What do you think?
Rate this book
Starboard
The extraordinarily inventive and inspiring new middle grade novel from the rapturously acclaimed author of BLOOM.
This is the story of Kirsten, an apparently happy and successful 11-year-old YouTube star who meets a ship that comes alive… and is claimed by it as its new captain as it breaks free from its dry dock.
Inspired by the true history of the SS Great Britain, Starboard is about the friendship, heroism and bravery that you can find in others, whether they’re made of flesh or iron. It’s about taking control of your own life and going on epic adventures. But most of all, it’s about finding out who you really dare to be, when you’re completely out of your depth…
This is the story of Kirsten, an apparently happy and successful 11-year-old YouTube star who meets a ship that comes alive… and is claimed by it as its new captain as it breaks free from its dry dock.
Inspired by the true history of the SS Great Britain, Starboard is about the friendship, heroism and bravery that you can find in others, whether they’re made of flesh or iron. It’s about taking control of your own life and going on epic adventures. But most of all, it’s about finding out who you really dare to be, when you’re completely out of your depth…
400 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2021
6 people are currently reading
2016 people want to read
About the author
Nicola Skinner
6 books105 followersI started my writing career aged nine when my mum gave me a WHSmith diary and from then on I was hooked. I decided that the only thing worth doing in my life was writing and that one day, very soon, I'd write books.
I studied English Literature and Film and Television Studies at Glasgow University. I still think back with amazement that I got part of my degree by watching films. Seriously, what a gig. I once wrote an entire essay about the symbolism of staircases in the films of Douglas Sirk. Those were the days.
After graduating, I worked in loads of different jobs, from barwork to copywriting, and as time went on, I'd wonder - when was that book-writing going to happen? It had been three decades. I mean, come on. Oh, and also, when was someone going to ask me about the symbolism of staircases in the films of Douglas Sirk?
Then in the summer of 2015, when my four year old daughter blew a dandelion at my head , I had a sudden idea for a story that I couldn't stop thinking about. And that was Bloom.
Writers that have influenced me include: Roald Dahl, Stephen King, Sue Townsend, Helen Fielding, Louise Fitzhugh and Frank Cottrell Boyce, with a special nod to Jim Davis (creator of 'Garfield'.)
I studied English Literature and Film and Television Studies at Glasgow University. I still think back with amazement that I got part of my degree by watching films. Seriously, what a gig. I once wrote an entire essay about the symbolism of staircases in the films of Douglas Sirk. Those were the days.
After graduating, I worked in loads of different jobs, from barwork to copywriting, and as time went on, I'd wonder - when was that book-writing going to happen? It had been three decades. I mean, come on. Oh, and also, when was someone going to ask me about the symbolism of staircases in the films of Douglas Sirk?
Then in the summer of 2015, when my four year old daughter blew a dandelion at my head , I had a sudden idea for a story that I couldn't stop thinking about. And that was Bloom.
Writers that have influenced me include: Roald Dahl, Stephen King, Sue Townsend, Helen Fielding, Louise Fitzhugh and Frank Cottrell Boyce, with a special nod to Jim Davis (creator of 'Garfield'.)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
May 17, 2021
After reading Bloom in January, I immediately declared myself a lifelong Nicola Skinner superfan and decided reading her other books was one of my main priorities in 2021, and so my expectations for Starboard were stratospherically high. The book itself exceeded every single one of my expectations, and therefore this is going to be another blabbering review where I try to express how clever Nicola Skinner is and how much I need everyone to read her books. This is the story of a girl named Kirsten, who is the star of a popular reality TV show, and what happens when a very old, famous ship decides she is her new captain when Kirsten visits her on a school trip, and sort of kidnaps her to go on an incredible journey, along with her ex best friend Olive and some mannequins who have come alive. The main thing I love about Nicola’s writing is how funny it is– it’s so subtle and witty and I couldn’t stop laughing at some of the exchanges between Kirsten and the SS Great Britain, and also her and Flatty’s dynamic was amazing. Kirsten wasn’t always likeable, as such, but she’s such a flawed, unique and interesting character and I felt so much sympathy for her by the end, once I came to understand her better. The ship herself and Flatty were definitely my faves though, they were just incredible! Alongside the humour, it’s also incredibly wise, and says so many true, important things that I also ended up in tears at a few points. It’s very hard to describe this book, and before I read it I wasn’t quite sure what was going to happen in it, but it’s at its core a story about finding yourself and friendship and how what you want to do isn’t always the same as what you need to do. I remain now, and always will be, a Nicola Skinner fangirl, and I cannot wait to get my hands on whatever she writes next.
April 11, 2021
This is the newest book by Nicola Skinner, and I really recommend it. It is about a girl called Kirsten, who is an 11-year-old reality TV star, who has her life turned upside down when she meets a ship, called the SS Great Britain, who decides that she, Kirsten is apparently the captain!
