Novels rooted in historical events provide a powerful and unique opportunity for younger readers to learn while enjoying a compelling narrative (somewhat akin to the “hiding the vegetables” approach for picky eaters). It’s doubly unfortunate, then, when historical fiction fails to deliver much on either side of the equation. Such is the case with the new novel from Curtis Parkinson.

The book’s premise is promising enough: it is the summer of 1943, and 16-year-old Scott has a job on the Rapids Prince, the sightseeing boat that runs the Long Sault Rapids on the St. Lawrence River. When Scott overhears what he believes to be the plans of German spies, he, along with friends Adam and Lindsay, the subject of his adolescent affections, are drawn into a high-stakes adventure. The Nazis, at least one of whom has recently landed in Canada via U-boat, are planning some act of destruction that will hobble Canada’s war effort, and it’s up to the teens to stop them.

The book has all the depth of a Hardy Boys mystery, though it lacks the effective pacing of those classics. The characters are thinly drawn, and the dialogue – when it isn’t mired in golly-gee-whiz-style stiltedness – is forced and stagy. Meanwhile, the groan-worthy plot defies belief at virtually every turn.

Nor is the book engaging or informative. Parkinson worked on the Rapids Prince as a teen, but any sense of verisimilitude is absent. Similarly, the underlying conflicts aren’t explored much beyond “Nazis bad.”

Man Overboard! is a frustrating book, not simply as a reading experience, but as a missed opportunity.