I Go By Sea, I Go By Land

When German bombs began to fall in 1940, Sabrina Lind, with her young brother James, left home and parents in England to spend the war years with close friends in America. Sabrina kept a very personal diary, recording the swift departure and the dangling feeling of separation and strangeness afterward, the long journey across the ocean, and their adjustment to a new life, where a warm welcome, exciting new adventures and new friends helped to alleviate homesickness and constant worry for their parents' safety. With warm touches, both tragic and humorous, Sabrina learned to accept changes in a life turned topsy-turvy.

The story, told in diary form, of two English children forced to the United States by World War II. Apparently based on an actual diary, the book gives the perspective of young Sabrina Lind as she crosses the Atlantic on an ocean liner, then moves in with an American friend of her mother's. From the perspective of 75 years later, it's a wistful look back - not only to a simpler time, but also to the interests and thoughts of an eleven-year-old girl.

The story does have a ring of truth to it. I doubt if even in those halcyon years of education, where seventh-graders are annoyed that they aren't getting enough Latin, that anyone could be as articulate as Sabrina. But Travers adds enough detail, while still retaining the odd spelling and show more punctuation that you might expect, to make a very compelling read.

Now if you're looking for the Hunger Games, look elsewhere. Even the action and excitement of Mary Poppins is lacking in this dreamy memoir. Not that it's all fun and games. The fear and terror of the children's hometown being bombed by the Luftwaffe, even from afar, is distinct and clear. But let yourself come back to the mind of a child, where everything is exciting and new, and you will enjoy this poignant reminiscence. show less

When the Second World War reaches her peaceful Sussex home, eleven-year-old Sabrina and her little brother James are sent on the long voyage across the sea to stay with their aunt in America. Will they ever see their parents again?

NA