Historical fiction, I've seen, tends to either be really great or really terrible.

Lifeboat 12 is one of the best historical fiction pieces I've had the pleasure of reading. It honestly barely qualifies as fiction- for the librarians reading, this piece is EXCELLENT for ELA & History because of its heavy-duty reliance on primary source references.

AND IT'S IN VERSE??

Ken is a REAL human being, but even without telling the story from a really biographical standpoint, Susan Hood truly created a character. Even while embracing brevity in verse, Hood painted beautiful relationships and scenes. I cannot say enough good things about her and this book...and for this being her first middle grade novel? I'm astounded even though I'm already familiar with her work.

I've got a suspicion that this book will become a staple in classrooms. One of the beloved language arts staples like Charlotte's Web, Bridge to Terebithia, Westside Story...