It starts with Kirsten on an ordinary school trip, which is quickly turned into the adventure of a lifetime, where she and her best friend Olive, end up sailing the ship. It includes some amazing characters, including a talking map, the incredible, historical, ship, and some very weird passengers!
I recommend this book for 7+, and it is probably the best book I’ve read- EVER!
By Rebecca Lloyd, age 9
It starts with Kirsten on an ordinary school trip, which is quickly turned into the adventure of a lifetime, where she and her best friend Olive, end up sailing the ship. It includes some amazing characters, including a talking map, the incredible, historical, ship, and some very weird passengers!
I recommend this book for 7+, and it is probably the best book I’ve read- EVER!
By Rebecca Lloyd, age 9
September 6, 2022
Nicola Skinner was recommended by fellow author Dominique Valente during an event at Stowmarket library!
The book is an unusual fantasy set on the SS Great Britain, dealing with the worries of a Kirsten, the 11 year old star of a reality show. It covers the history of the ship and touches on the social history of the time.
I found the first half compulsive, then less so as the scenarios were too similar, making it predictable. 3.9 stars.
The book is an unusual fantasy set on the SS Great Britain, dealing with the worries of a Kirsten, the 11 year old star of a reality show. It covers the history of the ship and touches on the social history of the time.
I found the first half compulsive, then less so as the scenarios were too similar, making it predictable. 3.9 stars.
August 23, 2023
This is a weird little book, and if you know about me and how much I hate nautical fiction, you'll be as surprised as I am with how much I enjoyed it. A book about a child reality TV star whose star is starting to fade, a sentient ship (and map and mannequins), and a quest with an ex-best friend on a boat? It's certainly original, and it all worked surprisingly well.
I think this would have wide appeal, although might need a little hand selling for kids to understand what it is. There's enough friend drama to appeal to realistic fiction fans, and lots of adventure and magical adjacent stuff to appeal to fantasy fans.
I will definitely be recommending this one!
I think this would have wide appeal, although might need a little hand selling for kids to understand what it is. There's enough friend drama to appeal to realistic fiction fans, and lots of adventure and magical adjacent stuff to appeal to fantasy fans.
I will definitely be recommending this one!
March 3, 2022
Има нещо в тази писателка...пише толкова сладко и вълшебно а тази история е с действително съществували хора и събития и като добавим капка магия и чистата детска душа, която търси и обича безусловно, просто е неустоимо четиво! ❤
Определено някое наше издателство трябва да се поинтересува от книгите на писателката, те са само три за сега :)
Определено някое наше издателство трябва да се поинтересува от книгите на писателката, те са само три за сега :)
April 1, 2021
Starboard is every inch a Nicola Skinner story. The wit, the wordplay, the protagonist's pivotal emotional turning point. It's a poignant read, and I was reminded many times of my experience reading Storm.
The story is broken into six parts, and it charts a course to New York, the Lost Sea, and the Falklands. Each destination is as much an emotional achorage as it is a physical port of call: in the Falklands, we discover the sad history of the SS Great Britain and how she ("all ships are she") came to be broken; in New York, we learn about the volatility of fame and its impact on Kirsten; and in the Lost Sea, we see the fragility of the friendship between Kirsten and Olive. There are other destinations, but to talk about them would be to spoil the story!
Like Sorrel Fallowfield (Bloom) and Frankie Ripley (Storm) before her, Kirsten Bramble is an unwilling (and unwitting) hero who must come to terms with her destiny. The story is about the ship shepherding Kirsten to confront her demons and find a happy ending. Similarly, Kirsten must learn to manoeuvre the ship in order that she finds an ending of her own. Each, in effect, must steer the other. It's not, I'm sure, called Starboard for nothing.
The novel bristles with the author's love for the SS Great Britain, and the historical (and non-historical) notes at the end are genuinely touching. Nicola has conjured something truly magical here - a respectful, heart-felt ode to Isambard Kingdom Brunel that bows to his brilliance whilst planting the love of his life in a gloriously imaginative wonderland (wanderland?). The dream sequences and the sentient map sparkle with magic realism, while the computer game discussions between Kirsten and Olive are rooted in the mundanity of normal life. As if on deck ourselves, we are rocked from one reality to the other. It takes a skilled writer to strike the right balance between the two. It came as no suprise that Nicola strikes just that balance.
Starboard is a beautiful novel, illustrated with the usual grace and flourish of Flavia Sorrentino, and is, as with all Nicola's books, a must read.
The story is broken into six parts, and it charts a course to New York, the Lost Sea, and the Falklands. Each destination is as much an emotional achorage as it is a physical port of call: in the Falklands, we discover the sad history of the SS Great Britain and how she ("all ships are she") came to be broken; in New York, we learn about the volatility of fame and its impact on Kirsten; and in the Lost Sea, we see the fragility of the friendship between Kirsten and Olive. There are other destinations, but to talk about them would be to spoil the story!
