Coming in May–a new series by Gordon Korman, one of my favorite authors! Did you know he published his first book while he was in seventh grade? And that since then, he’s written over 55 titles for kids and teens?  His trilogies are full of adventure and thrills, while his stand-alone books tend towards humor;  several have been featured in past booklists and others have been on Weston Schools’ Summer Reading Lists.  So check out the new Titanic books when they come out! The first one is due in May, the second in August. After that, we’ll have to see…

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Gordon Korman’s new series:
Titanic
Book One: Unsinkable
As The Titanic begins its maiden voyage, there’s plenty of danger waiting for four of its young passengers. Paddy is a stowaway, escaping a deadly past. Sophie’s mother is delivered to the ship by police–after she and Sophie have been arrested. Juliana’s father is an eccentric whose riches can barely hide his madness. And Alfie is hiding a secret that could get him kicked off the ship immediately. The lives of these four passengers will be forever linked with the fate of Titanic. And the farther they get from shore, the more the danger looms. . . .

But if you just can’t wait until May, try one of these older titles about The Titanic and its fateful first trip…

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Titanic Booklist!

Bunting, Eve.  SOS Titanic
Barry O’Neill is journeying alone to New York on the Titanic’s  maiden voyage. He doesn’t really want to leave England,  and he’s worried about the Flynn boys  (his arch enemies) who are traveling in steerage and who have threatened to throw him overboard. Little does Barry know that a struggle with the Flynns is the least of the dangers that await him.

Crisp, Marty. White Star: A Dog on the Titanic
Sam Harris is traveling from England to America on a brand-new ship: The Titanic. Sam is lonely at first, but is soon delighted to discover that there are dogs aboard! When Sam volunteers to help out in the kennel, he meets Star, a spunky Irish setter that belongs to the ship’s captain. Sam and Star become fast friends, and when disaster strikes, the boy and dog must rely on each other more than ever before.

Duey, Kathleen. Titanic: April 14, 1912
Gavin Reilly is working in the Titanic’s galley to earn his passage so he can join his brother in New York. Karolina Green is returning home to the States with her Aunt Rose after the death of her parents in England. On a calm, clear April night their hopes and dreams turn into a nightmare. Rich and poor, famous and unknown, the people aboard the Titanic find themselves at the mercy of the cold sea. Few will live to remember the disaster the world still can’t forget — will Gavin and Karolina be among the survivors?

Hoobler, Dorothy.  The Second Decade: Voyages
After losing their fortune on the Titanic, the  Aldrich family is destitute. Fortunately, they still have a lot of talent and some famous friends.  When film director D.W. Griffith catches Nell’s impressive acting and Peggy’s play writing abilities at the family’s summer performance, he offers them jobs at his film studio.

Lawlor, Laurie.  American Sisters: A Titanic Journey Across the Sea, 1912
They were sisters yet strangers: practical Alfreda Anderson and fanciful Erna, divided by hardship but united in the adventure of sailing to America. Alfreda dreamed of new beginnings, far from the drudgery of life with her aunt and uncle, while Erna already missed her home and feared the journey to Chicago and the father they hadn’t seen in years. Papa had sent tickets for Mother and their sick little brother, but only the girls would make the journey — on the splendid new ship Titanic.

Peck, Richard.  Ghosts I Have Been
Blossom Culp is the outspoken outcast of Bluff City, always getting into trouble. No one wants to cross her, especially now that she’s revealed that she can see the Unseen. Then Blossom herself is stunned, because her lie turns out to be truth. She actually does have second sight …and she finds herself  “on board” the sinking Titanic, trying to help a small blond boy…  (This book is my favorite on the list!)

Tarshis, Lauren. I Survived: The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912
George Calder can’t believe his luck — he and his little sister, Phoebe, are on the famous Titanic, crossing the ocean with their Aunt Daisy. The ship is full of exciting places to explore, but when George ventures into the first class storage cabin, a terrible boom shakes the entire boat. Suddenly, water is everywhere, and George’s life changes forever.

Vance, Marguerite.  Courage at Sea
Cousins Peter and Cy Ambler are very different.  Peter is shy and bookish, while Cy is boisterous and athletic. Who is the braver of the two though, will be proven when both are confronted with big decisions on board the new ocean liner, The Titanic.

White, Ellen Emerson.  Voyage on the Great Titanic: The Diary of Margaret Ann Brady (Dear America Series)
Orphan Margaret Brady, hired as a companion to wealthy American Mrs. Frederick Carstairs, is traveling on the maiden voyage of the R. M. S. Titanic in 1912. For Margaret, this is an opportunity to join her older brother, William, in Boston. She keeps a diary of the voyage, detailing descriptions of the liner, the famous people she encounters, and the events leading up to tragedy.

Williams, Barbara.  Titanic Crossing
Under pressure from his Grandmother Trask in Virginia, Albert Trask and his family are returning to the U.S. on the Titanic. Because his recently widowed mother is preoccupied and his younger sister Ginny is taking up all her attention, Albert is free to explore the colossal ship and observe its passengers. He learns much during his four-day journey, and when the ship begins to sink (and Mother cannot be located), Albert and Ginny must find a way to escape together.

Weyn, Suzanne. Distant Waves: A Novel of the Titanic
The five Taylor sisters have moved to turn-of-the-twentieth-century Spirit Vale, where their mother makes a living talking to the dead. The future, however, is something even she cannot see clearly. The sisters are not meant to stay in Spirit Vale for long. All seem poised to move in different directions–science, society, fame, even the spirit world–but all of their destinies converge on board the Titanic. A transatlantic voyage that promises great wonders soon turns into a fight for survival that not everyone will win…or can they? Young Adult.

Picture Books for younger readers:

Crisp, Marty. Titanicat
Young Jim Mulholland can’t believe his good luck: He has signed on as a cabin boy to the world’s finest ocean liner, the Titanic. As part of his duties Jim is in charge of the ship’s cat, a beautiful tortoiseshell called 401, after the ship’s construction number. Jim is  certain that she will bring him good luck. But once the ship’s trial runs are completed and it’s ready to launch to sea, Jim notices that 401 is nowhere to be found. He has to find her–the Titanic can’t cast off without her lucky cat! Jim is faced with a decision that will affect the rest of his life.

Spedden, Daisy.  Polar, the Titanic Bear
Polar is the charming story that the American heiress Daisy Corning Stone Spedden wrote for her son the year after her family escaped the doomed Titanic. The story, told through the eyes of the young boy’s teddy bear, opens a window on a vanished way of life and contains an enthralling eyewitness account of the Titanic disaster.

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If you’d like to read some factual books about The Titanic, just go to our non-fiction section with the Dewey number J 910.9.  We have practically a whole shelf, for readers of all ages!

::Kelly::