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Table of Contents
About The Book
“A captivating…thrilling adventure story that shows the power of friendship, hope, and forgiveness.” —Lauren Tarshis, author of the I Survived series
In the wake of Lifeboat 12 comes a World War II novel-in-verse by acclaimed author Susan Hood about two very real girls who clung together for dear life when their evacuee ship was torpedoed, their lifeboat capsized, and they spent nineteen hours in the Atlantic Ocean, waiting for rescue.
When Nazi bombs begin to destroy Bess Walder’s hometown of East London, Bess convinces her parents to evacuate her and her younger brother, Louis, to Canada aboard the SS City of Benares. On the journey, she meets another evacuee, Beth Cummings. Bess and Beth have a lot in common—both strong and athletic, both named for Queen Elizabeth, both among the older kids on the ship, and both excited about life in Canada.
On the fifth day at sea, everyone starts to relax, but trouble is right behind them. That night, a Nazi U-boat torpedoes the Benares. As their luxury liner starts to sink, Bess and Beth rush to abandon ship aboard their assigned lifeboat.
Based on true events and real people, Lifeboat 5 is about two young girls with the courage to persevere against the odds and the strength to forgive.
In the wake of Lifeboat 12 comes a World War II novel-in-verse by acclaimed author Susan Hood about two very real girls who clung together for dear life when their evacuee ship was torpedoed, their lifeboat capsized, and they spent nineteen hours in the Atlantic Ocean, waiting for rescue.
When Nazi bombs begin to destroy Bess Walder’s hometown of East London, Bess convinces her parents to evacuate her and her younger brother, Louis, to Canada aboard the SS City of Benares. On the journey, she meets another evacuee, Beth Cummings. Bess and Beth have a lot in common—both strong and athletic, both named for Queen Elizabeth, both among the older kids on the ship, and both excited about life in Canada.
On the fifth day at sea, everyone starts to relax, but trouble is right behind them. That night, a Nazi U-boat torpedoes the Benares. As their luxury liner starts to sink, Bess and Beth rush to abandon ship aboard their assigned lifeboat.
Based on true events and real people, Lifeboat 5 is about two young girls with the courage to persevere against the odds and the strength to forgive.
Reading Group Guide
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Reading Group Guide
Lifeboat 5
By Susan Hood
About This Book
Lifeboat 5 is a meticulously researched historical novel-in-verse that recounts the true survival story of fifteen-year-old Bess Walder and fourteen-year-old Beth Cummings. During World War II, both girls are selected to be evacuated from London to Canada on a repurposed passenger ship. Once onboard the SS City of Benares, the two meet and quickly become best friends. When their ship is hit by a German torpedo, they survive by holding on to their lifeboat and to each other in the rough, icy ocean.
In poems that capture the immediacy of every moment, Susan Hood’s novel speaks to the power of courage, hope, forgiveness, and, most of all, friendship.
Note to Teachers: Lifeboat 5 has a companion book, Lifeboat 12, which tells the story of one of the only other lifeboats that survived the attack on SS City of Benares: the boat carrying Ken Sparks, Derek Capel, Howard Claytor, Paul Shearing, Billy Short, and Fred Steels. You may wish to read both books for a fuller understanding of the attack on the evacuation ship and the children who survived.
Discussion Questions
1. The first section of the book is titled “Enemies.” Who are the enemies that Bess worries about? What do you think she means when she says, “It’s not safe inside. / It’s not safe outside.”? (p. 3)
2. How is Bess’s experience in the orphanage and on the ship different from her brother Louis’s experience? Do you think the difference has to do with the fact that she is a girl or that she is older? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.
3. What do Bess and Beth realize they have in common? Have you ever experienced a time that you met someone and knew right away that you would be friends. How did you know?
4. Describe the first days of life on the ship. How do the crew members treat the children on board? Support your answers with examples.
5. Explain the evacuation drill that the children practice regularly onboard the ship. How do you think practicing the drill makes them feel? Why is it important to practice how to respond in emergencies?
