Alone on a Wide Wide Sea by Michael Morpurgo

Alone on a Wide Wide Sea by Michael Morpurgo is about six year old Arthur, a boy sent from England to live in Australia after he is orphaned during WWII. He is separated from his sister, Kitty, and only has a key to remember her by. As he grows older, Arthur eventually forgets what the key goes to, and begins to believe that he may have even made up his sister in his mind. He is sent to live and work under the harshest of conditions with numerous other orphans on a farm in Australia. Eventually, he and his friend Marty are able to escape and live through young adulthood with a women in the Australian bush, helping her save and release hurt and orphaned animals. Through twists and turns, Arthur ends up working at a boat company in New Zealand and discovers a love for the sea. He transfers this love to his daughter, and they hatch a plan to sail their own boat to England to find his long lost sister, Kitty and finally discover the true meaning behind the key that Arthur still wears around his neck.

I absolutely loved this book. The first part of the story is told through Arthur's eyes, as a sort of memoir. Although it is fiction, it is very easy to believe that Arthur truly exists and that the reader has the unique opportunity to see his life and story through his eyes. The second part of the story is told in a similar way through the eyes of his daughter, Allie. This details her journey to England and what she finds when she finally arrives. I laughed out loud at parts of this and cried along with Allie during a particularly heart wrenching experience at sea. This is one of my favorites!