Two boys have the adventure of a lifetime and save the country from German spies in this novel set in World War II-era Canada.
Man Overboard!
by Curtis Parkinson
Tundra Books
ISBN: 978 1 77049 298 1
A teenager working as a deckhand for the summer overhears a conversation between German spies who then board his boat for a trip that sees a man go overboard and disappear in the rapids. When the boat docks, the spies try to grab Scott, but his friend Adam steps in and is taken instead, and Scott leaps onto the departing car, determined to save him until he is told that Adam will pay the price if he tells anyone about what he has heard.
The book goes on to follow Adam’s attempts to escape (with some help) and Scott’s desperate search for his friend, and builds to a tense scene in which the boys report a potential bomb threat, and we wait to see if they will even be believed.
The book moves quickly, and has big appeal for kids who like their novels plot-driven. There is a nice tension from early on, so even a reluctant reader could be hooked by this, though a child who treasures lovely writing and deep characters won’t find this their style. This is pretty much the quintessential boy book, starring male characters, spies, and plenty of action and danger!