Scholastic Discover More: Titanic

A new generation of reference books for kids used to surfing and swiping!

Titanic encourages children to think for themselves about what caused this great disaster, and how it could have been averted. It presents evidence that allows readers to determine who the heroes and who the villains of the tragedy were. The book introduces all the key players - the owners, the builders, the crew, and the passengers - and tackles the controversies at the center of the drama. Unique, specially commissioned artwork explores the ship, deck by deck. And moving eyewitness accounts from survivors help the reader understand their plight in the countdown to disaster.

Young readers have come to expect a certain dynamic quality to the layout of the Discover More series, and this picture history of the Titanic does not disappoint. Rich with material artifacts and primary source documents, each two-page spread is more engaging than the last. Even well-studied experts on the popular subject will find fresh facts and trivia, covering topics including the cast of millionaire and immigrant passengers, the feats of engineering that went into building the world’s largest and most luxurious ship, the marvel of its maiden voyage, and the human catastrophe of its sinking. Hundreds of photographs punctuate brief and bulleted snippets of text. Each chapter is prefaced with essential questions, and readers are encouraged to think critically about the evidence presented on issues such as how more passengers could have been saved or the legal and moral ramifications of recovering wreckage. An easily accessed digital book of survivors’ stories complements other narratives included in the physical edition. Grades 4-8. --Erin Anderson