Voyage of the Sparrowhawk

🚤🐾🗼💣

by Natasha Farrant

★★★★★

Review

This is hands down one of my absolute FAVOURITE reads of 2025 so far. After receiving this book for Christmas, I devoured it in only a few hours and found the entire book utterly charming. 

Told as parallel stories of two young children, Lotti and Ben, this book takes you on a wonderful journey down the Thames and across the Channel to France. Faced with the choice between a lifetime of misery and a life-threatening journey, Lotti and Ben (and their two furry companions) chase their dreams in an old narrowboat, running from the authorities who are not far behind. 

The first thing that I LOVED about this book is Lotti. Her defiant, strong-minded and down right rebellious spirit really got me on board with her narrative and I couldn’t get enough of her antics. Her heartbreaking past and awful, awful uncle and aunt make for very gripping reading and was the highlight of the book for me! 

As well as Lotti, the other characters are easy to warm to (even pesky Albert Skinner) and contribute to the storyline in their own unique ways. The two dogs, Frederico the chihuahua and Elsie the spaniel, were obviously another highlight for me and I adored how they played such key parts in the story too. 

The adventure itself is marvellous and I couldn’t believe how fast paced the book was. Every few chapters contained a major event that had me rapidly turning the pages to find out more! 

I honestly can’t recommend this book enough, and can confirm that children love it too - my class are currently HOOKED at the end of the day; they even enjoyed our latest writing unit in which they got to write a letter in the character of Lotti. 

Dive Deeper

At a glance

Author: Natasha Farrant

Cover artist: Holly Ovenden

Release Date: September 2020

Book type: Chapter, 416 pages

Reader level: Growing reader, Shared read 7+

Blurb

In the aftermath of World War One, everyone is trying to rebuild their lives. If Ben is to avoid being sent back to the orphanage, he needs to find his brother Sam, wounded in action and now missing. Lotti's horrible aunt and uncle want to send her away to boarding-school (when she has just so successfully managed to get expelled from her last one!) 

Just as they think they've found their feet in the new order, disaster strikes, and Lotti and Ben must get away. Together they hatch a plan - to cross the Channel on Ben's narrowboat and find Sam, and something Lotti is looking for too... Buffeted by storms, chased by the police, Lotti, Ben and a growing number of dogs set out on an epic journey, on the search for lost loved ones and a place to call home. 

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