Publisher: Cargo Publishing | Publication date: 24th September 2015 | Edition: Paperback (Review Copy)
The Wreck of the Argyll is a wonderfully thrilling story featuring an unlikely friendship and the endeavours to catch a German spy against all odds, which isn’t easy when you’re twelve years old!
There are two threads to this tale: The friends’ adventure on land and their frustration when responsible adults refuse to take them seriously. Then there’s the ocean adventure of the crew of the HMS Argyll, a small ship that mustn’t fall into enemy hands under any circumstances and the dilemmas facing those on board.
We visit both journeys in alternating chapters and each is exciting and tense in its own right.
It’s 1915 in Wartime Scotland and Nancy fancies herself as a bit of an undercover detective. She suspects one of her teachers is working for the ‘other side’ and takes it upon herself to gather the evidence to capture him. One evening, when she’s following the alleged spy, she is involved in an altercation with some neighbourhood lads. That’s when she meets Jamie as he comes to her rescue. Yet their initial friendship isn’t entirely mutual.
Jamie wonders why a young girl is on the street at an ungodly hour and Nancy confesses her motives. Although a little reluctant to help at first, homeless Jamie shrugs aside any doubts as he nothing else left to lose. But before he knows it he finds himself involved in a deadly game of cat and mouse.
With HMS Argyll facing treacherous conditions and a mountain of communication difficulties hindering almost everyone, catastrophic consequences for the entire country seem unavoidable both on land and at sea – the story builds to quite a crescendo!
The marvellous nature of this tale is that it shows the extremes of life in 1915. Jamie lives rough after his father was killed in France and the lad found life with his mum strained. Midshipman Melville from the HMS Argyll is not much older and yet he faces huge responsibilities. Even restricted opportunities for ladies are touched upon (but it doesn’t always hold them back!). Plus, it’s fast-paced with some great dialogue exchanges and there’s the most fantastic conclusion to draw both journeys together. It really is quite a little gem.
The Wreck of the Argyll offers the perfect blend of perseverance, courage and skulduggery. It’s a snapshot of life in a bygone era where working together and having conviction in your beliefs can achieve more than anyone could ever hope for, despite the obstacles placed in your way.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. (Okay, so it’s for children but I absolutely loved it!)
Rating: 5/5
(Massive thanks to Cargo Publishing and Gill Tasker for providing a delightful paperback copy of this book for review.)
(Courtesy of Amazon UK)
Dundee, 1915. Twelve-year-old Nancy Caird is desperate to do her bit for the war. So when she suspects one of her teachers of being a German spy, she is determined to foil his plans, and ropes in the reluctant Jamie Balfour to help her uncover the scheme. Midshipman Harry Melville is on his first voyage aboard HMS Argyll as it forges through the black and stormy North Sea, unaware of both hidden rocks and German plots that threaten the ship. When Nancy and Jamie’s suspicions are confirmed, and they discover HMS Argyll is in deadly danger, they are drawn into a web of espionage, secrets, and betrayal, where no-one is as they seem and no-one can be trusted.
(Courtesy of Amazon UK)
John K Fulton is the son of a lighthouse keeper, and grew up all around the coast of Scotland. These remote and lonely locations instilled in him a life-long love of books and the sea. He studied at the Universities of St. Andrews and Dundee, and now lives in Leicester with his partner Sandra. While Leicester is about as far from the sea as you can get in the UK, their home is stuffed with books, which is the next-best thing.
The Wreck of the Argyll is his first novel, and is the winner of the Great War Dundee Children’s Book Prize.
Little Bookness Lane 
Ooh this sounds good! Love how you said it was for children but you loved it! I often think children’s books are some of the best out there as I just love reading books for YA and children as they reveal so much and are so interesting! Great review x
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It is a rather excellent story! Children’s books do provide a refreshing change, don’t they?! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
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