TORPEDOED: THE TRUE STORY OF THE WORLD WAS II SINKING OF THE "CHILDREN'S BOAT"

TORPEDOED: THE TRUE STORY OF THE WORLD WAR II SINKING OF THE "CHILDREN'S BOAT" by Deborah Heiligman

It is common knowledge that during World War II some of the parents in London sent their children out into the countryside to live with strangers to hopefully escape the bombing of the Germans. What I wasn't aware of was that some parents boarded their children onto ships bound to places like Canada. In September of 1940, 100 children boarded the ship City of Benares. What started out as an amazing, luxurious journey for the children turned into a horrible tragedy when the ship was torpedoed by a German submarine. Unfortunately, the story is reminiscent of The Titanic in its outcome. Author Deborah Heiligman follows the stories of several of the children as they cross the ocean. Ultimately, some of them survive and some do not. This book is a true testimony to the hard decisions people make in war for their loved ones. It is also a tale of courage as many children (and adults) were forced to step up in situations they would never have dreamed they would encounter.

HEADS UP- The only heads up I have for this book is the tremendous loss of life. The book is not gory in any way, but you are dealing with children who drown and whose bodies shut down in freezing cold water.