Reviews /
Voyage of the Sparrowhawk
Tagged adventure, belonging, bravery, courage, families, First World War, friendship, Natasha Farrant, read-aloud
Voyage of the Sparrowhawk is a story, which takes place in the aftermath of World War One, about a girl called Lotti and a boy called Ben. Lotti is running away from her horrible uncle and aunt to avoid being sent to another awful boarding school. Ben, to avoid being sent back to the orphanage, needs to find his older brother Sam, missing in action in France. A friendship is formed when Ben finds Lotti hiding on Sparrowhawk, the barge Ben has lived on with his brother. This is the start of an incredible journey to France on Sparrowhawk, dodging everyone chasing them and with help from the friendships found along the way. There are police chases, a storm when crossing the channel, puppies being born along the way and the hope of finding lost loved ones at the end. No spoilers here from me!
The fact that there are so many stories of different characters within this story, written by Natasha Farrant (Eight Princesses an a Magic Mirror), that link and overlap beautifully throughout also contribute to make this such a rich, page-turning read. At all times the story surprises and keeps you guessing. There is a rich thread of themes running throughout too. These are friendship, kindness, bravery, determination and working together to make things happen.
I loved this book and found it very hard to put down. It would be a great book to read aloud. It could also prompt questions about WW1 and what it must have been like to lose loved ones, alongside discussing all the themes mentioned above. Natasha Farrant has such a great style of writing for this kind of exciting adventure story and has created such wonderful characters, that I would love to read a follow-up to Voyage of the Sparrowhawk.
This review was written by Jo Bowers
Jo Bowers is the reviews editor and book reviewer for Just Imagine and also writes teacher notes for the Just Imagine Reading Gladiators Book Club and sits on the Reading Promotion Committee with Books Council Wales, championing books set in Wales. Jo has worked in primary education for over 30 years, as a teacher and literacy lead in schools and lecturer in teacher training in Wales. Jo has sat on various book award panels including Books Council Wales Tir na n-og award, UKLA book awards and the English Association Picture Book Award. She has been editor of and sat on the editorial Board of English 4-11, led an Open University Reading for Pleasure Teacher Group (TRG) for teachers in Wales and is a Wales representative for the United Kingdom Literacy Association (UKLA). She is passionate about children's literature and is happiest when she is reading and surrounded by books. You can find Jo on Twitter at @Jo_BowersCopyright: Just Imagine Story Centre Ltd 2012-2023. All rights reserved.