather magical and cosy-sounding interior of the Sparrowhawk.

A tale of hope in the face of hopelessness and seizing control of your life. 9+

Library Girl.

*Many thanks to Faber Children’s for inviting me to be a part of this blog tour. Make sure you visit some of the other stops too*