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A hold-on-to-the-edge-of-your seat childrens’ adventure book for salty dogs and their sea-mates everywhere.

Robert and Michael, twelve and fourteen years old, respectively, are runaways – each of them seeking escape from the harshness of a young world that seems to have no place for them.

“Robert had had enough. There was a better life, and he was going to fight for it”.

Neither of them could have possibly predicted what would happen next as they put in place a hastily concocted plan – to stow away aboard a ship and get as far away from England as possible – and thus began a whirlwind adventure that in no time at all has them battling storms and doldrums, freezing cold and blistering heat, new friends and terrifying enemies, all amidst a grinding and brutal sea-faring existence which is unlike anything they have ever experienced.

From boys who would love nothing better than to “eat cake and play marbles”, Robert and Micheal quickly grow into shipmates who learn that the sailor’s life is harsh and critically dependent; where each new skill must be absolutely perfected because, at the end of it all, “if you’re sloppy someone will die”.

“He hated feeling helpless, like an ant trying to outrun a shoe”.

Brimming with the details, delights and despairs of their epic journey, the author does a wonderful job weaving life lessons gleaned by the boys along the way, including perspectives on the surprising suddenness of grief, the psychology of bullying, and the crucial imperative of trust and community.

A great big thank you to the author for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.

My stop today on the @bookandwinelovers #blogtour for #RunawayAtSea by @margreitm @redpenguinbooks_