Lifeboat 12

Published in 2018, Lifeboat 12 by Susan Hood is a middle-grade historical-fiction novel in verse. The novel is based on a true story and takes place during World War II. Told from the perspective of Ken Sparks, a real survivor of the 1940 London Blitz, the narrative revolves around the SS City of Benares, the ship that evacuated 90 children out of England’s war zone to safety in Canada. The central conflict of the story arises when German torpedoes strike the ship, and the passengers must escape aboard lifeboats. Set against the backdrop of Ken and others’ real experiences, Hood explores the themes of Coming of Age in Times of Crisis, The Definition of Bravery, and The Beauty and Power of Nature.

Hood, an award-winning author, has written over 200 books for children. Lifeboat 12 is a Junior Library Guild Selection, a 2019 Golden Kite Middle Grade Fiction Award Winner, and an ALSC Notable Children’s Book.

This guide refers to the 2019 paperback print edition.

Plot Summary

In the summer of 1940, 13-year-old Ken Sparks learns he is accepted as a passenger aboard a ship bound for Canada. He will join many other children aged five to 15. They will be escorted out of the World War II danger zone of England to safety in Canada, where Ken will stay with his stepmother’s sister. At first, Ken feels like his stepmother is trying to get rid of him and resists the idea of leaving. He has always felt like she does not love him as her own child. However, Ken soon realizes that this voyage could be an opportunity for him to live his own adventure, just like the heroes of the adventure books he loves.

When the Germans come to London and begin to drop bombs on the city each night, Ken becomes more eager to leave his hometown of Wembley, located outside of London. He doesn’t relish the thought of being stuck inside of a cramped bomb shelter and hopes that his home will be spared. Before he leaves, his stepmother takes him to get a new overcoat. This outing is a special treat because Ken has not had new clothes since before the war started: “This coat is probably the nicest thing / I’ve ever owned” (13). He feels grown up as he tries on the warm coat and promises his stepmother he will take good care of it. She takes him to the train station because his father cannot get away from work. However, she gives a rather brusque goodbye, nothing like the tearful and hug-filled family farewells Ken witnesses on the train platform.

Once on the train, Ken recognizes his friend Terry from his neighborhood. Terry is three years younger than Ken, but they are close friends, and Ken is glad to see a familiar face. Terry is even more excited about the trip than Ken, and his enthusiasm is contagious, filling Ken with anticipation at the prospect of leaving for the “New World” on a ship. However, even on the train, they are not safe from danger. They must make frequent stops when air raid sirens wail, and they take shelter as the Germans drop bombs. Ken and the other children are taken to an orphanage for one night before they continue to the port. Ken meets several of the other boys, including Derek and Billy, who are both in charge of their younger brothers, and Paul, a shy boy. When they finally make it to the ship, the SS City of Benares, the boys are in awe. It is a luxury British cruise liner. In addition to the children, the grand ship is carrying paying passengers. The boys’ cabins are nicer than any room Ken has slept in before, and the dining room brings any kind of food the boys request. Ken is amazed at the ease and beauty of life aboard the ship in contrast with his life at home, in which his family is always making do because of the war. However, despite its beauty and luxury, the ship is not exempt from the war; its departure is delayed because of a German attack. Ken and the other passengers learn what to do in case of an emergency. The children practice going to their muster stations and boarding their assigned lifeboats.

The ship leaves the next morning on Friday, September 13, and travels with a convoy for protection. Even though they are en route to Canada, the threat of German attack looms until they are 500 miles from England. As the first few days pass aboard the ship, storms come and go at sea, and the children alternate between seasickness and playing on deck when the weather is fair. On Tuesday, four days after departure, passengers receive the good news that they are clear of danger and are now out of reach of German U-boats. However, that night, a torpedo hits the ship. Ken remains calm; he knows what to do because of the lifeboat drills. However, upon reaching his assigned lifeboat, Lifeboat 8, he realizes he left his special overcoat in his cabin and goes back to get it. By the time he returns, Lifeboat 8 is gone, and Ken must board one of the only remaining boats, Lifeboat 12.

Lowering the lifeboat into the ocean is chaotic, but it lands in the sea without capsizing or flooding with too much water. As light flashes from explosions, Ken can see people clinging to capsized lifeboats and flotsam. He also sees the bodies of those who did not survive. Lifeboat 12 picks up as many survivors as it can, and Gunner Harry Peard swims several people to safety, handing them up to Lifeboat 12. Thirty minutes after the attack, the Benares sinks beneath the waves. The passengers of Lifeboat 12 await rescue all night, but it never comes. In the morning, the only other lifeboat in sight explains that they plan to sail for Ireland, about eight days away, rather than wait and hope for rescue. Lifeboat 12 waits another day, but the passengers decide to head for land when no one comes for them. The boat has some food and water supplies, and they calculate daily rations so that it will last them eight days. Ken sits in the bow with Derek, Billy, Paul, and two other boys named Fred and Howard. Two escorts are with them as well: Father O’Sullivan and Mary Cornish. The other passengers aboard are British and Indian sailors and staff from the Benares. As the days drag on, boredom becomes their worst enemy. They try singing, playing I Spy, and operating the Fleming gear that rows the boat to keep themselves occupied. However, what helps them the most is a story from Mary, whom the boys start calling Auntie Mary. She tells them a little more of an adventure story each day, stopping at exciting points so they will have something to think about other than their thirst and discomfort. A constant layer of saltwater in the bottom of the boat starts to take its toll on the boys’ feet. Paul, who is barefoot and has a cut on one foot, is particularly in pain. Their feet swell and blister from the constant moisture. With only a small serving of water twice a day for each passenger, everyone starts to suffer from extreme thirst.

On their fifth day in the lifeboat, the passengers spot a merchant ship drawing near. They shoot flares to catch the ship’s attention and think that the moment of rescue has finally come. However, just when the ship starts to get close, it turns around and leaves. A few days later, one of the Indian sailors experiences delirium after drinking sea water and jumps into the ocean to his death. Hope of rescue and survival gradually slip away, and everyone nears their breaking point. On day eight, when they should reach land and their water supply will run out, Mary concludes her story. The end of the story feels like the end of the boys’ ability to hope. Then, Ken spots a plane in the distance. He knows from its sound that it’s a British plane. He starts to wave and signal. The pilot sees them and signals back that help is on the way. A ship called the HMS Anthony comes to rescue them. Kind sailors greet the boys and help them aboard.

The passengers from Lifeboat 12 receive medical attention, food, and comfortable beds to sleep in. They arrive in Scotland the next day where the community and reporters greet them as heroes. Among the excitement of rescue, the boys receive tragic news as well; Derek and Billy’s younger brothers did not survive, nor did Terry or many of the other children.

The boys’ parents receive news that their sons survived, and everyone’s parents except for Ken’s come to pick them up in Scotland. Ken must make his way home on the train by himself, but he recognizes how much he has changed and grown since leaving home. Ken’s father greets him at the train station, and his community of Wembley lines the streets to welcome him home. Ken learns that his stepmother missed him and feared he had died, and he realizes she truly loves him. Ken also learns that going back for his overcoat saved his life, as none of the passengers on Lifeboat 8 survived. Three years later, the war continues, and Ken, now a man, enlists in the British Royal Navy.