A decent enough children's story involving the Franklin expedition, interwoven with Belfast family, the Coppins overcoming the death of a young family member. it takes a long time before a reader might realize why exactly these two stories are interwoven with each other. When it does reach it's conclusion, there isn't much of a reveal, as it is a real tragedy the story is based on. It has a decent pace but I struggle to think what a child might find interesting in the logbook and diary entries of Francis Crozier. To me they came off as a little bit dull for a child, but because of a personal fascination with the real life voyage, I found them the most interesting part of the book.

This skilled storyteller beckons her readers to glide back and forth between two stories which she enables us to do with ease. I particularly enjoyed the story from the point of view of Ann, the young girl from Derry. The grief and loss of her family after losing a little child are palpable but her narration also abounds with humour, innocence and wonder. The second story revolves around the Franklin expedition to the Arctic in 1845. Here the characters reflect the attitude of the British Navy tradition but behind that stiff upper lip mentality, we are privy to their foibles and humanity. I thought this was one of the most imaginative children's stories I have read in a long time.