6. Whose perspective is the poem “Unwelcome Visitors” (pp. 55-56) written from or about? Explain your answer.
7. Juxtaposition is a literary term for placing two things next to each other for contrast. Susan Hood juxtaposes the way the Nazis are attacking the Allies with the way that other girls at school bully Bess and Beth. Why do you think the author wants the reader to think about bullying in this way?
8. What is different about the experience that Colin Richardson, the boy that Louis meets when he is exploring, is having on the ship? How do you feel about the fact that some children’s families were able to purchase their way onto the evacuation ship? (pp. 68-71)
9. What about Michael Rennie impresses Bess and Beth? Describe what happens to Michael. What makes him a hero?
10. Reflect on the role Bess’s shabby green robe plays throughout the novel. Why is it important to her, and how does it relate back to Bess and her emotional state or character development? Consider specific mentions of it on pages 40, 88, 120, and 192 for examples.
11. Why are the children allowed to take off their life jackets? (pp. 85-87) Irony is a literary term describing when what happens in the opposite of what you expect. What is ironic about the timing of the decision to let the children sleep without life jackets?
12. How is the actual emergency evacuation different from the evacuation drills that the children practiced? What does Bess see when she finally reaches the deck of the ship? (pp. 103-105)
13. Discuss the role of hands throughout the story. Think beyond being a body part, but more symbolically, and how that imagery is represented across the novel. How are they represented as tools for work, play, comfort, and survival? What other concepts could hands be used to represent? Look for references of hands and the messaging they allude to throughout the book.
14. Imagery is a literary term for descriptive words that appeal to the senses. Find examples of imagery in the description of what Beth and Bess experience as they are in the lifeboat and as they cling to it for survival. Find words that describe what the girls see, smell, hear, taste, and feel.
15. Several times, the evacuees sing songs to lift their spirits: “We’ll Meet Again” (p. 31), “Wish Me Luck (As You Wave Me Goodbye)” (p. 53), and “Rule, Britannia!” (p. 161) How does music impact you emotionally? What songs do you listen to when you need to be encouraged, comforted, inspired, or relaxed?
16. How do Beth and Bess help each other (physically and emotionally) while they are waiting to be rescued? What happens to Louis during the evacuation? Who helps him survive?
17. Explain what gives Bess hope as she waits to be rescued. Why is hope necessary for survival? Why do you think the poet Emily Dickinson compares hope to a bird in her famous poem, “‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers”? https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/42889/hope-is-the-thing-with-feathers-314
18. As Bess waits for rescue with Beth, what does she realize about the girls who bullied her at school? What does she realize about herself? (p. 154).
19. How does the form of the poem “Sorcery” help convey a shift in mood? (pp. 179–182)
20. The second to last section of the book is called “Elegy,” a word for a song or poem of sad remembrance for the dead. (pp. 195–214) How are the poems in this section different in tone from the poems in the previous sections of the book? How do you think Bess has changed because of what she has been through?
21. The final section tells the reader what happened to Bess and Beth after they grew up. What parts of their lives in this section surprised you? Susan Hood titled this last section “Empathy,” a word that means the ability to understand or share the way another person feels. Why do you think having empathy might help someone be able to forgive?
22. Susan Hood’s book contains resources and research about the SS City of Benares. What sources did Susan Hood use to research the book? Why do you think she included quotes from real survivors of the CORB program? How does knowing that the events in the book really happened change the way you feel about the story? After reading this book, what would you like to know more about?
Primary and Secondary Sources
This book provides an exceptional resource for getting students to think about primary and secondary sources. Guide students through the list of resources (pp. 231–242) that Susan Hood used to write her book. How many of these sources are primary sources? How many are secondary?
Help students select a current or recent historical event and locate both primary sources (photographs, interviews, video, documents) and secondary sources (articles, commentary) about the event. In the style of Lifeboat 5, adapt this research into a poem that includes at least one direct quote from someone who experienced the event.
