Our Middle Grade book spotlight this week is all about the Titanic!!! It is the 110 year anniversary of the sinking of this amazing ship and for some reason, we just love learning about the ship itself and what happened even though we all know the outcome. This voyage meant different things to all the people on board and many did not make it to their desired destination. We have an amazing collection of fiction and nonfiction titles that explore this event from a variety of viewpoints and perspectives including some mystery, time traveling, and a novel in verse so I encourage you to read and explore this event even more because you never know what you may learn this time. These books and more can be found by searching the catalog using the search tag #youthhistoricalfiction and #amazingyouthnonfiction as well as on Libby and Hoopla.
Voyage on the Great Titanic by Ellen Emerson White--In her diary in 1912, thirteen-year-old Margaret Ann describes how she leaves her lonely life in a London orphanage to become a companion to a wealthy American woman, sails on the Titanic, and experiences its sinking.
Kaspar the Titanic Cat by Michael Morpurgo--Kaspar the cat's owner--Countess Kandinsky--dies while staying in London's Savoy Hotel. Johnny the bellboy takes Kaspar as his new pet and the two have adventures in London together, until they meet Lizziebeth. Lizziebeth is a rich, young heiress, and it isn't long until Johnny, Kaspar, and Lizziebeth are on the "Titanic" sailing for America. As far as anyone knows, Kaspar is the only cat to survive the ship's sinking.
SOS Titanic by Eve Bunting--Fifteen-year-old Barry O'Neill, traveling from Ireland to America on the maiden voyage of the Titanic, finds his life endangered when the ship hits an iceberg and begins to sink.
Disaster on the Titanic by Kate Messner--This time the mysterious box transports the golden retriever Ranger back to the shipyards of Belfast in 1912, where a ship is being prepared for her maiden voyage, and when he saves young Patrick Murphy from being crushed by falling boards, Ranger expects to be transported home; when he is not, he knows that somehow his job is not finished--but then, Ranger has never heard of the Titanic, and knows nothing of the fate that awaits Patrick, and all the other people on board.
The Titanic: An Interactive History Adventure by Bob Temple--Presents an interactive history adventure featuring the "Titanic," a major passenger steamship. Offers three paths for the reader to take when sharing in the adventure from London to New York City either as a first class passenger, a third-class immigrant, or as a crew member trying to keep people safe. Discusses the people on board, the luxury of the ship, and the danger ahead.
Titanic Sinks! by Barry Denenberg--Created using the dimensions and colors of an old-time newspaper supplement, this title transports readers decades into the past in order to provide them with a look at the Titanic, from its creation through its final hours. The book opens with articles published between 1903 and 1912 which describe Titanic's construction, the build-up to its maiden voyage, and its fateful journey across the ocean. The final portion of the book features a chronology of the ship's fate after being struck by the iceberg, as well as statements from survivors and an interview with the captain of the rescue ship, all of which are based on real testimony from the period. Photographs and memorabilia fill the pages, contributing to the book's ability to make readers feel they have truly journeyed into the past.