What Parents Should Know
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 Media Review
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.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