Extension Activities
1. In the Poetry Notes (pp. 229–30), Hood explains that while most of Lifeboat 5 is written in free verse, all the poems use poetic devices and several are written in specific poetry forms. As a class, work together to create a glossary of poetry terms that you find in the book, including examples from the text. Then select one of the poems written in a specific form and analyze the way that the form of the poem adds to the poem’s effect or meaning. Consider the layout of the different poems, as well as their shapes on the page, and what they might reflect about the story or the characters.
2. Throughout the novel, Susan Hood uses slang expressions that were popular in England during the 1940s. Using context clues, try to determine what the words mean. Create a dictionary of these British slang expressions and their meanings, and list slang expressions from today that have similar meanings:
a) knackered (p. 16)
b) ruddy (p. 23)
c) full of beans (p. 25)
d) jolly (p. 41)
e) crikey (p. 45)
f) Bob’s your uncle (p. 49)
g) cheesed off (p. 49)
h) Cheerio (p. 52)
i) chin wag (p. 61)
j) larking about (p. 74)
k) dishy (p. 79)
l) cheeky (p. 79)
m) daft (p. 79)
n) blimey (p. 84)
3. Bess and Beth tell each other about their first experiences with evacuation during the war. (pp. 77–79) Research child evacuation during WWII. Why were children separated from their families? Where were they sent? What was the experience like? After you have researched the topic, imagine that you were a child being evacuated during the war. Write a letter home to your family letting them know that you arrived safely and describing your journey and new home.
4. When the girls in Bess’s room unpack their belongings, they each have a single item that they were allowed to bring to remind them of home. (pp. 38–41) Write a descriptive essay about the one object that you would pack to remind you of home if you had to leave everything else behind. Include a detailed description of the object and explanation of why it is important to you.
5. Onboard the SS City of Benares, the children are amazed by the abundant selection of food. (pp. 44–49) During WWII, food was rationed: people were only allowed to purchase small quantities of specific foods. Why do you think the government needed to limit the type and amount of food available to citizens? Using the library and trusted internet sources, research rationing during the war in England and America and prepare a presentation explaining how rationing worked. What foods would you miss the most if you could only eat the food in rations?
6. Bess tells Beth that she wanted to be a Wren (pp. 79–80): a volunteer with the Women’s Royal Naval Service. Research the role that Wrens played during WWII. What other organizations in England offered roles for civilian volunteers during the war? Choose one and create a poster, radio advertisement, or short film to recruit volunteers. Include any special requirements (age, education, etc.) and a description of the position’s duties.
7. During WWI and WWII soldiers and civilians responded by writing poems: a genre known as War Poetry. Read some of war poems written during this period. Using examples from Lifeboat 5 and some of the poems that you read, write an argumentative essay about why poetry is a particularly effective way to convey the experience of being in war.
8. Much of the crew of the SS City of Benares was made up of Lascars: a name used for Southeast Asian sailors who worked on ships. Susan Hood writes about these sailors in the section “About the Lascars” on pages 242–3. As a class, brainstorm a list of questions that you have about these sailors, then divide up the questions and research the answers. Share the results of your research with your classmates, or if you had difficulties finding information about them, discuss as a class why that might be so.
Note to Teachers: If you have computer access, you may want to create a class website or sharable document that compiles the questions and answers.
9. When she learns about icebergs, Bess relates them to herself, saying: “People will discover that, / like the icebergs, / there’s more to me / than meets the eye.” (p. 84) Create a visual map of yourself: What parts of you are visible to others? What parts are beneath the surface? While there are many ways to create a visual map, you might want to consider making a collage or mosaic with pictures and words. What did this activity teach you about the importance of not judging people based on outward appearances?
10. Lifeboat 5 opens with a quote from Mahatma Gandhi: “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” Consider this quote in the context of the last two poems in the book, “Sisters” and “The Problem of Forgiveness.” (pp. 217–222) How does forgiving the German soldiers that attacked her ship impact Bess? Write a personal essay about a time that you made the choice to forgive someone. How did practicing forgiveness make you stronger?
Note: All page numbers refer to the hardcover edition of this title.
