The genre of narrative nonfiction has hit an all time high
in the publishing world. Previously,
there were so few engaging nonfiction books for children and teens, yet now the
genre has virtually exploded. This
Titanic book is unlike any you’ve read before.
On one hand, it is the same
old Titanic story…the boat still sinks and thousands of people still
perish. However, in this version, we get
to follow real people and learn their stories as they travel on the fated
ship’s maiden voyage. Some were there by
chance and some were there on purpose.
Some were rich and some were traveling in 3rd class. But, each of them has a rich story and
Hopkinson follows each intriguing sea biography to its end.
For instance, while we know there were not enough life
jackets on board the vessel, this rendition takes it one step further to show
how difficult it was for some of the men to find safety and how some of them
bravely sent the rest of their family on while they went down with the
ship. I even learned something-- as I
thought that all of those who stayed on the Titanic as it sank perished, but
there were survivors who were not on the lifeboats as well.
Filled with pictures, diagrams and real time drama, this
novel will keep the interest of students not just because the story of the
Titanic is interesting, but because they become caught up in the lives of those
on the ship. The novel wraps up with
some unconventional pieces in a Titanic book.
The Epilogue begins with a description and pictures of Ballard’s 1985
discovery of the Titanic wreckage. This
is followed by a glossary, details of the lives of the real people followed in
the book, a timeline, famous Titanic figures, survivor letters from the Carpathia, facts and figures, how to be
a Titanic researcher, the commissioner’s report, launching sequence of the
lifeboats, survivor statistics and a bibliography. The detail in this particular Titanic book is
what makes it award worthy.
No comments:
Post a Comment