Book Review of
The Last Life Boat

Lynn's Review

The Last Life Boat by Hazel Gaynor was published in 2023. It is WWII historical fiction. 

The Last Life Boat is about the evacuation of children from England during WWII, but this book is slightly different from other books on the same subject. 

Most of the historical fiction books I have read about evacuating children involve moving the kids from the city or the Channel Islands to the English countryside. The Last Life Boat however is about the children who were sent overseas to America, Canada, and other places. 

Yes, during WWII, they took ships full of kids across the Atlantic Ocean to keep them safe. Parents were torn about what to do. This book is the story of both the kids sent away and the parents who let them go. 

The Last Life Boat is based on real events, not real people. It is the story of a ship full of children and teachers on a ship that was torpedoed on its way to safety in Canada. 

Intwined into the story is also the story about the decisions that all kinds of people across England had to make. Not just about their children but about war and what difference they can or can’t make. 

If you love WWII historical fiction this is a good one!