An adventurous tale of bravery as children are sent to Canada in order to escape German invasion. But disaster strikes when the ship is torpedoed. Readers will follow the passengers of lifeboat 12 as they await rescue and attempt to survive the unforgiving sea. A great historical fiction book to use with a WWII unit or for upper elementary & middle school readers interested in history.

I'm usually not a huge fan of novels written in verse because I find them hard to follow, but Lifeboat 12 is definitely an exception. The storyline sucked me in from the start and I didn't even really notice that it was written in verse. I'm a huge fan of anything WWII-related, as are my students, and it was refreshing to see a different take on the subject matter. My students will enjoy! Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

This was a book that I meant to read when it came out a year or so ago. Until recently I didn't realize that it was written in verse. I haven't had great luck with novels written in verse before, though I've only tried a few, so I was a little concerned about reading this one and enjoying it.

Maybe it was the fact that the content and history of this story was something I was curious about, maybe this is better written than other novels in verse that I've written, but I found this one easier to read and follow.

World War Two is a fascinating time to read about, though heartbreaking. This story follows a boy who is sent from England to Canada to keep him safe. His ship is torpedoed on the way and he, along with other refugee boys and crewmen are lost on a lifeboat for several days.

This is a hybrid story that is part fact (Ken was an actual person in this situation) and fiction, since it was told in first person. The author kept as much of the story real to life as she could.

This has made me very curious to find out more about this ship and its passengers. Fast reading and informative for those interested in this kind of history.

This story is about Ken, who is living with his dad, his stepmom, and step sister during World War 2 in London. Kids are being removed from their families to keep them safe, and Ken finds out that he's been selected to go to Canada. At first, he's angry that his parents are sending him away but when he gets on the boat, he finds that it's actually a big upgrade. The food is great, he makes friends quickly, and he starts thinking that maybe Canada won't be so bad. Then their ship is torpedoed. This is a very exciting story and I think the kids will love reading about different points of view during World War 2 (and maybe be surprised, like I was, that civilian ships were torpedoed during the war). I think they'll also love the fact that the book is based on a real person. I can't wait to get this one in my library.

Susan’s debut middle-grade novel packs a punch! Ken was one of the lucky children chosen to escape war in the bombing of London in 1940. On his way to Canada aboard a luxury ship, the unthinkable happens...the ship is torpedoed! Will Ken and the others survive on the small lifeboat they manage to escape on? Based on true events, and full of amazing historical back-matter, this novel-in-verse is hard to put dow

This book was so good! I love the format as a novel in verse, and the topic of WWII is something that I always want to read more about. I didn't realize that it was truly a work of nonfiction at first until I got to the end and read the author's note. Absolutely remarkable!

An amazing historical fiction book told in verse. A great addition to any elementary or middle school libraries. Give it to your World War II readers and a great book for reluctant readers.

Lifeboat 12 by Susan Hood is a kid's historical fiction novel about the sinking of the SS City of Benares by a German U-Boat. Among the passengers were children being sent from London to Canada to keep them safe from the bombings. We see the story through the eyes of a survivor, 13yr old Ken Sparks. An accident of fate found Ken separated from his friend Terry, on Lifeboat 12, instead of Lifeboat 8 like he should have been. For 8 days, the survivors of Lifeboat 12 floated alone and lost, with dwindling water supplies. By the time rescue arrived one man had died, and several were critical. All were malnourished and suffering from 'trench foot’. But they survived when many didn't. This is their story.

I loved this book! First, this is about a subject I know little about, and I found it fascinating. Hood wrote in Ken's voice, and from his perspective. What we know of the events are only what this boy knows. The tale is written via a series of free-verse poems that got very creative at times, with font changes and zig-zaggy words, that mirrored the emotions Ken was going through. Each poem pulled me to the next. I HAD to know if they got rescued. Every day they got weaker and weaker. Who might be gone the next day? I see more and more books like this, of late, where the stories are told through snapshot poems. Such poignant stories can be told this way, and I find that I quite enjoy the style. The end of the book has sections with the stats of the Benares, and a more concise rendering of the facts of the case. This is perfect for the middle-grade reader who loves history, and for classroom reading.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Children's for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you Simon and Schuster and Net Galley for this free review copy. I loved this book. The story is exciting, the format of being in verse is interesting, and I love all the information Hood included about the real events surrounding the story. Books that are based on a true story and include so much true information are some of my favorites. They're interesting and they gets kids thinking by presenting an engaging story. This would be a popular book in our school library.

I love verse novels and I am always looking for the next read alike for The War That Saved My Life. This did not disappoint. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time! Incredible mix of true events, verse, and historical fiction packed in a strong package.

In the summer of 1940, as fear of a German invasion grew, the British government initiated a program called the Children's Overseas Reception Board, or CORB, which purpose was to evacuate British children from England and send them by ship to one of their (then) Dominion countries.

Lifeboat 12 follows the experience of one of the children chosen to be sent to Canada, a boy named Kenneth Sparks, 13, of Wembley in London, the son of working class parents. Kenneth, however, doesn't want to go, thinking his stepmum had finally found a way to be rid of him, even if she did buy him a very good, expensive overcoat to take with him. He was thrilled about getting such a nice coat, even if it was second hand. After all, by the summer of 1940, Ken was used to everything being second hand, makeshift or rationed because of the war. But he still wasn't happy about going to Canada.

