I Was There: On Board the Titanic - Hardcover

Tanaka, Shelley

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0786802839 ISBN 13: 9780786802838

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 1996

Synopsis

The sinking of the great liner Titanic in 1912 is lavishly illustrated by a student of the wreck and is recounted from the perspective of seventeen-year old Jack Thayer and twenty-two-year old Harold Bride, who were both saved by getting themselves onto a life raft.

About this title

About the Author:

Shelley Tanaka is an award-winning children’s book author and editor. She is the author of Amelia Earhart and Mummies: The Newest, Coolest & Creepiest from Around the World, as well as several other books in the I Was There series. She lives in Kingston, Ontario. Ken Marschall is a maritime artist and the illustrator of The Discovery of the Titanic and The Discovery of the Bismarck. He lives in Redondo Beach, California.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 3-5?This book covers the six days surrounding the sinking of the Titanic, as seen through the eyes of two survivors: 17-year-old Jack Thayer, a passenger, and Harold Bride, the 22-year-old assistant wireless operator. With fictionalized words and feelings attributed to these actual historical figures, the text has a slightly stilted feel to it. Facts and details about the ship are sometimes awkwardly inserted into Jack's experiences, especially during the first part of the book. But overall, the fictionalization works fairly well. Jack observes details that give immediacy to the disaster and the people involved. As the story progresses towards the catastrophe, it is hard not to get caught up in the tension. By the time of the actual shipwreck, readers know Jack pretty well, as well as a few other passengers, so the tragedy has a personal impact beyond the sheer numbers. Numerous full-color and black-and-white diagrams, historical photographs and drawings, and original paintings help bring the voyage to life. Technical flaws that contributed to the tragedy are woven neatly into the text and diagrams. Robert Ballard's Exploring the Titanic (Scholastic, 1988) is more fascinating, and Deborah Kent's The Titanic (Childrens, 1993) gives a drier, more straightforward account, while Daisy Spedden's Polar the Titanic Bear (Little, 1994) offers a more fanciful fictionalized version. Tanaka's book will serve as an attractive introduction to a popular topic.?Steven Engelfried, West Linn Public Library,
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0786802839
• ISBN 13: 9780786802838
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 48