Guide prepared by Amy Jurskis, English Department Chair at Oxbridge Academy.
This guide has been provided by Simon & Schuster for classroom, library, and reading group use. It may be reproduced in its entirety or excerpted for these purposes. For more Simon & Schuster guides and classroom materials, please visit simonandschuster.net.
Lifeboat 5
By Susan Hood
About This Book
Lifeboat 5 is a meticulously researched historical novel-in-verse that recounts the true survival story of fifteen-year-old Bess Walder and fourteen-year-old Beth Cummings. During World War II, both girls are selected to be evacuated from London to Canada on a repurposed passenger ship. Once onboard the SS City of Benares, the two meet and quickly become best friends. When their ship is hit by a German torpedo, they survive by holding on to their lifeboat and to each other in the rough, icy ocean.
In poems that capture the immediacy of every moment, Susan Hood’s novel speaks to the power of courage, hope, forgiveness, and, most of all, friendship.
Note to Teachers: Lifeboat 5 has a companion book, Lifeboat 12, which tells the story of one of the only other lifeboats that survived the attack on SS City of Benares: the boat carrying Ken Sparks, Derek Capel, Howard Claytor, Paul Shearing, Billy Short, and Fred Steels. You may wish to read both books for a fuller understanding of the attack on the evacuation ship and the children who survived.
Discussion Questions
1. The first section of the book is titled “Enemies.” Who are the enemies that Bess worries about? What do you think she means when she says, “It’s not safe inside. / It’s not safe outside.”? (p. 3)
2. How is Bess’s experience in the orphanage and on the ship different from her brother Louis’s experience? Do you think the difference has to do with the fact that she is a girl or that she is older? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.
3. What do Bess and Beth realize they have in common? Have you ever experienced a time that you met someone and knew right away that you would be friends. How did you know?
4. Describe the first days of life on the ship. How do the crew members treat the children on board? Support your answers with examples.
5. Explain the evacuation drill that the children practice regularly onboard the ship. How do you think practicing the drill makes them feel? Why is it important to practice how to respond in emergencies?
6. Whose perspective is the poem “Unwelcome Visitors” (pp. 55-56) written from or about? Explain your answer.
7. Juxtaposition is a literary term for placing two things next to each other for contrast. Susan Hood juxtaposes the way the Nazis are attacking the Allies with the way that other girls at school bully Bess and Beth. Why do you think the author wants the reader to think about bullying in this way?
8. What is different about the experience that Colin Richardson, the boy that Louis meets when he is exploring, is having on the ship? How do you feel about the fact that some children’s families were able to purchase their way onto the evacuation ship? (pp. 68-71)
9. What about Michael Rennie impresses Bess and Beth? Describe what happens to Michael. What makes him a hero?
10. Reflect on the role Bess’s shabby green robe plays throughout the novel. Why is it important to her, and how does it relate back to Bess and her emotional state or character development? Consider specific mentions of it on pages 40, 88, 120, and 192 for examples.
11. Why are the children allowed to take off their life jackets? (pp. 85-87) Irony is a literary term describing when what happens in the opposite of what you expect. What is ironic about the timing of the decision to let the children sleep without life jackets?
12. How is the actual emergency evacuation different from the evacuation drills that the children practiced? What does Bess see when she finally reaches the deck of the ship? (pp. 103-105)
13. Discuss the role of hands throughout the story. Think beyond being a body part, but more symbolically, and how that imagery is represented across the novel. How are they represented as tools for work, play, comfort, and survival? What other concepts could hands be used to represent? Look for references of hands and the messaging they allude to throughout the book.
14. Imagery is a literary term for descriptive words that appeal to the senses. Find examples of imagery in the description of what Beth and Bess experience as they are in the lifeboat and as they cling to it for survival. Find words that describe what the girls see, smell, hear, taste, and feel.
15. Several times, the evacuees sing songs to lift their spirits: “We’ll Meet Again” (p. 31), “Wish Me Luck (As You Wave Me Goodbye)” (p. 53), and “Rule, Britannia!” (p. 161) How does music impact you emotionally? What songs do you listen to when you need to be encouraged, comforted, inspired, or relaxed?
