Voyage of the Sparrowhawk by Natasha Farrant

In Voyage of the Sparrowhawk, two youngsters undertake a dangerous journey to find relatives missing after World War I.

Voyage of the Sparrowhawk by Natasha Farrant. Norton, 2021, 316 pages.

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12

Recommended for: ages 10-15

Ben Langton doesn’t remember his parents, and barely remembers the grim gray orphanage he was rescued from along with Sam, the fellow orphan he considers his brother. Now that the Great War has ended, he’s orphaned again, having lost his adopted father in France. And Sam? Maybe. Once Ben resumes his life on the Sparrowhawk, the canal boat where he grew up, he intends to find out.

Charlotte St. Remi does remember her parents, tragically killed in a plane accident and willing her into the care of her cold-hearted uncle. But she has a grandmother in France who hasn’t corresponded with her since the war began . . . What happened to Moune?

The two children meet by chance and sense a connection, though Ben is quiet and serious while Lotti is impulsive and spirited. But the bold idea begins with Ben: to sail the Sparrowhawk down the Grand Union Canal, along the current of the Thames, and across the choppy waters of the English Channel and into France. All the grownups say it’s impossible and the local constable is becoming suspicious of two kids on their own. But sometimes risks have to be taken, and who’s to say what’s possible?

After mowing down all the parents at the beginning, Voyage becomes an old-fashioned, optimistic adventure novel with real dangers and plucky heroes (including dogs). Ben and Lotti are well-defined characters readers will root for. Supporting players, with the exception of Lotti’s guardians, are sympathetic and affirming. Except for one pivotal moment when the author cuts away from the action at its most exciting, narrative tension is nicely maintained and resolved. Some risks are indeed worth taking; as Lotti muses, “Life always worked out . . . but sometimes life needed help.”

Consideration:

• Some language cautions: two uses of the d- word and two of “hell.”

Overall Rating: 4 (out of 5)

• Worldview/moral value: 3.75
• Artistic/literary value: 4.25

Read more about our ratings here.                 

Also at Redeemed Reader:

• Reviews: For a comprehensive view of World War I accessible to middle-graders, see our reviews of World War I: An Interactive History Adventure and Treaties, Trenches, Mud and Blood

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