Review: Eyewitness to Titanic by Terri Dougherty, Sean Price, and Sean McCollum

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

View the story of the doomed ship Titanic through the eyes of those who knew it best. Builders, crew members, passengers, and explorers who discovered the wreck each have their own perspectives. Feel the pride of builders as they put the final touches on the grand staircase and the deep sadness of survivors who left loved ones behind. It’s the story of the Titanic like you have never heard it before.
For ages 10-13.
*Includes primary sources, including quotes from those who survived Titanic's sinking and primary-source images (Common Core link)
*Packed with infographics, including tables, charts, bulleted list, and graphs
*Explores the Titanic from the different perspectives and insights of those involved with the ship - the builders, crew members, passengers, and those who searched for the ship all had different experiences

MY TAKE:
I've been fascinated by Titanic since I first saw the movie as a child.

In Eyewitness to Titanic, readers get to see how the Titanic was conceptualized, made, and discovered. It also includes life on the Titanic for both passengers and crew, as well as quotes from survivors.

I was surprised by how comprehensive this book was, considering it's aimed at 10-13 year-olds. There were technical details, plenty of trivia, and a lot of photographs. Granted, a number of the photographs were pictures of the Titanic's sister ship Olympic which had similar features. There were still plenty of pictures I've never seen before, though. Aside from the photographs, there were illustrations as well. The colors used for both the illustration and the book were muted, which isn't really my style, but suits the topic and the book well.

There were plenty of things I read here that were new to me. Mostly, it was the part about the building of the Titanic. My favorite part, though, was reading about the features of the Titanic, as well as life aboard the ship. I particularly liked reading about some of the food that the first-class, second-class, and third-class passengers ate. True to form, even the third-class passengers' food sounded delicious, in a comfort-food kind of way.

Overall, this is one of the best books on Titanic I've ever read. It's very detailed, for a children's book, but there are plenty of photographs and trivia to keep a child's attention.

Thanks to NetGalley and Capstone Young Readers for the e-ARC.

THE GOOD:

1. It's very comprehensive.
2. There are plenty of pictures and trivia.
3. It starts from the making of the Titanic and ends when it is discovered and some of the artifacts aboard were retrieved.

THE BAD:

1. Some of the more technical details can be boring for some kids. 

READ IT IF:

1. You want to learn more about the Titanic.
2. Your child has seen the movie and is now curious about the real thing.
3. Your child likes history. 

RATING:


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