Synopsis: When six-year old orphan Arthur Hobhouse is shipped to Australia after WWII he loses his sister, his country and everything he knows. Overcoming enormous hardships with fellow orphan Marty, Arthur is finally saved by the extraordinary people he meets and by his talent for boat-design and sailing. He designs and builds a solo yacht to carry his daughter Allie to England in search of his long-lost sister. Will the threads of Arthur’s life finally come together?

Review: Michael Morpurgo’s writing is timeless, this book sparkles with wonderful characters you can really care about. Excellently read by two highly experienced audio book narrators - Emilia Fox from Silent Witness and Tim Piggot Smith, well known for his appearances on television and his leading theatre roles.

Written in the first person, in two parts, this book is ideal for reading aloud. Tim Piggot Smith reads the part of Arthur Hobhouse whilst Emilia Fox narrates the role of Allie his daughter. The story starts by looking back on Arthur’s life and his vague memories of his elder sister, Kitty. It gives a true and realistic insight in to the lives of children evacuated to Australia and the hell some had to live. Arthur endures mistreatment, neglect and forced labour in the Australian outback but he is saved by his love of the sea. When he meets a nurse whose father owns a boat-building business, all the pieces of his broken life come together. He designs a boat which his daughter, Allie, single handed sails to England, from Australia, to find her long lost aunt Kitty. Allie's story is totally gratifying as she sets out to fulfil her father's dream.

Atmospheric music adds to the enjoyment of this abridged audio CD.

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2007-09-30