From bestselling author Margaret Mayhew, an emotional and gripping wartime saga, full of the tension and adventure of World War Two. Perfect for fans of Katie Flynn, Donna Douglas and Rosie Clarke.

READERS ARE LOVING THE LITTLE SHIP!

"Brilliant. Very moving, funny and sad all at the same time" - 5 STARS
"[The] characterisation is wonderful. The reader is able to put themselves right there as the book unfolds." - 5 STARS
"Absolutely fantastic" - 5 STARS
"A fantastic storyteller" - 5 STARS
"I found it fascinating historical fiction at its best" - 5 STARS

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CAN FRIENDSHIPS FORGED IN CHILDHOOD SURVIVE THE HORRORS OF WAR?

In the summers leading up to the war, Matt, Guy, and their young cousin Lizzie meet up on the Essex coast and bum around in an old boat. Guy is the eldest, handsome, skilled at everything, a tad selfish. Matt is quieter and has a crippled right arm. Lizzie adores them both. These are idyllic days of sun, and sea, the golden era of the thirties.

As the thirties progress, things take a darker turn. Lizzie's family take the daughter of a Viennese colleague of Lizzie's father into their home, a Jewish girl called Anna, who is miserable and homesick. Soon Otto joins the band of children - the son of a German diplomat, reared in the best traditions of the Hitler doctrine and destined for the army.

As they grow up, their relationships become tense and highly involved. Resentment, love, confusion, hate all intermingle...

Then the world explodes into war and they go their separate ways until they all meet again at Dunkirk...with very different aims and ambitions....