Lifeboat 12, by Susan Hood

The first middle grade novel by author Susan Hood, and a historical fiction book, which you know I love! This is the story of a boat filled with children, leaving from England just as Hitler's forces were getting ready to invade England during World War 2. The children were being relocated to Canada, in the case of Lifeboat 12, but to other places in the world, too, as the British tried to get as many kids as possible out of the way of approaching Nazi forces. The story in this book is one about a boat that is sailing to Canada but is attacked by a German submarine. The boat sinks, and one group of survivors ends up in Lifeboat #12, which floats around in the Atlantic Ocean for over a week. It is overfilled with people, with very little food and less water, braving the elements as they drift about hoping to be spotted by someone and rescued. A fascinating story, to be sure!

Hood tells this story in verse, which I usually enjoy, but in this case I don't think it worked very well. The story overall is an important one, and I found myself rooting for the people on this small boat. But the total package of story line, writing style, and effect on the reader was a little less than I think it might have been had she written in a more standard format. Just my humble pug opinion. Still a good story, worth reading, but not as strong as some other historical fiction books are. 3 paws.