On Board the Titanic: What It Was Like When the Great Liner Sank
Common Sense Note
One of the book's diagrams depicts the number of survivors according to their station on the boat. It's tragic--although no shock--that the higher one's class, the higher one's chance of survival. You may want to discuss the concept of class differences with your kids.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Tanya Smith
Despite the shared first name of their protagonists, ON BOARD THE TITANIC predates the deluge of Titanic-related publishing inspired by James Cameron's 1997 blockbuster. Shelly Tanaka turns the real-life stories of seventeen-year-old Jack Thayer and twenty-two-year-old Harold Bride into a suspenseful narrative.
Many lessons emerge from the fate of the Titanic. The true stories of first-class passenger Jack and working-class Harold subtly underscore the class differences that meant life or death for many of the passengers onboard. One of the book's diagrams depicts the number of survivors according to their station on the boat. It's tragic--although no shock--that the higher one's class, the higher one's chance of survival. Also, the Titanic has become a symbol of the dangers of poor planning and overconfidence.
A variety of visuals crowd each page: a shot of the postcard given to travelers as they boarded, a picture of the telegram announcing the wreck, a Morse code diagram. Numerous cut-away drawings of the ship's interior jockey for space with haunting black and white passenger photos. The dark colors of the paintings depicting the wreck's aftermath add to the tale's drama. While the information adds to the story, the design of the book can at times be overwhelming.
For even more on this famous disaster, try Exploring the Titanic by Robert D. Ballard, an engrossing account of the sinking and rediscovery of the famed ocean liner. Eve Bunting's SOS Titanic tells the fictional first-hand account of another teenaged passenger.
Plot Summary:
Seventeen-year-old Jack Thayer and his parents board the doomed Titanic on April 10, 1912. While his parents hobnob with the rich and famous, Jack explores the ship on his own. Jack quickly makes friends with the ship's designer, who offers to let Jack tag along on his inspection rounds.
Jack's privileged point of view is intercut with that of twenty-two-year-old wireless operator Harold Bride. After an iceberg splits the ship in two, both boys find themselves clinging to the same life raft-struggling to survive while bravely helping others.
Tanaka uses imagined conversations and thoughts to give a narrative structure to the real-life stories of Thayer and Bride. Copious pictures, paintings, and diagrams mesmerize as well as instruct. A glossary and a list of books recommended for further reading round out the educational value.
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ViolenceThe Titanic sinks, and hundreds of people die. Jack fears he may die, and later learns his father died in the wreck. |
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