I Survived: The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912. Review By: Ayisha Hernandez

I Survived: The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912. (Historical Fiction)

Tarshis, Lauren. (2010). I Survived: The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912. New York, New York:  Scholastic, Inc.

George and Phoebe were onboard the great, unsinkable, ship, the Titanic. They were heading from London where they had spent two months with their Aunt Daisy, back to New York. George was very curious and had a reputation for getting into mischief. While on the ship, George would sneak out of their cabin to explore the Titanic. He meets a father and son named Marco and Enzo. While exploring the boat one evening looking for a mummy, a great big bang happens and the ship shakes. George races back to his cabin to find Aunt Daisy and Phoebe. Unfortunately, Phoebe has left to go looking for George. They end up finding Phoebe down in the 3rd class area which is locked. After arguing with the guard, Aunt Daisy and George are allowed into the area, only to have the gate locked behind them. George sees Marco and Enzo and they help George and Aunt Daisy find Phoebe. Now the ship is starting to fill up with water. George helps them find a way to the top deck where only women and children are being loaded into the boats. George is not allowed onto the boat and has to stay behind with Marco. After Aunt Daisy, Phoebe, and Enzo’s boat floats away, the Titanic begins to turn vertical and George and Marco are hanging from a bar. George loses his grip, falls, and hits his head. He ends up in the freezing water with Marco waiting for someone to help them.

Tarshis’ research really paid off for this historical fiction piece of literature. From the start of the story I was hooked. Tarshis does a good job of connecting the reader to the character. She provides good information and description about the Titanic ship. A reader who has even very little knowledge about the Titanic can definitely learn quite a bit of information from this story. The author did well with building up to the climax of the story and really makes the reader want to know what happens to the characters in the end. The only downside to this book is that as an adult reading this book, I noticed quite a few similarities to the Titanic movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Although this may not be a problem for young students who have not seen the movie. They might actually see it the opposite, as the Titanic movie being too much like the story. This book seems appropriate for grades Third through Sixth Grades. Struggling and reluctant readers in Middle School may also enjoy this series of books.