Titanic Crossing
Rating: 3 stars
Ages: 9 and up (for
the underlying story of the terrible sinking of the Titanic)
Good for ages 9-13
"She's unsinkable. Everyone knows that!"
Thirteen-year-old Albert Trask is going home to America - on the Titanic! Albert's bossy grandmother is forcing his widowed mother to return from England, where she took her children after their father died. Neither Mother nor Virginia, Albert's spoiled little sister, are very happy about the voyage. But nobody can dampen Albert's enthusiasm about on the biggest, most luxurious ocean liner ever built - not even Emily, a know-it-all girl who thinks the ship doesn't have enough lifeboats. Everyone knows the Titanic is unsinkable!
Albert can't wait to see his friends back home, play baseball, and have fun. But when the Titanic hits and iceberg and begins to sink, he suddenly faces adult decisions. Can he save Virginia's life - and his own?
The sinking of the Titanic, one of the greatest maritime disasters of all time, has fascinated the world for over eighty years. This ripping and fast-paced novel puts human faces on the tragedy as it shows us one boy's valiant passage to manhood.
Titanic Crossing is a
book with a great mix of fact and fiction. The author did a wonderful job
retelling such an event in history. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book (four
or so times through, once aloud to my younger brother). :) One thing I want to say, first of all, is that I am
not quite sure of the authors descriptions of the ship itself (after having
read Titanic Sinks!, which is also a fantastic book), but that could just be me…right? I'm not positive.
The whole story moved
along easily. It was played out with a bit of drama, a bit of fun,
and a bit of roll-your-eyes moments. The characters seemed so real. The
relationships felt real. Mrs. Williams did a great job.
The actual sinking of
the Titanic and the hours surrounding that, plus the time spent waiting for the
Carpathia (the rescue ship), weren’t told, so younger kids would be able to read
this novel, which was actually nice.
One thing, though, is that this book is not Christian. It was very clean, however, and totally suitable for Christians. :) The one thing I would complain about would be the characters' lack of optimism and thankfulness. And Ginny (Albert's little sister) is frustrating, but she gets tremendously better in the end.
Characters:
Albert Trask was the
perfect main character for this story. I enjoyed him and really liked him. His thoughts and feelings were completely realistic, and he was my favorite character.
Emily Brewer was frustrating, irritating at times. But a good character. It was nice having
someone Albert’s age in the story. Emily seemed a bit stuck up at times, which
might or might not have been the author’s goal. But, really, she’s
a nice girl whom Albert comes to enjoy being in the company of.
Clay Trask, Albert’s
uncle, was frustrating, honestly. But a good character. Sounds strange, doesn’t
it? I call someone ‘frustrating’ and then say that person was a good
character. But I mean it. A character can be frustrating, annoying, villanious,
but still be a good character. The same with Uncle Trask. :)
Overall:
This book is a good,
quick read. I would recommend it.
*Side note: I really liked the fact that Barbara
Williams based Albert’s character on an a real boy, whom she read an
article about, that wasn’t permitted entrance to a lifeboat because he
was considered a man.*
