Could you survive an Arctic bath?

Arctic Star

Written by: Tom Palmer @tompalmerauthor

Published by: Barrington Stoke @BarringtonStoke

Published on: May 2021

Price: £6.99

First line: “You do know that some men who go out on deck to clear ice are never seen again, don’t you?”

Genre: History

Thanks to my local library for the review copy.

What’s it all about? Three friends from Plymouth, England are joining their first convoy as members of the Royal Navy during WW2. They’re part of a team of 85 men on a corvette ship who are defending other ships who are taking supplies to Murmansk, Russia to support them in their fight against the Nazis. The story follows the friends on this journey and then various other ones during the same time. You find out intimate details about their life on the ships from day-to-day jobs and their feelings to the terrifying events that happen around them, from dodging tower high waves, freezing conditions as well as attacks from air, sea and below.

Why should I read it? For anyone learning about WW2, the dates, the number of deaths, the big battles etc this story brings alive the human connection that individual people had to live through and cope with with no preparation for becoming heroes and surviving the worst that the world, and other people, could throw at them, many at the young age of just 18. This is really bought to life through the author’s description of the three friends’ different personalities (Steven – arrogant, joker; Frank – nervous, quiet, realist; Joseph – clever, stubborn) and how they react to the different situations they are plunged into. As well as the description of the battle of North Cape where appreciation of the loss of life on both sides was relayed by both sides. The story arc has highs and troughs, just like the Arctic waves they are sailing through. Without giving away any plot twists, prepare yourself for some incredibly sad moments as you would expect with a war time situation. As always, with Tom Palmer and Barrington Stoke, the story is easy to read with bite sized chapters and in an easy font. The story is intricately researched and more detail is added at the end of the story as well as being on his website. I think children in Years 5 and 6 will be interested with the description of Russia in those times, just like Joseph was, and it links intriguingly with current events.