(2) 4-6 Ever since Hazel's father's death, it has been hard for the family to make ends meet. When her aunt, who lives in America and works in a garment factory, invites her to live and work with her, Hazel accepts the opportunity to help support the family. Preparing to leave England, she decides to seek passage on the Titanic but is forced to stow away when she doesn't have enough money to cover the fare. Once aboard, she befriends Charlie, a porter; Sylvia, a first-class passenger; and Mrs. ­Abelman, a teacher who nurtures her dream of becoming a ­journalist. The inquisitive Hazel investigates her surroundings quite thoroughly, from the ship's physical construction to the passengers and their secrets. This exploration allows Nielsen (The Shadow Throne, rev. 3/14) to weave historical research into her first-person narrative. If the foreshadowing of the impending tragedy is a bit clumsy, that can be forgiven: everybody knows how the Titanic's story unfolds. An author's note separates fact from fiction, while primary source documents (newspaper articles, photographs, and transcripts) are occasionally interspersed between chapters.

Reviewer: Jonathan Hunt | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2023

(2) YA Lee builds an original story around the little-known fact that eight of the Titanic passengers were Chinese men. This engaging historical novel adds a fictional young woman in stowaway Valora Luck, a biracial seventeen-year-old maid and former acrobat of English and Chinese heritage, as she reunites with her sailor twin brother and dreams of life in America. Despite having a first-class ticket, Valora is turned away because of her heritage. But once she sneaks aboard, the resourceful teen uses her wits to move around the ship in disguise, pretending to be sometimes her deceased employer, sometimes a young sailor. Lee creates vivid backstories for her characters and explores daily life on the luxury liner for upper- and lower-deck passengers, including scenes of racism and sexism. There are also memorable scenes of warmth, joy, romance, and daring, particularly when the twins perform for a Ringling Bros. Circus co-owner. As with most Titanic stories, the suspenseful final chapters focus on escape and survival, and the ending is heart-wrenching--and unexpected. Lee's novel should, as she says in an author's note, "provoke a discussion about which of these characters society considers 'worthy' and which it does not." Recommended for history buffs and fans of the 1997 Titanic film; pair with The Six, a new documentary about the Chinese Titanic survivors.

Reviewer: Michelle Lee | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2021

(3) 4-6 Alternator Books: They Survived series. While the sinking of the Titanic is probably familiar to young readers, the heroism of Louis Zamperini may not be. Both readable volumes contain detailed texts accompanied by both black-and-white and color photos. The chronological narratives are compelling, enhanced by boxed photo captions. Each book concludes with a "surviving deadly situations" feature with practical tips for doing just that. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Alternator Books: They Survived titles: Surviving a World War II Prison Camp and Surviving A Shipwreck

Reviewer: Renée Wheeler

(3) 4-6 Survival Tails series. Illustrated by Owen Richardson. Animal fantasy meets history in this enjoyable new series about dogs who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances: aboard the Titanic and on Shackleton's expedition. Occasional realistic illustrations highlight key narrative events. An appended author's note in each reveals surprising real-life facts woven into the stories: a cat traveled with Shackleton's men to the Antarctic; several dogs survived the Titanic's sinking. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos. Review covers these Survival Tails titles: Endurance in Antarctica and The Titanic.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges

(3) 4-6 Captured Science History series. Part of the Captured History spinoff series, this installment examines oceanographer Robert Ballard's submarine documentation of Titanic's wreckage and its impact on historical knowledge. An engaging discussion weaves details of Titanic's tragic voyage into an account of the 1985 oceanography expedition, supported by archival photos and intriguing (if understandably muddy) underwater shots. Timeline, reading list. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) 4-6 Flashback Four series. Again transported via mysterious billionaire Miss Z's sophisticated time machine, this time to 1912, four Boston twelve-year-olds are tasked with photographing the Titanic moments before the tragedy. They encounter a series of mishaps culminating with a failure to return to the present in the installment's abrupt cliffhanger ending. The fast-paced and easy-to-read narrative includes photographs of several real-life passengers.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(4) YA Mather's second book featuring teenagers descended from the Salem witches (How to Hang a Witch) veers sharply to explore the Titanic's eerie allure. During the day, the students plan a Titanic-themed dance; at night, Samantha's dreams feature vivid vignettes from the doomed ship and soon grow more threatening. Sam turns to her Descendant friends for help solving the convoluted supernatural mystery.