Once the Blitz begins, and night after night is spent in a shelter, Ken quickly begins to look forward to leaving England. And he does finally leave in a convoy on Friday, September 13th, sailing on a luxury ocean lined called the City of Benares. And it is luxurious for the evacuees, who are fed wonderful and plentiful food including seconds, provided with brand new toys and games, and clean soft beds, even better than what Ken had at home. Ken makes friends with some of the other boys and spends his time exploring the ship with them. Only the constant lifeboat drills in case of an attack and the convey escorting the ship remind the kids of war they left behind.

That is until September 17th, their fourth day at sea, when a German submarine torpedoes the ship, causing severe damage. Ken heads to his assigned Lifeboat 8, but in all the confusion, he remembers he left his coat behind, the one his stepmum bought and admonished him to take care of and not to lose. Rushing back after retrieving his coat, Ken discovers Lifeboat 8 has left and he ends up squeezing into Lifeboat 12, along with 5 other boys, and 40 adults.

Surrounded by bodies and overturned lifeboats, the survivors in Lifeboat 12 watch as the City of Benares sinks, and wonder when and if they will be rescued. With enough food and water for only eight days, Lifeboat 12 drifts in the rough seas of the open ocean for eight days.

Lifeboat 12 is based on the true story of the torpedoing and sinking of the City of Benares, and while it is a fictionalized telling, it is based on the account of the Kenneth Sparks and other survivors, whom Susan Hood interviewed for this free verse novel (knowing Ken survived isn't a spoiler).

Hood spent a lot of time interviewing Ken just before he passed away and she has really captured his 13 year old self. He is both is appealing and believable, a friendly, lively, bright boy who notices everything around him and is curious about it all. His anger at his family for sending him away feels genuine, as does his fear - going back for his coat so his stepmum won't be angry at him, sitting in an overcrowded lifeboat wondering if he would be rescued - and the disappointment that his parents couldn't see him off when he left, and then having travel alone to London when he returns to England. I liked how Hood has Ken mention in passing that planes are his hobby, rather than making a big deal about it, and he knows them all, knowledge that ultimately saved the people in Lifeboat 12.

Lifeboat 12 is a coming of age story that most readers will find hard to put down. It is divided into three sections - Escape, Afloat, and Rescue, and each section gives a day by day account of what Ken was experiencing. And when you are finished reading Ken's fictionalized story, there is plenty of back matter to explore, including facts about lifeboat 12, information on the people who survived, plenty of photographs, and books for further investigating, interesting websites, and videos, and information about the crewmen, particularly the Asian crew.

Lifeboat 12 is a testament to courage, a gripping, tension filled novel that will have you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was an EARC received from NetGalley

I’m left with a sense of amazement at the human spirit — this is a beautifully woven story in verse that captures a little known historical event. Parents sent kids from England to Canada during WWII. And one of those ships was torpedoed.

This book was great. I like that it was written and verse and think that will go over well with young readers. This story is set during WWII and is Ken's story about his journey to Canada. He was able to get out of his country only to face more odds. The boat he is on is hit by a torpedo and sinks; which leaves him on Lifeboat 12. This is a great historical fiction book.

In 1940 Ken Sparks is a 13 year old boy living in London. Hitler has taken France and London is being bombed nightly. Parents have an option to send their children to Canada for the duration of the war where they will be safe. Ken is one of the lucky children chosen. He will be traveling on a passenger ship, SS City of Banares, to stay with his aunt in Edmonton. Initially everything seems ideal; plentiful food, toys, games, and warm beds. But there are also Nazi subs patrolling.

This is book is beautifully written in free verse. When a book is written in verse, word selection becomes so important and every word of this book has been chosen to move plot or character development along. Not a word has been wasted. This story would be interesting and engaging as fiction, but it's based on a true story, which adds a level of poignancy. The author has included references and photographs of many of the main characters.

This book is not to be missed!

Susan Hood took amazing journal entries from the WWII time period and other factual information and turned them into a beautifully written book in verse. I was astounded by this book; the flow, the lyrics, the emotions. You could feel the rise and fall of each wave and each emotional moment.
Lifeboat 12 followed the courageous journey of a young boy, Ken from leaving war torn England during WWII. His family is shipping him off to Canada to keep him safe, but he isn't so sure about the intentions. Ken experiences the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in the 283 pages.
It was a quick read because it is not a book you will want to put down. When I finished, I wanted to know more about what happened to those people on Lifeboat 12.

Middle grade historical fiction continues to explode with stories that are not well known. Lifeboat 12 continues this trend with the story of the sinking of the SS City of the Benares. Told in verse the story begins in London. Germans are bombing the city, leaving worried parents with the excruciating choice to send their children to other countries for safety or to keep them home. Ken Spark's father and stepmother decide to send him to Canada aboard the luxury liner. The reader is taken through Ken's journey on board the ship and through the terrible sinking of the Benares. Based on real people and events, the reader is transported into the story. Loved the inclusion of the author's note, pictures, and nonfiction information at the end of the story. Can't wait to book talk this title with my student's this fall!

Lifeboat 12 is a really, really good story. I'm not normally a nonfiction/historical fiction fan but I really did love this book and learned a lot from it. The prose format is perfect for this story. What made this book for me is the extras after the main story is finished. Loved the author's note, photographs and the extra nonfiction material that goes along with this story. Great job!