I absolutely loved this one. I'm a big fan of a middle grade mystery and this one, set at sea, gripped me. I loved getting to know Alice and Sonny and seeing their friendship grow as they sneak around the ship trying to solve the mystery. I loved the developments in their story at the reveal at the end.

I enjoyed all the maritime facts throughout the book (especially the references to the Titanic - my son was a big fan of this).

This would be perfect for fans of the adventures on trains series. I can't wait to see what's next for Alice and Sonny.

Earnest and relatively lively adventure for young readers, but peppered with things the more discerning of that audience would raise their eyebrows at. It's a stupid reason that has got Alice on board the Queen Mary, just as she's trying to break the time record to cross the Atlantic and win the Blue Riband. But then her father is very high up the pecking order of crew. Anyway, Alice is pottering about the ship she was ordered not to explore when she ends up an earwitness to a crime – somebody lets someone down and nearly gets murdered as a result. Alice then has to stumble into friendship with several other kids, in unlikely manner, to get to sort out the who and the what and where and how and why – all the time ignoring the fact she might herself be the subject of an even bigger mystery, regarding her long-dead mother…

I found the way the kids' gang expands to be contrived, and every element Alice needs to sort the case just falling into her lap – she is in too rarefied a place, with access to too much, to make this a realistic struggle for them. Some of the exposition about the ship is a bit naive, along the "wow, could you conceive of them having shops on board?!" wavelength. And one character is there to force a bit of Reithian education as regards certain aspects of the 1930s onto the page. Her use of English is OTT for one in her situation.

And I also see – not unique to this book, at least – a way in which the plummy period setting has leaked into the writer's style. It's evident from the off she is a fan of long sentences – one I spotted early on had 32 words, which seems unusual given the target readership (I can get away with it here as it's not nine-to-twelves reading me).

All that said this is a distinctive enough read, and the drive given to proceedings by the speeding ship and her imminent docking is strong. The sense of mild peril is suitable for this age range, leaving this neither too gun-ho nor too cosy. But this remains something well shy of classic, anyone-can-read-this status, as seen again by the cockamamie idea for the first sequel. No, this is on the perfectly acceptable level – one to not dismiss, but never one to launch into hysterics over (nautical pun intended).

I cannot express how much I loved this brilliant children's read. Such a joy. Wonderfully well written with excellent vocabulary, fantastic characters and a great setting. I was hooked on the story and even found myself propping my kindle up during dinner so I could find out what was happening!

I'll 100% be recommending this to children at school and also to staff as a class reader.

I love a mystery set at sea and this was full of full and just the ticket. I read this on Netgalley after finishing two festivals back to back and needed something easy. This hit the spot. Alices' dad is the sub captain on The Atlantic, which is trying to beat the record for it's crossing to the US. A little crew of adventurous children and some suspicious adults - the story begins with an attempted murder disguised as an accident, but why? What secrets are hiding on the ship. Jolly good fun and nice to have a new setting!

My 9 year old enjoyed this one, the vivid descriptions coupled with the simple sentence structure and the mystery element ensured she flew through this one and it’s prompted her to lots of in her own words “further research “.

She’s looking forward to reading more in this series. 4 stars from here and she’s going to recommend it for her schools library.

What a fantastic book.
Probably my favourite book of the year. What an adventure. Fantastic characters and fantastic plot. I read it in a few days as I couldn’t put it down. I would highly recommend it to the children in my class. I can’t wait to read the next one and join Alice on her next adventure. 🚢

Alice is excited to be spending the summer with her father on board the Queen Mary as it sails to New York. Whilst her father is working, desperate to ensure the ship wins the Blue Riband prize for the quickest crossing of the Atlantic, Alice hopes to explore the delights of the ship; however her plans are quickly thwarted when her father gives her strict instructions not to leave the staff quarters. After overcoming her seasickness, Alice decides to sneak out and explore, but after slipping into the first-class swimming pool before it opens, she witnesses an attack that leaves a member of staff unconscious. Shocked, she determins to find out who carried out the attack and why. Along with her new friend, Sonny, she begins to investigate but the more they discover, the more serious and dangerous things get.

I have enjoyed all of A. M. Howell's books so discovering Peril on the Atlantic filled me with joy, more so when I read that it is the start of a new series.

The setting is perfect for a good mystery and wonderfully incorporates the history of the Queen Mary, describing the splendour of it in such detail that I could imagine myself wandering the decks. The enclosed nature of the ship and the multitude of decks, small staff quarters and hidden areas make for a gripping read, and you are very quickly drawn into the adventure. You know the culprit is on board with no way of escape and this certainly adds to the tension and keeps you guessing.

We meet Alice at the very beginning of the book and quickly find that she isn't one to always follow the rules. There is a feistiness to her and she refuses to be treated the way girls traditionally were at that time. She has to be careful though, as part of her rule-breaking involves going against her father's instructions, and she is has to make sure she doesn't get caught! Along with the new friends she meets along the way, she is a force to be reconned with and her bravery will leave readers on the edge of their seat. But, at the end of the day, there is the added question of who can be trusted to add into the mix which only adds to the tension.

Publishing on the 3rd August, Peril on the Atlantic is a gripping adventure with that 'just one more chapter' effect. I gobbled it up in one sitting and I'm so pleased it's the start of a new series as I'm already desperate for The Royal Jewel Pot!

