  | Accidental stowaway Author: Eagle, Judith | |
| Price: $23.78 | ||
Summary:
In this transatlantic romp set in 1910, a plucky girl named Patch accidentally stows away on a glamorous steamship, finding herself in the midst of a mystery after some passengers turn out not to be what they seem and her new friends aboard the ship urgently need her help to stop some dastardly criminals.
| Illustrator: | Rioux, Jo-Anne |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (+) (05/01/25)
Booklist (05/01/25)
Full Text Reviews:
Other - 04/28/2025 When the eponymous protagonist learns of a mystery that needs solving aboard a luxury liner, it’s all hands on deck in this bustling historical tale by previous collaborators Eagle and Rioux (The Pear Affair). Twelve-year-old Patch often feels like "the kind of parcel that no one wants to receive." Since she was born, she’s lived with her father in Kensington, her aunt in Surrey, her grandmother in Northumberland, her uncle in Essex, and with a second cousin twice removed in Islington. Deemed "unmanageable" by the cousin, Patch is next sent to the Liverpool Institute High School for Girls, where she will be cared for by a family friend in the school’s employ. But when she arrives at the seaside institution, Patch’s new guardian is away. Instead, Patch encounters young American deckhand Turo, on shore leave from cruise ship the RMS Glorious, and she soon finds herself heading unceremoniously to sea as an accidental stowaway. Aboard, she befriends Lilian, a young heiress who offers to help Patch blend in among wealthy patrons sailing to America-until the trio become embroiled in a ship-wide conspiracy. The larger-than-life setting provides ample opportunity for swashbuckling adventures whose stakes, while never too high, are always exciting. Illustrations portray the protagonists with pale skin. Ages 8-12. (July) - Copyright 2025
Booklist - 05/01/2025 Esme “Patch” (short for Crosspatch) Leonard has been “passed from pillar to post” her whole life, moving through a string of relatives’ homes as a result of having neither a father (dead) nor a mother (absconded). Her newest placement has barely begun when Patch rushes headlong into a grand adventure. Conned by a ship’s boy, a furious Patch pursues him onto the RMS Glorious, only for the luxury liner to set sail while she’s still aboard. Fortunately, Patch bumps into another girl her age who eagerly agrees to help Patch hide in plain sight as a first-class passenger. Eagle populates the steamship with quirky, memorable characters and creates a fascinating world in miniature as the girls scurry between decks and class divides. The stakes are raised when the girls begin to suspect certain passengers of being up to no good and become entangled with their dangerous scheme. As Patch puzzles out who they really are and what they’re up to, several other secrets come to light. Wonderfully scrappy and bighearted, Patch is a protagonist readers will cheer on. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.
