A world war II novel of 2 boys who survive the sinking of a ship evacuating them to Canada. Bleeker, the new boy at school, is tough and mean. Jamie Monaghan doesn't like having him for a neighbour, but the Liverpool Irish stick together and when the bombs start falling the Monaghans help the Bleekers out. The boys are angry and resentful when they are despatched to Canada on the liner City of Benares, but when the ship is torpedoed by a German U-Boat in mid-Atlantic and scores of children and adults disappear into the icy seas, they are united in the struggle to survive. Based on the true story of the sinking of the city of Benares, this gritty and thought provoking book is a terrifically exciting story of courage and the will to survive.