The Accidental Stowaway
by Judith Eagle (Goodreads Author),Kim Geyer (Illustrations)

3.5 out of 5 stars
Patch is a little girl who is roller-skating around town with Arturo, when he steals candy from a shop. While they are running from the cops, Patch follows Arturo onto a steamship right before it sets sail, and she accidentally becomes a stowaway. She makes friends who help to hide her aboard the steamship so that she won’t be caught by the steward and forced to work for her passage across the Atlantic. Patch quickly realizes that some of the other passengers are not exactly who they seem to be either. She and her friends must unravel the mystery of RMS Glorious before they reach New York in five days, or some dangerous criminals could get away.

The writing is charming and light-hearted. I read this entire book in two days because it was such a quick and easy read. The chapters just fly by as the story captures your attention and your heart! I loved all the cute characters and the way they band together to share the secret of the stowaway.

This story is full of mystery and fun! I really liked the setting on board the steamship. It has that Titanic kind of feeling in history with the decadent first class passengers living in opulence and the poor working class in steerage.

I really liked Patch’s character. She is grumpy but warm-hearted. Her parents abandoned her to a string of different relatives who have taken her in over the years. She has been kicking against the strict rules of her relatives all her life, but what she is really searching for is a sense of belonging. Strangely enough, she finds her family among the ragtag group on board the ship.

However, I was once again disappointed in the shoplifting that takes place in this story, the same as another Judith Eagle book that I’ve read. Arturo steals apples from a vendor, then also steals candy from a shop. He shows no remorse, but Patch is forced to apologize later in the book and she has to pay for the candy that was taken. At least it was dealt with in some manner. But another little girl, Lilian, also steals a key from a stewardess, and they are always sneaking around the ship stealing food. Why not just work to pay for your passage? Why sneak around all that time and lie to everyone? They could have been honest and done an honest day’s work to pay their way. I was disappointed in the poor morals of our heroes and heroines.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review.

To see the mildly sensitive content in this book, you can check it out on the Screen It First website! https://screenitfirst.com/book/the-accidental-stowaway-2592984