Reviewer: Megan Lynn Isaac

(3) YA Famous Ships series. These books chronicle the histories of three ill-fated modern ships, including the largely forgotten Wilhelm Gustloff, which was transporting German refugees when it was torpedoed by a Russian submarine during WWII. Each readable narrative covers the design, construction, and operation of the ship; its misfortunes are suspensefully described. Excellent archival photographs, diagrams, and "Mini-Bios" enhance the volumes. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Famous Ships titles: The Wilhelm Gustoff Story, The USS Arizona Story, and The Titanic Story.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(3) 4-6 Titanic Stories series. Providing a wealth of in-depth information, intimate details, and lesser-known facts about the Titanic, this series explores every aspect of the doomed voyage in readable narratives. With a focus on the perspectives of individual travelers, each book is aided by its use of primary source quotes (footnoted and cited at book's end) and archival photographs. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Titanic Stories: Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Second Class, Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Children, Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Third Class, The Story of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Chairman Ismay, Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Crew, and Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s First Class.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) 4-6 Titanic Stories series. Providing a wealth of in-depth information, intimate details, and lesser-known facts about the Titanic, this series explores every aspect of the doomed voyage in readable narratives. With a focus on the perspectives of individual travelers, each book is aided by its use of primary source quotes (footnoted and cited at book's end) and archival photographs. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Titanic Stories: Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Second Class, Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Children, Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Third Class, The Story of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Chairman Ismay, Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Crew, and Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s First Class.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) 4-6 Titanic Stories series. Providing a wealth of in-depth information, intimate details, and lesser-known facts about the Titanic, this series explores every aspect of the doomed voyage in readable narratives. With a focus on the perspectives of individual travelers, each book is aided by its use of primary source quotes (footnoted and cited at book's end) and archival photographs. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Titanic Stories: Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Second Class, Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Children, Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Third Class, The Story of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Chairman Ismay, Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Crew, and Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s First Class.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) 4-6 Titanic Stories series. Providing a wealth of in-depth information, intimate details, and lesser-known facts about the Titanic, this series explores every aspect of the doomed voyage in readable narratives. With a focus on the perspectives of individual travelers, each book is aided by its use of primary source quotes (footnoted and cited at book's end) and archival photographs. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Titanic Stories: Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Second Class, Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Children, Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Third Class, The Story of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Chairman Ismay, Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Crew, and Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s First Class.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) 4-6 Tangled History series. Weaving together personal accounts from the voyage and stories of survival during the event, Otfinoski spins a compelling tale of the sinking of Titanic and what might have happened aboard the ship. The book reads like narrative nonfiction but with a significant amount of speculation and fictionalization; informative supplementary matter adds value. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(3) 4-6 Titanic Stories series. Providing a wealth of in-depth information, intimate details, and lesser-known facts about the Titanic, this series explores every aspect of the doomed voyage in readable narratives. With a focus on the perspectives of individual travelers, each book is aided by its use of primary source quotes (footnoted and cited at book's end) and archival photographs. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Titanic Stories: Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Second Class, Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Children, Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Third Class, The Story of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Chairman Ismay, Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Crew, and Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s First Class.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(3) 4-6 Titanic Stories series. Providing a wealth of in-depth information, intimate details, and lesser-known facts about the Titanic, this series explores every aspect of the doomed voyage in readable narratives. With a focus on the perspectives of individual travelers, each book is aided by its use of primary source quotes (footnoted and cited at book's end) and archival photographs. Reading list. Glos., ind. Review covers the following Titanic Stories: Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Second Class, Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Children, Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Third Class, The Story of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Chairman Ismay, Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s Crew, and Stories of [cf4]Titanic[cf3]'s First Class.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) 4-6 Nickolas Flux History Chronicles series. Illustrated by Mark Simmons. Nickolas Flux travels back in time, arriving aboard the Titanic the night it sinks. The spindly typeface is difficult to read and historical information is awkwardly grafted onto the fictional story, but this graphic novel conveys the gist of the tragic events. The comic-panel illustrations adequately support the text. Sidebars and appended information provide more context. Reading list. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) 4-6 Scholastic Discover More series. This hefty resource will fascinate those already interested in the topic but may be daunting to others just learning. Spreads are jammed with archival photos, maps, diagrams, sidebars, and extensive details (in tiny print) about all aspects of the ship: its construction, the voyage, passengers, eyewitness accounts, controversies, etc. A free digital book of "true survivors' stories" can be downloaded. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Cyrisse Jaffee

(4) 4-6 Survivors series. Duey and Bale tackle the retelling of two historical tragedies--the sinking of the Titanic and the Great Chicago Fire--each through the alternating perspectives of a boy and a girl. Period references supplement formulaic plot lines, in which two strangers fight for survival together; each personal and immediate-feeling story handles death in a peripheral but meaningful way. Review cover these Survivors titles: Fire and Titanic.

Reviewer: Andrea Curtis

(4) 4-6 Return to Titanic series. Illustrated by Scott Murphy. Titanic artifacts in a museum magically transport eighth-grade friends Tucker and Maya to the ship's doomed voyage, where they make it their quest to save a young third-class passenger named Liam over the course of these two installments. Sharp designs, finely detailed illustrations, and appended "historical files" bring more to life than do the predictable plots and bland narratives. Review covers these Return to Titanic titles: Stowaways and Time Voyage.

Reviewer: Brittany Schlorff

(4) 4-6 Return to Titanic series. Illustrated by Scott Murphy. Titanic artifacts in a museum magically transport eighth-grade friends Tucker and Maya to the ship's doomed voyage, where they make it their quest to save a young third-class passenger named Liam over the course of these two installments. Sharp designs, finely detailed illustrations, and appended "historical files" bring more to life than do the predictable plots and bland narratives. Review covers these Return to Titanic titles: Stowaways and Time Voyage.

Reviewer: Brittany Schlorff