Voyage of the Sparrowhawk
by Natasha Farrant
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Description
In the aftermath of World War I, two orphaned friends set off in a narrowboat from England as each hopes to find a missing part of themselves in France.Tags
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What an exciting adventure and quite a page turner with the two main characters on the run in an old narrowboat. These boats are built for holidaying up and down the canals of Britain. Amazingly, Ben and Lottie successfully sail this one across the English Channel with the police hot on their tails. There's everything here - mean horrible guardians, orphaned children, an older brother missing in action in WWll, a little dog and two runaways. It all gets mixed up and rolls along into a great read!! I loved it and it adds to growing list of Middle Grade books that I can highly recommend. I read an eBook version.
Wonderfully immersive into the setting and time period with courageous, resilient, smart children, who know when to ask for help, when to go it on their own, and how to be loyal friends. Includes a wonderful map of the voyage from Great Barton, through London, across the English Channel to Calais, France and beyond.
this was wild and adorable
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Awards and Honors
Awards
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 2020-07-14
- People/Characters
- Ben Langton; Charlotte (Lotti) St. Remy (Lotti); Elsie (spaniel mix); Federico (Chihuahua); Sam Langton; Nathan Langton (show all 14); Theophile & Isobel St. Remy; Hubert & Vera Netherbury; Albert Skinner; Clara Primrose; Frank; Jim; Captain Henri de Beauchesne; Moune
- Important places
- London, England, UK; Calais, France
- Important events
- World War I
- Epigraph
- "I ought to say," explained Pooh as they walked down to the shore of the island, "that it isn't an ordinary sort of boat. Sometimes it's a Boat, and sometime it's more of an Accident. It all depends."
"Depends on what?... (show all)"
"On whether I'm on the top of it or underneath it."
-A. A. Milne
As wonderful as dogs can be, they are famous for missing the point.
-Jean Ferris [Once Upon a Marigold] - Dedication
- For Jane, Eleanor, Matilda and Julia.
In memory of Dobby, a most excellent Chihuahua. - First words
- Prologue: Ben: Once, a long time ago, there was a boy called Ben.
Prologue: Lotti: About four years after Nathan adopted Sam and Ben, farther south near the small town of Great Barton, a man and a woman in a smart sports car paused at the gates of their country estate.
Chapter One: It was the first April since the war. - Quotations
- They sat very still, hardly breathing, so that in the workshop the only sound was the puppies' mewling and the steady beat of rain on the roof, and Ben could feel it, something magic in the air like you get in very old chruch... (show all)es, or libraries, or empty houses which people have really loved. (p. 195)
"The poor trees ... " Lotti thought of the beech alley at Barton, the woods where the nightingale sang. The fate of the trees upset her more than anything. "They were just there. They didn't choose to go to war." (p. 216)
"It will be all right," said Lotti. "As long as ..."
"... we're together," said Ben.
They both wondered, as they drifted off to sleep, when they had started to finish each other's sentences. (p. 218) - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Far below, the evening sun lit up the water.
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- 70
- Popularity
- 447,574
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (4.30)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 12
- ASINs
- 2