Like Sorrel Fallowfield (Bloom) and Frankie Ripley (Storm) before her, Kirsten Bramble is an unwilling (and unwitting) hero who must come to terms with her destiny. The story is about the ship shepherding Kirsten to confront her demons and find a happy ending. Similarly, Kirsten must learn to manoeuvre the ship in order that she finds an ending of her own. Each, in effect, must steer the other. It's not, I'm sure, called Starboard for nothing.
The novel bristles with the author's love for the SS Great Britain, and the historical (and non-historical) notes at the end are genuinely touching. Nicola has conjured something truly magical here - a respectful, heart-felt ode to Isambard Kingdom Brunel that bows to his brilliance whilst planting the love of his life in a gloriously imaginative wonderland (wanderland?). The dream sequences and the sentient map sparkle with magic realism, while the computer game discussions between Kirsten and Olive are rooted in the mundanity of normal life. As if on deck ourselves, we are rocked from one reality to the other. It takes a skilled writer to strike the right balance between the two. It came as no suprise that Nicola strikes just that balance.
Starboard is a beautiful novel, illustrated with the usual grace and flourish of Flavia Sorrentino, and is, as with all Nicola's books, a must read.
September 18, 2022
"The best book I've ever read," my daughter said after finishing. "I cried at the end. I didn't want it to finish." It made her laugh and be angry and be frustrated at the characters, she said. She loved Mark Spencer, the manikin boy, "he's so sweet!" It's "sort of adventure but not just adventure", she said. (Daughter is aged 9 and a half.)
November 13, 2021
A really great adventure especially for the people who have fallen in love with the SS Great Britain. There are some important messages about finding confidence and being content with who you are and questioning the reality, in reality TV 📺
November 25, 2021
This stunningly original and funny novel is about a real ship, the SS Great Britain (which you can actually visit if you ever go to Bristol), and a fictional 11-year-old reality star, Kirsten, whose time in the spotlight has led her life astray. While visiting the SS Great Britain with her school and her ex-best friend Olive, Kirsten and the ship (who talks) forge a psychic connection, and — stay with me here — the ship breaks through its dry-docked enclosure and plunges into the ocean for one last very important voyage. A talking map gives Kirsten a set of clues about what she must do, mannequins in Victorian dress come alive, and through all of this she’s got to navigate repairing her relationship to Olive. And, yes, the SS Great Britain, with her big, charismatic personality, is communicating with Kirsten through it all, too.
It might sound like a lot, but it’s so cleverly done, a literal journey for Kirsten and the ship and a metaphorical journey through their own feelings, too. The quest, it turns out, leads them toward acceptance and compassion, toward living authentically and joyously. This is a page-turner, an adventure story, and a book that’s beautiful and wise and heartbreaking and hopeful. It’ll give you big, warm feelings for a real ship in Bristol and it might also leave you in tears.
(Be aware that the book mentions reality TV exploitation and diet culture, though with the clear message that these things really aren’t great.)
It might sound like a lot, but it’s so cleverly done, a literal journey for Kirsten and the ship and a metaphorical journey through their own feelings, too. The quest, it turns out, leads them toward acceptance and compassion, toward living authentically and joyously. This is a page-turner, an adventure story, and a book that’s beautiful and wise and heartbreaking and hopeful. It’ll give you big, warm feelings for a real ship in Bristol and it might also leave you in tears.
(Be aware that the book mentions reality TV exploitation and diet culture, though with the clear message that these things really aren’t great.)
November 1, 2022
They call her ‘the ship of dreams’ The men who built her call her ‘The mammoth.’ Others are calling her the greatest experiment since the creation. But her name is the Steamship Great Britain. And today, thousands gathered to see her maiden voyage from Bristol’s Harbourside.
She is the largest,fastest,lightest ship the world has ever seen, and a credit to the man behind her: Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the famous British engineer of our time,as daring as the ship herself, rapidly making a name for himself, despite his shortness of stature as a giant of the Victorian age.
Brunel said: ‘I put so much care into the ship and I believe she will last forever and never hesitate and never break.’
Kirsten, a tv star discovers a whole new world for. With lost captains and waving storm, she find she something she never knew….
She is the largest,fastest,lightest ship the world has ever seen, and a credit to the man behind her: Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the famous British engineer of our time,as daring as the ship herself, rapidly making a name for himself, despite his shortness of stature as a giant of the Victorian age.
Brunel said: ‘I put so much care into the ship and I believe she will last forever and never hesitate and never break.’
Kirsten, a tv star discovers a whole new world for. With lost captains and waving storm, she find she something she never knew….