16. How do Beth and Bess help each other (physically and emotionally) while they are waiting to be rescued? What happens to Louis during the evacuation? Who helps him survive?
17. Explain what gives Bess hope as she waits to be rescued. Why is hope necessary for survival? Why do you think the poet Emily Dickinson compares hope to a bird in her famous poem, “‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers”? https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/42889/hope-is-the-thing-with-feathers-314
18. As Bess waits for rescue with Beth, what does she realize about the girls who bullied her at school? What does she realize about herself? (p. 154).
19. How does the form of the poem “Sorcery” help convey a shift in mood? (pp. 179–182)
20. The second to last section of the book is called “Elegy,” a word for a song or poem of sad remembrance for the dead. (pp. 195–214) How are the poems in this section different in tone from the poems in the previous sections of the book? How do you think Bess has changed because of what she has been through?
21. The final section tells the reader what happened to Bess and Beth after they grew up. What parts of their lives in this section surprised you? Susan Hood titled this last section “Empathy,” a word that means the ability to understand or share the way another person feels. Why do you think having empathy might help someone be able to forgive?
22. Susan Hood’s book contains resources and research about the SS City of Benares. What sources did Susan Hood use to research the book? Why do you think she included quotes from real survivors of the CORB program? How does knowing that the events in the book really happened change the way you feel about the story? After reading this book, what would you like to know more about?
Primary and Secondary Sources
This book provides an exceptional resource for getting students to think about primary and secondary sources. Guide students through the list of resources (pp. 231–242) that Susan Hood used to write her book. How many of these sources are primary sources? How many are secondary?
Help students select a current or recent historical event and locate both primary sources (photographs, interviews, video, documents) and secondary sources (articles, commentary) about the event. In the style of Lifeboat 5, adapt this research into a poem that includes at least one direct quote from someone who experienced the event.
Extension Activities
1. In the Poetry Notes (pp. 229–30), Hood explains that while most of Lifeboat 5 is written in free verse, all the poems use poetic devices and several are written in specific poetry forms. As a class, work together to create a glossary of poetry terms that you find in the book, including examples from the text. Then select one of the poems written in a specific form and analyze the way that the form of the poem adds to the poem’s effect or meaning. Consider the layout of the different poems, as well as their shapes on the page, and what they might reflect about the story or the characters.
2. Throughout the novel, Susan Hood uses slang expressions that were popular in England during the 1940s. Using context clues, try to determine what the words mean. Create a dictionary of these British slang expressions and their meanings, and list slang expressions from today that have similar meanings:
a) knackered (p. 16)
b) ruddy (p. 23)
c) full of beans (p. 25)
d) jolly (p. 41)
e) crikey (p. 45)
f) Bob’s your uncle (p. 49)
g) cheesed off (p. 49)
h) Cheerio (p. 52)
i) chin wag (p. 61)
j) larking about (p. 74)
k) dishy (p. 79)
l) cheeky (p. 79)
m) daft (p. 79)
n) blimey (p. 84)
3. Bess and Beth tell each other about their first experiences with evacuation during the war. (pp. 77–79) Research child evacuation during WWII. Why were children separated from their families? Where were they sent? What was the experience like? After you have researched the topic, imagine that you were a child being evacuated during the war. Write a letter home to your family letting them know that you arrived safely and describing your journey and new home.
4. When the girls in Bess’s room unpack their belongings, they each have a single item that they were allowed to bring to remind them of home. (pp. 38–41) Write a descriptive essay about the one object that you would pack to remind you of home if you had to leave everything else behind. Include a detailed description of the object and explanation of why it is important to you.
5. Onboard the SS City of Benares, the children are amazed by the abundant selection of food. (pp. 44–49) During WWII, food was rationed: people were only allowed to purchase small quantities of specific foods. Why do you think the government needed to limit the type and amount of food available to citizens? Using the library and trusted internet sources, research rationing during the war in England and America and prepare a presentation explaining how rationing worked. What foods would you miss the most if you could only eat the food in rations?
6. Bess tells Beth that she wanted to be a Wren (pp. 79–80): a volunteer with the Women’s Royal Naval Service. Research the role that Wrens played during WWII. What other organizations in England offered roles for civilian volunteers during the war? Choose one and create a poster, radio advertisement, or short film to recruit volunteers. Include any special requirements (age, education, etc.) and a description of the position’s duties.
7. During WWI and WWII soldiers and civilians responded by writing poems: a genre known as War Poetry. Read some of war poems written during this period. Using examples from Lifeboat 5 and some of the poems that you read, write an argumentative essay about why poetry is a particularly effective way to convey the experience of being in war.
8. Much of the crew of the SS City of Benares was made up of Lascars: a name used for Southeast Asian sailors who worked on ships. Susan Hood writes about these sailors in the section “About the Lascars” on pages 242–3. As a class, brainstorm a list of questions that you have about these sailors, then divide up the questions and research the answers. Share the results of your research with your classmates, or if you had difficulties finding information about them, discuss as a class why that might be so.
Note to Teachers: If you have computer access, you may want to create a class website or sharable document that compiles the questions and answers.
9. When she learns about icebergs, Bess relates them to herself, saying: “People will discover that, / like the icebergs, / there’s more to me / than meets the eye.” (p. 84) Create a visual map of yourself: What parts of you are visible to others? What parts are beneath the surface? While there are many ways to create a visual map, you might want to consider making a collage or mosaic with pictures and words. What did this activity teach you about the importance of not judging people based on outward appearances?
10. Lifeboat 5 opens with a quote from Mahatma Gandhi: “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” Consider this quote in the context of the last two poems in the book, “Sisters” and “The Problem of Forgiveness.” (pp. 217–222) How does forgiving the German soldiers that attacked her ship impact Bess? Write a personal essay about a time that you made the choice to forgive someone. How did practicing forgiveness make you stronger?
Note: All page numbers refer to the hardcover edition of this title.
Guide prepared by Amy Jurskis, English Department Chair at Oxbridge Academy.
This guide has been provided by Simon & Schuster for classroom, library, and reading group use. It may be reproduced in its entirety or excerpted for these purposes. For more Simon & Schuster guides and classroom materials, please visit simonandschuster.net.
About The Author
Photograph courtesy of the author
Susan Hood is the award-winning author of many books for young readers, including Ada’s Violin, Alias Anna, Harboring Hope, The Last Straw, Lifeboat 12, and Shaking Things Up. Susan is the recipient of the E.B. White Honor Award, two Christopher Awards, the Américas Award, the SCBWI Golden Kite Award, and the Bank Street Flora Stieglitz Straus Award, given to “a distinguished work of nonfiction that serves as an inspiration to young people.” In addition to winning many state reading awards, Susan’s books have been named a National Jewish Book Awards finalist, a Sydney Taylor Notable Book, a NCTE Notable Poetry Book, a NSTA Best Stem Book of the Year, an Amazon Teachers’ Pick, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, and a Bank Street Best Book of the Year. Visit her at SusanHoodBooks.com.
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (October 8, 2024)
- Length: 272 pages
- ISBN13: 9781665943260
- Ages: 8 - 12
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Raves and Reviews
Hood’s latest is a companion story to Lifeboat 12 that highlights the powerful strength of friendship and family in the most perilous of events. Bess, 15, is desperate to escape the German airstrikes in London and the personal attacks made by school bullies. She convinces her parents to allow her and her 10-year-old brother, Louis, to apply to the evacuation lottery provided by the Children’s Overseas Reception Board. When they win a spot on the SS City of Benares traveling to Canada, Bess is ready for the fresh start. Life on a luxury liner is exciting for the 90 children and their chaperones. Bess even finds a friend who finally understands and accepts her wholeheartedly. But when a German U-Boat torpedo strikes their ship, it becomes a race against time to evacuate and survive in the frigid water until help arrives. This novel-in-verse evokes the raw emotions of a teenager, her curious brother, and the relentless sea all struggling to find peace and safety in this lesser-known tragic World War II nautical event. Extensive research, notes, and photographs offer readers a closer look at understanding the sinking of the Benares and the effects it had on the war effort and survivors. VERDICT A highly recommended purchase for all libraries who cherished Lifeboat 12 and seek another inspiring true story of a young girl’s extraordinary resilience.
– School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW, 10/18/24
When Nazis begin bombing 15-year-old Bess’s East London neighborhood, she persuades her parents to apply for the opportunity for Bess and her younger brother Louis to escape on one of the children’s evacuations to Canada. Bess, Louis, and 88 other children ages five to 15 are cosseted by the kind crew of the SS City of Benares, where she befriends Beth, also 15 and from Liverpool. On their fifth day at sea, the ship is torpedoed by a Nazi U-boat; separated from Louis, Beth and Bess rush to their assigned lifeboat, which overturns upon hitting the water. For the next 19 hours, the white-cued girls clutch to the side of the vessel, holding hands and refusing to give up, on rescue or each other. Beth and Bess—who are based on real-life survivors of the same name, two of only 13 children who lived through the ordeal, as addressed in an author’s note—would forever credit their unshakable friendship for saving their lives. In this gripping, harrowing novel by the author of Lifeboat 12, Hood uses thrilling first-person verse to entrance young readers and deliver a tale of perseverance, fortitude, hope, and companionship. Ages 8–12. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Book Group. (Oct.)
– Publishers Weekly, 8/19/2024
Nazi bombs are falling on London.
Trapped in the shelter, 15-year-old Bess feels under attack from bombers on the outside and bullies on the inside. She convinces her parents to apply for a program that will evacuate children to Canada, and she and little brother Louis are accepted. They set off on the SS City of Benares accompanied by a convoy of armed ships. Their escorts and the crew are kind, but the life jackets and lifeboat drills are reminders that danger is always lurking. Bess befriends fellow passenger Beth, and when a German torpedo strikes and the ship sinks, they help one another to safety but feel overwhelmed by stormy weather, loss, and despair. Is there any hope of finding Louis? Bess narrates her tale in free verse that uses short, staccato lines to describe the unfolding events in sharp detail. Hood intersperses verses narrated by the sea, and others that follow Louis’ experiences. Bess’ stream-of-consciousness style expresses all her doubts, fears, and hopes, bringing readers along on her torturous adventure. The girls are ultimately rescued by the HMS Hurricane and find Louis, but only a few of the other children survive. This verse novel is inspired by unforgettable real events that will leave a lasting impression on readers.
A hopeful story about devastating events written in clear, accessible verse. (author’s note, Lifeboat 5 facts, poetry notes, sources, appendix, photographs) (Verse historical fiction. 10-14)
– Kirkus Reviews, 8/15/2024
"A captivating read that will engage all kinds of readers with a thrilling adventure story that shows the power of friendship, hope, and forgiveness."
– -Lauren Tarshis, author of the I Survived series.
“Told in heartfelt, fast-paced verse, LIFEBOAT 5 is an excellent way for young readers to learn about this courageous and inspiring historical event."
– Veera Hiranandani, author of Amil and The After and Newbery Honoree The Night Diary
“This poetic rendering captures how love and hope, friendship and the will to survive can conquer all. Susan Hood’s Lifeboat 5 defines the force of the human spirit in one historic moment.”
– Lesa Cline-Ransome, author of the Scott O'Dell Winner for Historic Fiction,
"A true story of hope, resilience, and the bonds that save us. In Lifeboat 5, author Susan Hood shines a light on the darkness of war, reminding the reader that friendship is life’s real hero in this powerful telling. An absolute must-read!"
– Elly Swartz, author of Hidden Truths
“A thrilling you-are-there survival story of wartime bravery and the unbreakable friendship between two heroic girls. Readers will be riveted from page one.”
– Barbara Dee, author of Maybe He Just Likes You and Unstuck
Resources and Downloads
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