Second Watch

By Karen Autio

Saara wants so much to go to Finland with her family, to see the grandparents she has never met and the places her mother speaks about with such longing. One misfortune after another nibbles at the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1550391518
• ISBN13: 9781550391510
• Release Date: March 2022
• Publisher: Sono NIS Press
• Length: 199 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.1" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

A richly detailed and compelling story

As you begin reading, you quickly discover that 11-year-old Saara's dream is a trip to Finland to meet her grandparents. But the book's title and cover art have already given you information Saara does not have: she has a date with destiny on the ill-fated last voyage of the luxurious RMS Empress of Ireland. En route to that May 29, 1914 date, you will find a young girl confronting the joys and tensions of family life, sibling rivalry, a father's job loss, the changing loyalties of friends, the challenges of school, and the ever-present need to scrimp and save and spend both sides of every penny. Karen Autio immerses you in the rich world of Canada's Finnish immigrant culture, giving you enough time to get to know everybody on a first name basis, before she plunges you into the cold waters near Point-au-Pere in the St. Lawrence River where 1,012 lives are lost.

Adults and kids alike will enjoy this novel!

Karen Autio's first novel is superbly researched and ably written. Bravo!