This is definitely a book that can be enjoyed by anyone and not just middle grade readers - it’s. real gem of a book by an author who writes such great historical fiction for middle grade readers.

Alice’s father works aboard the Queen Mary and so when it sets sail across the Atlantic in 1936 to break the record for the quickest Atlantic crossing, she joins the ship and quickly makes friends with some of the other children aboard, despite her father’s strict instructions to stay in her cabin. When one of the crew is badly injured and a mystery appears, plucky Alice decides to investigate with the help of her new friends.

It kept me hooked throughout with a great family mystery running alongside the mystery onboard. The villains of the adventure were really well created and lots of the minor characters were also really entertaining and well developed. The historical detail was also really interesting and felt very well researched; I enjoyed reading the author’s note at the end.

I’m so glad this is the start to a new series - I can’t wait to read more of them!

‘Peril on the Atlantic’ follows Alice as she travels on the Queen Mary ship from Southampton to New York with her dad who is the staff captain. She normally lives with her Aunt whilst her dad is working, but her Aunt has broken her leg, so Alice is spending the summer holiday on the ship. She is looking forward to exploring the ship and all it has to offer, but her dad has other ideas and has asked her to stay in a particular part of the ship. Not put off by her dad’s instructions, Alice finds a way of exploring anyway and soon makes friends with Sonny, Charlie and Miriam. She stumbles across a mystery and is determined to solve it. In order to do so, she enlists the help of her new friends and they do plenty of sneaking around to uncover clues. Alice thinks her dad is hiding something too and perhaps she can uncover that at the same time.
I loved the fast pace of this story - the limited time of the voyage meant Alice only had that time to solve the mystery which gave it a great sense of urgency. I really liked the relationships that Alice formed with other characters and how more information was revealed about their pasts as the book went on. I also enjoyed the 1930s setting and the references to what was going on in the world pre-WWII were a great addition. Readers who like detective stories, mysteries and adventures will love this - especially those who enjoyed the ‘Adventures on trains’ series. I can’t wait to find out what Alice gets up to next!

This book is such a fun read! Middle School readers will enjoy it greatly. It is the summer of 1936, and Alice is wildly excited about the months that lie ahead. She will be crossing the high seas on the Queen Mary and interesting things are bound to happen. But events don't occur at all the way that Alice expected.

With her sailor father preoccupied by the race underway, she ends up spending a lot of her time with her friend, Sonny. But Alice and Sonny aren't browsing the shops and trying to identify celebrities, as she had planned to.

Instead, they find themselves in the thick of an adventure involving lurking liars, sneaky sailors and secret sabotage. Not to mention, encountering anonymous letters and lost silk gloves en route to solving the mystery of just what is going on aboard the Queen Mary! Prepare for an exciting ride...

The year is 1936 and the Cunard liner the Queen Mary is taking part in one of the biggest and most impressive races for a passenger liner - the Blue Riband Race across the Atlantic. The Queen Mary, led in part by Alice’s Dad seeks to becomes the fastest ship across the Atlantic and Alice is actually on board, not that she’s meant to be exploring all of the ship. Alice wants to explore the ship and not just stay on staff accommodation and spend her days doing embroidery, but then again, most 12 year olds don’t always listen to everything their Dad says, and after all…he will be working too. A story of adventure and mystery on board the historic liner. You’ll struggle to put this book down.

Secrets and sabotage, danger and deception: Peril on the Atlantic is the first in a gripping new Mysteries at Sea series by historical fiction master A.M. Howell.

Join Alice onboard the Queen Mary for the adventure of a lifetime. It’s 1936 and she’s spending part of her summer holiday with her father, Staff Captain of this impressive ship. As second in charge, he has many responsibilities and is determined to help the ship win the coveted Blue Riband race (the record for the fastest Atlantic crossing from Southampton to New York).

Alice is keen to explore the ship and make new friends. Sneaking out when her father is busy, she finds herself witness to a shocking attack and wrapped up in a terrible plot. Lives are in danger and reputations at stake. Joined by new friends Sonny and Miriam, Alice’s summer of adventure quickly turns into a summer of mystery.

Alice, Sonny and Miriam make a wonderful trio. Intelligent and curious, they guide readers to clues and suspects in a multi-layered mystery. Living onboard the ship for weeks at a time, Sonny leads an unusual life. He’s accepting of everyone and a caring friend. Miriam’s family is leaving Germany in the hopes of a better life where they won’t be persecuted for being Jewish. Her bravery knows no bounds and she will do anything for her new friends. Together they learn to never stop asking questions.

Alice keeps track of every step of the mystery in her adventures scrapbook. This model of purposeful, personal writing is absolutely wonderful for children. Teachers and parents can encourage their children to keep track of their own adventures in a scrapbook with writing, sketches, leaflets and photographs.

Peril on the Atlantic is perfect for fans of the Adventures on Trains series by M.G. Leonard & Sam Sedgman. There’s something special about a mystery on a journey, confined to a ship or train. There’s nowhere for suspects to hide and so many aspects of society are recreated in miniature. The additional layer of the historical setting with references to well-known events like the sinking of the Titanic heightens the mystyery. A.M Howell finishes off this first story perfectly with hints about what’s to come in book two and characters ready to embark on another adventure together.