September 4, 2023
An amazing fantasy adventure involving two young girls and a ship with magical characteristics, along with the others who ride aboard her. Kirsten and her friend Olive find themselves aboard a ship which they were on for a class trip when the ship decides to break out of it's dockside mooring and sail away. They are confronted with all sorts of strange happenings on the ship while they try to figure out how they will eventually get home. Kirsten becomes the ersatz captain by donning a captain's hat. The mannequins aboard come alive, some helpful, some less so. A terrific read for girls who like fantasy and adventure.
January 22, 2024
I made myself late for work finishing Starboard last week, and it was so worth it. Skinner spins a fun, funny, imaginative and delightful story that is also so warm and sensitive it holds you and its characters like a literary hug. I nearly cried, in a very good way.
I often wish I'd waited till I was older to read certain books that crossed my path. This is the first time I can remember wishing I had read a book *sooner*, younger, because the lessons in it are gentle and useful and true. (I don't know if I would have *learned* the lessons if I had read it sooner, but that's not the point XD).
Buy it. Buy three. Give them to young and not-so-young people in your life. Anyone who likes the idea of a bit of adventure, or who has ever got even a *little* bit lost, will have a wonderful time with Starboard.
I often wish I'd waited till I was older to read certain books that crossed my path. This is the first time I can remember wishing I had read a book *sooner*, younger, because the lessons in it are gentle and useful and true. (I don't know if I would have *learned* the lessons if I had read it sooner, but that's not the point XD).
Buy it. Buy three. Give them to young and not-so-young people in your life. Anyone who likes the idea of a bit of adventure, or who has ever got even a *little* bit lost, will have a wonderful time with Starboard.
December 16, 2021
This was a lovely story, aimed at slightly older readers than Bloom, and I think perfect for year 6. I love how the characters are flawed, yet relatable and I think a child who’s on their way to being a teen would be attracted to that. I also loved that it was set in Bristol, forever somewhere close to my heart, and it incorporated lots of well-researched history. A fab book!
January 25, 2023
A quest with so many levels and depths.
Unique storyline and fantasy.
And many different themes woven through it from page 1 till the end. Also lovely narrator (read by audiobook).
Huge Nicola Skinner fan! 🙋🏼♀️
Unique storyline and fantasy.
And many different themes woven through it from page 1 till the end. Also lovely narrator (read by audiobook).
Huge Nicola Skinner fan! 🙋🏼♀️
March 13, 2023
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Can't think of any other middle grade novels involving reality television stars and sentient ships that talk to people. Very quirky and British feeling, for fans of similar titles.
Can't think of any other middle grade novels involving reality television stars and sentient ships that talk to people. Very quirky and British feeling, for fans of similar titles.
August 20, 2023
I was only able to read a few chapters at a time, so I didn't feel like I'd fully immersed myself in the story. I wanted to be a part of the story, but it didn't pull me in.
The correlation between Kristin and the ship did not come to me easily.
The correlation between Kristin and the ship did not come to me easily.
August 22, 2021
Nicola Skinner is one of the most imaginative and unique voices in middle grade right now and her newest novel Starboard proves that. Only Skinner could take the history of the SS Great Britain and transform it into a whacky and heartfelt story about a friendship between an 11-year-old reality tv star named Kirsten, and a nearly 200-year-old sentient ship. While visiting the SS Great Britain on class trip, the ship claims Kirsten as its new captain, breaking away from its dry dock and taking the pair on an unbelievable seafaring adventure that will help both regain a sense of self in the face of others’ expectations and rebuild relationships they have lost. I love the way Skinner combines zany, fantastical storylines with thoughtful explorations of serious issues—in this book, she engages with the potentially exploitative nature of reality tv. An incredible story!
February 12, 2023
It was Deep. It made me cry. But afterwards felt like being drenched by healing rain.
March 25, 2023
**4.5 stars
September 10, 2023
Het lijkt een avonturenverhaal met een epische queeste, maar stiekem gaat het minstens evenveel over het vinden van de weg terug naar jezelf en wat echt belangrijk is. Fijn kinderboek!
February 9, 2024
What a unique story, sweet and a little silly but in a smart way. I was pleasantly surprised. Reminiscent of Roald Dahl and Eva Ibbotsen.
April 27, 2021
This is, hands down, one of my favourite modern children's books. It took me from Bristol docks to the bottom of the ocean to within the dreams of a sleeping ship. It's written with flair. The adventure is wild. And the characters are simultaneously larger than life and exactly the right size. I would highly recommend it for all ages.
August 27, 2022
I just loved this! I love the way Nicola Skinner writes - her ability to write great characters and a enchanting story but also with string themes about knowing yourself, finding yourself, friendship and her use of language and making lots of little connections give you such a strong book to read. This is just brilliant and I wish I’d read it sooner so I could push it into more hands!
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews